Valencia College seems to be forever growing. It seems there are always more students, more buildings being added, and more free food somewhere. In the case of the Lake Nona Campus, there is a surplus of ideas busting out of campus president Michael Longhitano’s head. As leader of the Student Government Association, his job is to better the surroundings for students and faculty. He must see to it that everyone gets the most out of their visit to the campus. Longhitano’s latest idea to accomplish this task might be a bit out of the box to some. He is concerned about the grassy area where the campus sits. Half of it always seems to be dying while the other half is intertwined with weeds. In short, the field is pretty high maintenance for its size. The fix? Just hire goats to take care of it. You heard right. Forget the lawn mowers and TruGreen. This campus president is trying to get goats to do the job for him. Longhitano said the idea came from a brief moment of surfing the web. He stumbled upon an article that claimed Google now uses goats for their lawn care. When consuming the grass, they bite it at the perfect level, which optimizes its growth. “I thought it was actually hilarious. That’s why it caught my eye. I tend to fixate on funny things at times,” he stated.
The goat setup would take place behind the main parking lot. Ultimately, Longhitano wants it to have a stress-relieving effect on the occupants at the campus. Having these animals around would lighten the mood a bit, and it would be more eco-friendly. Not only does it cut out the use of a gas-powered lawn mower, but it provides a natural fertilizer that ensures better quality grass. It also would be more cost effective in the long run. To Longhitano’s surprise, a lot of students and faculty members are on board with the plan. In preparation for one of SGA’s trips to Tallahassee, where they would be lobbying for improvements, the staff decided to run a survey on the “goat idea” to get student feedback. “There was a sign that said, ‘Do you want goats to mow the lawn? SGA does.’ And there was a picture of a goat on it,” said Longhitano. A lot of students thought it was a joke when they first saw it, but after it was explained over and over, they were completely head over heels. Some began to ask for more animals to be added to the list, such as llamas and monkeys, for the fun of it. By the end of the event, SGA received about 250 student signatures in support of the idea. To SGA’s understanding, there is barely any negative talk on the subject. The majority of opinions are positive. “I think that it will be pretty interesting to see how it all turns out. I enjoy knowing that I work for a company that explores all options, and I definitely cannot wait to see it into fruition” says Christopher Alvarez, a student services advisor at LNC.
Even though many people are on board for getting goats to cut the fields, the idea is easier said than done. A few barriers stand in the way of execution. To start, a fence would have to be put up to keep the goats enclosed. The funding for that is still up in the air, but Longhitano has a pretty good feel from where the money would come. Valencia’s budget committee handles the college’s budget process, and this year, a few thousand dollars was left over as contingency funds. Since this is the case, each campus was given about $15,000 for a “campus improvement project.” If the goats are a success, the president hopes pulling funds from this source would work. Besides the funding, finding a company to cooperate with the college is another challenge. Longhitano contacted companies that provide goats, such as the Florida Goat Ranch along with many others, and none has yet to bite the bait. There are no companies willing to take up the offer. SGA says that the companies probably think they are joking when asking for the goats, but in reality the team is very serious about following through with it. They have all of the resources and the authority.
If LNC ever gets a farm to do business with them, there would be less work the SGA president would have to do in terms of approving it with administration. The executive dean, Mike Bosley, and campus manager, Jonathan Hernandez, are both aware of the goat idea. Most of their advice is for Longhitano to go through the city’s legal terms and Valencia College’s legal terms on the matter to make sure he does not cross lines that he shouldn’t. Overall, Longhitano wishes his plan the best and anticipates the day all of the ducks line up so it comes true. He also hopes that the residents of Lake Nona will be in favor of the innovation.