Starting Feb. 14, Oakland University Recreation and Well-Being will be hosting a week-long celebration of Valentine’s Day called Love Well week. The purpose is to bring people together and to celebrate not only romantic relationships but all types of relationships while also learning to love oneself.

Starting off on Monday, Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day — is the pet therapy program from noon to 2 p.m. in the Oakland Center (OC). This event is focused on feeling the unconditional love and affection from the dog.

“It’s not all about showing love but receiving it,” Cortney Heileman — health and wellness coordinator — said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15 is a table called “Be My Sweetie” which focuses on understanding and learning the history of Valentine’s Day. It is not just about learning the culture behind Valentine’s Day but what it means to each individual.

The table is running from noon to 2 p.m. in the OC with chances to win prizes and candy by playing plinko and answering questions.

Wednesday, Feb. 16 will be a collaborative event with RecWell sports and group fitness in the OU Rec from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a ping pong tournament and registration is open until the night before at 11:55 p.m. for $5.

There will also be a Be my Yoga Valentine class from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in studio 919 which is for partners only — but not just romantic relationships. During all of this, the wellness staff will provide mocktails and information about what consent is and isn’t.

On Thursday, Feb. 17 is another table event in the OC from noon to 2 p.m. about love languages. It will feature quizzes about what a person’s strongest love language is and even their weakest.

“It helps in all relationships to understand your own personal love language,” Heileman said. “It’s a chance to learn a bit more about themselves and their personal needs, how they like to be treated and how they like to treat others.”

Rounding off the week on Friday, Feb. 18 is a virtual trivia night at 7 p.m. which will be hosted on the OURecWell Instagram. People can answer questions in the comments to get involved and for a chance to win prizes.

“We started doing virtual due to the pandemic, and found it was a good way to keep engagement when people may be tired of meeting in-person,” Heileman said.

This is the third year of the program, and it is a collaborative effort within the Rec Center with as much community and campus partnership as possible. It started when the staff was really excited for Valentine’s Day and wanted to create a week of celebrating for everyone to enjoy.

The goal is to help people learn through educational programs and to promote personal growth, but also to get people more involved on campus and with the department.

“[We want to] break the stigma that Valentine’s Day needs to be all about love and ease the societal pressure of being in relationships,” Heileman said. “[We want] opportunities for those who don’t have plans and to celebrate a multitude of relationships.”

The Well-Being suite will remain open during regular office hours.