Love is in the air at Binghamton University as class councils and community governments plan events to make this Valentine’s Day week a good time for couples and single students alike.

On Friday, students are invited to the Hillside Commons at 8 p.m. to decorate cupcakes in celebration of St. Valentine.

“There will be different flavored cupcakes to decorate as well as information pamphlets about the origins of the holiday,” said Allison Jaekle, a Hillside resident assistant who originally came up with the idea of the program. “This event will be an opportunity for residents to socialize after the long break, as well as an opportunity for transfer students and international students to learn about this American/European-based holiday.”

As a post-Valentine’s Day event, Dickinson Community’s RAs Matthew Pennisi, a senior majoring in accounting, Denise Manukian, a senior majoring in marketing and Matt MacDonald, a junior majoring in economics, will host a free speed dating service called “Post-Valentine’s Day Picnic Pick-Up.”

At 5 p.m. on Monday, singles will be asked to meet in Mohawk Hall’s Great Room in College-in-the-Woods. Upon arrival, the individuals will be paired off to sit at a station.

According to Pennisi, each station will have a picnic basket, where conversation cue cards will be placed.

Every four to five minutes, stations will rotate so everyone will get a chance to socialize.

For more information, students can contact Pennisi at mpennis2@binghamton.edu.

On Thursday, Hinman College Council and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity will be sponsoring an event entitled “Relay For Love.”

The event, which is in its third year, will be held in the lower Hinman Dining Hall at 7:30 p.m.

At Relay for Love, which has recently been accepted as a newfound Hinman tradition, participants can auction themselves off as dates or join in as part of the audience to act as bidders.

Nuzhat Quaderi, a Hinman RA and a senior biology major, is helping to organize the event with assistance from Smith Hall RA Brian Stoll, a senior majoring in human development. Other organizations helping to organize the event include Hinman Staff, the Hinman College Council and the Hinman Production Company.

“Each year this program has been very successful,” Quaderi said. “You can look forward to a lot of laughs and a gathering of people coming together for a great cause.”

All proceeds of the auction will go to this year’s Relay for Life, an annual community-based event created by the American Cancer Society.

Participants who would like to be auctioned can contact Quaderi through e-mail at nquader1@binghamton.edu.

To apply, students will be asked to answer a questionnaire that asks them to list things about themselves including eye color, favorite pickup line and interests. They will also need to send a photograph of themselves, as well as an MP3 of a song.

“One thing we also stress,” Quaderi said, “is that even if a person is bought they are under no obligation to actually go on a date; it is up to each individual’s discretion.”

The highest bidders out of the audience will receive prizes at the end of the event.

According to Quaderi, last year’s “Relay for Love” bought in a total of $470 and the year before earned a total of $730.

“By raising this money, we are one step, however small it may be, to coming closer to a cure for cancer,” Quaderi said.

Whether it’s making new friends or curing cancer, the spirit of Valentine’s Day does not have to be a one-day commitment for students at BU.