News

Senior Week kickoff serves cheap beer, free eats

Posted on April 26, 2010, at 1:50 a.m.

Pat Nichols hands Laura Broussard a $1 beer during the senior barbecue.

With two weeks of college life left for the University of Maine class of 2010, anticipation for graduation is growing. Aside from last-minute homework and finals, there’s only one thing left to do — celebrate.

The Class of 2010 Council is making sure seniors can celebrate in style.

Saturday kicked off Senior Week with “Chow Down and Drink Up,” an event behind Fogler Library offering free food and $1 beers.

Co-sponsored by the Senior Skulls, the event was open to all seniors, but only those 21 and older were allowed in a gated drinking area where ID’s were checked by Public Safety.

The first 100 participants received free burritos from Verve. Black Bear Catering provided the beer and other food as well.

Senior Week is a tradition for students at UMaine, but this is the first year a class council has hosted the events. Traditionally, a senior council is formed at the beginning of the year.

Kathryn Wetherbee and Cory Davis, social co-chairs of the class council for the last three years, have been in the preliminary planning phase for senior week since last fall. Along with the other members of the council, they wanted to keep the celebration alive.

“There are certain traditions we wanted to keep intact,” Davis said. Wetherbee added that they tried “to add our own spin and get people behind it.”

Overall, they just want seniors to take pleasure in their last days at UMaine.

“It’s really a kind of a way to celebrate however many years you’ve been here,” Davis said.

“Chow Down and Drink Up” was only the kicker for a weeklong series of events the council will sponsor over the week.

Although events are planned for each day of the week, highlights include “Wine and Cheese Night” on Monday and a “Tavern Trot” on Thursday.

“Wine and Cheese Night” is a traditional senior week event and is co-sponsored by All Maine Women. Last year, Wetherbee and Davis helped with the class of 2009’s event. They expect about 100 people to attend the event at Buchanan Alumni House.

The “Tavern Trot” is expected to be a larger event.

The trot will begin at The Bear’s Den in the Memorial Union, where seniors can congregate to begin a night out on the town with their classmates. They will then travel to downtown Orono bars, stopping at The Roost, Margaritas, Woodman’s Bar and Grill and possibly the Bear Brew, depending on the bar’s opening date.

“We want to make it a special night out on the town in Orono,” Davis said. “We encourage students to go out en mass and have fun.”

“It’s never too late to meet people,” Wetherbee added.

Students participating in the trot will receive a passport. At each location, they will get a stamp and be entered for a prize after the event.

To keep from overwhelming each business in the chain of events, times at each place overlap.

“We have clear lines of communication with each establishment to have a safe, enjoyable time,” Davis said.

Each stop will also host a specific event to celebrate senior week. Events include a wing-eating contest, a “Stein Song” competition and a costume contest.

The week will wrap up with “Pride Day,” where seniors are encouraged to wear class of 2010 apparel and show their enthusiasm for graduation. Wetherbee and Davis will sit out on the mall with a cooler full of popsicles, rewarding seniors who show their pride with a sweet treat.

Although the Class of 2010 Council is excited to host events for their own class, they hope to work with classes that follow and help them take control of Senior Week in the coming years.

“We want everyone to have a better experience every year,” Davis said.