The faculty continues to reign supreme at the twelfth annual Phi Kappa Phi intramural quiz bowl as team Mens Sana en Corpore Sano won the contest. This gathering of Southeastern’s most scholarly students and faculty members put them head to head in the competition, one of general knowledge and quick recall.
Student teams faced off against each other, as did faculty teams, and the winners from both brackets battled in the final round for the $100 prize. Team Delt was the winning student team who took on Mens Sana in Corpore Sano, and they were the winning student team in 2011.
The event, sponsored by the Southeastern Felions, had questions ranging from topics of pop culture, science, math, humanities, politics, literature, religion and multiculturalism.
Joan Faust, a professor of English and advisor for Phi Kappa Phi, is the director of the double-elimination contest. Even though all students and faculty are allowed to participate, most are members of Phi Kappa Phi, and entry to the organization is by invitation only.
“The qualifications for membership are juniors in the top 10 percent of their academic college, seniors in the top seven and a half percent of their academic colleges and graduate students in the top 10 percent of all graduate students,” said Faust. “Membership is by invitation only, and students are only invited once. If they do not accept membership, they are not invited again. We also invite faculty, staff and alumni who have distinguished themselves academically.”
The Dewey Decimators – Paul Kelsey, Lori Smith and Eric Johnson – took the faculty runner up prize of $50, and student team Jason and the Argonauts – Emily Gremillion, Jason Licciardi Jr., Mikaila Daigle and Olivia Robertson-received the runner up prize of $50. The questions are bought from other national quiz bowl tournaments, so every contestant enters the tournament with blind faith. The questions are even unknown to the judges and mediator.
“There is actually no way of preparing for the tournament,” Faust said. “However, some of the more successful teams have enlisted members who have one of those specialties. A science person, humanities person, sports expert, etcetera.”
Phi Kappa Phi’s intramural quiz bowl is their big annual event, but in April newly invited students will be officially inducted into the “interdisciplinary organization” at their Spring Banquet. Prestigious students and faculty make up the organization, and the group makes sure to foster literacy and academic pursuits through their efforts, with their motto being “Let the love of learning rule humanity.”
For more information about Phi Kappa Phi contact Joan Faust at [email protected].