A couple holding hands, photo from Unsplash

Valentine’s Day is upon us and love is in the air which can only mean one thing- single people are feeling particularly lonely right now. If the giant Costco teddy bears and vibrant pink and red Valentine aisle in Harris Teeter aren’t enough of a reminder of how single you are, those who choose to hold hands and escort one another around campus are sure to make you wish you had someone to smooch before parting for class. Or not. Because maybe, and hear me out on this, there is a time and place for that. 

I’ve always been one to mind my own business. I love other people’s love! If you’re in a happy relationship, congratulations! I’m in one myself, but I have never once felt the need to publicly display that on a college campus. Let’s be real- the term “get a room” exists for a reason. You make people uncomfortable, to put it bluntly. I’m not saying you should always care what other people think, but you should consider respecting the fact that we all share this campus. The term “intimate” is literally defined as “private and personal.” So let’s keep those intimate moments private and personal… and not on a public university campus. 

I understand sometimes it may be difficult to keep your paws off one another. That’s your person! Of course you want to hold their hand, carry their books, kiss their cheek, whatever. I just think the morning stroll to your 8am can still be complete without a quick liplock outside Luter. You’ll be okay, I promise. 

I often wonder the reasoning behind PDA on such a close-knit campus. CNU really isn’t that big, if you’re in a relationship it’s quite likely that everyone knows about it. So is it a territorial thing? Or just something that you physically can’t contain? The hand holding- is it a security thing? Do you need to be escorted through our campus that is essentially a circle and quite possibly the most navigable campus on Earth? What’s going on? What display of affection is so necessary that it cannot wait until you are in the privacy of your own room? 

I want to say this is a pretty ice cold take. I want to say that most people agree with me when I say keep the campus PDA to yourself. Maybe those campus hand-holders and cheek-kissers will read this article and spare the aching hearts of everyone ridin’ solo this Valentine’s Day (my heart goes out to you guys, may I add). In conclusion, may all the CNU campus PDA be brought to a minimum in the coming weeks, and may all these couples learn the concept of time and place.