For the first time at the UA, students can interact and meet by speed dating, a concept organizers said they borrowed from the Will Smith blockbuster movie "Hitch."

During the debut tonight, 40 students who have already signed up will chat for several minutes with another individual before moving on to meet with the next person, similar to the setup in "Hitch," said Jenny French, a Park Student Union graduate assistant for operations and activities.

The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the PSU meeting rooms and is open to UA students aged 18 to 24.

French said she came up with the idea while she was trying to think of fun activities that students would be interested in.

"College students always want to meet new people," said French, a higher education graduate student.

After the speed dating ends, participants will write down the names of the people they are interested in, and those who show a mutual interest will be able to exchange contact information, French said.

Though participants are students from the UA campus, most are PSU regulars or freshmen from the nearby dorms, French said.

French said there is another speed dating event scheduled for Oct. 19.

Students who are interested should stop by the PSU information desk beginning tomorrow to sign up.

Forum discusses gender differences in workplace

The different standards for men and women in the workplace were discussed in a new forum series last night.

The event was part of "Women's Wednesdays," a new addition to the programming provided by the Women's Resource Center, said Leslie Marasco, the director of Associated Students of the University of Arizona's Women's Resource Center.

The forum attracted five participants who discussed the topic "The Structure Of Relations Between The Opposite Sex: Concentrating On The Professional Setting," which focused on gender issues in the workplace and the relationships between men and women.

Emily Thompson, an anthropology sophomore, said when it comes to gender roles in a professional setting, the first thing that comes to mind is how women dress for work.

"I think of women in business suits and how they feel they have to look masculine," Thompson said.

Mary Adde, a physiology graduate student, agreed.

"Apparently you are not supposed to look masculine because it threatens men," Adde said.

Gender discrimination is alive and well in the work force, Adde said.

"There's definitely a bit of a boys club," Adde said.

There is also a different set of standards applied toward how men and women act in the workplace, said Mumbi Horoho, an undeclared freshman.

If a man is aggressive, he is seen in a positive manner, Horoho said.

"If a woman is more aggressive about what she does, she is seen as bossy," Horoho said.

The event, which is funded about 1 percent by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, is part of the Women's Resource Center budget, Marasco said.

"It's a very small percentage of the WRC budget," Marasco said.

Horoho said there were a good number of people at the forum, but she had expected more.

"This is a pretty good turnout so far," Horoho said.

Marasco, who had originally expected between 10 and 15 people to attend, said one way to get more people involved is by having participants spread the word and bring their friends.

"I think word of mouth is huge," Marasco said.