OCL mixin’ it up for students
Posted on February 11, 2008
Jessica Montes has been having problems finding someone to sublet her apartment. Facebook hasn’t yielded any results, so she is going to try Off-Campus Life’s Roommate Mixer Wednesdays.
“I’m kind of in a bind right now,” Montes said. “This is my last resort, but I’m also going to try some more message boards.”
During the mixer, students looking for roommates, whether they have a place to live or not, can mingle in Transitions beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be games to encourage getting to know each other, as well as pizza and drinks.
Christina Guglielmo, a junior technical and scientific communication major, works with OCL. She said that there was a huge turnout during the fall mixer, which was for on-and-off-campus living, and hopes for a similar success this time.
“This is great to meet people, especially for freshmen and sophomores who don’t have someone to live with yet,” she said.
Guglielmo added that underclassmen tend to be more excited about the mixer.
“There’s more energy with this younger crowd too,” she said. “They’re energetic and excited about meeting new people and exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. Last fall, when the mixer ended at 8 p.m., we had to tell people that it was time to go. They were still chatting with each other.”
Minar Machhi, a senior accounting major, also works for OCL. She said that based on previous mixers, it’s always surprising who will show up. Sometimes there will be more people that already have a place to live and need others to live with them, than those who don’t yet have an apartment.
There will be colored nametags to indicate which group students are in and to facilitate the meeting process.
Both employees believe that the mixer offers better opportunities to students than using outside Internet sources.
“With a mixer, you get a chance to meet and talk,” Machhi said. “It’s easier to talk in person than through Email. You also get that first impression of someone.”
However, Montes still worries that the process will be difficult at the mixer.
“I feel like it could be kind of awkward,” she said. “Am I just supposed to walk in and see who I can find?”
Guglielmo agreed that it could be uncomfortable initially, but said it quickly gets easier.
“It could be awkward at first for some people,” she said. “We try to help some people,” she said. “We try to help but it’s hard for us too, to keep everyone in the room, calm, and just talking.”
She advised students to open up and enjoy the opportunity to meet others.
“After not even an hour, you can meet so many different people,” Guglielmo said.
“You’ll probably find at least one that would be convenient. The first five people could be sketchy, but the next five could be great. With online searches, you might have men who are 27 and speak no English respond. This is a better way to meet people, and to also continue to correspond.”
While walking around the room at previous mixers, Machhi noticed that some people made immediate connections. She recommends students to come early to have more chances to meet more people.
“You don’t want to get stuck living with someone you don’t like,” Machhi said.
