Class of 2000 heads down final stretch
Students experience "senioritis," look forward to graduation in May

By JENNIFER LEWANDOWSKI
Reporter Staff

Members of the Class of 2000 are now in the final stretch of their undergraduate careers at UB-their senior year-and many feel excitement about nearing the finish line.

"I am really anxious to finish this semester," says architecture major Susan Deacon. "I feel confused, antsy, excited and overwhelmed."

Management major Jennifer Cotignola says she's looking forward to graduation.

"To be honest, I am very excited to graduate and get out of here," says Cotignola, whose academic concentration is in marketing. "Just to know I am graduating makes (my senior year) better."

Others say they feel overwhelmed by responsibility.

"It seems my workload has tripled, so I have a great excuse not to slack-I'd get buried," says psychology major Kaya Gerberich, whose senior year brings with it a bit of irony. "Just when I'm about to leave, I find a system that lets me have a great social life and get work done!"

Some students in the Class of 2000 are a bit jaded by their experiences at the university.

"I am definitely experiencing senioritis," says communication major Jennifer Abbata. "Sometimes, I find it hard to force myself to go to class, especially the ones with the large numbers of students, because you know that no one really cares whether you're there or not."

Tanya Stanger, a management major, shares a similar sentiment. "Like most, I am experiencing 'senioritis,'" says the UB STAR (STudent Admissions and Recruitment specialist). "I have realized that putting in my all doesn't result in such fabulous rewards here."

Chris Fedorczak, a media-study major with a focus on digital arts, says his second-to-last semester largely has been spent traveling in London, where he is studying abroad through UB at the University of Westminster.

"To be honest," he says, "I have been doing a lot more traveling than anything else."

Senioritis or no senioritis, members of the Class of 2000 are keeping busy in countless activities and academic programs.

Elana Steinhaus, a UB STAR and member of Phi Sigma Sigma, has a new job this semester as a teaching assistant for a UB 101 class. She says her senior year isn't much different from the others, with a few exceptions.

"Now I have the pressure of applying to graduate school and taking the GREs" (Graduate Record Exam), says the management major. "I feel nervous about the future, but I'm ready to be moving on."

Steinhaus-a speech and hearing major-isn't the only one feeling the pressure of applying to graduate school.

"A major factor in my busy schedule is that I'm in the process of applying for graduate school," Gerberich says. "Between getting letters of recommendation, critiquing my resume, writing my personal statements, filling out the actual applications and studying for and taking my GREs, it's a wonder I have time to do anything else!"

But despite preparing for graduate school, Gerberich says she's still taking advantage of the opportunities that come her way.

"Instead of being a (resident advisor), I chose to be a community assistant at Hadley Village," says Gerberich. "It's very different from the dorms-very sophisticated."

Gerberich, who worked as an orientation aide at UB during the summer, also is interning in the First Year Experience Program and is president of a newly active chapter of an honor society for residence hall leaders.

Deacon-who had a busy summer in Costa Rica working on projects concerning schools and forest preservation through a program offered in the Department of Architecture and Planning-says she's not sure what direction she'll take once she graduates.

"I feel much older, but also much more confused on what I am going to do when I graduate," she says. "I think a year off from school before attending graduate school would be a wise choice."

Abbata says her senior year has brought a few more responsibilities.

"You really need to be aware of the things you have to do to graduate," she says. "There are forms to be filed, yearbook pictures to be taken, making sure that every one of the DARS requirements has been fulfilled."

On top of all that, she says, graduation brings with it one more job.

"Now I have to start planning for the future and the 'real world,'" she says.

As for his graduation plans, Fedorczak says one thing's for sure: "If I don't graduate on time, there will be hell to pay! As of now, I am leaning toward graduate school and getting a master's degree in fine arts."

Cotignola, who still is working at the University Union Activities Board, says the past three and a half years have brought a sense of accomplishment.

"I am relieved that I passed and made it through," she says. "I really hated it here, but with (the) friends I have made here, I learned to like it and made the best of it."

Cotignola says her friends have been one of the highlights of her undergraduate career. "I am best friends with two girls, my housemates," she says. "We met freshman year and lived together ever since."

Friends, it seems, have proved invaluable to some members of the Class of 2000.

"I've learned more about friendships, close relationships and more about myself-than I ever thought possible," says Gerberich. "My academic work pales in comparison. I can't say enough about how the people I've met have shaped me and help me grow."