On Feb. 24, Clemmer College brought a four-legged friend to campus for an experience that was unfor-goat-able.
In collaboration with The Funny Farm, a working farm based in Chuckey, Tennessee, Peppermint got to spend an hour on the front lawn of Clemmer College. Money for Peppermint’s visit was raised by donations from Clemmer College faculty and staff.
Dean of Clemmer College Janna Scarborough and Assistant Dean of Fiscal Affairs and Administration Stephanie Fletcher share that the idea came about after seeing posts on social media from The Funny Farm.
“We know how much pets and animals are therapeutic,” Scarborough said.
Scarborough and Fletcher said that the day Peppermint visited campus was the same day they had a faculty meeting.
“We knew that there would be a lot of faculty and staff around,” Scarborough said. “[We] kind of surprised them.”
One of the topics discussed during the meeting was surrounding change, so Scarborough brought up some of the characteristics of goats that are helpful in times of change. She mentioned the animal’s curious tendencies, agility and balance.
“We talked about when we’re approaching change, these might be good qualities to have and we can turn to our four-legged friends,” Scarbrough said. “And then [we] revealed that a baby goat was going to be outside.”
Scarborough and Fletcher said that the reactions were phenomenal; meeting attendees were lined up in order to fill out the form to participate.
They mentioned bringing the baby goat to campus was an event one faculty member in particular would not miss.
“We actually had one faculty member who had to Zoom into the meeting,” Scarborough said. “She found out that we had a baby goat and her car was blocked in, so she literally ran from her house so that she could visit the goat.”
Scarborough and Fletcher would recommend anyone work with The Funny Farm; they describe their hour with Peppermint as “a good community bonding experience.”
To keep up with Clemmer College, visit them on Instagram: @clemmercollegeetsu.
For more information on The Funny Farm and what services they offer, visit their Instagram: @funnyfarmtn.
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