Washington and Lee’s newest dating app takes a unique spin on traditional dating apps, aiming to provide students with the opportunity to make the most out of their college relationships.
The app, called Red Cup, launched its operations at the Washington and Lee University campus this November. Red Cup’s appearance on campus came suddenly when physical and digital advertisements around campus garnered intrigue.
“I downloaded [Red Cup] because I was curious. My friends were talking about it, and I saw all of the advertising and marketing that they were doing for it,” said Janette Mariano, ’28. “I didn’t know anything about it going in.”
Red Cup has a history outside of W&L. It was originally developed and launched at Dartmouth University, but is now available at Colby College, Fairfield, Holy Cross, Vassar and Wesleyan, according to the Red Cup website.
Red Cup does not follow the design of a traditional dating app. Users have the option to add up to five “crushes” into the app. This information will remain anonymous unless their crush also entered their name. Then, both people will be notified that they have been matched.
Users also have the option to play matchmaker by pairing two people who they think would be good together. This feature is meant to provide an appeal to students who are already in relationships, according to the Red Cup website.
This system is meant to take the pressure off of shooting your shot by removing the fear of rejection, according to the Red Cup website.
“We hope that students use this app to be bold, reach for what and who they really want, and discover a new, meaningful connection on their campus,” said Sidney Marsh, the CEO and co-founder of Red Cup, in an interview.
Red Cup’s creators designed the app with the hope that it would foster more personal connections than traditional dating apps that use a “catalog shopping” model, Marsh said. The goal, Marsh said, was to de-emphasize superficial aspects of dating apps that can make them feel toxic.
Red Cup’s stated mission is to help students connect meaningfully with people they already know, according to the app’s LinkedIn profile.
“Red Cup solves the problem of how to start a connection with someone you have already met in class, at a game, in a club and beyond,” said Marsh.
Marriage Pact is another popular match-making platform used at W&L. Unlike Red Cup, Marriage Pact uses an algorithm to match students together based on compatibility. While Marriage Pact is a major competitor to Red Cup, Marsh believes that the continuous nature of Red Cup sets it apart because students are able to continue to meet people instead of receiving a one-time match.
“Our users have the ability to be proactive in seeking out people they are already interested in rather than being served up to a random student as a potential match based on an algorithm,” Marsh said.
This is meant to empower students in their dating lives, she added.
Students at W&L said they appreciate the differences between Red Cup and Marriage Pact.
“I like the freedom Red Cup gives you, but I also like how Marriage Pact finds someone compatible for you,” said Mariano, who has used both platforms. Mariano also added that she enjoyed the suspense of Marriage Pact before matches were released.
Despite the serious intent behind Red Cup, many students at W&L did not take their usage of the app seriously.
“Everyone I surround myself with sees it more as a joke than something to take seriously,” Mariano said.
This semester, students could only use the app up until Dec. 6. Red Cup will reopen its operations during the last month of each term, Marsh said.
