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How many more times would they climb these stairs to Slayter’s third floor? The Senior Send-Off was officially underway, starting with the traditional Presidential Reception. “From now on, anytime you come to a Denison event, there will be free food and free drinks,” a smiling President Adam Weinberg told the boisterous Class of 2025. He kept his remarks brief, thanking the class for their contributions to Denison and assuring them that they would feel the pull and influence of The Hill for decades to come hence. “Your journey with this college has just begun,” he said, adding to savor their last week as undergraduates.

On her first day of classes at Denison, Beril Gültekin ‘25, from Ankara, Turkey, posed outside her residence hall, Beta. It was a spur of the moment decision so she could remember that pivotal moment four years later. She recreated that moment today to “reflect on the huge amount of change and growth — four years doesn’t seem long enough to contain it all.”

A light rain falls as a friend takes a few special graduation photos of seniors Travis Dunsun and Ethan Scott on the stairs of Swasey Chapel. They are just steps away from the seal, which they won’t step on until after graduation. This summer, Dunson, an East Asian studies major from San Antonio, will head to Columbus to take a position in supply logistics with BBI Industries. Scott, a computer science major from New York City, will head west to Bentonville, Arkansas as a software engineer with Walmart.

Cameron Hunt ’25 literally drew a line in the sand — much to the consternation of three players on the opposite side of the net. “I wasn’t cheating, I was just putting it where it belonged,” Hunt said of his boundary gerrymandering. It was all in good fun, which was the theme of the day. The final round of tests were taken Tuesday and Denison seniors who had yet to transition to leisure mode flipped the switch. Pep Viveros ’25 walked out of the classroom and onto the sandy courts near Lamson Lodge, a large speaker blasting tunes. “Weird,” Viveros said, describing his new-found freedom from the academic grind. “I’m ready to spend time with friends who also have been working very hard.” While plenty of activities are planned for the week, seniors enjoy unscripted hours like the one spent on the beach volleyball court. Morgan Gilmore ’25 and Caroline Schumacher ’25 combined for a spectacular play, which had it been captured on video, would have ascended into Senior Week lore. Gilmore had a serve carom off her head, sending the ball arcing backward, before a quick-thinking Schumacker stuck out a leg and kicked the ball to teammate Henry Kline ’25, who tapped it over the net. “No, we did not practice that,” Schumacher said laughing.

After a 90-minute practice, Mary Daniel ’25 and Anna DeVuono ’25 spoke of temptation, and how they would shut it down like so many opponents this season. “We’ve kept a pretty strong mindset,” Daniel said. While the Big Red (15-4) prepare for a third-round NCAA regional tournament game, most of the campus is celebrating the countdown to Commencement. The six seniors on the women’s lacrosse team have sidelined any thoughts of letting loose and focused on Saturday’s matchup against Franklin and Marshall College. Denison’s men’s baseball and tennis teams, along with the women’s golf squad, are in similar situations. Daniel said blocking everything out is not difficult given what’s at stake. “We’ve lost in the Sweet Sixteen the last three years,” she said. “We want to go further this time.” Athletes who miss Saturday’s Commencement due to competition will receive their diplomas in a special ceremony Monday. “Friendships outside of lacrosse will always be there, but we don’t have this sport forever,” DeVuono said. “We’re down to the last few days of having the incredible privilege to be part of this team.”

Noah Chartier ’25 summed up the experience of being an orientation leader as “one of the few jobs that never stops.” Throughout their first year, students often seek advice from their orientation leaders in adjusting to campus life. Chartier was among 70 seniors honored for their service at the Orientation Leaders Graduation Celebration at Slivy’s. The inaugural event was sponsored by the Office of First-Year Experience. Orientation leaders in attendance were fed, toasted and given pins for their graduation gowns. Ten seniors received special recognition for being three-year leaders, earning them an additional “GOAT” pin and a Denison padfolio containing a certificate and a letter of appreciation.

While extracurricular activities have ceased across much of campus, several Denison athletics teams are competing at the NCAA level this week. The Big Red baseball team, ranked No. 2 in the nation, spent the afternoon training in the weight room. There was lifting, stretching, broad jumping, and plenty of hand slapping as players prepared to host this weekend’s double-elimination regional tournament. The host Big Red (35-5) face Manchester University (29-12) in their first game Friday.

More than 600 seniors began picking up their wristbands at Slayter Hall for this week’s activities. Students were required to stop at a handful of stations, including one allowing them to remove their names from the Licking County voting roll. The station that produced the most smiles featured a Class of 2025 photo that had been taken four years earlier on Reese-Shackelford Common. Students scanned the large image, searching for themselves and friends before signing it. “I remember that day vividly,” Eliza Roach ’25 said. “I was on crutches from an ankle injury. It was so hot, and we were standing next to our classmates we just met.”

Campus hummed with the sounds of cleaning and decorating ahead of Commencement. There was whirring, whining, squeaking, grunting, and beeping. The big white tent was raised on Reese-Shackelford Common. Banners were hung. Slayter Hall and Burton Morgan Center received a power-washing courtesy of a drone, which splashed 12 gallons of water per minute on some of the harder-to-reach windows.