The Bentley Buzz

Throughout the course of an academic year at Bentley, the Student Programs and Engagement (SP&E) team is responsible for providing students with opportunities to connect with one another outside of the classroom. From helping the students who plan Drag Bingo and the Black United Body Fashion Show to planning the annual Spring Day events and supporting fraternity and sorority life, SP&E plays a major role in facilitating student life on campus.

But for a team that prides itself on finding creative ways to bring students together, the pandemic represented a significant challenge for SP&E. The typical in-person events and large gatherings that help cultivate a sense of community on campus would need to be reimagined or altogether postponed. Knowing that this engagement was crucial to the Bentley experience, the team has been hard at work planning to keep Bentley students connected while following the important health and safety measures on campus.

“We wanted to keep students at the center of our planning process,” said Nicole Chabot-Wieferich, director of SP&E. “We worked closely with student leaders over the summer to make sure that their thoughtful input was used to shape the coming academic year. Traditions are important to our students, and we wanted to do our best to honor those however we could.”

As students returned to campus last fall and adapted to the new guidelines, SP&E used that helpful feedback to offer a variety of virtual events that kept students engaged. Virtual trivia nights, dance lessons and fraternity and sorority recruiting meetings gave students the chance to try new things and stay connected – whether on or off campus.

This spring, with a full term of virtual events under their belts, SP&E was ready to build on what worked best and revisit events that needed tweaking. Earlier this month, the team was able to put what they learned to the test and tap into a campus tradition with Bentley’s annual Winterfest celebration. This year’s event featured a full array of outdoor activities and virtual programs, like Cookies with Camille, a Campus Activities Board program where students picked up premade kits that allowed them to decorate cookies while following along with Camille from the 921 on Zoom.

“Camille is a favorite of students in the 921 and usually swipes them in for meals,” explained Nicole. “A few years ago, she started making cookies and would give them out to students as they came and went, and students loved her for it. Giving her a chance to connect with the community again around her cookies was a great example of building on a Bentley tradition while students can’t all be together like they’re used to.” Food trucks were also brought onto campus for Winterfest, giving residential students a chance to spend time with one another safely outdoors over grilled cheeses and gourmet waffles.

In addition to Winterfest, SP&E has helped students stay connected with grab-and-go hot chocolate kits and build-your-own flower bouquets and events like a virtual bingo night, which drew close to 2,000 students. With warmer weather on the horizon, the team’s continuing to develop creative ideas to cultivate community this spring as large gatherings remain unviable.

Outside of their pandemic response, the SP&E team has also been a leading example at Bentley for including racial justice initiatives in their programing. In June, the team launched their Social Justice Action Plan that detailed ways they would incorporate racial justice initiatives into their trainings and regularly provide students with resources to promote equity and inclusion.

"The team deserves a huge thank you for their incredible commitment to our students’ sense of belonging, connection and tradition during such a difficult year,” said Nicole. “Through their endless support of students, the curation of innovative programs and services, their continued commitment to racial justice and their student-centered values, they have provided a rich community experience for our students on and off campus. We're excited for what's still ahead for the Spring!"

Michelle Yestrepsky- Honors Program Manager

Lemon joined our family in May and has brought so much joy to our family.

Bria Milbery- Assistant Director, Programs and Initiatives, Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center

Mac (the brown dog) is a 9-year-old pitbull mix that was living in a motel and needed to be rehomed. We were lucky to bring him home in October to his now sister, Bella Jean (the white dog), who is also a 9-year-old pitbull mix. They are getting along great and Mac LOVES having a big backyard to run around in. If you’re lucky to meet him, he will pick up a toy and proudly circle you “talking” and telling you all about it.

Have you broken down and welcomed a quarantine puppy, kitten or mata mata turtle into your home? We want to share it!

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