Every university has its own inside jokes—and Bonaventure is no exception. As Bonnies, we’ve got a whole slew of strange facts about our campus. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s a little difficult to explain them to those non-Bonnies in our lives.
1. A “Bona Wolf” isn’t a real thing, but we love it.
Explaining the “Bona Wolf” to a non-Bonnie is the most frustrating thing imaginable. Since our mascot is technically a wolf, people often assume that a Bonnie is a type of wolf. While us Bonnies call our furry friend the “Bona Wolf,” there isn’t an underground breed of wolves that only us Bonaventure students know about—as cool as that sounds.
2. Our dining hall is called “The Hickey”—you heard it right.
It’s likely that you’ve found yourself telling your friends and family stories about “that one time at The Hickey.” There’s also a good chance the awkward reactions to these stories are pretty consistent. Well, for us Bonnies, The Hickey isn’t a regretful product of our Saturday nights, it’s our dining hall. It might not make sense to anyone else, but we get it.
3. They’re called friars, not monks.
While this misconception seems reasonable to others, it’s a no-brainer for Bonaventure students. No, we don’t have any monks on campus—just friars. Even if we don’t know the real difference, we’ll always stand up for our robed friends.
4. It’s basically an hour south of Buffalo.
Since few people have heard of Olean, telling friends and family where you’re spending the next four years is difficult. There’s really only one option to put things in perspective—tell them Bonaventure is an hour south of Buffalo. Now they understand.
5. “Clare Classes” are our “gen-ed’s.”
While other colleges call their required classes “Gen-Ed’s,” we call them ours “Clare Classes”—named after Clare of Assisi. Friends and family might not get it, but after Cath/Fran, we feel like Clare is one of our best friends.
6.) My friend got “MERT-ed,” not murdered.
By the end of freshman year, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered MERT in some way, shape or form. Likewise, it’s likely that you’ve got some pretty ridiculous stories to tell your friends and family about the “kid who drank too much and needed medical attention.” Since saying the “Medical Emergency Response Team” is nothing short of a tongue twister—us Bonnies just say someone got “MERT-ed.” Unfortunately, while this makes sense to us, everyone else thinks we go to school in the middle of a crime scene.
7. Our basketball games are your football games.
Putting Bonaventure’s basketball obsession into perspective for our friends and family is difficult. For your family, comparing basketball games to dad’s late nights screaming at the TV during the “big football game” might be the only way. For your friends, just tell them it’s as crazy as those Alabama football games, just smaller.
8. You wouldn’t understand the “Bona Bubble”—it’s Bonnies only.
The “Bona Bubble” is one thing that nobody really understands unless they have been a part of the Bonaventure community. For us Bonnies, our sense of pride is our favorite thing about our school. Even if nobody else understands why we wear our Bonaventure hoodies until they have holes in them or obsessively talk about RC wraps, we wouldn’t have it any other way.