Speed dating adds flair, romance to Up All Night experience

Whether they were looking for their soul mate or to experience something new, students at West Virginia University had the opportunity to do both last Friday night at the Mountainlair.

WVUp All Night hosted a speed-dating event at 9:30p.m. in the dining area of the Mountainlair, and it was open to all students.

Jackie Riggleman, an advertising student at WVU and employee at WVUp All Night, explained the process of speed dating – Mountaineer style.

"Since it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, we decided to do speed dating for the students," Riggleman said. "Each round, they get two minutes to talk to the person; after the two minutes are up, the announcer announces the time, then they have 30 seconds to exchange numbers. Then, at the end of that 30 seconds, they have to switch seats."

Riggleman said they planned to do three rounds – hopefully enough for participants to meet a special someone.

"A lot of people enjoy it; they like having the experience. You know, we are in college, so new experiences are good, and students can be like, ‘Hey, I actually participated in speed dating,’" she said.

"It’s definitely a fun experience, and I was very pleased by the amount of people who showed up for the first round."

During the event, the females stayed stationary in their seats, while the males moved around.

Moses Ajemigbitse, a petroleum and natural gas engineering student, came to the event to see what speed dating was all about.

"I think everyone is special, but I don’t think I’ll connect with anyone; I am more interested in why people come to speed dating. I have never done it before," Ajemigbitse said.

Ajemigbitse used the experience as an opportunity to ask strangers an important question, he said.

"I’m actually doing an experiment through speed-dating to talk to as many people as I can to see how they think, how they interpret life and actually to find out what they think about a very interesting question – who is Jesus?" he said.

Glenn Hess, another speed-dating participant, said he was at the event because he wants to fall in love.

"I may meet my possible soul mate, but then again, I may have many soul mates. It’s hard to say," he said. "This is just an exciting experience that I think
everyone should try. I think my opportunity of pure love, unrestricted by normal boundaries, is about to happen."

Shannen Athey, a recreation, parks and tourism resources student, said her experience with speed dating was illuminating.

"I have to say, it was a lot of fun. I just did it to find friends. If I run into anyone on campus, I can be like, ‘Hey I saw you the other night and got to know you,’ and it was a great experience," she said.

But she didn’t walk away empty-handed.

"I did get a phone number. His name’s Tyler, and he’s an accountant; I’m going to text him and see if he wants to unicycle sometime," Athey said.

Take-away items from the event were teddy bears, roses and pictures couples could get taken together in a photo booth.

For more information about WVUp All Night events, visit http://mountainlair.wvu.edu/wvupallnight.