Love soared across campus this week for the Bald Eagles as several LHU clubs and organizations hosted holiday-inspired events in preparation for Valentine’s Day.
Two clubs kicked-off their celebrations early on Friday. The Public Health Club partnered with AIDS Resource Alliance, a local nonprofit, to set up an information table in Bentley raising awareness for safe sex practices. The organizations also handed out free condoms to students.
“Both of our organizations are trying to destigmatize the conversation around sex especially around Valentine’s Day,” said Chloe Crabb, a volunteer for AIDS Resource Alliance. “We want to let people know that we have free [HIV] testing and free condoms available on campus and let them know what resources they have access to.”
The National Communication Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta utilized the holiday to help promote itself as a newly revived organization on campus. Members of the honor society sold chocolate lollipops and roses along Ivy Lane during its two-day fundraiser on Feb. 10 and 13. Lambda Pi Eta raised over $200 as a result.
“I really enjoyed being a part of the fundraiser event,” said Lambda Pi Eta member Whitney Harshbarger. “It was a lot of fun spending the time with my friends and listening to music all while selling candy. We had a blast overall. I’m also proud of our hard work and look forward to future events with this group.”
The Valentine’s Day festivities continued on throughout the week with the majority of events taking place on Feb. 14. The brothers of Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) spent the holiday delivering candy grams and roses to students in Fairview Suites, Smith Hall, Campus Village, and Evergreen Commons.
KDR President Devon Bartleson stated the sales will go toward Mental Health First Aid certification for the fraternity members. He also mentioned that they already planned to have another fundraiser next year and even highlighted more events occurring later in the semester.
“We believe the event went well, and we look to expand on it next year. We [also] have something extra special planned for Easter as we look to work with our national philanthropy the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.”
LHU also celebrated the day of love off campus. The apartment housing complex, Evergreen Commons, participated in a Crush and Carnations event where 100 carnations and 48 cans of Crush soda were passed out to residents
Brittany Camerer, the Leasing and Marketing Manager at Evergreen Commons, explained their motive behind hosting the event.
“We always have weekly programs for our residents, but this year we wanted to make sure everyone felt special even if they don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. They could take something to give to someone else, or they could ‘treat yo self’ and keep it.”
Camerer also added that they deemed the event to be successful based on the number of positive responses they received from the student residents.
One of the most attended holiday activities, however, was the Haven Activities Council (HAC) Love Fest. Lower Bentley turned into a miniature Build-A-Bear workshop as students chose between 10 animals to fill with stuffing and a foam heart of their choice. Certifications were also available to write out the animal’s name and adoption date.
According to the organization’s president Ben Adam, Love Fest became a HAC tradition each Valentine’s Day to help spread cheer and boost attendance at student-focused events.
Another HAC representative, Macy Demchak commented on the popularity of Love Fest, noting that the organization gave away all 200 stuffed animals within one hour of the event.
“It was very successful. We ran out of stuffed animals and all we had left was candy. It’s usually a very popular event here, and it always runs out really quick.”
Other Valentine’s Day festivities found around campus, featuring some anti-love sentiments, included a 15% sale in the bookstore, HAC’s Singles Pringles Day with free chips, Outreach for Humanity’s Feed Your Frustrations to the Dogs, and the HOPE Center’s fundraiser selling candy penises and vaginas.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
