BY Brett Maloney
Staff Reporter
After a long week of classes, would you rather hangout and do activities around campus with your friends or go home/visit your friends at another college?
Students at Sacred Heart have conflicting opinions when it comes to the school being considered a “suitcase” school. A suitcase school is a term used to describe a college where many of the students live on campus yet leave on the weekend to be somewhere else.
For Sophomore Alyssa Miro, a suitcase school is what she believes Sacred Heart is.
“I pretty much leave every weekend due to the fact that I am very stressed during the week when I am here, and so when the weekend comes I enjoy going to visit my close friends back home in New York City,” said Miro.
“I also know a few people that go home often due to their stress level, and some of them do not love their social life here, but I also know tons of people that love being here more than home and never want to leave,” said Miro.
Sophomore Jared Morris views Sacred Heart as his permanent home.
“I surround myself with people who are in love with campus life, so I do not struggle finding people to spend time with on weekends,” said Morris.
“I feel people go home for the reason of not feeling connected or connecting to the wrong people. This can be improved by the school and by the students by increasing awareness of areas to get involved in,” said Morris. “Students who are involved spend much less time home and much more time on campus embracing what Sacred Heart has to offer.”
When it comes to sports, it’s hard to consider Sacred Heart a suitcase school with all of the time and devotion that goes into various sports teams schedules.
Sophomore track team member Nick Pelletier said, “As a Track Athlete, it takes up the entirety of my time and nearly every single weekend from December to May.”
Senior Ari Bruno who is also a Residential Success Assistant here at Sacred Heart has the experience of dealing with residents, and their decisions on whether to stay or go home.
“As an RSA on campus, it is my job to notice if specific residents are frequently residing at home on the weekends. Throughout my three years as an RSA with freshmen as well as sophomores, I have noticed a great number of residents that either go home on the weekends or visit friends at other universities,” said Bruno.
“I believe this is due to Sacred Heart’s strict policies within the residence halls and rules against partying off campus. While I understand that enforcing rules and policies ensures the safety and well-being of students, I believe that college is a time for students to grow in their social life and meet new people,” said Bruno.
As President of the Student Events Team at Sacred Heart, Lauren Petrozzi is responsible for creating, and organizing all of the events on campus to try and make the best living environment for the student body.
“This semester SET is hosting several night events such as a hypnotist, as well as stuff a bear and bingo. We are offering a Broadway trip to N.Y.C. on March 24 for only $40 all inclusive. In April, we are offering our annual Spring Fest and Relay for Life event,” said Petrozzi.
