Whipped cream flew everywhere on Monday at the C-Wing underpass, where students got the unique opportunity to pie a Ramapo staff member in the face. The Civic and Community Engagement Center held Pie a Ramapro, an event to raise funds for the Alternative Spring Break program, which gives students the chance to go to a different location-either to another state or a foreign country-to volunteer during their week off.
For a minimum donation of $1, students could cover a paper plate with whipped cream and smash it into the face of one or more of the many participants. These “Ramapros” included Rick Brown, the director of the Center for Student Involvement, Eddie Seavers, the associate director for CSI, Karen Booth, the coordinator of the CCEC, John Atti, the residence director of Pine Hall, Genna Ayres, the coordinator for Violence Prevention, Tom Nicholes, the graduate assistant for the Women’s Center and Amanda Scarpa, an intern for CCEC.
“We reached out to all professional staff at Ramapo, so whoever responded and said they were willing, that’s who we picked,” sophomore Elida Alfaro, a CCEC employee, said about the selection process.
CCEC has hosted several fundraisers and events over the past few weeks that they hoped would grab student interest and get them to support the Alternative Spring Break program.
“It’s a super easy fundraiser, and it’s really fun too. We’re trying to add to the Alternative Spring Break fund. They were really successful when they did it with the RAs so we thought it’d be a good idea,” said Alfaro.
Junior Sean Glowatski, one of many students who attended the event, said that he enjoyed the event, not only because he is involved in the Alternative Spring Break program.
“I thought it was a pretty fun event,” he said. “It’s fun to see someone pied in the face.”
Freshman Patrick Saletta agreed.
“After midterms week, that felt great. Even though they weren’t my teachers, that felt good,” he said after he pied some of the Ramapros. He added that he had found out about the event from Facebook.
Scarpa, one of the seven Ramapros sitting in the pie zone, felt that getting a pie to the face was a small price to pay to support Alternative Spring Break program.
“I work in the CCEC, and I’m leading one of the Alternative Spring Breaks to Asheville, N.C.,” Scarpa explained. “So I’m doing this to support my students. Some of the money goes to my own trip and some to the general program. I think it’s a great program.”
Nicholes, another Ramapro who was willing to take a pie to the face, thought the event was a fun way to raise money.
“I immediately was down for that. Anything like that is fun to do. It’s right up my alley. And it was a fundraiser, I wanted to help them out,” he said. “I’ve never had pie or whipped cream shoved in my face before, but I was open to it…it was a little cold, so that was probably the only thing I was negatively thinking about.”
The CCEC raised $188 in funds for Alternative Spring Break program, according to Atti, making all the pies to the face well worth it.
“Giving my face up for an hour is the least I can do,” Scarpa said.
