By Valentina Toro
Features Editor
Students gathered in Adanti Student Center Room 217 on Feb. 11, to build personalized Valentine’s Day gift baskets during Baskets for Beaus, an event hosted by the Programs Council.
The event invited attendees to assemble baskets filled with small gifts, snacks and decorative items, offering a hands-on alternative to traditional tabling events..
“Baskets for Beaus is our daytime programmers’ way of bringing in the Valentine’s Day holiday spirit,” Isaiah Young, a graduate intern for ProCon, said. “We’re making baskets with take-home things like lip balm and other nice stuff and just getting students excited for the time of year.”
According to organizers, the event was designed to combine social interaction with take-home items.
Supply stations included plush toys and candy, along with materials for written notes and themed decorations students could take with them.
In addition to craft supplies, students were offered pizza and wings, organizers also held a raffle with two grand prizes for participating students. Students were able to choose items based on usefulness and personal preference.
Organizers said the goal was to create a relaxed environment where students could gather and participate in a seasonal activity.
ProCon regularly hosts themed events throughout the semester, and the Valentine’s Day basket format was selected as an interactive option to encourage creativity.
Organizers set up multiple tables so that participants could customize their basket contents based on color, theme or purpose.
Some students built baskets for partners while others customized baskets for friends or family members. Many attendees compared gift items with others at their tables, trading suggestions and adjusting their baskets as they worked.
Business administration major Marquis Ward, a sophomore, said he came specifically to prepare a Valentine’s Day gift.
“I was looking, trying to stack up on Valentine’s Day presents,” Ward said. “I have a girlfriend, and this will be our first Valentine’s Day, so I’m trying to make it memorable and thoughtful.”
Ward said the variety of available supplies made the process more meaningful than buying a single item.
“There’s a couple of things to choose from,” Ward said. “I can make it nice, make it pretty, and it’s all different things she can actually use.”
Other students said they attended to take a break from coursework and participate in a low-pressure on-campus activity.
Organizers said the drop-in format is intended to give students a low-cost way to participate in campus life while marking seasonal moments in the semester. Participants could stay as long as they wanted, move between supply tables and complete their baskets at their own pace.
Nursing major Megan Nguyen, a freshman, said the event offered a welcome pause in the middle of a heavy week of coursework.
“I just needed a break from cramming schoolwork and studying, so I decided to go to a fun event with my cousin and just do some crafts,” Nguyen said.
Young said turnout met expectations, and the student response was positive throughout the program.
“We got the people that we expected, and people seem happy with their stuff,” Young said.
