Cupid's arrows are now making a breakthrough into the world of technology, routed through the junior class' Valentine's Day Data Match survey.
For the second year in a row, the Class of 2005 student board is making an attempt to "fix up the junior class for Valentine's Day," said SAS representative and Wharton and College junior Anthony Guiliano.
The service was especially successful last year when approximately 400 students from the class participated in the survey, explained Junior Class Secretary Caroline Gordon, who came up with this idea after participating in a similar event in high school.
"This year we expect 100 percent participation [because] it's one of the most popular events during the year, especially among the girls," Guiliano added.
With the help of data-match.com, juniors are given a free chance to fill out surveys hand-designed by board members in hopes of finding that special someone in time for the most romantic day of the year.
The surveys are being handed out between noon and 2 p.m. in both Houston Hall and Hunstman Hall, and this process will continue through today.
Compared to last year's endeavor, "we tried to make the questions a little more serious, including such personality-revealing questions as who would best serve the Penn community as the next president: Hillary Clinton, Hilary Duff, Will Ferrell or even Brother Stephen," Junior Class Vice President Paige Fitzgerald said.
Other questions on the survey ask about favorite Penn pets, such as the ever-so-popular "mouse under your desk or psycho squirrel outside your window" to more personal questions like where students live and how late or early they go to bed.
So far the Junior Class Board has received approximately 150 finished surveys, which are then shipped off to Data Match in Pittsburgh to tally up the scores. Data Match, which has been in existence since 1983, plugs the information into their unique computer program and in turn generates compatibility printouts.
The process typically costs 60 cents per person, but the Junior Class Board plans to foot the bill.
Students have varying outlooks on what these printouts may provide.
"I hope to maybe find a couple of nice dates out of this survey," Engineering junior Samuel Starr said.
Wharton junior Matthew Feast also believes that the survey will be helpful.
"It gives hope to people that have less dating skills," Feast said.
The success rate of these compatibility tests varies, and it is up to the students to ultimately pursue their matches in the end.
"We encourage students to look up each other's e-mail addresses. Their matches actually tend to be people they already know," Gordon said.
She added that "one of [her] friends last year got a guy she was already dating."
Even Junior Class President Matt Klapper "was asked out on his first date ever by someone whom he met through Data Match," according to Fitzgerald.
However, "Klapper still needs a Valentine's sweetheart," Fitzgerald added, encouraging potentials to fill out the survey.
