Carman Hall hosted an anti-Valentine’s Day celebration where students had the opportunity to construct voodoo dolls. The Housing and Dining Services provided materials for the event so the students could be creative in helping celebrate an alternative Valentine’s Day celebration.

Marilyn Mitchell, a senior kinesiology and sports studies major, co-hosted the event in the Carman Dining Center with Susan Napolitan, the assistant director of Carman Dining.

“A lot of students are taking stuffing and putting them into pantyhose,” Mitchell said. “There’s buttons for eyes, rubber bands to keep the arms and legs in place, and fabric for clothing.”

Mitchell said the event presented a fun way to do something while you are single on Valentine’s Day.

Napolitan and Mitchell hosted other events in the Carman Dining Center students participated in for the evening.

“There’s bad relationship tags and people seem to be taking those,” Napolitan said. “Some say bad girlfriend, heartbreaker or serial dater.”

The dining center did not do any events representing an anti-Valentine’s Day theme last year, but the voodoo doll event was done a few years ago.

“It was well-received,” Napolitan said. “It’s a great way to break up the norm and give students something different to do.”

Other events going on in the dining center Monday evening included broken heart sugar cookies with black icing. Napolitan and Mitchell played an anti-Valentine’s Day themed soundtrack for students who took part in the events.

The voodoo doll event brought out a lot of male and female students alike, Mitchell said. It is an alternative way to celebrate Valentine’s Day without having to celebrate the traditional symbolism.

Danielle Slyder, a freshman art education major, came out with her friends to the voodoo doll event Tuesday evening.

“I think it’s a nice alternative for the people who don’t really agree with (Valentine’s Day),” Slyder said. “I’m a creative person. It looked like fun, and I wanted to try it out.”

John Kenny, a freshman art major, came to the event with his friend because he thought it would be fun to make voodoo dolls.

“I haven’t done an event like this before,” Kenny said. “I think it adds more fun to the people who are single or angry at the past.”

Kenny thinks he will come out to more events like the anti-Valentine’s Day celebration in Carman Hall.

Kristi Kirby, a freshman biology major, came to the voodoo doll event to have fun.

“People don’t have to be sad because it’s anti-Valentine’s Day,” Kirby said. “People can put their own spin on it.”

Jennifer Brown can be reached at 581-2812

jebrown2@eiu.edu

Marilyn Mitchell, a senior kinesiology and sports studies major, helps Jessica Milburn, a junior psychology major, and Brittany Ruffolo, a sophomore art education major, while they make voodoo dolls to celebrate anti-valentines day in the Carmen Dinning

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