UNC-Wilmington has its own version of Craigslist’s Missed Connections in the form of UNCW Crushes and Seahawk Stalkers. A Facebook page with a sizable following of almost 7,000 people, UNCW Crushes regularly posts admissions of attraction and interest from anonymous student submitters, and has been bringing a bit of kindness — and romance — to campus for nearly five years. Thanks to its feel-good premise and consistent activity, the page has remained a popular way for students to connect and engage with one another since it began. We talked with the current admin of the page to learn a little more about this wholesome piece of UNCW culture.

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Q: Tell us a little about what running this page is like on a day-to-day basis.

A: Every day I go into our anonymous submissions and check how many crushes have been submitted. I try to wait until there are 7-10 submissions before posting, since each post is typically so short. If there are any submissions to the Facebook page, then I just wait and post them with the anonymous submissions. I try to update the page every few days, but no less than once a week.

Q: Why did you want to be the admin for this page?

A: I have always enjoyed the Crushes page. It’s such a fun way for people to express themselves and I always loved watching people’s reactions to having their names submitted. I saw that the page had applications for a new admin and decided to just go for it on a whim.

Q: How many submissions do you receive per month, on average?

A: I would estimate about 40-50 a month. Usually we average around 10 submissions a week, but some weeks are definitely busier than others.

Q: Why do you think this page has been so consistently popular over the years?

A: I think it’s a mixture of the fun and the secrecy. Anonymity gives people a sense of comfort to say anything they’d like, and while sometimes that can lead to negativity, this page has allowed for people to use anonymity to be positive. It’s fun to tell the world who you’re crushing on without having to actually be public about it, and it’s exciting to know that you’ve caught someone’s attention on campus.

Q: What’s the difference between a Crush and a Stalker, and which do you see more of in your submissions?

A: We definitely see more crushes than stalkers in our submissions. We don’t condone stalking — we just like the alliteration of “Seahawk Stalkers.” A crush is innocent. It’s pointing out someone who has caught your eye, or has been a positive aspect of your day and letting people know about it. A stalker is dangerous.

I wouldn’t say I have ever witnessed any submissions that were overly concerning, but I have made the decision to not post things that got a little too specific. We’ll have submissions where someone points out the hair, eye, shirt and shoe color of someone they saw briefly on Chancellor’s and I delete those. While I don’t think the person has bad intentions, it’s just a little weird to me and I don’t want to reinforce that.

Q: Have you ever had to post a submission that was about you? If so, how did it make you feel?

A: I actually have. It was really funny to me. My good friends all know that I run this page, so they all messaged me laughing about it. One friend even asked if I wrote it myself (which I did not, I don’t do that). It also made me happy! It’s great to feel that excitement of seeing your own name on the crushes page, even if you’re the one running it.

Q: How many people, on average, submit by messaging the page rather than the anonymous survey link? Do you feel powerful knowing their secrets?

A: Most people submit anonymously. I do really enjoy seeing the posts people submit to the Facebook page. However, we’ve had a couple of submissions where someone will send a crush in about themselves (or multiple) and send it to the Facebook page which is not anonymous. I tend to not post those. I don’t have a great reason for not posting them other than I think it’s hilariously embarrassing. I’ve yet to understand why they don’t just use the anonymous submissions link.

Q: What is the nicest or most romantic submission you’ve ever received?

A: The page had a submission before I was admin actually that was of a couple who had met through the page. They had gotten married and were expecting their first child. I just love that story and think it’s such an awesome outcome for a crush submission.

Q: What’s the best piece of romance advice you can give to anyone submitting a crush to this page?

A: If you submit a crush and after it’s posted the person comments saying to talk to them, go for it! It’s a little scary to put yourself out there like that, but what do you really have to lose? College is a time for (some) risks, and if it ends up being weird then you never have to talk to that person again.

Q: What’s your favorite rom-com? Favorite love song?

A: My favorite love song has to be “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here” by Ed Sheeran. Absolute masterpiece. As for rom-com, that’s a hard one. I’ve loved “Princess Bride” since I was in middle school (in elementary school I thought the R.O.U.S.’s were too scary), so I’d say that’s one of my favorites out there.

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You can connect with the UNCW Crushes and Seahawk Stalkers Facebook page here.