A competition of scholarship and quick wits swept through the halls yet again with the annual Quiz Bowl. Teams comprised of both faculty and students fought to the finish in hopes to reign victorious among some of the school’s brightest minds.

“When I was president, I got a grant from the national office to purchase the Quiz Bowl equipment. It was a Promotion of Excellence Grant, and it was one of the first ones awarded,” said Joan Faust, associate professor of English, faculty advisor of Phi Kappa Phi and coordinator of the event.

The grant was awarded to her right around Homecoming at the time football was reinstated, so it was an opportunity to bring something more academic to Homecoming Week. This event helps Phi Kappa Phi live up to their motto, “Let the love of learning rule humanity.”

Phi Kappa Phi member Dr. Joe Burns hosted the Quiz Bowl, held in the War Memorial Student Union Theater on Oct. 14. 

Competitors had no way to prepare for the tournament because the questions were random; even the judges were not aware of what was coming in the rounds.

It began with a students-only double elimination tournament. Each round was seven minutes long and teams were eliminated after losing two total rounds. 

Once that was over, the faculty teams battled it out. The winners of each of the first tournaments are put against one another in a student and faculty rumble.

Fiasco, a team of four freshman girls, business major Rachel Mensing, biology major Terri Crutcher, English major Maria Lambert and their captain, history major Christine Tarride, were awarded first place among the students and second place overall, claiming their prize of $100.

“We’ll come back, defend our title and take a higher one eventually,” said Tarride. 

This year’s all around winners and now two-time reigning champions are Mens Sana en Corpore Sano, a faculty team comprised of Dane Bounds of the Center for Faculty Excellence, Greg Reeves, kinesiology and health studies professor, Buddy Sirikul, kinesiology and health studies professor, Eddie Hebert, department, head for kinesiology and health studies and their captain Charlotte Humphries, kinesiology and health studies professor.

“We always ask Charlotte to put a team in and whoever wants to play, plays,” said Reeves. “It’s always the same faculty teams, so it lets us do a little friendly, good natured trash talking during the year.”

The winning team was awarded a trophy given by the President of the Alumni Association Daryl Ferrara.