The West Liberty University (WLU) office of eLearning presented a random acts of kindness event to encourage kindness on campus. From 10-2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb.17, a table with snacks and refreshments was displayed in the ballroom with a sign that encouraged students to be kind to one another this day and every day.

WLU’s Office of eLearning posted on their Instagram page, “One can never go wrong with kindness, and there can never be too much of it. The idea behind Random Acts of Kindness Day is to cultivate feelings of kindness and brighten up someone’s day.”

Erika Kekahuna, a graduate assistant in the Center for Arts and Education was one of the students helping at the event. “It was a way of showing kindness,” Kekahuna said, “It was something small, but we wanted to show someone that they were appreciated in the center.”

This small gesture inspired many WLU students to think about how they can be kind and encourage others to do the same. Caitlyn Hufford, a senior at WLU, said “You never know what someone is going through. I like to smile, hold doors and say hello to people I pass in the halls or on campus because that little gesture might change their entire day!”

Megan Dennis, a commuter student at WLU, said “It’s important to be kind to others because it can brighten their day and even help to improve their self esteem.”

When asked about the event, Autumn Richard, a sophomore Biology major, shared her favorite quote from Jackie Chan about kindness by saying “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness to change a person’s life.”

Jessica Schultz, a senior at WLU, said “Showing a bit of kindness each day is so important because you never know what someone is going through and you could change their day from a bad one to a good one.”

WLU campus ministry also supported the event by posting on their Instagram page, “Make every day a random act of kindness.”

This is not the first random act of kindness event that West Liberty has hosted. In February of 2016, WLU dedicated a week to this sentiment. The event was led by Kate Billings, campus activities coordinator, and it marked the third consecutive year of the week-long celebration. The event briefly stopped due to the pandemic, but students hope to see it return again next year.