Binghamton University students were challenged to show how much they know about their school on Tuesday at Dean of Students April Thompson’s BU trivia event.
The event was created by Dean’s Team members Monique Bloomfield, a senior majoring in Japanese, and Okuya Baatarkhuyag, a senior majoring in accounting.
“Our goal for the semester is that we have to find a way to either get students engaged outside of the classroom or have school spirit, and my partner, Okuya, and I decided to go with school spirit,” Bloomfield said. “And we decided … trivia to test how much students know about the school they go to would be great for that.”
Ultimately, Team Watson brought home the first-place prize, which was a $100 gift card to the University Bookstore.
“It’s great, we are winning … we don’t play to lose. I’m here with my friends so it’s a good time,” said David Zhou, a member of Team Watson and a senior majoring in management.
The competition consisted of several different rounds of questions, with 19 questions in total.
“The questions range from the city of Binghamton itself, to how many academic buildings there are on campus, to questions about the origin of the University,” Bloomfield said.
Jared Helfand, a junior double-majoring in management and finance, and Sambrit Adhikari, a sophomore majoring in computer engineering, were the emcees for the evening.
Some students were able to use their involvement on campus to gain a competitive edge.
“I am doing a project on Binghamton University alumni, so I also know a lot about Binghamton because of surveying alumni,” said Natalia Beltre, a member of Team Watson and a sophomore double-majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law.
Several fraternity members of Alpha Epsilon Pi showed up to the event to show support for their friends on the Dean’s Team.
“This is a great event because it allows students the chance to take a break, relax, enjoy friends’ company and learn some information about our University,” said Andrew Topal, a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi and a senior double-majoring in economics and political science.
Team Watson, Team Vinegar Strokes, The Flightless Falcons, Team Winner and Team Thompson all vied for first place.
Mike Sabony, a member of Team Vinegar Strokes and a sophomore majoring in accounting, said that the event was a much-needed break from studying. Bloomfield said that he and the other trivia contest coordinators were happy with the turnout, and that they look forward to hosting it again.
“Everyone loves a little fun competition, so if it is really successful, I don’t see why not do it another semester or another year,” Bloomfield said.