On Aug. 28, the first day of Grand Valley State University’s fall semester, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) held a “speed friending” event at Kirkhof Center located on the Allendale Campus.
CAB held this event in hopes that students could build friendships and build community.
“A lot of people come here (to college) already having friends, but the vast majority come in knowing nobody, so I think it makes it easier to enjoy their Grand Valley experience,” said CAB President Bridie Tolley. “I think coming into college is really scary, especially if you don’t know your roommate. Things can be flipped by a good experience with someone”
Tolley, who is a junior at GVSU, said this is her second year working as a member of CAB and speed friending is an event she truly enjoys.
“I, in general, like making new friends that I can further my relationships with, but I also like to see how it affects people who come as well,” Tolley said. “Coming into a new experience can be scary and seeing that positive impact on students can really help as a CAB member.”
To CAB, the timing of the “speed friending” event was important. They felt the first day of classes would be a great time to hold speed-friending because so many students are still “getting into the swing of things.” An event like this would allow students to get out of their dorms and hopefully forge early friendships that could carry them through their time at GVSU.
“Nobody wants to be the new guy, so when everybody comes in at the same time, it makes it a lot easier of a transition for the new members,” Tolley said.
CAB encourages students to take that first step and get out of their comfort zone by attending activities to meet new people.
Bri Conway, one of the directors for CAB, said this is not the first time that they have held a speed-friending event, and she has continued to see the impact the event has. Additionally, Conway said students can make connections through attending even one event on campus.
“You come here, and this is a CAB event, so you start coming to CAB meetings, and you meet even more people. Maybe through a friendship, you get an interview or a job,” Conway said. “It gets you out of your comfort zone, and that’s what college is all about.”
Sydnee Ochs, a freshman at GVSU, saw the post about the event on CAB’s social media and decided to give it a try. Ochs attended the speed-friending in an attempt to get out and meet more people.
“My roommate never actually showed up, so I’ve had a really hard time meeting people on campus,” Ochs said. “I just want to meet more people and be involved. I was super involved in high school in my community and going from a grad class of 60 to 7,000 is incomprehensible to me.”
Ochs said she will likely come to more CAB activities, and she’s looking forward to events hosted by other student organizations on campus.