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By Anna Balogh (MALD '00) After a year and a half I have discovered the secret to Fletcher dating: it's all about flirting, and … no action! If a certain guy is flirting with you madly, don't worry, nothing will ever happen between the two of you--not even a lousy cup of coffee in Trios. If you actually make that "cup of coffee" date, you will then be privileged to watch him continue to sample the other women of Fletcher. Having said that, the minimal romance that exists at Fletcher seems to be in keeping with the seasonal changes. The first round of mating occurs in the autumn, the second round comes with the bursting and blooming of hormones in spring, and an additional round comes between the two--at finals time! December is the most dangerous season to be single. The stress levels reach all-time highs, as do the stress-release desires, I guess. My single friends were all calling to report the latest attacks, most of which included massage preludes. In February, surges of romance are at a lull, but don't worry: March is less than a month away, and then the Fletcher springtime gossip mill starts running again. But the massage technique seems unique only to the December period. I have long believed that men have the better deal at Fletcher (although it's all relative). The women flock around the few available men, and the men get to pick from the group surrounding them. Men even use the women against each other to deflect the unwanted aggressors. Although as a Fletcher man you may not see the situation quite the same way ("Where is that pack running after me?") the competition between women can be fierce in this tiny fishbowl. Fletcher men quickly lose touch with the Real World supply and demand situation where competition forces men to be more proactive than women. I will use a male classmate as an example. During last spring's mating season, "Pierre" (not his real name), had to beat the women off. Pierre is certainly an attractive young man, but puts great energy in keeping aloof from the Fletcher dating scene. With his cool exterior, he is hardly what one would call a "man on the prowl." And yet here was Pierre, trying to ward off the barrage of women, (by nobly avoiding them), prancing about, ranting, "I'm a victim! I'm a victim!" Even Pierre, who would rather die than agree with any of my opinions on male/female relations, agreed that I had made a strong argument for the fact that men had the better dating situation at Fletcher. Last year, a male classmate accused me of being too difficult to please. He may be right. But if I am sincerely interested in a guy, it takes very little to make me happy--for example, just asking me out would do the trick. As I see it, the Fletcher dating scene has much room for improvement. The women need to signal better, the men need to become a bit more proactive (although it can be tough to escape from that flock of females following you), and the selection pool definitely needs some fresh blood. For you singleton first-years, maybe befriending the director of admissions should be part of your strategy for better chances next year.
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