Dating With Speed

Over the weekend, both new and returning students seized the opportunity to socialize by attending the Student Council’s Speed Dating event. Grainger was decked out with romantic decor, including mood lighting and a mixed array of food such as fresh strawberries and pink lemonade.The event drew a large crowd and all the tables were filled, prompting both an exciting choice of options and a dismally apparent sense of confusion. After around thirty minutes of crowded mingling and awkward small talk, the candidates found their seating and an announcer began the first date.The loud, albeit romantic music (Bruno Mars featured in all his glory) drowned out the director of dates allowing many to run over the allotted two minute time frame. This was perceived as both a positive and a negative by the students. One look at the room showed the couples with chemistry filling the excess time with enjoyable conversation. However, there were many groups of candidates filled with awkward silence and uninteresting small talk. The organizers of the event lost control as the night progressed, leading the time disarray to crescendo.Although many students showed up, a few were disappointed with the difference in gender representation. “The dates here are subpar to say the least. I would say that the ratio of male to female is less than the ratio of gorillas to humans,” senior Andrew Turner complained. Having visited the event in search of his one true love, Turner was disappointed to say the least. “I would say that this organization is kind of like a huge Grill,” Turner finished.Although few found issues with the event, the Student Council was pleased overall. “I think that Speed Dating was a very successful event; a lot of people showed up,” Vice President Robert Conner said. “I saw that people were meeting each other from different classes and having a good time. I think it was successful for students to meet kids they normally would not meet.”Many took the event’s goal to be more focused around meeting new people rather than to find a special somebody. “I think it’s a good way for people to meet each other, especially the new students. Its not necessarily about meeting your soulmate but making friends,” upper Jacob Pressman said. “It’s happened in the past though. Students have met their significant other. I don’t know if it’s going to be their soul mate though.”Upper Rebecca Ju, one of the representatives and directors of the event, echoed Pressman and Conner’s comments. “It’s a good chance for the new students to meet other new students and returning students.”Interestingly, the co-hosts disagreed with each other. Senior Ardit Kukaj felt the event was successful in some ways, yet also fell short in certain aspects. “Speed Dating created interactions between students which was a positive. I believe friendships were formed that would not have bloomed outside of the event,” Kukaj said. “However, I think the true love aspect, the dating aspect, was not represented. In the future, I hope that StuCo can continue and improve upon helping young Exonian love bloom.”Overall, Speed Dating was successful in helping new and returning Exonians find potential new friendships that they may not have otherwise accrued. Even extra events offered to the student body can provide them with the opportunity to exceed their comfort zones, whether it be in search of a soulmate or just a new friend. Speed Dating provided a vessel for student interaction, amid a romantic setting and a cheesy strawberry and soda bar. So for those in search of friendships, look no further than Speed Dating, but for those in search of true love and their soulmates, keep searching.