By Marley Malenfant/se news editor
SE students are building a wall to end world hunger.
SE Campus is the only college team competing against professionals from major architectural and construction firms in the Tarrant County Canstruction competition this week at North East Mall.
Since 2004, Tarrant County had at least one winning sculpture for a national award.
This year’s theme for the SE team is Our Vision to End World Hunger. Students have constructed a wall of cans with an eye on one side and the theme spelled out on the other.
Labeled cans and boxes of food are the only items used to build the sculptures. Contest rules restrict the size to no larger than 10 feet square by 8 feet high.
The goal of the competition is to help fight hunger in 13 counties served by the Tarrant Area Food Bank. This marks the seventh year SE Campus has participated.
Ghada Mahasneh, SE architecture instructor, said students work several months to develop their blueprint.
“Every year, late July, we start a design so we can get an idea of what we need to do,” she said. “Once we do that, the development goes on from there.”
SE program coordinator Arnold Radman said his students show commitment to the Canstruction project.
“If you get students involved during school, they will do it during their professional life,” Radman said.
“I taught at UNT and never really had students interested in doing any community work. So it’s great I have this organization at SE Campus.”
Radman said Campbell Soup Company assists in the Canstruction projects.
“Campbell’s donates the cans to us and we have had a great relationship with them for three years,” he said. “In 2008, we won best meal award and two honorable mentions.”
SE student Kelly Calhoun said the Canstruction competition gives her exposure to architecture.
“The experience, anything you do that gives you better skills, especially for architect majors,” she said.
SE student Jeremy Vardaman agrees: “It helps students who are in a creative major, and it gets them involved for that subject.”
Vardaman said he learned how to deal with creative differences.
“You have to work with people you might not like, but you do it anyway. You have a blueprint done, and someone completely scraps the idea,” he said. “As aggravated as we may get, it reminds us that we’re going to have to deal with that in the future.”
SE student Cisco Perez is glad the canned food is going to help other people.
“The best feeling I get is that it helps people since it’s donated and the satisfaction I get after a project is done,” he said.
The Canstruction entries are on display through Oct. 18, and winners were announced Oct. 13.
