Last week’s all-campus picnic added one more bit of racy entertainment into the mix this year.

The Alumni Association put on a Penny-a-Vote Contest fundraiser in which students voted for their favorite teacher to run a race around the Oval wearing a cardboard racecar.

Nominees for the “honor” were Dr, Laura Adkins, assistant professor of mathematics; Dr. AmyKay Cole, assistant professor of psychology; Dr. Glen Coltharp, dean of the school of education; Dr, Mark Comstock, professor of accounting; Dr. Conrad Gubera, professor of sociology; Brenda Kilby, assistant professor of communication; Dr. Jim Lile, assistant professor of theatre; Leslie Parker, instructor of foreign languages; Dr. Bart Tatum, instructor of kinesiology and head football coach; and Dr. Art Saltzman, professor of English and philosophy.

“I was very inspired by the desire to participate by our Missouri Southern faculty,” said Ashley Hendrix, senior public relations major. “It was encouraging to know that our faculty was willing to support the Alumni Association in this event. The Penny-a-Vote was a great success; we raised $157.67.”

The winners were also expected to wear their cardboard car in class before the race at noon. Though many expected the winners to be hesitant, both seemed good sports and willingly participated in the race. The final winner of the race was Gubera, who pulled ahead in the final stretch to end the race with not only a win but also a realistic looking, supposedly feigned crash.

“That’s all dramatic effect, it brought the crowd to their feet,” he said after being helped up by spectators including University President Julio León.

“First time I’ve ever seen the college president bend over to help a faculty member,” he said. “It’s fantastic.”

Though Gubera won the vote at the last minute, having trailed Lile for most of the contest, Kilby was fairly confident in her standing.

“I had students that were putting fives in there,” she said. “They told me they were going do me in.”

Kilby said she did not put any money in her own jar after a rumor that she had added $20 to her own votes.

“If I was going to put $20 in the jar I would have put it in Laura Adkins’,” Kilby said.