Hoosier Sweethearts: Brittany and Jack

Hoosier Sweethearts: Brittany Tempest, senior. Jack Griffin, senior.

Relationship Status: Together one year.

HCIU: How did you two meet?

Jack: My house – Lambda Chi Alpha – runs a haunted house philanthropy, and I took charge of designing one of the rooms last year. And then when we paired with Theta Phi Alpha to help with the haunted house, Brittany randomly got assigned to be a ‘girl in chains’ in the same room. We just had to spend four hours yelling at scared girls and guys for two nights. And then after that our houses had a pair, and we already knew each other, so that’s kind of how the ice broke.

HCIU: What was the first thing each of you noticed about the other?

Jack: We were talking the whole time while we were in the haunted house, and it was fun. I noticed that she talked about music a lot, she’s a huge music buff, and the fact that she knew classic rock was really cool. That got me interested immediately.

Brittany: I remember I first saw him in the informal lounge while we were getting ready to go, and he was in charge and he was being kind of mean. And I thought, “Oh great, I’m going to be next to this kid for four hours, two nights in a row!” [laughs]. And he was already being so mean! But then it was just the pressure of the haunted house, and it ended up being fine.

Jack: It was a lot of work, I was just stressing out so much. Maybe it was stage fright.

HCIU: How would you describe the dating scene at IU?

Brittany: Stressful. Especially when you’re dating within the Greek community, because there are always so many people of the opposite sex around, and it’s just stressful to deal with that and then classes on top of everything.

Jack: I think it’s hard to have a real relationship while in college, but if you take it lightly then it can still be fun.

HCIU:  Are you involved in anything on campus together? What are some hobbies you share?

Brittany: We went to the SRSC a lot together this summer. There’s also Greek life stuff.

Jack: We go to philanthropies together too.

HCIU: What are you involved in separately on campus?

Brittany: I’m in the Marching Hundred and the basketball band, and I’m involved in my sorority.

Jack: I bike with the Little 500 team for Lambda. It’s fun, and they’re way better than me, but it’s fun.

HCIU: What TV couple are you most like?

Jack: Jim and Pam from The Office.

HCIU: What is the best thing about having a girlfriend or boyfriend while you’re in college?

Jack: I feel like everyone goes through down times in college. And whenever I have one of those down times, Brittany’s there to back me up. It’s good to have that.

Brittany: There’s always somebody there. Jack’s my best friend, and he’s always there for me.

HCIU: What’s the hardest part about dating at IU?

Brittany: I think it’s really hard to date within Greek life, because there are so many other people there and there won’t always be people there who are respectful of you being in a relationship. They’ll think, ‘Oh, it’s just college, it’s not serious,’ so they’ll try to wedge their way in. It’s frustrating, and I think that’s the hardest part.

Jack: It’s all about balancing your crazy college life and still being a good guy.

HCIU: Where did you go on your first date?

Brittany: Our first date was the day after one of our Homecoming pairs. We went to Potbelly’s on Kirkwood for lunch.

HCIU: What’s your favorite date spot on campus?

Jack: We love going to Kirkwood and hanging out there. We got out and get food a lot, we try to eat outside when we can, and it’s always bumping there. That’s definitely our favorite place.

HCIU: Do you have any advice for other IU students who are considering pursuing a serious relationship?

Jack: You just have to not stress too much, and trust each other. If you can’t do that, then you’re not going to be good in the long run anyway. You can’t get paranoid over everything.

Brittany: It’s hard to learn to trust people, but you’ve got to do it.

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