How Are Jaspers Spending Valentine’s Day?

Adrianne Hutto Production Editor

As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, students are bound to see the symbols of the holiday across campus, businesses and social media. However, the unofficial, official holiday does not have the best reputation. For some, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and for others it’s an unnecessary mark on the calendar. The Quadrangle sat down with three students to get their perspective on the holiday.

Christina Irvolino, ‘25 Psychology Major

The Quad: What’s your relationship status? Have you celebrated with this person before?

Christina Irvolino: Taken. I have not celebrated with him yet.

TQ: How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, if you are celebrating?

CI: Valentine’s Day, both of us are pretty busy since it does fall on a weekday this year and we are in a long distance relationship, but Tuesday night he is taking me out to dinner and Wednesday we are spending the day in Brooklyn at the New York Aquarium.

TQ: What are your feelings towards Valentine’s Day?

CI: I have always loved Valentine’s Day. It has been my favorite holiday since I can remember. I have always appreciated the beauty of love.

TQ: Do you think Valentine’s day should be a holiday/celebrated?

CI: I personally believe that it should be celebrated. It’s hard to constantly show appreciation towards another person, not just a significant other. Valentine’s Day stands as a reminder and forces you to take the time out of a busy schedule to appreciate one another and not just tell each other how much you love one another, but show it. Rather than being envious of another person’s love, you can find the beauty of the love people give one another.

TQ: What are the best parts of Valentine’s day

CI: I think the best part is the people watching. Watching boys give girls bunches of flowers or even a girl rejecting a rose from a boy, there can be fun in just other people’s experiences during this holiday.

Ciara Dalton, ‘23 Psychology Major

The Quad: What’s your relationship status? Have you celebrated with this person before?

Ciara Dalton: Taken. I celebrated as friends last year.

TQ: How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, if you are celebrating?

CD: I’m celebrating by making a surprise activity with the help of my friends and dinner.

TQ: What are your feelings towards Valentine’s Day?

CD: I never really cared much for Valentine’s day. I think doing sweet stuff for your loved one or friends randomly means more and is more thoughtful than on a day where you are “supposed” to do it. But I love an excuse to go out to dinner and plan/do something special.

TQ: What are the best parts of Valentine’s day

CD: The best part is when you are with someone doing something nice for each other that is thoughtful and more than materialistic things, like Valentine’s Day can sometimes generally be. When you aren’t with someone, the best part is spending it with friends and family you love and show you care about.

Jake Steinweiss, ‘25 Civil Engineering Major

The Quad: What’s your relationship status? Have you celebrated with this person before?

Jake Steinweiss: In a relationship. We usually just go out for dinner.

TQ: What are your feelings towards Valentine’s Day?

JS: It’s good. I like it. I think it’s a nice holiday to appreciate your loved one.

TQ: How have you celebrated in years past?

JS: My family usually does a dinner. It’s like an important date in my family. It was one of my grandfather’s birthdays. So, we all get together and we usually have dinner. So, on the day-of that’s actually where I am. But on other days, I’m with my girlfriend, we go out on the weekend, but on the day-off I’m usually with my family.

TQ: What are the best and worst parts of Valentine’s Day?

JS: The best parts are giving gifts and receiving gifts. You know, usually for me Valentine’s Day gifts aren’t like material things, it’s more like sentimental things. And I mean, the worst parts are I guess making reservations.