Every year Allegheny College hosts an annual celebration to honor its graduating senior class,  and this year is no exception. As Allegheny prepares to host its two hundred and third graduation, it is also preparing for all the senior festivities.

“The point of senior week is obviously to fill the time between the last final and graduation and celebrate a lot of accomplishments that the senior class has done,” Zach Javorsky, ’18, vice-president of the class of 2018, said.

Senior week will take place from Tuesday, May 8 to Friday, May 11 before commencement takes place on Saturday, May 12.  According to Javorsky, seniors look forward to the last couple of days they get to spend with each other at Allegheny College.

“[Senior week] is just a time for the senior class to come together one last time and have a lot of fun before we graduate,” Javorsky said.

The week includes a series of events ranging from picnics on the Gator Quad to bar crawls and formals on the patio of the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts.

“[Senior week] is a lot,” said president of the class of 2018 Kierra Price, ’18.

Senior week kicks off on Tuesday evening once all the seniors are officially finished with their finals.

“It is a [senior composition] burning and a taste of Meadville,” Price said.

The evening is focused on allowing seniors to decompress after finishing their final semester and passing their senior compositions.

During the Fall 2017 semester, a survey was sent to all seniors asking for a list of their favorite places to eat in Meadville. The senior class collected over two hundred replies and chose the top ten most recurring responses to cater the first event of senior week.

“We are getting a bunch of food from all around Meadville,” Price said.

Local favorites such as Grace’s Asian Restaurant, Chovy’s and Julian’s Bar and Grill will all be served at the comp burning.

“There is also going to be alcohol served to the seniors by administrators,” Price said.

On Wednesday, there will be a picnic for graduating seniors, and according to Price it will be a “chill afternoon.”

After the picnic, the class of 2018 will hold a “tour of Meadville.”

“Then Wednesday night is called the tour of Meadville, but technically it is just a bar crawl,” Price said.

There is no assigned route for the seniors to take. Instead, it is a way for seniors to spend a little extra time at their favorite spots throughout Meadville.

A brunch will be held in the late morning on Thursday. Cinnamon buns from a local bakery, along with coffee from Tim Horton’s will be provided.

Finally, that night will be the senior gala, which is more formal than the other planned activities throughout the week.

“[The senior gala] is a great way to end the week and start off the ceremony of graduation,” Price said.

The dinner portion of the gala will be hosted in Pelletier Library, followed by a dance on the patio of the Vuckovich Communication Arts Center.

“Every organization has their own formals, but this is a formal for the entire senior class, and we are going to have dinner, wine, music. It will hopefully be a beautiful night for everyone,” Zachary Iezzi, ’18, senator for the class of 2018, said.

Nothing is officially planned for Friday, however, Jane Ellen Nickell, the college chaplain, has helped coordinate a number of different spiritual talks that will be open for students, their families and friends.

“It is kind of the opposite of matriculation if you think of it like that.  It’s just a way for parents, friends and family to see where seniors have gone.  It is like a senior celebration,” Price said. 

Spiritual readings for students and families of Christian, Muslim or Jewish faith will take place throughout the day.

“It is more spiritual than anything.  It used to be religious, but we are kind of shifting towards a more spiritual aspect,” Price said. 

All graduating seniors are encouraged to participate in senior week, and are welcome as long as they register prior to May 4 and pay the $30 participation fee.

“Obviously, the more of us who sign up to do it, the better it is going to be,” Javorsky said.

Overall, the class of 2018 is excited to end the year together and celebrate their last few days at Allegheny, according to Price.

“I am really looking forward to just seeing other seniors come together, and all of us hanging out for the last couple of days we have together,” Price said. 

Members of the senior class have picnics, bar crawls and formals planned for them in the couple of days before graduation. The time will be spent with friends and offer a sense of relaxation after their last semester at Allegheny College.

“[Senior week] is a sense of closure for the senior class,” Javorsky said.