Dinner with 12 Strangers

Six students and six UB alumni sit down to dinner together, having never met before. They all have one thing in common.

"Dinner for 12 Strangers" unites students and alumni interested in networking with each other.

The program is designed to unite UB alumni and current UB students with the hope of building community and forming helping connections with one another that wouldn't have existed otherwise.

The theme of the program is simple: put six students and six alumni together who arrive as strangers but leave as friends.

"It's a very informal, fun and relaxing dinner where students and alumni can talk and network," said Patty Starr, the assistant director of Alumni Relations. "It's a win-win situation."

"Dinner with 12 Strangers" is a 30-year-old program started by the University of California, Los Angeles, which has been adopted by many universities across the U.S. According to Starr, she and other representatives from UB attended a student alumni conference where they first heard about the program.

"It sounded like a great idea and something that would really add to UB," Starr said. "Having an opportunity like this could help lesson the overwhelming feeling some students may have going to a school as big as UB."

Last year was the first time UB tried "Dinner for 12 Strangers." According to Starr, it was more of a test-run to see if the program would stick.

So far it has. Last year there were only a few dinners consisting of pharmacy students who were handpicked to see how it would work. This year, dinners are open to any students and there are already 17 to 20 dinners planned for the fall and spring with more to come.

For these special dinners there is always a host who provides the home and the meal. The host is always a UB alumnus, and sometimes UB alumni will co-host a dinner.

"Life is about meeting people and having opportunities to branch out. This dinner gives people that chance," said Gayle Brazeau, an associate dean for Academic Affairs.

Brazeau hosted a dinner last year and is already planning her next. Her dinner had a Mexican theme consisting of tacos, burritos and even fried ice cream. She served it buffet style with ample appetizers, beverages and desserts.

Dinners vary according to the host's preference. Some are an actual sit-down dinner while others are a laid back barbeque in which everyone sits on the back porch and discusses the latest Bulls' game.

About half of the dinners are geared toward specific majors, while the other half are open to all students.

The host usually tries to accommodate students in as many ways as possible. They try to be sensitive to vegetarians, people with animal allergies and dietary restrictions.

According to Starr, the volunteer hosts in the past have been from a variety of careers, including attorneys, geologists and even an engineer from Fisher Price.

"I like the idea of this program a lot. I think of current students as alumni in training and I look at it as everyone being part of a UB family," Beazeau said.

Attending a dinner as a student is not only a way to become a member of the UB family but also a good chance to network for a job out of college.

"Dinner for 12 Strangers is a great opportunity to see what UB was like when the alumni attended and for us to fill them in on what's going on currently," said Dan Brewster, a senior urban policy major.

Having a free meal as a college student is a great opportunity in and of itself. At many of the dinners the students were also given some sort of token of appreciation for attending, like a t-shirt.

"Dinner with 12 Strangers was a great experience. I thought it might be a little intimidating meeting 12 amazing people in the UB community, but everyone was so friendly and personable," said Lindsay Mroz, who graduated from UB in May 2006 with a B.S. in chemical engineering. "It was inspirational to see the vast opportunities that are out there for UB grads."

According to Starr, students can still apply for a dinner. It's an open invitation and their goal is to never have to turn away any interested students.

"Go outside of your comfort zone," Starr said. "Be willing to meet some new people and maybe some doors will open for you."

For registration information for Dinner for 12 Strangers visit http://www.alumni.buffalo.edu/students