By Jacob Przesiek
Contributing Writer
Parents, grandparents and even dogs experienced Bonaventure life this past weekend for the school’s annual Family Weekend.
Students said the occasion provided students and relatives the opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities and events which characterize life at Bonaventure.
These included family activities such as Family Weekend golf and a mockup of the popular game show “Family Feud,” as well as spiritual gatherings like the Mt. Irenaeus open house and the Family Weekend Mass, according to the Bonaventure website.
Families also had the chance to attend the 11th annual Bonagany street festival, a community gathering on East Main Street in Allegany.
According to the Bonaventure website, the first Bonagany took place 11 years ago as a combined effort between the town of Allegany and St. Bonaventure to improve community relations.
By allowing visitors to peruse and purchase local wares, experience a diverse array of festival style cuisine and enjoy the musical performances of both local and traveling entertainment acts, local community members and Bonaventure members grow a stronger bond.
While many students said Family Weekend is meant to be a time for bonding between family members, some said it fulfills a slightly different purpose. With about 65 percent of American high school seniors attending college straight out of high school this year, it is not surprising that this change of lifestyle is challenging for some students.
While it can’t be said for sure what the exact figure is, it is undeniable that some of Bonaventure’s incoming freshmen students have had a difficult time doing just that.
Students said Family Weekend had been a very comforting and supportive experience, allowing some struggling and homesick students to reunite with loved ones.
Even those who have adjusted well to the college transition said they feel the same way about it.
“People get home sick so it’s pretty good, but I mean, I’ve been alright so it didn’t really impact me,” said Samuel Chen, a freshman biochemistry major.
According to Chen, college life has been going pretty well, and he believes he would have been just fine without having his family visit. However, some students said they were unable to have their parents visit in spite of difficulty adjusting.
Brandon Chin, a freshman biology major, whose distance from home prevented his parents from coming out to Bonaventure last weekend, said
“Either they come and you feel better, or they don’t and you don’t.”
Some students said they benefit greatly from having their families attending Family Weekend.
Though the parents of some are unable to come to the school, the ones that do provide an invaluable service to their children, and the students here seem to recognize that.
przesijm15@bonaventure.edu
