Annual Wet and Wacky Plunge for Pledges

SPRING DIP

May 1, 2013

Lyndon State College’s 7th Annual Spring Dip was held May 1. The event, sponsored by the Faculty/Staff Scholarship Committee, is billed as “good clean fun…for a good cause.” The money raised is used exclusively for LSC student scholarships; this year a total of $2,249 was raised.

Faculty, staff, and students solicit pledges from other members of the college community to sponsor their icy plunge into Library Pond. Dippers are encouraged to don costumes and have dressed in past years as a nun, scuba diver, pirate, and Bob the Builder.

The Dip is traditionally held the first week in May. The calendar says springtime, but the pond water temperature is decidedly winter-like. A $10 minimum pledge allows for plenty of partakers but relatively few are willing to brave the cold. This year 19 participants sprinted into the pond.

The Dip stems from an idea from Hannah Manley, director of Alumni Relations and Development. As an annual participant, she is very familiar with the pond water: “It’s cold and it’s dirty. It’s also refreshing.”

The Dip proceeds are added to the money raised throughout the year by the Scholarship Committee. Last year, the committee added a $200 scholarship to be awarded to the top Dip-fundraising student. This year’s top student fund raiser was Michael Desmond.