While some Boston University students were out partying at the clubs last Friday night, a group of BU students were partying in the George Sherman Union and at Marsh Chapel.
At this party, there was a range of activities including face painting, basketball with members of the BU men’s basketball team, sock puppets designing, photography and baking. According to many of the participants, the only downside was the 9 p.m. curfew.
“Nine o’clock is too early to go to bed,” said 10-year-old Monique Paulding. “I’m going to stay up late and mess around with my friends.”
Monique was one of about 40 kids in the Big Brother, Big Sister program at BU gathered Friday night for a sleepover in Marsh Chapel.
“I’m sure all of the kids had a unique experience,” said University Professors Program senior Sean Pelkey, who with Regina Troxell, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, head the program. “They got to interact with their friends outside of school and spend a night at college. That would have made my year if I was their age.”
Corporations like Best Buy and on-campus groups such as the Residence Hall Associations sponsored the sleepover, which was the last of the group’s events for the year, a celebration for the work they’ve done.
“We played, I got my face painted, I got to see my friends,” said 8-year-old Theresa Browne.
Members of the Siblings program each “adopt” a younger sibling and the couples spend Saturdays together. About once a month, different group events are scheduled.
This year, some events included going on a whale watch, a photo scavenger hunt throughout Boston, a holiday party, a trip to the Frog Pond and a trip to a Kenmore bowling alley.
“I think it’s a really great program because it gets them out into the city where they might not otherwise go,” said Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Jacqueline Roche.
“Sometimes I eat at her cafeteria, which is better than my school’s food,” said 11-year-old Enzo Paes. Enzo’s sibling, CAS freshman Jen Sekel, said, “We’ve got to do some really fun stuff together.”
Siblings also plan their own activities, ranging from going to sporting events to the watching movies to cooking.
“You’ll hear from just about everybody that being a college student is a difficult thing … then you go out with your sibling,” Pelkey said. “This program has changed the way I think about how the world works and the impact you can have on kids. It’s certainly the most meaningful experience I’ve had.”
Sean Sadikot, CAS sophomore and big brother to 10-year-old Manuel Velez, agreed with Pelkey. “For the big siblings, it’s kind of cool to be a kid again,” he said. “Right now, I’m not even thinking that I have a paper due next week or a test; I’m just making sock puppets.”
Mitesh Trivedi, CAS junior and president of Warren Tower’s RHA, was in charge of face painting and agreed with Sadikot. “I think I’m having more fun than the kids,” he said.
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