Maybe love isn’t dead after all.

Last November, 2,866 of you participated in the Columbia Marriage Pact, an approximately 50-question questionnaire designed to match you with your future soulmate. But, alas, the Marriage Pact is no perfect cupid. For one, an unlucky 892 participants (including myself) were instead granted platonic “friend matches” due to an unbalanced matching pool. And, for those who were matched with romantic partners, then arose the dilemma of reaching out. I, personally, witnessed many a “Am I being too flirty?” and “What if they don’t respond?” last winter as my friends anxiously typed their first messages to their matches. In an attempt to help these Columbia students “looking for love, friendship, or something in between,” the Columbia Haitian Students Association (HSA) and Barnard Organization of Soul and Solidarity (BOSS) held a Sweetheart Soireé last week in Lerner Hall, dubbing it “the better Marriage Pact.”

I was first introduced to this event by a friend, who was planning on going and shared with me the questionnaire the organizations were using to match attendees with potential partners. Yes, that is partners with an s—another potential advantage over Marriage Pact. Unfortunately, I didn’t decide to join my friend until the last minute, so I cannot speak as to how successful this matchmaking algorithm was; however, I can speak to the atmosphere of the event overall.

My friend and I arrived in Lerner Hall at around 8 pm, when the event started. Immediately, we were impressed with the decorations around the room. There were about seven or eight round tables, each draped with a deep red tablecloth and adorned with a rose-petal heart and tealight candles. Scattered around the room were red, heart-shaped balloons. 

We lined up to receive our nametags and then took a seat at one of the tables. Already, there were a few strangers at the table whom we introduced ourselves to and started sharing our hot takes with as the room quickly filled up.

While everyone anxiously waited for their matches to be revealed, the next hour was dedicated to a series of party games (such as Valentine’s Day-themed Incoherent) with the people at our tables. Fortunately, our table was relatively chatty, so we were able to avoid most of the awkwardness that can sometimes come with icebreaker activities like these.

Then came time for the food. One by one, each table lined up for a feast of Haitian delicacies. There were patties, plantains, various meats, and soda. I tried a spice-filled pastry, and it was delicious. 

Moments later arrived the long-awaited email revealing some 50 or so matches. Unfortunately, some of those were no-shows, but for those that were in the room, they were quickly whisked away downstairs to a student-led lesson on Konpa, a romantic, two-step Haitian partner dance. The bottom floor of Lerner came alive with music, dance, and chatter. As I looked around, I saw people, yes, stepping on each other’s toes, but also smiling and laughing in the aftermath. I turned to my friend, telling her I hoped this wouldn’t be their last time seeing each other.

Eventually, the festivities of the mixer came to a close, and my friend and I exchanged numbers with some of our new acquaintances before heading home. Together, we agreed that our night had been the perfect kickstarter to the month of love. If you’re interested in joining in on future HSA and/or BOSS events, their Instagram handles are @columbiahsa and @barnardboss, respectively.

Couple via Bwarchives