For Dartmouth seniors, Senior Week is a time both to reminisce over Dartmouth experiences and to try everything they haven't had the chance to in the past four years. Without classes, seniors are free to enjoy themselves and attend optional events sponsored by the College, doing their best to soak in the last dregs of their Dartmouth careers before the week's last event -- Commencement.
"Senior Week is going to be great," Juan Restrepo '07 said. "I plan on attending a lot of the events. ... Other than packing, there isn't much else to do now. It's great."
This year's Senior Week, which ran from June 5 to June 10 included a slew of events for the Class of 2007, organized by the 2007 Senior Week Council. Several events take advantage of seniors' over-21 status-- on Tuesday the seniors had the opportunity to put four years of basement practice to work at a beer tasting and the Hanover pub crawl, while Thursday offers seniors the more sophisticated options of a wine tasting and wine and cheese event with trustees and professors.
"The notion that we are not to come back to Dartmouth as students but as alums boggles our minds," Pamela Lin '07 said. "It helps that many senior parties are more than generous with alcoholic beverages to fuel our denial that our end is near and that we are, indeed, graduating."
Alcohol was not the only supporting actor at the Weeks evens, which also included a hike up Mount Moosilauke and a garden reception at the home of College President James Wright.
On Thursday seniors enjoyed a champagne reception in celebration of their class gift. They also took their class photograph on Saturday at noon in front of Dartmouth Hall, followed by a graduation gala that evening.
In addition to the official events of Senior Week, most students partied unofficially. Fraternities are not allowed to hold registered parties over the course of the week, but many elect social chairs specifically to plan the week's unofficial house events.
"We elect one so that they have time to organize an entire week of activities without have to stress over the normal social responsibilities," said Jason Steinhaus '08, a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.
Although most non-senior undergraduates do not stay on campus for Senior Week, there are a few who do. These include members of a cappella groups who will perform during the week's festivities, as well as members of Greek houses and students who will be taking classes Summer term. The underclassmen are also joined on campus by returning alumni.
"Senior Week activities are a great way to spend our last week at Dartmouth. Its a great group of events that organize the type of things that we always talk about doing but are either too busy or too lazy to go about doing ourselves," Restrepo said.
Lin agreed.
"We all wish we had more time and more days," she said. "It's all about fun and doing one last hurrah before we get our diplomas."
