A free workshop on "creative dating" is being offered Feb. 4 at Mississippi State University.
Developed in 1985 at Xavier University as a supplemental program to the Cincinnati school's student orientation program, the workshop is designed to provide students with options to dating, as well as ways to constructively approach tough relationship issues.
The 90-minute interactive presentation by creator David Coleman begins at 8 p.m. in the Simrall Hall auditorium. The Campus Activities Board's Lectern Committee is the sponsor.
The program's premise is that people are creatures of habit who rely on the bar scene, alcohol, movies, expensive dinners, and the like as their prevalent dating options.
"It doesn't and shouldn't have to be that way," Coleman says.
Among workshop topics: making a good impression, the impact of alcohol and AIDS on relationships and dating expectations.
Kathryn Matheny of Natchez, Lectern Committee chair, said Coleman's workshop is one of the "hottest programs" currently on the college lecture circuit.
Coleman, now of Orlando, Fla., estimates that he has presented the workshop for more than 50,000 people at more than 600 college campuses and at conferences nationwide. He also has been featured in USA Today, Glamour, Mademoiselle, and other national publications.
For more information on the Mississippi State workshop, telephone Matheny or CAB adviser Beth K. Waltrip at (601) 325-2930.