With Valentine’s Day lurking around the corner, many single people are frantically scouring the university for a date. What if they discovered there were other ways to celebrate this day?

Singles Awareness Day offers an alternative to Valentine’s Day.

Individuals celebrate Singles Awareness Day the day after Valentine’s to show others it is OK to be single, according to singlesawareness.com. People used to celebrate it on Valentine’s Day, but this changed to make it more of a celebration.

“People who don’t have a significant other would want to celebrate it just because they want to celebrate something,” said sophomore Kierra Burgess.

She said single people just want an opportunity to have fun.

Singlism, or the stigmatizing of single adults, is the reason why the current culture created Singles Awareness Day, said Associate Professor of Sociology Amber Paulk in an email.

“(Singlism) presents coupling as the gold standard for intimacy and fulfillment,” she said. “More adults are single today than ever before, and many are very happy and fulfilled.”

Burgess said people should do anti-Valentine’s activities on this day.

“Go out and do something fun and crazy,” she said. “Go out and get a box of chocolates and throw it at couples. I’m just joking, but do something that people normally don’t do on Valentine’s.”

Junior Trevor Kurzhal said he will not be participating in this unofficial holiday.

“There’s no need to celebrate my singleness,” he said. “What’s the point if I just end up celebrating by myself in the end?”

Galentine’s Day is another alternative to Valentine’s Day.

Galentine’s Day is a creation of the TV show “Parks and Recreation,” said sophomore Jordan Tolbert.

“It is celebrated Feb. 13, and it’s just a day where us girls are celebrating each other,” she said. “There is nothing more fun than hanging with your gal pals.”

Kurzhal said it sounds like a Singles Awareness Day for girls.

“However, I guess any female can participate whether she’s hitched or not,” he said.

Burgess said Galentine’s Day is a great idea.

“It seems to be more fun than being on a date,” she said. “With your friends, you can let loose. With a guy, you’re constantly worrying about how you look.”

Paulk said this holiday shows the double-standard for singles.

“Women are more likely than men to

receive the message that in order to truly be fulfilled they need to be in a relationship,” she said. “Therefore, women who are not currently in a relationship may feel more (of) a need to gather social support if they are single around Valentine’s Day, which is a holiday that celebrates couples.”

Kurzhal said there is no male version of this day because guys do not need it.

“Not that the girls need Galentine’s Day, but there’s no reason for it to exist aside from making people feel appreciated for whom they are,” he said. “I guess it will come around, if it ever does, when someone tries to revolutionize the world with it in the name of equality or when another show decides to take up the gauntlet as well.”