Have you ever wondered what Tony Frank would look like as character in “The Little Mermaid”?

Students need look no further than the brightly colored seascape that appeared in the Lory Student Center food court recently. Key Service Community students were responsible for erecting the mural that depicts ferocious fish and other creatures of the deep surrounding the unmistakable image of Tony Frank as a merman.

“Some of the students in the cluster wanted to create a focal point, and who better than Tony Frank?” said Conrad Pomrenke, the student mentor who helped organize the art project.

Pomrenke took part in Key Community as a freshman and was happy to continue as a mentor, working to improve the connection his students feel towards campus and Fort Collins through service projects.

Key Community is a university program designed to help freshman with their transition into CSU. The program consists of four learning communities — Key Academic, Key Service, Key Explore, and Key Health Professions — which are in turn split into smaller thematic “clusters” made up of approximately ten students, according to Asuka Nosaka, the learning communities student coordinator.

“It’s really just an opportunity for students to be a part of a smaller community and have an upperclassmen mentor,” said Nosaka.

The idea for a mural came from two students in the “Art and Activism” cluster who wanted to do something to improve the appearance of the ply-wood wall on the west end of the LSC food court.

“It came to life piece by piece,” said Norah Cook, a freshman natural resource major and Key Service member.

Cook has enjoyed participating in her Key Service Community this year, and has appreciated having the support system throughout her freshman year.

“I had so many more opportunities and experiences and help getting through freshman year (than students who are not part of a Key Community),” Cook said.

The entire painting process took the students 10 to 12 hours split up over three days last week. Paint and other supplies were provided through the LSC budget.

“It was really nice of them, because we originally were going to pay for it ourselves,” Pomrenke said.

The mural will eventually be destroyed during the LSC renovation, so students only have a limited time to enjoy the fine-finned Frank.

Collegian Writer Isabella Heepke can be reached at news@collegian.com.