Pie The Professor: Pharmacy students, faculty and staff get messy for good cause

​Laughs and cheers filled the atrium of the pharmacy school Tuesday afternoon, as pie after pie was smushed into the faces of students, faculty and staff. It was all for the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) annual “Pie the Professor” charity event.

“It’s always so rewarding, to help the students with their events and fundraisers,” said Amanda Padwa, administrative coordinator for student affairs. “Usually, I’m just behind the scenes, but getting pied in the face for charity makes it so much more fun. The fact that I also got to pie Ashton [McCormack], the APhA-ASP president, and Mo [Walts], the student dean, is just the cherry on the whipped cream pie!”

For weeks leading up to the event, jars with the faces of faculty and staff members sat in the atrium, where students passing by could put their money to show who they wanted to see get pied the most. All of the money donated goes directly to Danielle House, a charitable, nonprofit organization and member of the Healthcare Hospitality Network. Located in Binghamton, the Danielle House was created to address the need for shelter and emotional support for family members visiting seriously ill patients in our local hospitals.

“I really enjoyed being able to participate in a fundraising event with both students and professors,” said student Gianna Nasta. “APhA-ASP holds this event every year, and every year I look forward to watching! Being able to pie Jacob was definitely the highlight of my day, and I am looking forward to seeing how much money was raised for the Danielle House!”

During the event, there was also a same-day auction if students wanted to pie their classmates. Several students didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity.

“‘Pie The Professor’ is an event that has become a new tradition here at our Binghamton School Of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” Ashton McCormack, a student who is chapter president of the APhA-ASP, said. “It is important to help our local organizations here in Broome County, and donating over $500 to the Danielle House will help the community overall.”

When the dust settled, $504 was raised from the event.

“As the school’s chapter president of APhA-ASP, it was amazing to see our hard work pay off and people enjoying themselves on Tuesday,” McCormack said. “One of my own goals for any event is to create an environment where people can feel like they belong and can participate with one another while having a good time.”