Centerspread design by Emily Biondo.

Images by Emily Biondo, Art Director

Words by Geoff Peckham, News Co-Editor

By Bethany Grov?

People keep various types of pets on campus to make their dorm rooms livelier. Some students simply cannot live without their ferrets or turtles, so they bring them to campus in spite of knowing that the college’s pet policy prohibits such behavior.

The college’s pet policy, according to the student handbook and Mike Robbins, director of Residence Life, is that “with the exception of dogs for the visually and hearing impaired and non-carnivorous fish, NO pets are permitted in the residence halls. Fish tanks larger than 20 gallons are prohibited.”

Many people choose to abide by these rules and keep only fish on campus.?

Senior Karen Bitzel said her fish “responds to kissy faces and conversation by swimming towards the person making the faces or speaking to them. Oscar, the koi, can pick up rocks in his mouth and spit them out again.”

Some students have run into frustration with trying to use the campus tap water for their fish tanks.

Freshman Heather Yale whose fish Pumpkin recently passed away said, “The water on campus sucked for me to change the water in his bowl. Even if I let it sit for 24 hours and put special drops in, it would still cloud in a day.”
Bitzel is equally frustrated with the water on campus. “I don’t feel good about using campus tap water for their tank. Even with water conditioner, it seems like the water gets cloudier faster, and they don’t seem as happy…. Filling a Brita pitcher over and over is time consuming,” said Bitzel.

Some students have even blamed the campus tap water for the passing of their fish. “I think it was the water here on campus,” said Yale.

Sophomore Lauren Toomey recently held a ceremony for her deceased fish, Lightbulb.

“His name was Lightbulb because of his beautiful orange and yellow coloring. The ‘ceremony’ included a small trip to the bathroom with my roommate, Meg. We said our goodbyes as we dropped him in the toilet,” said Toomey.

One student has a rabbit named Charles, a.k.a. Sniffles, a.k.a. Sniffles TuTu. Charles can do flips and can jump from the top of 15 steps to the bottom.

“It’s nice to come home to him because sometimes I get in really late or early in the morning and everyone is asleep, but Charles is always there,” said the owner of Charles, who wished to remain anonymous. “My friends love him, so he gets spoiled constantly, and he loves being cuddled. The only setback is constantly having to clean his cage. It can be a hassle to find time for that, but other than that I love having him here.”

Graduate Assistant Kim Pontano, who lives in Whiteford Hall, is part of the staff so her cat, Miss Piggy, has been approved because this is her permanent residence, unlike most undergraduate students.

As far as special talents go, she said Miss Piggy is more like a dog in that she lies around a lot and plays fetch.

“She’s the little mascot of the building,” Pontano said. “She keeps me company since I live by myself, and she helped out a lot last year with connecting and bonding with students.”

Various students and staff living on campus feel that their pets improve their lives, for themselves and their friends, regardless of whether their pet is “legal”.

By Bethany Grov?

A small crowd gathered in Red Square on November 1. In the center stood a chicken, the star of the day, thanks to a creative fundraiser sponsored by Alpha Nu Omega.

It was a cold day but hopes were high as the chicken was placed on a large bingo board painted onto a tarp, which consisted of one hundred numbers.

The chicken paced. The students cheered. And within five seconds, the chicken left its dropping on square number four, which was purchased by Lindsay Fairchild.

Alpha Nu Omega, the host of the event, gave Fairchild $50 for winning.

“I assure you the chicken is never hurt; we do believe in kindness towards animals,” said Alpha Nu Omega member, Lindsay Olsh, when asked about animal activists who may have frowned upon this event. And, despite some rumors, the chicken was never dropped and laxatives were not used, according to Erika Wawzyanick, fundraiser chair of Alpha Nu Omega.

The chicken drop is originally from Ambergris Dave, an island in Belize. This event is held every Wednesday at the Spindrift Hotel according to Dr. Herbert Smith, professor of Political Science and International Studies. Smith leads the January term to Belize every year.

The question of whether or not anyone can predict how long it takes before a chicken might poop is best answered by watching the chicken’s movements carefully, according to a local veternarian.

“Watch for that beginning of motion,” advised John Kable, D.V.M. at Airpark Animal Hospital. “When a chicken moves it’s shit or git time.”

“There is a shared opening between the urinary tract and the digestive tract,” Kable explained. “The digestive process involves things coming from both directions to one place. When the chicken moves, it’s time.”

Bodwin Simons said, “At least it’s not dog fighting,” about this first time event.

The Chicken Drop mirrors another fundraising tradition in Carroll County and other rural areas across the nation: Cowpie Bingo.

Sometimes called Barnyard Bingo, this fundraiser lures folks around a large grid, usually in a field, to wait and hope that a cow will drop a pie in a square that bears their number. The person who purchased the number where the pie drops wins a cash prize. In Lineboro, a little town approximately 25 minutes from McDaniel Bingo, Barnyard Bingo brings winners as much as $500 and the local fire department, which sponsors theh event, as much as $10,000, according to a recent story in Carroll Magazine.

The Chicken Drop has yet to build such momentum, but the event shared the same “have-fun” feel.

A few days before the event, Olsh said, “Alpha Nu Omega is doing it as one of our sorority fundraisers, and if it goes as well as we hope, it could even become one of our annual ones for the fall, like Mr. McDaniel in the spring.”