Every year as the 14th of February approaches, there are mad rushes to the chocolate aisle and the flower section within the grocery store, as well as phone calls to restaurants to make reservations for that special someone. However, for people who are single, Valentine’s Day often comes and goes quietly and without much fuss.

Ashlee Stowe, a freshman in First Year College, said she is not opposed to the idea of Valentine’s Day, as long as someone is there to share it.

“If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend on Valentine’s Day it’s a really nice holiday. But most people don’t,” Stowe said. “It’s kind of a made up holiday so that chocolate and flower companies can make bank.”

Matt Shearer, a freshman in polymer and color chemistry, said he hates Valentine’s Day.

“Singles Awareness Day is completely stupid. You don’t do anything on that day,” Shearer said. “I once got a box of chocolates from my mom. You get Valentine’s Day cards from people you’re not going to talk to down the road. There’s really no meaning to it unless you’re married or dating someone.”

Shearer said the holiday is great for couples who want to be more romantic than usual.

“There’s all the mushy, gushy stuff. They share their love for one another,” Shearer said. As for chocolate and flowers, Shearer believes they are staple items for the day. “It’s a tradition. You can’t go away from traditions.”

Shearer claimed that because he is single, he will do absolutely nothing on Sunday.

“I’ll sit in my dorm and do nothing. I have no one to go out with, nobody to hang out with,” Shearer said.

While some people do sit around and ignore the day, others make plans with friends or family, like Stowe decided to do.

“I have a gay guy friend and he doesn’t have a boyfriend either so we’re going out together. Hopefully he will buy me chocolates and flowers,” Stowe said.

Amanda Peters, a sophomore in applied sociology, said she likes the holiday and thinks it is fun, but it should not be too big of a deal.

“I think if you’re with someone you should show it, but do something little. Take them out to dinner, but it shouldn’t be a huge thing,” Peters said. “I think that it’s more special if you do that on your own than just on a holiday. I think it’s better to celebrate something more personal.”

Peters also said consumerism plays a large role in the popularity of Valentine’s Day.

“It’s kind of something for America to earn money with,” Peters said.

Christina Parrett, a sophomore in political science, said she and her friend made plans for Valentine’s Day after making fun of the new movie “Dear John.”

“We’re going to watch chick flicks and make fun of them. And probably eat ice cream. We’re both single, so we thought it would be fun,” Parrett said. “We saw ‘Dear John’ and we made fun of it the entire time. We’re making fun of love.”

Parret said although she made plans for this year, she normally ignores the holiday if she is single.

“It’s overdone with all the commercials and everything. Love isn’t about chocolate and flowers. I’ve been in relationships before where we didn’t do anything for Valentine’s Day,” Parrett said. “As a culture, our view of love is screwed up. Chick flicks are all about romantic things and commitment. It’s not good for girls to watch chick flicks because they’ll be disappointed. Guys just aren’t that perfect in real life. I’m not a romantic anymore.”

Muneeb Abbasi, a freshman in First Year College, said Valentine’s Day has been commercialized too much and it puts unnecessary pressure on guys.

“Sure, you can give a lot of love to your significant other, but there’s an expectation that girls always need to have something better the next year. And guys cannot live up to that,” Abbasi said.

While he does not have a problem with Valentine’s Day personally, Abbasi said he understood why some people would.

“I don’t date so I don’t have a problem with Valentine’s Day. I can relate to not having a date on Valentine’s Day. But some people don’t necessarily choose that. Some people try getting dates and they still can’t,” Abbasi said. “That’s when it hurts. It singles out everybody who doesn’t have or doesn’t want to have a significant other.”

Abbasi also said he does not mind if his attached friends ditch him for their significant others that day.

“I don’t have a problem if they go spend the entire day with their girlfriend or boyfriend. I feel for them,” Abbasi said. However, he does give girls a warning about expecting too much. “If you want to keep your man, let him spend Valentine’s Day with you in a modest way. Don’t expect for him to go all out and don’t expect him to be a cheap-skate, but find something in the middle to do.”