The many departments at Bethel celebrate the end of the year in different ways.  

By Emily Jan

The College of Arts & Sciences is comprised of 31 departments at Bethel University, and all of them celebrate the end of the year in unique ways. Some throw potlucks, others host award ceremonies.

The nursing department does not have a formal gathering for all of the nursing students, but they do have a pinning ceremony on the Friday of graduation weekend so the faculty can welcome them into the profession, according to nursing Professor Amy Witt.

“The pin identifies the school they are graduating from, and are presented by faculty at the ceremony to symbolically welcome them into the profession,” Witt said.

English professor Marion Larson said the English and journalism department has a senior seminar, where the faculty hands out awards to students.

“For the first hour or so, students in senior sem display posters that sum up their senior project and also talk about their work in an open house-style reception,” Larson said.

After all of the seniors are done, the department hands out the awards. This year, they are presenting the annual poetry prize, the Healy Prize for Poetry, which they started last year, according to Larson.

The business and economics department has a special celebration just for the seniors, according to business professor Joyce LeMay. In the past years, they would have a dinner and speakers.

But just last year, the department started a new tradition: on study day, the seniors and faculty go bowling, eat a nice dinner and hand out awards and gifts.

The education department holds a special potluck for the graduating class every year. Each of the faculty members brings a dish that they either made or bought to share with everyone. It is a time for fellowship with the seniors and the faculty before graduation.

As for the physics department, they host a few different events towards the end of the year. The Society of Physics has been having a spring banquet every year for the past twenty-five years.

At the banquet, they have a semi-formal dinner and induction of new members to the honor society. They also recognize scholarship winners and other awards students received in the department, install new officers into the chapter of the honor society, and a speaker comes in to talk to the group.

According to Brian Beecken, professor of physics, the physics department also shares an annual spring picnic for all the majors.

The biokinetics program enjoys a couple celebrations during the end of the year. One of them celebrates the seniors: a research poster event where the graduates display their projects. It is also a night to thank the seniors, their families, and their friends.

“At the end of the year, we try to enjoy the season change, end of the year with a little bit more fun outings, barbeques, and just to celebrate,” said Seth Paradis, co-chair and professor of the human kinetics and applied health science department and director of the biokinetics program. “Everybody worked hard.”