The Santa Fe College student body president wants to pie a politician in the face.
Alejandro Puga, 20-year-old political science sophomore, has been competing against Florida State Representative District 21 incumbent Chuck Clemons in a battle dubbed “Penny Wars” since Oct. 2.
The annual fundraiser raises money for the United Way of North Central Florida, a charity that
donates to education, health and financial stability. The loser will end the competition with a pie in the face Nov. 15, Puga said.
The last two years’ competitions raised a combined total of about $1,200, he said.
Four donation jars with Puga and Clemons’ names sit at the student service building, the administration building lobby, the library reception desk and the Domino’s cash register inside the food court await students to drop their change inside, Puga said.
But the goal isn’t to have more money than the other person, Santa Fe spokesperson Jay Anderson wrote in an email.
Whoever has the most change in their jars wins while paper money lowers the person’s score. The goal is to have more change than the other person, Puga said.
Whoever has the lowest score by Nov. 2is the winner, Anderson said.
Clemons, who serves as the Santa Fe College vice president for advancement, said he is determined to not get a pie in his face.
“It’s a little squirrely,” Clemons said. “It’s like a reverse deal. It’s just a fun, friendly rivalry.”
The fundraiser started two years ago and has been a Santa Fe college tradition ever since, Puga said. He chose Clemons as his opponent because he is running for re-election in the Nov. 6 election.
Vice President of Student Affairs Naima Brown and Associate Director of Student Life Doug Bagby competed against the then student body presidents in the past two years.
“It’ll be fun to pie an administrator and state representative,” Puga said. “That’s not something you do every day. Not a lot of people get to pie a politician.”
Contact Angela DiMichele at adimichele@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @angdimi
