Article by Zoebelle Bean, News Columnist
This Valentine’s Day was garnished with couples in love, candy, and… stuffed animals? That’s right– the Aquinas Student Activities and Orientation office hosted Stuff-a-Plush in collaboration with the Aquinas Programming Board, Dining Services, and the Commuter Student Union on Valentine’s Day in the Wege Ballroom, and it was a hit.
The ballroom featured a table of goodie bags filled with candy for commuter students, a vase full of roses provided by AQPB, plush animals with bags of stuffing, and a wide array of foods to choose from.
The plush animal array was larger than it has been in previous years, with tried and true favorites mixed in with some new, friendly faces. There were a total of sixteen animals to choose from, with only four left over at the very end of the event. From a wooly mammoth, to a sea turtle, students delighted in this event that draws a line out the door every time it’s hosted.
Sophomore Isabella Thomas said, “I thought the stuff-a-plush event was a fun and relaxing way to get students together to celebrate Valentine’s Day. There was great food, fun souvenirs, and good company. I would definitely recommend students to go whenever another event like this is put on.”
At the door, the first fifty people also received a shirt that matched their plush, a pink t-shirt that read, “I love AQ,” as well as a free rose.
The ballroom was lavishly decorated with a tiered table filled with slices of vanilla cake, sprinkle cookies, and heart-shaped macaroons. Not only that, but there was AQ lemonade and a “Love Potion” drink filled with a mix of pink liquid and marshmallows.
SAO used the ballroom and its large space to their advantage. In years previous, Stuff-a-Plush was held in the Moose, and the room quickly reached its capacity once the line down the sidewalk filled the small cafe. When the weather was warmer, it was easy to have some people outside on the patio stuffing animals, but in the cold February air, the ballroom was a welcoming, warm place to sit, eat, and enjoy stuffing plushes.
The Saint 