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[OPINION] Lovercolumn: Dating Apps

THE ELECTRICIAN

Logo Recreation by Alex Erwin, Staff Writer.

Executive Producer and Host of Lovercall

THE ARCHITECT

Lovercall Producer 

THE QUARTERBACK

Lovercall Host

Hello! 

We are The Electrician, The Architect and The Quarterback: producers and hosts of the radio show Lovercall right here at SUNY Fredonia. Lovercall is an anonymous late-night talk show about love, relationships and more. Students who come on the show use a codename to protect their identities when discussing potentially personal topics, hence the codenames of the writers of this column.

“The Electrician” is a 21-year-old cisgender female student who goes by she/her pronouns and is a senior at SUNY Fredonia. 

“The Architect” is a 20-year-old cisgender male student who goes by he/him pronouns and is a senior at SUNY Fredonia. 

“The Quarterback” is a 19-year-old cisgender male student who goes by he/him pronouns and is a sophomore at SUNY Fredonia.

On each episode, the hosts and guests of Lovercall participate in a variety of segments. The cast discusses a relevant news story, a date idea, a wacky game and a main topic for the episode.

Listeners also write into the show, either via Fredonia Radio’s Instagram, @fredonia_radio, on Yik Yak, or through the QR code provided in this column.  

We typically answer the questions asked right here in this column, so be sure to look out for student stories and questions in future columns. 

The show is now being streamed weekly on Wednesdays nights from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. on WDVL 89.5 on www.fredoniaradio.com. 

This column runs in conjunction with Lovercall and can be found both in print and online at fredonialeader.org

Date idea of the week

We also hope to provide our fellow students with a fun and unique date idea in every column. These “date” ideas aren’t just for romantic partners — you could go with your friends, your classmates or you can even go solo for a fun activity right here in Fredonia.

This week, we here at Lovercall recommend taking a lovely ride through the town — on a tandem bike. Yes, you read that right, the two-seater bike. 

Grab your partner or a friend, get a tandem bike and feel the wind through your hair as you cruise down the street with that special someone. 

And for those of you who prefer to do it alone, just get a regular bike! It might be a little hard to ride a tandem bike by yourself. 

We think this is a nice way to relax, and bonus points if you do it at Point Gratiot or another park. 

So if you have the chance to get a tandem bike, take it. We wish you luck. 

Lovercallers

We call those who reach out to us with stories about love, sex and relationships “Lovercallers.”
This week, we answered two questions submitted to us through our Google Form. One lovercaller, who requested to go by “LostLyric,” asked, “Do you have any advice for someone who has never had a romantic relationship but wants to start to put themselves out there? Being in college is a time to really explore but when you’ve never experienced that before it’s tough to get started.” 

Our advice to LostLyric is to not be afraid to put yourself out there.

You can join clubs, go to campus events and even talk to people who live with you. 

Our guests agreed that it helps not to intentionally seek out friends or romantic partners. A lot of times, things will just happen. 

As the old saying goes, “What’s meant to be will be.” 

We are sure you will find friends and people you love as you begin to navigate college and new relationships, and remember not to be afraid of something that could be great. 

We also got a question from someone under the pseudonym “Backpack.” 

Backpack asked how to deal with telling a partner they smell. 

While this is an awkward conversation, it is an important one to add. 

One guest on our show, “nine inches,” explained how she felt it would make her feel the most comfortable if her partner was honest with her and told her in a kind way. 

You can vocalize your concerns with their hygiene in a non-confrontational manner. We recommend avoiding phrases that include the word “you” or similar wordings that may be taken as confrontational. 

Dating Apps

The main topic for our episode this week was dating apps. We shared the apps we have used in the past, including Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Coffee Meets Bagel. 

Certain apps work better than others depending on what you’re looking for. 

For example, Coffee Meets Bagel and Hinge are designed for those in search of long-term relationships.

As we talked about, dating apps can be a great way to not only meet new people in a relationship way, but also possibly meet new friends. Some of our guests talked about how they matched with someone on a dating app, only to become close friends with them in the future.

Hinge is great for those who want to go into greater detail, as your profile consists of several questions answered or details about yourself.

We at Lovercall unanimously agreed that safety is a top priority when it comes to using dating apps. Always trust your gut – if something feels off, it probably is.

Our advice for using dating apps is to only pursue what you’re comfortable with. 

Dating apps can be a great way to meet new people, but they should always be used with caution. 

Reach out!

Do you want to ask the authors of Lovercolumn a question? Do you need advice? Fill out the form by using this QR code.

Interested in being a guest on Lovercall? Email frs@fredonia.edu or visit Fredonia Radio Systems, located in McEwen Hall 115 and open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The Electrician,” “The Architect” and “The Quarterback” are members of Fredonia Radio Systems and are involved in the production of Lovercall.

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