Business school expanding to boost enrollments

By Joe Pinter, @JPinter93

(Second in a series on Bonaventure’s enrollment)

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Feb. 5) — Not long after the paint has dried on the walls of the new Swan Business Center, Pierre Balthazard has plans for expansion of the business school at St. Bonaventure University.

The dean of the business school continues to look for ways to broaden the curriculum of the school. Making that task easier is the fact that the school of 500 students has been one of the few at Bonaventure to maintain somewhat steady enrollments the last few years.

Balthazard said the school is waiting on two new majors to be approved by New York State: engineering management and an online program that gives people who don’t have college degrees an easier opportunity to earn one than regularly attending class on campus.

Continue reading “Business school expanding to boost enrollments” →

A Cozy Winter Wonderland

By Elyse Breeze

With Old Man Winter just around the corner, we need to start preparing our tote boxes for packing up the tank tops and sandals so we can dig out the boots and sweaters!

But with the classic Western New York winters, who knows just how frigid or mild this winter will be? So, if you’re as sick of the typical “Uggs and fuzzy Northface” look as I am, you’re reading the right article. These totally-in-styles are fun and easy to layer (not to mention within a struggling college student’s budget) so you can dress accordingly to the sporadic St. Bonaventure University weather changes!

Sweater weather is the best kind of weather; there are so many great outfit ideas that suddenly sprout at the beginning of every fall/winter season!

Continue reading “A Cozy Winter Wonderland” →

Bonaventure hosts March for Babies walk for second straight year

By Rebecca Gunning, @Beck2142

The March of Dimes Foundation will be holding their annual March for Babies walk on Saturday, Oct. 5 here at St. Bonaventure University at 11a.m. The walk is on the Allegheny River Valley Trail and is a total of 3.2 miles long.

“The money raised from the March of Dimes Walk goes towards programming, grants, research projects and community projects,” said Audra Distefano, community director of the Western New York Division of the foundation.

The March of Dimes has been walking in the United States since 1970 and had brought the walk to the Bonaventure campus for the first time last year. In its inaugural go at Bonaventure, the community managed to raise just over $47,000, according to Distefano, who has been working for the foundation for about a year.

“We decided to move it to St. Bonaventure because of how much the St. Bonaventure community was involved in the walk and we wanted to get the students more involved,” Distefano said. “Plus the trail is gorgeous this time of year!”

She estimates around 60 to 65 percent of the teams who sign up for the walk are Bona students with the community and businesses making up the remainder of walkers. Those students managed to raise $9,000 for last year’s walk.

Student Government Association (SGA) President Cody Clifford was extremely pleased with the participation of students in the walk’s first go-around.

“Personally, I think the turnout for the walk last year was great! We had over 20 clubs create teams and well over 200 students,” said Clifford, a senior. “In retrospect that may not seem like a lot, but for it being the first year we co-sponsored the event we had a wonderful turnout.”

On Saturday, Sept. 28, SGA will have a table at Bonagany, Allegany’s annual festival to celebrate the town and university, in order to raise awareness for the event.

“Our table is mostly for donations, and to get information about the event to people,” Clifford said. “However, we will be giving directions on how to sign-up at the table.”

Clifford encourages anyone to sign up for SGA’s team or to at least donate.

“So far our team, which anyone is welcome to be on, has raised over $100 and our goal is $500,” he said. “As of now I’d say our team has about eight people and we’d love to increase that number.”

Distefano expects there to be 500 walkers at the event. Their goal is to increase this walk’s donations to over $60,000.

This year March of Dimes also happens to be celebrating its 75th anniversary. Distefano says to expect something special the day of the walk to commemorate the foundation’s milestone.

There are a variety of ways to participate in the walk. One can sign-up with a business or club, with a group of friends or family, or as an individual.

Registration can be done in three steps through March of Dimes’ website, www.marchforbabies.org. Volunteers can also register the morning of the walk beginning at 9:30 a.m.

gunninre10@bonaventure.edu

This Day in Bonaventure History

By Joe Pinter, News Editor, @JPinter93

November 1, 1948

By the 1850s, the Vatican realized there was a problem in Western New York. They thought the solution should be to expand the churches in the area and have an organized, structured service. It also wanted to build a school that would produce clergy members. However, this would not be fully completed until the next century.

By the mid 9^th century, Rev. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M. traveled to Rome and spoke to Pope Pius XI to get permission for a new seminary—the Christ the King seminary. Plassmann thought “Christ the King” was as fitting a name as he could think of.

He received permission, and a seminary was built in Olean, N.Y, in 1933.

However, a decline in Catholic followers forced the church to reorganize itself. The seminary was moved to East Aurora, and it was on this day that groundbreaking for the new Christ the King seminary was held.

pinterjo11@bonaventure.edu