The Guilfordian

Issue date: 3/18/05 Section: Features

SENIOR SALUTE: Tuesday March 22, 2005 -- 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- Boren Lounge (Senior dinner to follow in cafeteria at 7:00 p.m.)

On March 22 at 7:00 p.m., a Senior Salute Dinner will take place in the cafeteria. The "Senior Celebration Committee," is a joint effort organized and coordinated by LSC, the Office of Admission, CCL, and the Alumni Association.

The catered-style dinner will include guest speakers, both professors and students. Students will be able to sit with their FYE classes and professors. "The idea is to reflect over what's happened to them over the last four years," said Blaine Lukkar, LSC coordinator. "Students can come back with the same people they entered the college with."

A thank-you note table will be set up so that students can write messages to professors and others at the college, as well as a sign-up table for workshops sponsored by CCL.

"We're working on the types of workshops addressing issues that students feel they don't get information about before they leave here," said Emily Schmidt of CCL. "For instance, how to budget, handle your personal finances, set up a living space, and rent an apartment. Also, addressing basic legal issues, things you might have to deal with on the job or in everyday life; what happens if you get in a car accident or if someone takes you to small claims court."

Lukkar says that the goal of the dinner is to establish a connection with graduating students.

"This is the first step toward what we hope to build on in the next few years," said Karrie Opaleski from Alumni Relations and Coordinator of YALP. "We want to create some traditions for seniors, their rites of passage, and to figure out how we can be helpful to young and old alumni."

To keep alumni connected, the committee has the idea to create regional lists of contact information so that alumni can keep in touch and find out what others are doing after college. Nancy Riemer from Admissions also says that young alumni find that talking with perspective students is a good way to "continue the legacy of Guilford."

Several student members of YALP were present at the meeting to plan the dinner, including senior Laura Wigand. "YALP is a group of students that are engaged in this process to learn about what it is to be alumni and to have a deeper connection to Guilford," Wigand said. "The hope is that the group will be a catalyst for activity and help lead events like the Senior Salute Dinner, since it's a smaller, more manageable group than the entire senior class."

CCE seniors are also encouraged to attend.


Contacts:
Blaine M. Lukkar, Coordinator of ILSC, x2277
Karrie Opaleski, Alumni Relations and Coordinator of YALP, x2148
Nancy Riemer, Admissions, x2392
Sandy Bowles, Campus Life, x2297
Emily Schmidt, Career and Community Learning, x2412

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