Dating at the College often seems nonexistent, but April Whitescarver '96 has, for the past two years, crusaded to change students' attitudes toward the social ritual.
Every Valentine's Day since 1994, Whitescarver has arranged dates between men and women at the College.
This year, she said she has matched up 50 to 60 men and women as dates for Valentine's Day, Whitescarver said.
Although the matchmaking is purely for fun, "there is a philosophy behind it -- combating the social scene here," Whitescarver said.
"Dartmouth's social scene is less than desirable," she said. "There is a very big hesitation on this campus for men and women to date, and it becomes a very big deal."
"People get wrapped up in fear, and they need to get out there and learn that rejection is nothing to be concerned about," Whitescarver continued.
She said the service she is providing is more like dating in the "real world."
"In the real world," she said, "you're going to have to go out on dates and blind dates if you want to meet people."
Kristin Gendron '96 participated in Whitescarver's dating game both her sophomore and junior years. Gendron said "I had a really good time both times."
"It's a laid back, fun thing to do," Gendron said. "The first year I met someone I had met before, and had a really good time. Last year, I was put together with a friend of mine and it was also a fun time. It's very low intensity."
Bill Novomisle '96 joined the matchmaking process last year and found it to be fun.
"It's a little nutty, but it's a good time," Novomisle said. "It's a healthy thing, something I wish there was more of it. Not necessarily matchmaking, but dating."
Like Whitescarver, Novomisle objected to the lack of dating at the College. "A more healthy dating environment is definitely need, and this is an interesting start," he said.
"It started my sophomore year Valentine's Day," Whitescarver said. "I had a small group of friends that I felt needed to get out and go on dates."
Whitescarver said she tried to match friends with their particular "crushes" -- those certain someones they had been eyeing.
"I searched in vain for their crushes, to get them to go out with my friends, and it worked," she said. "I got about five or six couples going out on dates."
Whitescarver said she decided to do the same thing during next year's Valentine's Day, and this time she set out to help more of her friends find companionship.
The matchmaking yielded 10 or 12 couples the second time around. "I still tried to set people up with their crushes," Whitescarver said.
After her last Valentine's Day efforts, Whitescarver started receiving BlitzMail messages from people who wanted dates.
"All kinds of people, both friends and acquaintances, were asking for dates to formals, banquets, and otherwise," Whitescarver said. "By this winter, I had people asking to be in the Valentine's thing."
For this year, Whitescarver compiled a list of 50 to 60 men and women, then drew names in a lottery to match them up.
"This year, I didn't try and match people with their crushes," she said.
