By Sara Ward
Associate Editor
This past weekend, excitement overtook campus as the men’s basketball team beat St. Louis in a last minute victory to make it to the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinals. Many students made spur of the moment decisions to head to Brooklyn and support the team. Even though we ended up losing the next day, the joy Bonnies felt at making it that far shouldn’t end there.
We as students should take that joy and excitement from basketball season and use it to become involved in other areas of school life.
Whenever I mention my school to someone who has never been on campus before, the only thing they know about Bonaventure is the great basketball record we have. That never fails to make me proud as a faithful Bonnie, but it also makes me a little sad because we are more than just our basketball teams.
Basketball is a major part of life at St. Bonaventure, but students should be reminded that that’s not all the school has to offer. Just because basketball season is over doesn’t mean that the school year is over.
The period of time between the end of the basketball season and the end of the school year feels rough. It seems like everyone reaches a slump and there’s not much to get excited about anymore, beside following the same boring schedule of classes and weekend parties.
I remember during freshman year it felt like the last part of the year dragged on forever, and I wished Easter break would just hurry up and get here. Campus seemed dead and the eternal winter weather brought everyone down. But three years later, I guess you could say my perspective has changed.
Maybe this is just me being nostalgic since I’ll be graduating in a few weeks, but it’s important for students to look for every opportunity to spend time with each other and get involved on campus, even beyond being a part of the WolfPack.
“I believe that getting involved at SBU allows students to have a well-rounded college experience,” said Abby Cohen, associate director of club sports, intramurals and student engagement. “This is a great time to get involved in something you are passionate about.”
Cohen suggests thinking about applying for leadership positions within clubs and organizations on campus since many of them hold elections this time of year for executive board positions for the next academic year.
Just next week alone, there are opportunities for students to get involved and support our fellow Bonnies. SBU Theater’s “42 Shakes,” a devised theater piece that includes pieces of Shakespeare, Keats, King and the Ensemble, begins Saturday at the Garret Theater.
Why not take the energy from basketball games and cheer on our peers in a different way? I’m sure a full audience would benefit these talented actors and actresses just as much as it helps the basketball players.
There are also plenty of activities going on at the moment. On March 29, a bus will leave for New York City and students will get the chance to spend about 10 hours exploring the Big Apple. Even sooner than that, a free bus will be leaving for Ellicottville this Saturday at noon and 2:35 pm. Now is the perfect time to get winter sports in at Holiday Valley before spring gets here.
Spring Weekend may seem ages away, especially with the negative temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately, but while you’re dreaming of warm days spent with friends, take the time to get involved on campus. You won’t regret it.
Sara Ward is an associate editor for The Bona Venture. Her email is wardse10@bonaventure.edu.
