Two international organizations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted their annual dating show Friday called “Take Me Out,” which is geared toward international students on campus but for the first time the event saw a turnout from domestic students as well.
UW-Madison Chinese Students and Scholars Association started the event in 2010 to help Chinese students find significant others, according to Jeffery Xie, CSSA’s President. He said “Take Me Out” provides a platform for international students to meet new people and present themselves to the public.
This event hosted more than 500 attendees, including Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Americans, and Canadians, most of which were UW-Madison students.
The objective of the show is for a single male to meet with 10 females and try to persuade one of them to go on a date with him. After a series of rounds, including pre-recorded videos of his background, opinions from friends and his ideal relationship, the ladies have the right to “turn off the light” any time after each round if they are not interested. The female who leaves her light on at the end will have the chance of going on a date with the male participant.
Compared to last year, “the venue is larger; we see more diversified participants which encourages multiculturalism,” UW-Madison sophomore Gladys Laid said. She suggested expanding the event even further next year to encourage other ethnicities to get involved.
When asked about the most successful part of the event, both presidents, Ting Lei of the Taiwanese Undergraduate Student Organization and Jeffery Xie recalled a moment towards the end of the night when the only Taiwanese male participant and the only American female participant walked down the aisle hand in hand.
“It's like telling the world that love knows no borders, even though they might not call it love yet,” Xie said.
UW-Madison sophomore Chandler Davis, who is currently learning Chinese, spoke and learned Mandarin on the stage to help show his appreciation for Chinese culture and history.
“Facing the challenge of language barrier shows participants’ patience and effort,” Aaron Zheng, one of the hosts said.
