Alex Kapneck will be one of 500 students flocking to the sold-out speed dating event Thursday night, which kicks off fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha’s ‘Lovers & Friends’ week. 

 

‘Speed dating is my thing. I love to meet a lot of guys at once,’ said Kapneck, a junior psychology major. 

 

The speed dating event, named ‘Hitched III’ after the movie starring Will Smith, will be held in Goldstein Auditorium on Thursday, starting at 7 p.m. For their third official speed dating event, APA invited another fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, to collaborate with them.

 

The Schine Box Office offered 500 free tickets since last Monday, but the last ticket was snagged Wednesday, said Joe Iluore, a junior biology major and an active member of APA. 

 

When ‘Hitched III’ was first held in 2008, the turnout was small but successful. Then two years later, during the spring 2010 semester, APA hosted the event again, with 250 students in attendance.

 

‘We weren’t expecting that many, but it was so big. People were waiting outside,’ Iluore said. ‘There were so many girls, we had to rotate them in and out and eventually had two girls to every guy at a table — every man’s dream.’ 

 

When students enter the auditorium for the event, each will be assigned a certain number, indicating which of the six separate sections they’ll be in. APA and SAE brothers will monitor a series of rounds within each section. After three minutes, a timed gong will go off, and either the men or women will rotate to the next table. 

 

Not only is this event creative and a great way to spend a Thursday evening, but it also helps to bring all SU students together, Iluore said.

 

‘It’s interesting because it definitely breaks boundaries,’ said Ariel Ford, a sophomore public health major. ‘I went last year, and there was a big mix of people, but I also think there will be a greater mix this year. You get to talk to people you wouldn’t normally interact with on campus.’

 

Iluore agreed and said the event is more than just about dating. It’s about social networking and making connections with your peers, he said.  

 

‘Personally, I met so many people I would’ve never met,’ he said. ‘The best thing is all the bonds you make with people.’

 

knvanbru@syr.edu