Sodexo Holds Speed Dating At The Disco Event

Sodexo invited students to participate in several rounds of blind dates at the Reber-Thomas Dining Center Feb. 6 for “Speed Dating at the Disco!”   

The event, held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the upper floor of Liberty’s dining facility, consisted of a few hundred romance-hopeful students and retro decorations. The dining center sported a pink-and-red backdrop and colorful balloons for the event. Students sat at multiple tables below a small stage, where an announcer counted down the minutes before students had to switch places.  

Shelby Burton, the marketing manager of Liberty University’s Sodexo team said these speed dating events are meant to encourage students to have fun.   

“These events really are put on for the benefit of the student,” Burton said. “It’s not really about bringing something to us. Whenever you see a Liberty dining event, it’s purely because we want to bring something more exciting to the campus through the dining spectrum. Anything that we’re doing is to provide fun for the students.” 

The event was comprised of multiple sessions lasting 30 minutes each. At the end of three-minute rotations, the girls remained seated as the boys stood from their spots and moved one chair to the right. This gave the 10 guys and 10 girls seated at each table an opportunity to get to know everyone at their table.  

Burton said Sodexo has been putting on speed-dating events since 2014, and they’ve been wildly popular with students. She said it takes a lot of effort to put these events together; figuring out a theme, producing decorations and monitoring sign-ups are just some of the aspects of planning a night of speed-dating. Themes in the past have included “Love Like the Movies,” and last year’s speed dating event was based on Taylor Swift’s song “Enchanted.” 

Junior Henry Cobe said he likes to go each year because of the lasting friendships he has made.  

“I went last year, and that’s actually where I … became friends with people who are now my good friends,” Cobe said.  

Many students find this event to be an opportunity to find a potential date, but also a chance to meet people with whom they can kickstart lasting friendships too.  

 “I did have one guy … he said that he got lost in my eyes, so I guess you could say it’s going pretty good,” junior Audrey Batchelor said.  

For other students, speed-dating is a time for them to have fun and relax. 

“I’m definitely not looking to find somebody, but I just came here, you know, for the vibes, for the fun, to kinda see how it is and meet new people,” sophomore Christine Johnson said.  

The dining center’s fire alarm even went off toward the end of the festivities, but everybody returned to enjoy the rest of the night.  

Sodexo will be hosting a variety of events over the remainder of the semester, including its Manager Cook-Off March 27 in the Reber-Thomas Dining Center. 

Welch is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.