Junior Elementary Education major, Liana Farnen makes decorations while at the speed mixer table Wednesday afternoon in the Memorial Union. The mixer, hosted by UAC, is one of several events planned for the holiday. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Love is in the air at Emporia State as students celebrate Valentine’s Day across campus.

The art department is showing their Valentine spirit with their 6^th annual Valentine’s Day Art Show at the Emporia Arts Council. The show opened Feb. 2 and ends with a reception on Sunday. Works from ESU faculty, former students and current students are featured. All artwork is for sale and proceeds go to the art department’s general scholarships. Admission to the show is free.

“We’ll have refreshments and some food and it’s before all of the really big stuff starts, so it’s kind of a prelude to Valentine’s Day events,” said Roberta Eichenberg, assistant professor of sculpture.

Students who live in the Towers Complex can send each other V-Grams. There will be a table in the Towers lobby from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. Hearts are 50 fifty cents and cans of crush soda are $1. Profits from the V-Grams go to Shiloh House, a local women’s shelter. Complex coordinator Carol Blade said she’s done this at other schools and called it “a crush for a crush.”

“It’s only for Towers this year. We’re kind of just starting it, so we want to see how it goes before we start working on making it any larger,” Blade said.

V-Grams will be delivered in students’ mailboxes or to their rooms, depending on how many are sold.

“It’s just kind of a program to help people spread a little bit of Valentine’s joy to each other,” Blade said.

The Towers Complex will also host a stoplight party on Feb. 15 where those who are single wear green, those who are dating wear yellow and those who are taken wear red. Blades said there will be food and games at the party.

“The Towers is all first year students so we just want to have a lot of activities to build up that first year class and help people to get to know each other and also just to build a community between the first years,” Blade said.

The Union Activities Council is holding a two minute Valentine mixer tonight at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. It is free for all ESU students, but donations will be taken for Hearts for Haiti, sponsored by the American Red Cross.

“It’s a freewill monetary donation so you don’t have to donate right when you come in, but we will accept them,” said Christina Holt, sophomore elementary education major who planned the event.

Holt said there will be cookie decorating and Valentine making.

“It kind of is like the high school dance set up,” Holt said. “It’s just a night for fun and to relax and be with everybody. It’s kind of cheesy so everyone likes that.”

The A Capella choir is doing Valentine-O-Grams on Friday and Saturday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. around Emporia. Valentine-O-Grams are singing telegrams that come with a hand-made Valentine. Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Terry Barham said they have been doing these valentines for 10-12 years and people seem to love them.

“People call and say ‘they made me cry,’” Barham said. “We’re talking really good singers, you know.”

Orders for the valentines had to be made by Feb. 7. People got to choose two of four songs: “Baby Face.” “I Love You Truly,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “I Love You a Bushel and a Peck.” They were $10 for ESU students and the proceeds are helping students make payments on the choir’s tour of England, which will be from May 27 – June 4.

“We think it’s a public service and the students they love doing it, they really do,” Barham said.

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