Hunting for clues of university's past and present
When Uganda-native Jemimah Akiror came to Concordia last year to pursue a graduate degree in electrical engineering, she quickly realized that for the first time in her life she was thousands of kilometres from home — and knew little about her new surroundings.
Fortunately Akiror discovered the Concordia Scavenger Hunt, which helped familiarize her with Montreal and her new school. “The Scavenger Hunt was one of my first events at Concordia, right after the Shuffle. I couldn’t have had a better activity to integrate me into the university,” says Akiror.
The Concordia Scavenger Hunt is a hectic, four-hour race that challenges students to uncover clues that relate to the university today and yesterday. This year’s hunt, organized by Advancement and Alumni Relations, will be held on Tuesday, September 11.
Students form teams of three and register online. Teams with at least one new (first-term) student receive an extra point. Starting in the atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building), participants receive a list of about 50 questions and tasks related to university life.
In 2011, teams were asked to name Concordia’s hockey arena, take a group photo with the president of the Graduate Students’ Association and bring a book from the Vanier Library, among many other requests.
Members of the team that accumulates the most points and returns to the EV Building within four hours each win an iPad, donated by the Concordia University Alumni Association and Advancement and Alumni Relations.
“The event aims to raise awareness of student services, promote cross-faculty interaction and foster student pride in Concordia,” says event organizer Rose Wangechi, alumni officer, student programs, for Advancement and Alumni Relations.
Akiror became acquainted with the Loyola Campus thanks to the Scavenger Hunt. “I usually just go straight to classes and labs downtown, so I never have the chance to explore my Concordia environment,” she says. “I’d never have gone to Loyola otherwise.”
Friends of biology undergraduate student Deanna Marchei encouraged her to sign up last year. “I had never taken part in a scavenger hunt before, yet the chance to win an iPad really convinced me,” she says.
It turned out to be a good decision for Marchei — her team ended up winning the competition. “We were in total shock, but we collected extra points because the rules state that the groups have to visit both campuses, and many just stayed downtown,” she says.
For Concordia alumnus Eduardo Alves Dos Angos, the hunt represented an opportunity to meet new people. “We did a lot of running back and forth, but at the end of the day we all had something to laugh about,” he says.
The students agree that the hunt is a terrific way to jump-start the academic and social year. “It got me more involved on campus and I wish I participated in this during my first year,” Angos says. “There are a lot of services that Concordia offers that I discovered during the Scavenger Hunt.”
Marchei recommends that students looking to participate this year scout the campuses in advance. “The quicker you get to know Concordia, the higher the chances of your team winning new iPads!” he says.
“There’s no better way for students to discover their university in such a fun and informative way,” Wangechi says. “Although participants of the winning team get an iPad, to me every student is a winner. We want them to know their environment and feel right at home.”
When: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, from 10 a.m to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building, 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
Interested students must assemble a team of three students, come up with a team name and register here.
Related links:
• Concordia Scavenger Hunt
• Concordia Alumni Relations student programs