When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there tends to be four schools of thought. For those in relationships, the feelings are either of excitement or utter dread. For those of us, myself included, who find themselves alone for this upcoming Feb. 14, we can either make fun of the couples spending hours acting romantic or we stare longingly, wishing we could be like them. This latter category, which I find myself in, is often criticized for being “overly romantic” or “not being a man.” People seem to think that we shouldn’t want to do everything we can to make someone feel as special as we see hir. Often the most disapproved-of technique of the hopeless romantic is the mix CD. A collection of songs that expresses your feelings for someone should not be frowned upon. Besides being an adorable gift, it’s a way for people who have difficulty expressing the emotions they truly feel to share them with another person.

A major argument against the CD is that it is such a freshman thing to do. Besides the fact that a fourth of this campus is, in fact, composed of freshmen, a mix CD can be a mature thing to do, as long it is done classily. Avoid cliché songs such as “My Heart Will Go On” and any love song by the Beatles, unless they hold special meaning. Choose songs that either express exactly how you feel, hold meaning between the two of you (romantically or just as friends) or songs you just think ze will like.

Now for a quick commercial break, by which I mean a short but relevant kvetch about the University dating scene, or rather the fact that there isn’t one. It seems the students of Wesleyan University do not want to spend time getting to know someone on a personal level. Not that I’m saying there aren’t extremely close friendships here, it’s just that no one appears to enjoy the mushy romantic stuff. Holding hands, long emotional conversations and other joys of the “lovey-dovey” nature should not be something to be feared or considered too “high school.” I may not have liked high school, but I still have for the high school relationship [the utmost respect]. What happened to dates? Dinner and movies? Just a single kiss good night? It appears to have been tossed away with the graduation caps last spring.

Anyway, mix CDs. I guess my next piece of advice is they are a great way to give subtle hints to that person you have feelings for but have been to afraid to let know. Giving hir a CD and saying something along the lines of “Here, I made you a mix of songs you might like” can get hir thinking about your intentions and whether ze might share the same feelings. A mix CD won’t (well at least shouldn’t) result in an awkward situation, as even if not taken romantically it can still be seen as a friendly gesture. Plus, who doesn’t like making a collection of music.

I conclude my Valentine’s-themed article with a plea to the University community. I know we’re in college, but don’t think that means that everything must change. We can continue enjoying the cheesy high school relationship style. We don’t have to spend weekends searching for that next drunken, random hookup, never to speak to the person again except for awkward hellos around campus. To all my fellow hopeless romantics out there: don’t worry. Eventually someone will enjoy our mix CDs.