He sits across from me, in the Student Union flag room, a sea of red, black, and silver jewelry. My eyes are fixed on his faded green jacket, black Avenged Sevenfold shirt, striped scarf, gloves with the fingers cut out, five chokers, and at least three ear piercings. We struggle to make forced conversation about majors, dorm assignments, and where we’re from. Then, right when I thought I had made the four-minute rotation mark, he blurts, “Was your father a thief? Because I think he stole the stars and put them in your eyes.”

For many who have tried speed dating or other blind date services, this horror story is all too familiar. However, as evidenced by the University at Buffalo’s September 28 speed dating session, many still have faith in the system. In fact, alternative methods of dating are a popular choice not only for meeting potential mates, but also just to network with local peers and make friends.

Angela Peters, a junior economics major, is the National Communication Coordinator and serves on the executive board for Residence Hall Association, who hosted the speed dating event. Her goals for the event were straightforward. “Basically, we wanted to have an opportunity for people of all different sexualities to meet each other in a relaxed environment, with jazz music and desserts,” she said. “We hope people will make new friends, meet people, and have fun.”

Almost 200 seats were filled in the Student Union flag room, where long tables had chairs facing each other on either side. Students wore a nametag with their first name and a designated number, and the males rotated to each female’s seat in four-minute intervals. Everyone had a list of blank spots to write down the numbers of anyone who sparked their interest, and if two people mutually wrote down each other’s numbers, RHA distributed their email addresses.

“We did [speed dating] last semester in January of 2006 in South Lake. It had a great turnout and was received with a great response,” said RHA Vice President Ryan Durling. “We haven’t gotten any wedding invitations yet, we just send out emails. There were definitely some matches, though.”

Taseera Husain, a freshman finance major, enjoyed how easy it was to meet people. “I came to socialize because I’m a first-semester freshman, and it’s hard to meet people in the dorms,” she said. “Some people don’t like to mingle or they don’t have the confidence to put themselves out there.”

Similarly, senior biomedical science major Matt Blando had good experiences. “It was fun. Interesting people, everyone was into different stuff, which was cool. I met people, so mission accomplished.”

However, with speed dating comes the risk of being forced to spend four minutes with strangers, which is not always desirable. Some girls found it hard to carry on conversations with people they had just met, and were less than jubilant about the quality of their potential mates.

“While the guys that showed up may be well-mannered, they are definitely below par of what I could find on match.com while drunk,” said senior psychology major Lacey James. “If your glasses magnify your eyes to the extent you look like a Martian, get contacts. It was a beautiful train accident, I’ve never seen so much desperation in one area.”

“It seemed like they were all computer science majors. I wrote down numbers out of pity,” said first-year pharmacy major Andrea Breyer.

If speed dating conjures up such scary images such as those seen in recent movies Hitch and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, there are other alternatives. It’s Just Lunch!, a Chicago-based dating service that caters to the career-minded individual, boasts several successful matches in Western New York.

“It’s a dating service for busy professionals,” said Joanne Bloomfield, President of the Buffalo franchise. “We make the match, make reservations, and let the restaurants know the parties are coming in. It’s all on a first name basis, it’s very casual.”

Many Buffalo singles are intrigued with the ease of meeting people via It’s Just Lunch! and the low-key dates involved. The It’s Just Lunch! staff matches up two people, releases only their first names to each other, and sets up either a lunch date or after work drink at a high scale restaurant such as Sonoma Grill or Bacchus. All the candidates do is show up. After that, if sparks fly, they decide whether or not to go on a second date.

“There’s no threat or pressure. If they decide to see each other again, they exchange personal information,” said Bloomfield. “If not, hopefully they made a friend and can move on to their next date.”

The It’s Just Lunch! website boasts “a high success rate,” and Bloomfield echoes this sentiment, citing a married couple with a baby on board, four engaged couples, and 15 couples whose memberships are on hold for each other, all just this year.

“I think that everyone could be successful,” said Bloomfield. “It’s a mature and confidential approach to dating.”

Alternative dating methods can produce mixed results. For every person at UB’s speed dating service with a horror story, there were many more who met friends and just had a good time. As freshman psychology major Jane Adams put it, “I got to make some new friends, meet people, and have fun. After that, who needs love?”