Vermont State College Chancellor Jeb Spaulding has agreed to jump in Lyndon State College’s 9th Annual Spring Dip. The Dip will be held April 24 at 12:30 p.m. in the Library Pond. 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 Lyndon student scholarships. President Joe Bertolino, a veteran Lyndon jumper, will join Spaulding.

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 as nuns, scuba divers, pirates, go-go dancers, and Bob the Builder.

The Dip is held in conjunction with the College’s annual Spring Day celebration. The calendar may say springtime, but the pond water temperature is decidedly winter-like. Pre-plunge estimates place this year’s pond temperature in the high 30s. A $10 minimum pledge allows for plenty of partakers but not everyone is willing to brave the cold.

One anonymous dipper said about the pond: “It’s cold and it’s dirty. It’s also refreshing.” She added, “It’s a great tradition and a terrific way to break pre-finals tension.”

The Dip’s proceeds are added to the money raised throughout the year by the Scholarship Committee. Last year, eight students were awarded $600 each.