On Wednesday, Feb. 14, a large group of the student body of John Brown University attended the 2024 Valentine’s event hosted by The Student Government Association (SGA) “Blind Dates”. This initiative was first organized by a JBU alumna back in 2023, who due to economic struggles, requested SGA to host this event logistically and economically for upcoming years. After considering the idea, SGA agreed to sponsor it.
“Blind Dates” 2024 took place in Olive & Opal, a well-known local restaurant located in Downtown Siloam Springs, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The President of The Student Government Association, Gustavo Maida, shared the reasons behind this choice: “This place was the very first option that came to our minds primarily because it is a beautiful place downtown. Also, when we were sharing our idea with the restaurant, they treated us in a friendly manner and offered us really good prices.”
One of the most exciting parts about this event, without a doubt, was the intrigue among students about the matching process. While some believed that it was going to be an arbitrary process done by Artificial Intelligence, Gustavo Maida affirmed that: “It is not a random process at all. Every applicant was asked a set of questions to get to know them better, and based on those answers we made the matches.” Additionally, as Gustavo shared, none of the applicants knew their partner’s name until the same day of the date, which added an element of mystery to the event.
Once the couple got to the restaurant, an instructor was waiting for them to guide them through fun activities. For instance, they were asked to paint their partner’s faces while watching a video tutorial. Besides, SGA provided different snacks, drinks, and the cherry on the cake, cheese platters with a large range of different cheeses, meats, fruits, chocolates, and pieces of bread.
When asked about the event, an anonymous freshman talked about her experience: “I decided to participate just for fun and because I thought it could be an interesting idea for Valentine’s. I wanted to socialize with people and have a good time.” We also asked her to highlight something she learned from that night and she shared: “I loved that I learned to draw a face and that I had the opportunity to get to know more about my date.” Also, freshman Ian Contreras added: “I applied because I have never done it before. It’s a new experience and you know the phrase ‘You only live once’. I also thought I could meet somebody out for that.”
John Brown University’s dating culture is commonly described to be pressure-based as if you are single then you should be looking for a partner, and if you already are in a relationship, you better seek marriage. Who does this belief affect the more? Gustavo affirmed that: “There were more women interested in applying than men were. Actually, one day before the event we were looking for 2 more men because the couples were uneven.” This fact surely invites us to debate about the way that Valentine’s Day affects each gender.