West Virginia University student Kira Em Cronan has struck gold with her suggested name for an end-of-the-semester garage sale to benefit the United Way.

The 21-year-old Cronans entry,Blue and Gold Mine,has been selected as the name for the May 21 sale. She will receive a $100 cash prize from Student Affairs.

I was really surprised,she said.Usually when youre in a contest, you never win.

Cronan, who works in the Admissions and Records phone room, said the name came out of a brainstorming session with fellow workers.

Some co-workers and I started throwing some names around, and I threwBlue and Gold Mineout,she said.They told me I should submit it to the contest.

The sale will be from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 21, in the east gate concourse of Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU staff will collect all material donated by students living in the residence halls during finals week (May 2-7), while students living off campus can bring their material to the stadium. Volunteers with the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties will staff the sale.

The purpose of the sale is to encourage students to donate useable items they would otherwise throw away when the semester is over, said Barbara Angeletti, WVU s recycling coordinator.

Items that students leave behind when they return home include furniture, rugs, lamps, bicycles, computer hardware, clothing, shoes, and various housewares such as dishes, cookware, coffee makers, toasters and irons, Angeletti noted.

Cronan, a pre-forensic and investigative sciences major from Fairfax, Va., said she thinks the sale is a good idea.

I know when I lived in the dorms, people threw some perfectly good stuff they werent going to use out,she said.So if you can auction it off to benefit somebody, that would be better.