Homecoming and Parents Weekend at the 'Hurst

Now that things have settled down a bit here in the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, we can all take a bit a of breather! This year's Homecoming theme was Celebrate! And we certainly have a lot to celebrate about here at Mercyhurst University!

It was really exciting to see so many of my friends returning to campus (of course some of them never left) and it feels like everyone just picked up right where we left off!

Liz and Alexa, my college roommates!

What might be even cooler to witness would be older classes reconvening and seeing old friends that they haven't seen in awhile. For me, being such a new member of the MU alumni family, it's only been since May that I haven't seen my classmates but for older alumni, coming back to the 'Hurst is always really exciting because as life takes us all of the world, sometimes more time than May to September goes by without seeing each other, making things like Homecoming Weekend so incredibly special.

Shane and I about to crown the king and queen!

In Mercyhurst tradition, the Homecoming king and queen from the previous year get to crown the new king and queen. My friend Shane and I returned to the court's tent on Tullio Field to hang out with this year's court as they anxiously awaited the crowning ceremony.  Several of my good friends were on court so it was so tough to wait but I knew I would be crowning a wonderful queen no matter what. My old roommate, Kaleigh was crowned queen along with Adam as the king!

As the theme of Homecoming suggested, we all celebrated this fun weekend - a time to celebrate college memories, old college friends, a Laker victory against Slippery Rock, and Mercyhurst becoming a University as many alumni returned for the first time to their alma mater with the new and improved University label attached to it! Here's to many more celebrations and excitement on the hill!

This year's court - congratulations to them and best wishes on a wonderful senior year!

Spring Term- My How Time Flies!

Wow spring break went by SO quickly! I guess that just reaffirms the statement that seems to be running my senior year- "time flies when you're having fun."

Spring term, also known as my final term as an undergraduate student at Mercyhurst University begins today. As I was walking on campus today, my first day back after a week and a half, I could not help but think about how my attitudes of spring terms past were at this point.

My spring term freshman year, I felt like I was on top of the world! The weather was AWESOME that year and all we wanted to do was go outside! As a freshman I had 8:00am classes in my first two terms and spring term was my first chance to sleep in (I didn't have class until 11am)!  I will always remember spring term freshman year as the warmest, most easy going time of college. It seems as if graduating was years away...mostly because at that time it really was!

Spring term sophomore year was an awesome one as well! Off to the left you can see my friends and I on a campus trip to Washington D.C. Spring term sophomore year was also the year that "endings" really became apparent to me. Some of my really good friends and wonderful role models graduated that year. The year before I didn't know many seniors but this year was really hard to say goodbye. That was when I really began to realize that in the blink of an eye college will be gone! 

Last year, my junior year spring term was filled with fun and laughter! I didn't have classes on fridays that term (but I did have some difficult classes) yet everything was super busy that term! I was officially inducted as the president of the Ambassador Club and I was anxiously awaiting the end of the term so that I could finally be the "big dog" on campus...a SENIOR! Even last year, this present time seemed like it would never come, I can't believe how quickly time has gone by!

Now that spring term of senior year is finally here, I hope to combine a little bit of all my spring term's past together to create the ultimate senior year! I hope to bring the carefree spirit of a freshman, the good friends of a sophomore and the fun and laughter of a junior! As I embark on my last term here at Mercyhurst University, I look back at the fun that I have had and smile at the memories that I have of my time here. 

Here's to another great term at the 'Hurst- it's sure to be a great one!!!

Mercyhurst University's Annual SENIOR WEEK!

Last week marked a very important week for the senior class of 2012...also known as the first graduating class of Mercyhurst University! The Senior Class Gift Committee held its annual "Senior Week" which is a week long string events that leads up to the final day which is 100 Days Until Graduation! While some celebrate this day, many fear this as our time at Mercyhurst University is abruptly coming to an end (insert tears). 

The week started out with a kickoff party in our Student Union. We had over 200 students attend! We offered pizza and some mock tails while the students picked up a t-shirt. All senior class members who made a gift to the senior class gift fund were given a t-shirt that could be worn all throughout senior week!


Tuesday night was spent at a local bowling alley, Eastland Lanes. The kindly reserved all 20 lanes for our senior class to bowl in private for just $2 per game!


On Wednesday night we held a pizza tasting event where several local pizzerias donated pizzas for our students to sample. We got to vote on our favorite pizza and our very own Parkhurst Dining Services (our cafeteria food service provider) won!! The had tough competition with other local places such as Teresa's Deli, Patti's Pizza, Jimmy Z's Time Out Tavern, Alfee's and some chain restaurants such as Hungry Howies Pizza, Pizza Hut and Parkhurst Dining Services. A BIG thank you goes out to them all for so kindly donating!

Thursday night was one of the most fun because it was our first ever Date Auction! Several seniors were paired up with a date package and gift card to a restaurant in Erie. We raised nearly $700 from our attendance and all of the bids on the dates! We were even able to auction off a dinner with our President, Dr. Gamble, our Vice President of Student Life, Dr. Tobin and spots for six students! My friend Jeremy won this by bidding the most and he even invited me as one of his 5 guests!

Friday marked the end of the week but it was one of the saddest nights because it was officially 100 days left until graduation. My friends and I tried to look at it not as if there are only 100 days left but rather 100 more days to celebrate and make the most of college life! 




The first event of Friday night was a dinner party in our main cafeteria. The dinner was free for all seniors and was closed to the senior class only! We ate a delicious pasta buffet and had a special cake to help us celebrate reaching 100 days!

Following the dinner, all seniors were invited to a party at the Cornerstone Bar and Grill which is right next to our campus and is a popular hangout for the older crowd! We were able to hang out with friends, grab some food and dance to the music provided by the DJ that the restaurant purchased as a gift to our class!


While it feels as if I have only been here for 100 days instead of only having 100 days left, I am so thankful for the friends that I have make over the past four years who I celebrated all of Senior Week with! I will always treasure the many memories made and I am so happy to have had such a great Senior Week. 


Here's to a GREAT (and hopefully slow moving) last 100 days!