Tim Jay
The smell of pizza encompassed the room as students eagerly awaited the test of brains and speed for CCBC’s annual Trivia Tuesday. One of many events put on throughout the semester by the Student Programming Board, Trivia Tuesday is yet another lighthearted get together where socializing is just as important as the questions that popped up on the screen.
As the moments ticked by closer to the start of the trivia, a look across the room brought a myriad of different preparation styles. Some changed the look of their on-screen avatar, others contemplated witty nicknames, while others still were indeed more focused on the food, drink, and friends aspect of the trivia challenge. At 12:30 on a Tuesday organizers did their best to hold the event at a time when students would be more likely to be on campus while not actively in the classroom.
Amy Le, a student in her final semester has been working hard alongside others in Student Leadership to make events like this available to students new and old.
“My goal when joining student leadership was to meet new people," Le said. "After seeing how they (student programming) put on their events, and how open the events were, I switched over from the mentoring side of student leadership.”
While the goal is to make Trivia Tuesday a weekly event, it’s not the only option for students looking to engage in activities. “We hosted a late Valentine's Stuff a Bear Event, and next up is a game night,” Le continued.
The trivia was a mixed bag of categories, and while the challenge level wouldn’t necessarily give Ken Jennings pause, the speed to which students answered questions would become equally as important as the rounds progressed.
Subjects varied wildly, from CCBC trivia, to anime, to flags. The key to success was consistency and perhaps, just a bit of luck; or so the winner of the first round Emily would seem to indicate. “I didn’t expect the CCBC questions. It was kinda guesswork.”
Whether it was truly haphazard or simple humbleness on the part of Emily will never be known. What is known is that by winning that round she won a "to be determined prize."
Prizes would range from gift cards, t-shirts and candy, to prize baskets and even money on a students One-Card. With prizes like these to claim, the competition only stiffened as questions became more palatable to a general audience. Sports and Disney categories drew fierce arguments amongst students who worked in teams, though in the end it was all for fun more than anything else.
Because rounds were rapid fire, who won and lost the previous rounds was a forgotten memory at the start of every new round, and more than anything the overwhelming sense of comradery amongst students really made this event shine.
Seeing new friendships being made over a mutual enjoyment of snacks and trivia, the coordinators could hold their heads high knowing they organized a fun event. Every student had a different motivation for attending, with Jacob C. giving the most concise and honest of answers, “Food, that’s it.”
It wouldn't be a stretch to agree that all those who attended had more fun than they expected on a Tuesday afternoon, and just perhaps, all learned a few new things too.
