What is love? To put it simply, love is everything. But, to a college student in her early twenties, love can manifest in a myriad of different ways. It’s that feeling when you see your crush across the library, and your entire existence flares with emotion. It’s watching the sunset from Preserve Hill with your friends and knowing that, amidst the chaos and busyness of young adult life, everything is okay because you’re surrounded by these precise people. Love is the trials and tribulations of going to a school with 2000 people, and the fact that you’ll probably see your ex on your morning walk to class. Love is amazing, intense and painful.
Generally, for the poster college student, the sprouting of love can take many forms. Many students engage with dating apps like Hinge and Tinder to meet their matches. Other relationships emerge through shared aspects of life, like classes or work.
More and more, however, I hear sentiments of frustration from my peers. Students lament how it is increasingly difficult to meet new suitors in everyday life. Furthermore, the idea of dating has become complex and convoluted. Terms like “situationship” are used colloquially to describe romantic entanglements that are often intense and emotional, but lack a formal label.
Engaging in these “casual” entanglements can feel like the nonchalant Olympics, as if each party is putting in no risk for all the reward of a relationship. It makes for ever-confused young adults who are left wondering how, in the hailstorm of college situationships (though it pains me to use that phrase), a person can identify a genuine connection worth exploring, nurturing and protecting.
But, in the face of these bleak, transactional exchanges, I’ve been lucky enough to witness the resurgence of a timeless romantic practice: the blind date. In the last year of my life, I’ve been a party to what I like to call the “blind date revolution,” a movement to introduce perfect strangers, facilitate new conversations and reinvigorate love on a small liberal arts college campus.
The blind date revolution began completely spontaneously for my roommate, Lily, and me. I had just returned from two weeks in Washington D.C. with my Block 2 class, Evolving How We Narrate Evolution: National Geographic & Role of Educational Nonprofits. Immediately upon my return to campus, my roommate revealed a surprise: that weekend, we’d be attending a double blind date together. Our suitors? Two Air Force juniors who, like us, were in the market for romance.
I learned later on that this blind date came to fruition under the most wholesome and peculiar of circumstances. Grandpa Jim, grandfather to one of our suitors, had emailed Lily previously. The email, acquired by the Catalyst, had a clear message: Grandpa Jim was taking matters into his own hands and setting up a double blind date for his grandson and his best friend.
He expressed his own experience of meeting girls in his college days and how while the dating landscape had changed, the need for romance would always exist.
“60 plus years ago when I attended the University of Illinois, I knew all kinds of ways to arrange blind dates. In our fraternity we had the “Sew-on-the-button” trick, which the sorority sisters quickly turned to their advantage. We also would be asked to visit a sorority to ‘fix’ something or cut their lawn, etc. so that the girls could take a look at us and decide if they wanted to invite us for a dinner or other event. Now in 2025 I’m sure things are different, but having been married for over 56 years I have no idea what to do. I just told [my grandson] I’d try!”
So, due to the boldness of Grandpa Jim, Lily and I attended a mysterious double date with two completely random Air Force men. The date itself exceeded expectations and was filled with lively conversation, multiple restaurants and the reassurance that love wasn’t actually dead. While our entanglements with our respective dates did not end up being true love, the experience was a million percent worth having.
Furthermore, it confirmed to me how enjoyable and dare I say, essential, the fabled blind date is. It wasn’t filled with tension or pressure, just a mutual desire for romantic adventure.
Now, well into the second semester of the year, the same sentiment rings true for many CC students. A few students decided to take matters into their own hands, setting up friends on blind dates in formal gatherings.
Fiona Frankel ‘28 and Olivia Schlegel ‘28 made it their mission to organize a blind date party, an extravaganza at which 40 couples were invited to a house, where they were encouraged to flirt, fraternize and forge memories.
The duo planned the event for a few reasons. First, they felt as though young people were not inclined to take risks romantically. “We think our generation is really scared of being embarrassed,” Schlegel said. “I really wanted to be set up, and I really wanted to set up my friends.”
They also found that the more people learned of the event, the more people wanted to be involved in it. “People kept finding out and demanding we set them up,” Frankel said. At first, the function was a simple party confined to close friends of the hosts. Eventually, it spiraled into a pageant of passion, even attracting people in current relationships.
“People who were cuffed really wanted to come and we had to say ‘sorry no.’ Single people get to have this, you have a whole relationship,” Frankel said with a laugh.
Maddy Golier ‘27 harbored similar sentiments surrounding dating culture, feeling as though people in our modern era weren’t setting each other up enough.
“I was reading this article which said that the main way people used to meet back in the day was through friends and getting set up. I think that’s such a fun concept that we don’t do. With such a small school it’s almost harder to meet new people,” Golier said. She contends that, due to CC’s tight-knit culture, where everyone seemingly knows everyone, finding eligible suitors has become increasingly difficult.
Golier, a former member of CC Swim & Dive, conferred with some friends, and they took it upon themselves to pair up their single teammates with a date for one night only. In an email sent out to all date pairings, they declared, “Your matches are set. The chemistry is untested. The competitive spirit is very real.”
In terms of finding actual matches for each of her teammates, Golier admitted that it was at first difficult to dream up perfect pairings. But the participants’ enthusiasm inevitably made the event easier to plan and eased any worries brewing in her mind. “Everyone there was so excited to get set up. I was kind of shocked by how willing people were.”
The event took place at a house near CC and was essentially a mixing bowl of various conversations between swimmers, divers and dates alike. If participants were not vibing with their dates, there was an option to switch or go solo for the rest of the night.
After the night concluded, Golier expressed how well the event went. In her view, most participants had fun and enjoyed the company of their respective pairings. “Everyone I talked to loved it. I feel like friend groups should just be doing it all the time,” she said.
These events across campus reflect a simple sentiment: people want to get out there. Perhaps all people need is a facilitated nighttime soirée to unleash their yearning and lust. All in all, the blind date encourages individuals to be bold, to make memories worth telling your grandchildren. I’m sure Grandpa Jim has plenty of those. We ought to as well, when the time comes.
To quote a brief clip of an Ethan Hawke red carpet interview I saw recently, “the one who’s in love always wins.” Seldom do we look back and regret taking that giant leap of faith for the one we want. More often, for me at least, I look back and regret not acting, out of fear of embarrassment or getting hurt.
Especially now, when our lives are charted and displayed on social media for all to see, taking risks can feel impossible, especially when the heart is involved. To reveal the raw, grotesque innards of one’s soul is so daunting and nerve-inducing, like cliff-jumping into a swirling, unknown ocean. Being open is hard. It’s personally taken me quite some time to deal with how hard it is, and to intentionally self-reflect. But, revealing who we truly are also allows us to grow, learn and be proud of ourselves, flaws and all.
Me? I’m taking this seriously and honestly and making it my personal mission going forward to be bold, in life and of course, in love. So, to finish off, be audacious and definitely go on blind dates.