INDIANOLA, Iowa — A program featuring activities exclusively for seniors has launched for its second year on campus.

100 Days of Senior is designed to celebrate everything the graduating class has given to the Simpson community.

“It’s a program to get graduating seniors in that mindset of moving on and realizing what their role can be as an alum to the college,” said Rich Ramos, associate dean of students.

The series of events began evolving four years ago when a group of senior students approached Ramos about creating opportunities that were exclusively for the graduating class. But it was not until last year that the program launched with a complete schedule of events for the senior’s last 100 days at Simpson.

This year BINGO and Mixology night at the Des Moines Science Center have been featured as the first two events.

“It’s also just to provide a little bit of fun. To celebrate all that is them, and all that they have brought to the community,” Ramos said.

Because the program is still relatively new, the events will continue to grow and evolve as the college learns more about ideal scheduling times and which events students prefer to attend.

A popular event last year was a senior class reception at President Jay Simmons’ home. Each student is allowed to invite two guests they want to recognize from anybody on staff at the college.

Freshmen start in their first week at Simpson with an ice cream social at the president’s house, and this event is another way to bring the Simpson experience full circle.

“From talking with some faculty, staff, and employees who were invited, that’s also their favorite event.” Ramos said. The reception is an opportunity for seniors to thank those from the college who have affected their life journey in some way.

“It is really meaningful to them. It really impacts them in this whole notion that they had an impact on somebody’s experience here,” Ramos said.

Senior Cassidy Bierbrodt attended the exclusive senior BINGO and appreciates that the college is giving seniors a way to wrap up their time together on campus with these events.

“BINGO has been one of my favorite activities on campus, and it was nice that we started with freshmen BINGO and ended with senior-only,” Bierbrodt said.

The college also hopes the program will make it a little harder for students to leave campus that final time in April.

“We want to create an affinity for the institution. We want to make them a little more nostalgic about leaving here,” Ramos said.

Other events coming up as part of the 100 Days of Senior programming are a senior exclusive medallion hunt, an Iowa Wild Game, happy hour and the president’s ice cream social.