You can’t put a price on love, but on Oct. 4, the Black Student Union attempted to. The Black Student Union held their Dating Bids Fundraiser, which encouraged people to bid for love to raise money for the club. A select group of people were chosen for bidding, and from 6 to 9 PM in the Student Union Ballroom, people filled the tables to buy and spectate. The tables were set up with confetti hearts. There was a photographer to take pictures of people as everyone walked in, and the DJ played music during the event. People strutted around the room with roses, and welcomed anyone who came in. The event was packed, as there were no seats left for everyone to sit. The minimum bid started at five dollars.
The host soon started to call up people within the Black Student Union club who were chosen to be auctioned. Each person was blindfolded and brought to the center of the stage. The host continued by reading a bio on that person being auctioned off before the actual auctioning began. He mentioned their ethnicity, and what they liked to do. Soon after, people would place their bids throughout the room and compete for the highest offer. Others who were reluctant to participate were encouraged to place their bid. “[The fundraiser] was really nice. It was fun seeing people bid on other ones, you know? Like, not most people would do it, so it was really fun seeing them come out of their comfort zone,” said one freshman one about the event. After the auction of one person finished, music was played and their highest bidder was then able to remove the blindfold. Finally, they were pulled to the side and had to sign a contract regarding their date while the next person came up. The bid was inclusive, and everyone in the audience had the opportunity to place a bid on anyone being auctioned.
“Being in the audience was nice, but I did feel bad for the people who were not bid on a lot compared to others. Maybe a blow to their self esteem? The overall experience was fun, though.” Said an anonymous freshman woman, who expressed her thoughts on the fundraiser. While the minimum bid was only five dollars, some of the people chosen for auctioning did not greatly exceed the minimum. “It was really fun! I loved seeing how people kept raising their hands and trying to one up each other”, said junior art history major, Ryan Marcos. Other people had no such trouble getting bidder’s attention, and inspired a competitive attitude as bidders fought for their match.
On behalf of the Black Student Union, the host made it clear the club was not selling people. Instead, they were auctioning off people to raise money for their club. By the end of the event, the club raised $640 dollars from the auction which will added to their club budget. Every couple matched took pictures together with a giant heart, which was then posted on social media.
