Panthers of all ages enjoy 2011 Faculty and Staff Spring Picnic

What’s a little rain when you’re having fun, right?

For the more than 1,000 members of the FIU family who gathered between the Blue and Gold parking garages at Modesto A. Maidique Campus April 16 the answer is simple: no problem at all.

The group of FIU faculty/staff, administrators, alumni and even some retirees, and their families, enjoyed an afternoon full of activities, including face painting for the little ones (and, surely, a few grown-ups), karaoke (always fun) and domino and card games (gotta love the classics).

While some toured the grounds and the Frost Art Museum, others played in the bounce house or dunked their friends in the dunk tank set up for the occasion.

Members from the TAG (The Art of Giving) project also came out and displayed some of the sneakers the group decorated as part of a fundraising campaign organized by the Art + Art History Department to assist children in some of the world’s neediest countries.

The picnic also had participation from members of the Faculty Group Practice, who handed out mini-first-aid kits, and FIU Athletics, which had a table with goodies to give away. The FIU Bookstore also joined in on the fun, offering some cool FIU gear for sale.

An assortment of cookies, fresh fruits and Pepsi products complemented the buffet of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Boca burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw and French fries.

With this much FIU spirit in the air, a mid-afternoon shower could not dampen this new blue-and-gold tradition, so we’ll see you next spring for the next picnic!

— As told to news.FIU.edu by Trudy Fernandez, director of FIU Human Resources Relations, and Lymari Robles, coordinator of HR Relations.