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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

    Lunch Roulette offers juniors chance to make connections

    Lunch Roulette offers juniors chance to make connections

    Following spring break, TCU’s Student Development Services will offer juniors the chance to make some important connections.

    Lunch Roulette—a program run by Keri Cyr, the director of the sophomore and junior year experience, and Operations Coordinator Laura Shaw—pairs juniors with TCU faculty or staff members related to their chosen field of study.

    The junior then meets for lunch with his or her paired faculty or staff member to discuss possible internships, common interests and more potential connections.

    Amanda Nickerson, a TCU admission counselor for transfer students, has participated in two Lunch Roulettes. Nickerson said that she met great students during both lunches.

    “We were able to learn from each other,” she said.

    Like last semester, SDS will reserve the private dining room in Market Square for the upcoming Lunch Roulette. In addition, if the student-mentor pair decides to eat in Market Square, SDS will pay for their meals, Shaw said.

    Kirby Schulz, a senior finance major, said that she enjoyed Lunch Roulette last year. Schulz was paired with Brian Gutierrez, the vice chancellor of finance and administration.

    “My pairing could not have been more perfect,” Schulz said in an email. “I have met with him at least three more times since our initial introduction and his mentorship has been invaluable.”

    Cyr said students are purposefully not paired with someone whose career perfectly matches the students’ majors. This allows the students to meet someone they would not meet otherwise.

    “We try to make very intentional pairings,” Cyr said. “So if we have a speech pathology major, we try very hard not to match them with a speech pathology faculty member, because they probably already know that person.”

    Shaw said working with Cyr to pair students with faculty or staff is her favorite part of the Lunch Roulette process.

    “We have a good time looking for common threads between people,” she said.

    Cyr said there is a greater faculty interest than student interest in the program by a slim margin.

    “We would rather have too many faculty and staff than not enough,” Cyr said. “It’s a good problem to have.”

    Although dates for this semester’s Lunch Roulette have not been set, it will take place in the weeks following spring break, Cyr said. Those interested in participating should watch their email for a sign-up, according to the SDS website.