The ground rules at a Gallaudet University speed-dating night were simple: Five minutes with each partner. When the time is up, everyone switches seats. Keep the conversations G-rated. And no talking allowed. The last rule was the easiest to follow, since Gallaudet is one of the few colleges in the world where American Sign Language dominates all nonwritten communication. 'Sooo . . .' signed organizer Aneesah Silvels, a graduate student, who used exaggerated arm movements for emphasis. 'It is time to start.' With a flurry of hand movements, about two dozen speed daters started to get to know one another on a recent Friday night in the campus student center. The questions would have been familiar to anyone who has been on a first date: Where are you from? What are you studying? What do you do for fun? But instead of a quiet, intimate conversation, it was easy for anyone who knows sign language to eavesdrop. Organizers had to keep shooing away spectators. That constant shortage of conversational privacy makes dating on the campus difficult - especially in such a small, tight-knit college community, which has about 2,000 undergraduates and 500 grad students. 'At a large university, you could have a one-night stand, and no one would know,' signed Emmanuel Felix, a sophomore from San Diego who is studying accounting. 'Here at Gallaudet, if you have a one-night stand, everyone knows.' Speed dating, in which singles can gather to spend a few minutes with several potential dates at one time, has gained popularity in the past decade, though the title character of the show 'Frasier' once deemed it 'all the stress and humiliation of a blind date, times 12.' The event was part of a class project for Silvels, who is studying deaf education. Each student in one of her graduate courses had to come up with a project that would explain Gallaudet to the Washington community or bring together different groups on campus. 'I have friends who have done speed dating and really liked it,' Silvels said. 'I thought this would be really fun because it's very adult-like.' She posted fliers around campus and promoted the event on Facebook, telling students to 'Be there or be single!' Felix and his friends were complaining about the campus dating scene when they saw a flier. 'We just started cracking up,' he said. 'But we decided, let's be positive.' The event began with many more women than men. The introductory bio swap usually included a quintessential Gallaudet question: Did you go to a traditional, mainstream high school or an all-deaf one? For students who have grown up in strong deaf communities, sign language is the native tongue and often a defining part of who they are. Students who attended traditional schools were usually one of just a few deaf kids, separated socially and academically from most of their classmates and pushed to learn to read lips. Technology also has changed the definition of deafness, as cochlear implants and hearing aids have allowed more people to increase their ability to hear. One student decided not to attend the event because he wouldn't be allowed to speak as he signed, a touchy topic on a campus where most select one or the other, Silvels said. One woman who attended Gallaudet's secondary school was paired with a man who attended a mainstream Florida high school. He marveled at how 'completely different' it was at Gallaudet and how he is more social because he can easily communicate with everyone. The university also has a growing number of hearing students, such as Silvels, who don't fit into either social group. 'Gallaudet is the world they always wanted. The teachers sign, all of the workers sign. Gallaudet is their heaven. . . . They don't want to destroy that culture,' said Silvels. 'I feel like I always have to have my guard up. I have to have thick skin.' At a break halfway through the event, many women, having scoped out their options, disappeared. 'It was a great way to meet new people,' Justyna Grela signed earnestly. 'We just have somewhere else to go.' Suddenly, there were more men than women. For the last round of dates, Felix didn't get paired up with anyone. He sat alone as his friends chatted with new partners 'I'm not really looking for a relationship. I'm not really boyfriend or husband material,' he signed. 'And, hey, I don't mind being a wingman.' 