On Saturday afternoon, the Alumni Relations hosted their annual Senior Wine and Cheese from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event was originally supposed to be held at the Benjamin Prince House, also known as the president’s house, but was moved to the Hobson Atrium in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center due to the rainy weather.
Upon walking into the atrium, seniors were greeted and signed in for the event. There was mingling and the consumption of a variety of wines and cheeses until 3 p.m., when Leul Bulcha (’20) president of the senior class asked for everyone’s attention.
Bulcha congratulated the seniors on making it to this their final year at Wittenberg and took a moment to celebrate the families that were attending the event as well. Bulcha went on to pose a question for the senior class: what will be the senior gift?
Each year, it is custom for the graduating class to leave a gift behind in true Wittenberg fashion, in passing on our light to others. Last year’s graduating class gifted the water fountains, which were beginning to be installed in May, that can be seen around campus that are water bottle accessible.
There was a small bit of conversation as the seniors began to wonder aloud what they would like to leave behind for upcoming students. A student in the back made a comment about “scholarships,” and many students around them agreed. While the gift has not been decided yet, it was something that Bulcha wanted the class to start thinking about as they continue into the school year.
After speaking, Bulcha introduced President Michael Frandsen to the group, who opened his brief speech with, “when I hear Mr. Frandsen, I still look around for my father.” Frandsen continued by congratulating the seniors and their families again on making it to their final year at Wittenberg.
Frandsen said there are several things that he enjoys about his position at Wittenberg, two of them specifically are seeing students around campus showing off their talents at the art shows and music recitals, but he also loves talking with alumni and he looks forward to the class of 2020 joining the alumni association and seeing where they go in the future.
After stepping away from the front of the crowd, the students began to mingle again and were joined by Mrs. Frandsen, Dean of Students Casey Gill, Provost Michelle Mattson and her husband who took time to stop and speak to each table and introduce themselves to all of the families that were present at the event.
“I had such a great time mingling with friends, fellow seniors, Dr. Frandsen and his wife, and Dr. Mattson and her husband, along with hearing from our class president about his challenge for us to come up with a really memorable gift to give to Wittenberg,” Sarah Knobeloch (’20) said. “I’m excited to see what our great minds can come up with and achieve over the next several months.”
Though the turnout for the event was small, those that were there seemed to enjoy the time they spent together.
