Coffee Sleeve Famous competition asks for photos around campus

Eight-Fifteen at Boatwright will be providing more expresso than normal next year.

That's right, expresso. The new Coffee Sleeve Famous competition at University of Richmond is asking students to express themselves for the chance to be on a coffee sleeve next fall.

The competition, coordinated by University Communications, asks students to submit a picture of their favorite spot on campus. To enter, students can post pictures to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #URcoffeefamous, send a Facebook message to the University of Richmond page or email pictures to univcomm@richmond.edu.

The best submissions will be posted to Facebook, and whichever receives the most likes will be featured on a coffee sleeve throughout the 2014-2015 academic year.

The theme for the sleeves is places around campus, said Kim Catley, co-organizer of the competition and writer and editor for University Communications. The winning sleeve will be one of five sleeves featured next year, she said. The other four will be traditional features of students.

In discussing the coffee sleeve initiative, Catley emphasized student expression. "The idea is to let people send in what they want to say about themselves and about campus," she said.

The idea came to Catley and her coworkers through their work. "Almost every time I interview someone I get the question, 'How do I get on the coffee sleeve?'" she said. "We thought it would be fun to put it out there and give people the chance to be on one."

The competition has seen a fair amount of participation so far. Freshman Christy Lightbourn is among those who have submitted a picture.

"I want to be coffee sleeve famous as much as anyone, and it wasn't hard for me to decide my favorite place on campus," Lightbourn said. She posted her photo of Westhampton Lake to her Instagram account with the hashtag, #URcoffeefamous.

Lightbourn said: "I think it's a good idea to give students the chance to show the University of Richmond who they are and why they love being here." She said it would be great if every coffee sleeve was a part of the competition, rather than just one of the five for next year.

Lightbourn has the enthusiasm that Catley and her coworkers were hoping for. She is just one of many students participating in the coffee sleeve initiative, according to Catley.

Aspiring coffee sleeve celebrities have until March 30 to submit their pictures. The next day, the best submissions will be posted to the UR Facebook page, and whichever receives the most likes will win.

Contact Collegian Contributor Charlie Broaddus at charlie.broaddus@richmond.edu