Harding University celebrated Pi Day, March 14, for the second time in school history, raising money to support a math student in Zambia.
Students and faculty of the math department said they met in February to start making plans for Pi Day 2012. Harding last celebrated Pi Day in 2008 when students first raised money to support a math student who is now a math teacher at George Benson Christian College in Zambia.
With hopes to support a second math student, the department made T-shirts designed by junior Ashley Paarlberg, which sold for $10. According to Debbie Duke, math professor and coordinator of Pi Day, the tuition for the math student costs about $1,700. Duke said she thinks the goal was met.
The night of March 13 students met Duke and Steve Smith, chair of the math department, to write pi in sidewalk chalk all over the campus sidewalks. Smith devised a path that started at the science building, led up the Benson steps, crossed the front of the Benson to the student center, took a left toward the American Heritage Center and on to the first gate, looping again around the American Heritage Center back up the path past the American Studies Building, cut in front of the bell tower to the Uncle Bud statue and ended in the fountain. The trail featured 2,520 accurate digits of pi.
Pi Day activities included giving pies to students and faculty in the lobby of the science building.
“We wanted to honor the students,” Duke said. “That wasn’t a fundraiser; the purpose of that was to honor our students.”
More than 200 pieces of various pies, from chocolate to apple to chess and moon pies, were served.
At 3:14 p.m. there was a 3.14K run along a path marked with chalk arrows and moon pie boxes leading runners and walkers around the “track” mapped out around the front lawn. The first three to finish the race received homemade pies of their choice and all who participated received a sticker with 3.14 written on it.
Following the race students had an opportunity to pie a professor of their choice in the face for the price of $3. Chancellor Clifton Ganus L. Jr. was the first person to receive a pie to the face, but teachers from different departments came out to support.
“I am just glad it was whipped cream instead of shaving lather,” Smith said.
A math contest was also conducted. Students who wanted to participate were provided with a sheet of either upper-level math problems or brainteasers that were returned Monday, and winners also received a homemade pie of their choice.
The faculty of the math department provided 100 percent participation in some way, and many students helped and enjoyed the event, according to Duke and Smith.
“Pi Day was great for math-afficianados because it allowed us to display our love of math while raising funds for a great cause,” junior Lucas Waddell said.
To completely explain and commemorate the day, Duke came up with a cheer; “Tangent, secant, cosine, sine 3.14159, Pi Day Pi Day Pi Day.”
