Singles mingled in Butler’s Fairview community room, looking to find love. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
ELLIOT Z. MUEHLHAUSEN | STAFF REPORTER | emuehlhausen@butler.edu
Looking to create meaningful connections on campus, the University Program Council (UPC) held a speed dating event called Meet Your Match in the Fairview community room on Feb. 6. Their goal was to get students out of their comfort zone by meeting new people and potentially finding romantic partners.
At 8 p.m., participants arrived, grabbed snacks and sat down at tables. UPC provided Hoagies and Hops sandwiches and sparkling water. Heart balloons decorated the table, as music from TV Girl to Laufey echoed throughout the room.
Cash Pasley, a sophomore sports media and accounting double major, is the director of late night and special events for UPC and organized the speed dating event. Pasley has hosted other events for UPC, including Casino Night.
“The idea actually came from a selfish state of mind,” Pasley said. “Originally, I thought, what would be a cool event that I would want to participate in myself.”
Pasley acknowledged the holiday as part of the influence for hosting the function.
“Valentine’s Day is one of those more depressing holidays for certain groups of people,” Pasley said. “You know, if you don’t have someone that you are connected to, then it can be a bit challenging of a day. So I thought this would be a fun opportunity for people to put themselves out there, maybe find someone new, or at least gain courage.”
The event was split into quick five-minute intervals, where participants would first go up to strangers and sit down and chat. Each person had a slip of paper where they would write down the name of the partner they were talking to, notes and if they would match.
At first, there was hesitancy from people to start talking with each other, but once the first person sat down with someone, others followed. There were slips of paper on the table with prompts to help people start conversations to break the ice.
After feedback, Pasley decided to switch it up and start assigning people to have conversations with each other.
Ania Wolf, a junior organizational communication and leadership major, found out about the event through the UPC’s Instagram post. Wolf said the event stood out as something worth repeating.
“Honestly, the guys I’ve met are pretty nice,” Wolf said. “I’m trying to keep an open mind. They should do this more often.”
There were 10 rounds in total, so the 23 participants were able to meet at least five or more people throughout the session.
Nick Bennington, a senior music major, saw the event posted on the Butler Engage site. Like many of the other participants, Bennington was new to the experience.
“I did not know anyone here,” Bennington said. “Everyone I met was a new person.”
Pasley considers the event a success, with over 10 matches. When signing into the event, participants wrote down the way they wanted to be contacted if they matched, including things like their phone number or Instagram.
“As an organizer, I hope that people, at the very least, make some new friends and feel more connected to the Butler community,” Pasley said. “If you see more people that you recognize around campus, you can feel confident talking to them.”
