Love was in the air on campus this past Tuesday, and so was the floral scent of carnations. The ISU Student Philanthropy organization was stationed near the fountain from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. handing out white carnations to any student who wanted one. The flowers came from a local business called Cowan & Cook Florist.

Each carnation featured a circular tag and a blue ribbon accompanying the tag. There were four variations of tags that had adorable ISU-themed puns of them, with some also including a picture of Sycamore Sam. The featured puns included, “Roses are red, violets are blue, Student Philanthropy appreciates you,” “ISU is grateful ‘fur’ you,” “You’re paw-some,” and, “ISU is wild about you!” Needless to say, these were some limited-edition ISU valentines. Only 300 flowers were available, and they were given away on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Grace Longyear, a sophomore majoring in marketing, is the Vice President of Communications and Stewardship of Student Philanthropy. When asked about the inspiration for the event, she said, “As an organization, Student Philanthropy encourages students to give back to the institution and each other. If we push that motto, we also need to be making efforts. We thought flowers would be a sweet surprise for our peers!”

This event was the first time Student Philanthropy handed out flowers to students. Longyear said, “...if it goes well and students enjoy it, I would love to see this become a tradition and annual event for the Student Philanthropy Organization. Maybe we could even collaborate with another organization, so we have twice as many flowers!”

Students were thrilled by the free flowers, so hopefully there is a chance of a return of this event. Saige Jones, a sophomore majoring in communication said, “I thought it was cute for those who might not have a Valentine and get to celebrate the holiday without feeling excluded.”

If students flipped their Valentine’s Day card over, they would find a reminder for the annual day of giving: Give to Blue Day. Each year, a special day is promoted for donations to the university or to a specific program within the university of the donor’s choosing. This year, the event will take place on March 22. Longyear said, “Not all students know about our annual giving day, and our organization tries to support the Division of University Advancement in all of our efforts. Adding a Give to Blue Day plug should create awareness and make the day more recognizable!”