This editorial represents the opinion of The Bona Venture staff.
When a high school senior starts the long process of picking a college, one of the first things they look up about each school is the tuition.
Tuition and board at St. Bonaventure is $38,617, according to the St. Bonaventure website. Needless to say, most students need plenty of financial aid and scholarships to be able to attend St. Bonaventure. 95 percent of Bonaventure students receive some type of financial assistance, according to the same website.
Thankfully, the alumni and friends of St. Bonaventure University have proven to be a very giving community and provide plenty of scholarships to go around.
A student should always find a way to say thank you when they receive one of these generous scholarships.
On Oct. 19, University Relations sent out an email to the students who received scholarships this year and urged the students to write a thank you letter to the generous scholarship donors. The email told students there would be an open writing session in the Hall of Fame room in the Reilly Center on Oct. 24.
The session allowed students to handwrite a thank you letter and get their picture taken to show their donor what they look like and tell the donor a little about themselves.
“Donors really love to put a face with your name and know a little more about the student they’re helping,” wrote Kathleen Ryan, assistant director of development for stewardship, in the email.
133 students made reservations to join, but only about 100 students showed up, according to Ryan.
“The workshop is a great way to thank those kind people who are helping to pay your college tuition,” said Joseph Phelan, a sophomore journalism and mass communication major that attended the open session. “I think donors appreciate the letters because it shows how much Bonaventure students care.”
Phelan received a scholarship from the journalism school.
Senior philosophy major Patrick Alfonso, who received the Elsie and Joseph Beck scholarship and the Bernice Kinnear Memorial Scholarship, agreed.
“These people start these scholarships. They keep the legacy going. They’re investing in Bonaventure,” Alfonso said. “It’s nice to know the recipients appreciate it. The donors want to know it’s going to good use.”
These open writing sessions have been going on for 15 or so years, according to Ryan. In the five years she has been here, Ryan has been in charge of five of these sessions. The students who didn’t participate this year should make a point to attend the session next year.
The St. Bonaventure student body is lucky to have such supportive and generous people, especially alumni, backing them as they move through their college career. If a thank you letter is all we can do to show them our appreciation, then we need to write it.
Freshman journalism and mass communication major Kourtney McCorry, who received the Fr. Thomas Plassmann OFM scholarship, saw the importance of writing these thank you letters.
“I think it’s extremely kind of them to give their money to help the younger generations,” McCorry said. “They should know who we are and that their money is going to good use.”
