![In a face-to-face Q&A, students find much to talk about.](//www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2015/02/Dating1-150x150.jpg)
![Each participant wore a beaded necklace to denote his or her status.](//www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2015/02/Dating3-150x150.jpg)
![Students talk up a storm in this panoramic view.](//www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2015/02/Dating2-150x150.jpg)
Wednesday's third annual Speed Dating event attracted more than 40 students to the Thompson Professional Development Center for friendship, fun and (of course) food, catered by Le Jeune Chef Restaurant. Instead of the typical speed-dating atmosphere that creates awkward tension between individuals, the Off-Campus Housing Organization-sponsored activity allowed all students – whether single, unsure or dating – to associate with one another. Participants wore colored beads symbolizing their relationship status: red for "taken, but still wanting to meet friends," yellow for "unsure and in the middle" and green for "single and ready to mingle." Two facing lines of chairs were set up in the Mountain Laurel Room, where one of OCHO's Executive Board members would ask questions (“What’s your favorite color?" “If you had $1 million, what would you selfishly spend and why?” and “What’s your dream job?" among them) and each student would begin a conversation with the person facing him or her. When the night was over, if students found someone they liked or enjoyed talking to, they would have the other person write information about himself or herself on "Interest Cards." Many of the students really enjoyed the twist to the typical speed-dating game and had fun making new friends.
Photos by Caleb G. Schirmer, OCHO president and technology management student from Sugarloaf