This Friday at 6 p.m. in the Arizona Room of the Student Union Memorial Center, the Student Engagement Council will be hosting an event to get people to meet each other in real life: speed dating. The event is called Analog Tinder, and while the title reflects the infamous app, the event itself is in response to what many feel are the negative effects the app has had on college students’ social and dating lives.
“Girls are going to think of it as speed dating hoping to find a boyfriend, while guys are going to try to get as many numbers as they can,” said Jamie Shindler, a pre-business sophomore.
The curators of the event, however, feel differently. Their goal is to get students to see past these pressures and meet each other organically.
“People are constantly trying to connect,” said Allen Womble, student engagement coordinator at Arizona Student Unions.
He said he sees the impact of dating apps such as Tinder, OKCupid and Match.com as taking away from the human experience of simply meeting other people.
“Why don’t we leave all the devices and step outside the internet?” Womble asked.
Alissa Hatfield, a pre-physiology sophomore, said that she too thinks that people should get out and communicate instead of relying on electronics.
“We love to have students meeting and doing something different,” Womble said. “Back in the day, speed dating was [as popular as today’s dating apps].”
The pressure to meet a significant other is actually alleviated in a casual, fun setting, he said.
“It’s just a new experience and a way to do something maybe you’d never thought you would do,” Womble said.
Zoe Webman, a creative writing senior, is chair of the Student Engagement Council and head of the Analog Tinder program. She sees the event as casual and fun as well.
“We wanted to have something for Valentine’s Day, and we thought it would be cool for people to meet each other in a romantic-but-appropriate setting,” Webman said.
The Student Engagement Council picked the name Analog Tinder for its current appeal.
“We thought of speed dating, but that’s kind of an outdated term,” Webman said.
When asked what students should expect, Webman mentioned that it may be a bit awkward at first, but that by the end, it will be worth it as students open up.
“They will get to know a lot of people in a short amount of time,” Webman said. “It’s one-minute conversations with another person, the bell rings and everyone switches seats and then they meet a new person.”
In short, that’s the point: simply meeting new people without a screen between them.
_______________
Follow Lior Attias on Twitter.
