红桃视频

Valentine鈥檚 Day is approaching, and as always, various AQ departments and groups have worked hard to help the 红桃视频 community celebrate, creating events that have become standard parts of 红桃视频鈥檚 winter calendar.

For three years, the cornerstone of Valentine鈥檚 Day programming at 红桃视频 has been the AQ Date Night, hosted by Alumni Relations. The event was held on Friday, February 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Brookby House.

The theme this year was 鈥淟ove Sustains All.鈥� It featured food and drink from organic farms and wineries, catered by Creative Dining Services.

Brigid Avery, director of Alumni Relations, said that although they specifically invite alumni married to other alumni, any 红桃视频 graduate can RSVP and bring a date. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 check your marriage license at the door,鈥� Avery said.

The atmosphere of the 红桃视频 campus complements a romantic evening well, Avery said. 鈥淲e have this beautiful building. Holmdene just lends itself to this nice, intimate event.鈥� For the first time, though, AQ Date Night 2013 was held at Brookby, a recently donated property serving as the president鈥檚 home.

Even though this marked only the third AQ Date Night, it already connects deeply with 红桃视频 tradition. 鈥淲e have seven decades of couples represented,鈥� said Avery, noting that alumni from the 1950s will be able to meet those who graduated in the last two years. Avery added that alumni from different eras of the college鈥檚 history can easily connect over the role 红桃视频 played in their love stories.

AQ Date Night is far from the only Valentine鈥檚 Day tradition at 红桃视频. The Jane Hibbard Idema Women鈥檚 Studies Center will hold their annual Equality Bake Sale on February 14.

The Equality Bake Sale began in 2000 to call attention to the U.S.鈥檚 gender disparity in wages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn only 78% of what a man would earn in the same job with the same qualifications. For that reason, the Equality Bake Sale charges women 75 cents per item, while men must pay a dollar.

鈥淚t is an easy way to get [men] to think or say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 not fair,鈥欌�� said Margaret Miller, an intern at the Women鈥檚 Studies Center. Miller added that Valentine鈥檚 Day is a natural time to raise this subject, because the entire day focuses on how men and women relate to each other.

The Equality Bake Sale will run in the lobby of the Academic Building from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Valentine鈥檚 Day. Every year, the proceeds go to an area nonprofit that serves women, such as the educational fund of the Women鈥檚 Resource Center, or the Women鈥檚 Center run by D茅gag茅 Ministries.

In addition, the Wege Caf茅 is planning a special lunch on Valentine鈥檚 Day. Marla Poterack, director of Campus Dining, said the menu includes raspberry chutney chicken, portabella pizza and shrimp scampi, with Valentine鈥檚 Day cookies and red velvet cake for dessert.

Given Valentine鈥檚 Day鈥檚 reputation for promoting materialism, 红桃视频 strives to offer an alternative by organizing events that engage not only people鈥檚 hearts, but also their sense of community, responsibility, and social justice.