NDSU students from two colleges are going head-to-head in the second annual “Battle of the Cents-es” penny war to see who can raise more money for their selected charities.
For five days, Feb. 6-10, the College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences Ambassadors will collect money for Cullen Children’s Foundation, while the College of Engineering and Architecture Ambassadors will raise funds for the Minot State University Flood Families Fund. A collection booth will be set up in the Memorial Union from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. each day and additional collection sites will be set up in each colleges’ buildings. Battle rules state that all coins count positively toward team totals, but paper money (while it benefits the charities) counts negatively toward team totals.
The student groups selected charities that relate to the career areas they are pursuing. Cullen Children’s Foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children's healthcare needs with an emphasis on cancer. Minot State University Flood Families Fund was established to help the university’s 116 faculty and staff displaced by flooding.
Nancy Rossland, assistant to the dean for college relations in the College of Engineering and Architecture, said the program is a good opportunity for the college ambassadors to broaden their interactions with students from another college. “It is also beneficial for our students to see how their collective efforts here can make a larger impact across our state and region through the charities they have selected,” she said.
Broderick Bjorkquist, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and president of Engineering and Architecture Ambassadors, said the event is a good way to raise money for charity and have a fun competition at the same time. Tyler Rogers, a pharmacy student and president of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences Ambassadors, said the event also helps to bring their group together.
In the end, both charities will benefit, but only one organization will win bragging rights.
“We’re really excited for this year’s competition,” said Dana Davis, director of recruitment for pharmacy, nursing, and allied sciences and adviser to the college’s ambassadors.
Last’s year’s competition was highly successful, raising a combined total of more than $1,250. It also was neck and neck, with only $27 separating the teams. The victory went to the Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences Ambassadors, who raised $643.33 for the Dakota Medical Foundation. They narrowly topped the Engineering and Architecture Ambassadors, who raised $615.50 for Habitat for Humanity.
For more information on the Cullen Children’s Foundation, visit cullyskids.com. For more information on the Minot State University Flood Families Fund, visit
www.minotstateu.edu/flood_2011_donate.shtml.