Marquette seniors will have the opportunity to enjoy their final moments as undergraduate students during Senior Week, hosted by the Office of Student Development. Senior Week features several events specifically for seniors from May 13 through May 17.
The week includes a senior service and reflection, a challenge signature event, a ball, a barbecue, a fish fry and the final commencement. Tickets are available in the Brooks Lounge for all of the events, which range in price. The most expensive events are $30, and an all-inclusive “package deal” can be purchased for $60.
Matt Lengen, coordinator for student organizations and leadership in the Office of Student Deveopment said OSD has been planning for the week since the middle of last semester. He said the most prominent change is Marquette Student Government’s sponsorship of the week’s events.
“For as long as I know of, MUSG has always sponsored the events with the Office of Student Development, and it has been mostly student-organized,” Lengen said. “I was there to offer guidance and advising.”
Next year, MUSG will only sponsor the Senior Ball, he said.
“Two of the Senior Week coordinators for this year, Lauren Peter and David Bredemus, spent a lot of time ensuring the events were fun and resonated with their fellow peers,” Lengen said.
Haley Jackson, a senior in the College of Communication, said she plans to attend all the events during the week.
“I got tickets to everything so I have the opportunity to do whatever my schedule will let me do,” Jackson said. “As a senior looking back, I realize that college is so much more about the experiences and the friends you make.”
John Bellomo, a senior in the College of Engineering, decided he only wanted to go to one event.
“I will be attending the formal for sure,” Bellomo said. “I will probably not be attending any other university-sanctioned events during Senior Week.”
Kyle William Smith, a senior in the College of Communication, said he is worried about the financial costs of going to all of the activities.
“I will probably not (attend),” he said. “I feel it’s too expensive, and a lot of my good friends either graduated last year or are juniors.”
Undergraduate seniors were also invited to complete the annual graduating senior survey designed to get students’ feedback on their time at Marquette. Jon Dooley, senior associate dean of student development, said staff in his office meet with graduating students each year on how the survey can be improved.
“The 2012-2013 survey changed because of student input,” Dooley said. “We had meetings with a number of graduates who wanted a better amount of questions from the academic to social and spiritual.”
The questions in the survey range from internship opportunities to the effectiveness of studying abroad. In the 2012 survey, 41.7 percent of the senior class participated. The survey results show which colleges had particular answers and how many students from that college participated in the survey.
“It’s important for seniors to complete these evaluations because it betters the education at Marquette, and we really value the students’ input,” Dooley said.
Jackson said she has learned much during her time at Marquette and is looking for more adventures in the future.
“As a first generation college student, I was really focused on my academics and was determined to do the best I could in order to get a good job,” she said. “I don’t remember how I did on the test or paper I stressed over freshman year, but I do remember the late nights I spent laughing with my friends.”
