The Friday before Valentine’s day, while couples began celebrating love and romance, the Student Events Board offered up something a little different. In The Commons Sports Zone they held “Treat Yo’ Self.” The event was inspired by the famous “Parks and Recreation” episode where two characters treat themselves to a day of luxury.
The SEB event was intended as a fun, inclusive event, not just for couples but also for singles to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Upbeat music played while students enjoyed a free hot chocolate and cookie bar. They had their pictures taken in a photo booth and made mason jar cookie mix. There were also crafts where students could make valentines out of different sized hearts made of foam and glittery paper.
Andrea Davis, a sophomore majoring in sociology and minoring in Africana studies, was the SEB staffer who came up with the event. Davis, who is single herself, wanted to create something inclusive for this time of the year.
“The thing about events is you kind of just do whatever you’d like to do,” she said. “I thought of some fun ‘Valentiney’ things to do but not necessarily valentines, because a lot of people are single.”
Students who participated mostly came in groups of three or more, ready for a fun evening. Nearly 50 students filtered in and out in just the first thirty minutes of the “Treat Yo’ Self” event. It can be tricky to entice students to come to Friday evening events, which made the evening’s turnout more impressive.
“You don’t expect that for weekend programming. A lot of people don’t show up, especially if it’s cold outside,” she said.
Davis speculated that part of the event’s appeal was that crafts aren’t usually held on Friday evenings. The spirit of the event may also have drawn out students who did not have romantic plans for the weekend.
Naseem Redman, a freshman studying health administration and public policy and psychology, came to the event with a group of friends. Redman is also single, and felt the event was a good tie-in to Valentine’s day.
“I like that they have Treat Yo’ Self because then it’s not like couples night. It’s about me and my friends just chilling,” Redman said, as he drew pictures on his heart-shaped valentine.
Redman enjoys events put on by SEB because of the fun ideas and the energy members bring.
“They all seem really peppy and happy,” he said. “That’s a really good vibe to push out there because then other people start pushing it out as well.”
