Students hate Valentine's Day

Some went out for a romantic dinner last night. Others bought flowers, cards and chocolates for their boyfriends or girlfriends. Many students walked around campus yesterday wearing red and pink. But others did not celebrate Valentine's Day at all. Some students did not have a partner with whom to share the holiday. Others said the holiday had religious origins which conflict with their own beliefs. And many students treated it like any other weekday. College freshman Lisa Hernandez said Valentine's Day was a difficult day for those who are single. "I hate Valentine's Day because all I've seen all day is people with flowers and big red balloons and it's all I could do to keep from popping the balloons," she said last night. "I think there are a lot more people who don't celebrate it then do. "If you don't have anybody to share it with, then all you do is watch other people," she added. College sophomore Sara Gibbons agreed. "I'd like it if I had a valentine," she said. "This year I wore black and red so it was in between [between hating it and loving it] but I think it's really a holiday that's been created by Hallmark." Some celebrated Valentine's Day without a couples-only atmosphere. The Pi Beta Phi sorority, for instance, showed several "female bonding" movies, including Thelma and Louise, for sisters and pledges whose boyfriends lived far away or who were unattached. "Instead of being depressed on Valentine's Day, we decided to do something fun," said Pi Phi sister and College sophomore Deborah Chasan. "After all, who needs guys to have a good time?" Chasan said her boyfriend lives in Washington D.C. and the separation was especially difficult yesterday. "I've been sort of lonely walking around campus all day," she said. "It seems like everybody is carrying a flower around except for me." Some students treated Valentine's Day no different than any other day. "I've never had a very serious girlfriend on Valentine's Day, so it has never meant anything to me," Wharton senior Ethan Falkove said. "I'm not missing anything as far as I see [and] I really don't think about the holiday too much." Several University students said they did not celebrate the holiday because of its religious significance as a holiday commemorating Saint Valentine, a Catholic martyr. "In the Jewish religion, we don't celebrate Saint Valentine's Day," College sophomore Hal Luria said. "Although the holiday has become very secularized it is based on a Christian martyr." Luria said he and his girlfriend, a College freshman, do not need the holiday to celebrate their love. "We decided not to celebrate it because of its history and we can celebrate our love for each other in other ways," he said. "We just don't need it." Hernandez agreed with Luria's sentiments. "If you're in a loving relationship, you shouldn't need one day to show them how much you love them," she said. "I think it's slightly overrated."