After the winners of Senior 25 were released in mid-April, the junior class began to show signs of severe distress, guilt, and annoyance at the list of recipients.
“I went to Counseling Services to help me through a difficult time after I found out I had not been chosen for Senior 25. It was a real blow to my confidence because I heard I can’t get a job after graduating without it,” a junior said. “I’ll be graduating with a Self-Designed Major, which is fun and all, but I was counting on Senior 25 to make me look like I did something worthwhile.”
While the Health & Wellness staff refused to comment on the type or frequency of patients who came in for appointments earlier this month for Senior 25-related conditions, a Stentor staff writer camped out in the Ladies Room to investigate the premises. The investigation uncovered that of the 80-plus applicants for next year’s class of Senior 25, 67 of them walked by or inside of the Health & Wellness Center, including students who won the award.
Senior 25, one of the most heralded awards at Lake Forest College, is given to student leaders who have, “positively contributed to the quality of life in the Lake Forest College community through their service, commitment, and achievements,” as stated on the College website. Due to the competitive selection process, many students become emotionally invested in the result, whether they are chosen or not.
“It’s not that I’m not grateful for this incredible distinction,” another junior said. “I am honored to be a member of this group, but I feel bad for some of my friends who didn’t make it there with me. Now my picture will hang next to some acquaintance I said ‘hi’ to maybe, like, twice in four years, instead of my best friend.”
While interviewing for this article, three students burst into tears at one point during the interview. One student, after crumbling a Leadership Awards Ceremony flier in his fist, declared he would “fight the power,” and never nominate anyone for anything again.
Other students turned to social media to express their anger at not receiving the award. Yik Yak posters mention the irrelevance of Senior 25 after graduation, the belief that Senior 25 is a contest to see who the Gate’s Center staff likes. Alternative views on the matter reveal themselves in posts such as, “shut up about Senior 25 already!!” and “I nominate squirrels #lfcrevolution2015.”
Senior 25 is the crux of both the most positive and negative sentiments second-semester juniors have about Lake Forest College. Petitions to dispose of the award have begun to circulate among the upperclassmen. However, alongside these petitions are other petitions to create a Senior 30 and a Junior 15.
As finals roll around, one student believes moods will return to normal and that the issue will blow over. A senior politics major said, “People should be more worried about the exam they want to pass, not the award they missed out on three weeks ago.”
Disclaimer: All stories in The Chive are works of fiction. People involved in the stories may not have knowledge of their involvement. This section is meant to serve as a humorous break from the daily grind.
