ASUCC hosted the very first “Share the Love Luncheon” on Thursday, February 14. Senator Kayla Puckett manned a booth in front of the cafeteria helping students get their free tickets for the pasta lunch with a choice of red or white sauce, a salad and bread. The lunch began at 11 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m.
The event was planned by ASUCC Activities Officer Pamela Goodwin. “I think we needed more campus engagement” Goodwin said. Because she knew that many people are alone on Valentine’s Day as well as Thanksgiving, she decided that “everyone can be UCC’s Valentine.”
UCC student Sienna Lejeune came to eat the pasta lunch with friend Tino Moala. Lejeune’s significant other is in New York, so Lejeune said she appreciated the opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day on campus. “Having a meal like this makes me want to meet new people so I don’t miss him as much.”
Much like the ASUCC Thanksgiving dinner, the Valentine’s lunch was meant to bring the UCC community together. Moala noticed, saying, “There isn’t a lot of campus community activities. It’s nice to see people coming together and having a good time.”
Inside the cafeteria was a festive set up. The tables had red table cloths with puzzle pieces on them that were meant to be decorated. After the event, the puzzle pieces were put together in a display case in the student center, shaping a heart.
It was not just a lunch. ASUCC also put together a dinner date raffle with donations from many restaurants including the “Parrott House”, “Dino’s Ristorante”, “Alexander’s Greek Cuisine”, “Splitz” and the “Blac-N-Bleu Bistro.”
There were only 150 tickets to be given out for the lunch because ASUCC wasn’t sure how the turn out would be. Despite these concerns, many students arrived for the lunch. This is Goodwin’s last term as she is graduating in the spring. She hopes that whoever comes after her will continue this tradition.
