Thursday, February 4, 2010

Track 24: The Brittain Solution

For those of you who don't go to Georgia Tech, the dining hall for the east side of campus is Brittain Dining Hall. This is where I eat most of my meals at Tech. The food is fairly bad, and I've sure grown sick of it. Yet, the worst problem with Brittain that I can complain about is the atmosphere.

The way that Brittain is laid out encourages people to keep to themselves.

I go to eat at Brittain around 11 on Mondays and Wednesdays. During this time period, nearly everyone is sitting by themselves at these long tables and being lonely while eating. I hate eating by myself, but it's not socially acceptable for me to just go sit by a stranger and start talking to them. Brittain just doesn't work this way.

So I came up with this idea that I want to see implemented at Brittain. I want a section of two or three tables to be designated a social zone. People can come into this area, sit down, and just start talking to a complete stranger. There would be no awkardness in this zone. You just start talking to whoever is near you. I think this would be an excellent way to avoid looking like a loner and make new friends at the same time.

It's similar to speed dating, I suppose. However, you're not really moving around. The whole point is to share a meal with someone new. Someone who hopefully becomes a friend.

I feel something like this really needs to be implemented at a school like Georgia Tech where everyone might not be stellar socially. I am seriously considering proposing this to the people who run Brittain.

I really would like to hear some feedback on this idea, even if you don't go to Tech, because I feel like this is an idea that can be put into place at dining halls across the nation. Therefore, you should leave a comment and let me know what you think.