This year, Rainbow Seven is ensuring that Date Week caters to the full spectrum of sexual orientations.
Rainbow Seven, sponsored by Bowdoin Queer Straight Alliance (BQSA) in conjunction with the Alliance of Sexual Assault Prevention, is a new endeavor to help members of the Bowdoin queer community meet each other.
The idea is modeled off of Senior Seven, the annual Senior Week tradition that allows students a chance to identify a crush—and only have him or her find out if the feeling is mutual. Over the past week, each student who wished to partake in Rainbow Seven sent an e-mail identifying him or herself to an address set up by BQSA. On Wednesday, each of those students received an e-mail with the full list of participants.
According to event-organizer Simon Bordwin '13, 36 students—20 male and 16 female—signed up for Rainbow Seven.
"I think it's a good number, especially for the first round," Paulina Borrego '12, a participant, said. Bordwin noted that he was extremely pleased with the turnout as well.
After receiving the list, students will have several days to pick out zero to seven names of people they want to get to know better. They will send those names to another e-mail address set up by Director of Student Life Allen Delong and Director of the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity Kate Stern to ensure confidentiality. Delong and Stern will then make students aware of any matches.
Because the list is available for all entrants to see, Bordwin said he believed it was implicitly understood among participants that it should not be made public. Borrego agreed but felt it was not an issue of much concern.
"I don't think people are going to be outing each other to the outside community," Borrego said.
Colin Ogilvie '12, who is also participating, said he thought students were going into Rainbow Seven either looking to meet new friends or find someone to potentially hook up with.
"I'm going into it looking to meet new people," Ogilvie said. "But if something happens, something happens."
Bordwin said that the idea for Rainbow Seven surfaced during BQSA meetings when students expressed that past Date Weeks had been almost entirely focused on heterosexual relationships. Rainbow Seven, Bordwin said, was organized as a productive response.
First year BQSA member Sebastian Bamba was pleased with Rainbow Seven's reception so far.
"It's just awesome that the gay community is excited about it and actually wants to participate," Bamba said.