Students are thrifty with Valentine’s Day purchases

by Brittany Yingling
Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day did not empty the wallets of some Ohio University students today because of thrifty gift purchases.

OU junior Chad Parsons said he did not shell out an arm and a leg for his girlfriend’s Valentine’s Day gifts.

“It’s actually only a total of $20,” he said. “It should be that way — money’s not terribly important.”

Parsons said he laminated a leaf that his girlfriend retrieved from the ground near Clippinger Laboratories about four months ago and gave to him.

>“And I bought her concert tickets to Ralph Stanley — he’s performing in Nelsonville in March — and I also am going to burn a CD for her that is actually a Ralph Stanley CD,” Parsons said.    

OU freshman Steve Sikora said he also kept his Valentine’s Day budget to about $20 to $25.

“My girlfriend lives at home,” he said. “So I think I’m going to send her roses and a card.”

And other students said they took the homemade route in preparing a gift for their loved one.

OU freshman Andrea Hayen said she spent about $15 on cards and a stuffed bear. But most of her gift to her boyfriend is self-constructed.

“Most of what I’m doing is burning a CD and making cookies and stuff,” she said.

For those struggling with ideas for the holiday, organizations around campus also provided options.

At a price of $10 or $15, students could purchase a singing telegram delivered by a tuxedo-clad member of Phi Mu Alpha, an OU men’s singing fraternity, said Gary Bailey, a sixth year undergraduate and fraternity member.

The fraternity has sold singing telegrams since 1970, Bailey said. It is the fraternity’s only fundraiser and usually generates between $500 and $1,000 every year.

The serenades, which run from 5 p.m. to midnight today and tomorrow, consist of tunes such as “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry, he said.

“We try to be professional about it,” Bailey said. “We get all kinds of reactions — sometimes people will be really embarrassed, but sometimes if it’s their first one, they’ll cry a lot.”

And, for $3, student can write a 14-word maximum message to their valentine that will be displayed on CATvision, the university television channel, said OU senior Aaron Reincheld, vice-president of the Society of Professional Journalists, the group sponsoring the sale.

“(The messages) basically run all day in between our programming on channels 18 and 19,” said Brian Thompson, operations manager for CATvision.

Still others say that they have not bought anything for Valentine’s Day and do not plan to this year.

“I am actually not buying gifts this year,” OU freshman Lauren Grissom said. “I haven’t done anything.”