Co-coordinators Felicity Melillo and Austin Ashe started the Senior Week meeting on Feb. 21 with an emphasis on organization and productivity. Having reached the limit of 520 seniors participating at Senior Week, the committee is moving along steadily.
“I’m happy with the way the committee is meshing together,” said Melillo. “They are working together and bringing in good ideas, and being more productive.”
Copies of the Senior Week agenda were passed out to each committee member to report new information and finalize events for the week in May. The Senior Week agenda lists in chronological order the committee member’s position, their event and their responsibilities during the event day at Senior Week.
The most discussed subject during the meeting was the committee’s budget, which is handled by Treasurer Pam McCarthy. This is a concern to the entire committee because without adequate funding Senior Week will not be successful, and many seniors will be disappointed.
This year’s committee is working with a smaller budget than the previous senior cabinet, said Ashe. Last year, President John Lahey presented $100,000 to the committee as a gift to the senior class after being denied on-campus housing.
“Things are sort of tight,” said Ashe about the committee’s budget expenses. “But everything should work out.”
Each event manager is working closely with McCarthy and committee advisers, Kerstin Soderlund and Ed Kovacs, to be sure they stay within the budget guidelines when preparing their event schedule.
As of Feb. 21, ten additional seniors signed the waiting list in the student center office. The waiting list will be available to seniors in the upcoming months who are still interested in Senior Week.
On the other hand, a few seniors who previously paid for Senior Week were considered ineligible to participate in the celebration according to the Registrar’s office, due to a lack of credits. Seniors who are in this situation can still be refunded up until March 7. After this date, all payments are nonrefundable.
During the meeting, Public Relations Representative Rich Grassia announced that as of Feb. 21 there were 85 days until Senior Week and graduation. For those seniors keeping track of the days, Grassia has created and posted a Senior Week countdown on the wall across from the student bank in Tator Hall.
Committee members are in the process of putting together the Senior Week web site to provide the latest information to the senior class. Melillo and Ashe are also working to provide an e-mail account through the Quinnipiac website, which will allow seniors to email the committee their ideas for a Senior Week theme and class song, which will be incorporated into the events scheduled for the week.
E-mail Austin Ashe or Felicity Melillo at their respective Quinnipiac e-mail addresses with any questions regarding the celebration, and look for next week’s follow-up in The Chronicle.
