Ouachita has its share in terms of its unique and playful traditions. From Tigers and Torches to Tiger Tunes to coffeehouse performances every Friday, this campus goes above and beyond to ensure a creative, unique and fun atmosphere, while also enforcing academic success. Therefore the first annual Hungry Games event put on by the men of Eta Alpha Omega and the men of Sigma Alpha Sigma was no exception to this fun-loving reputation that Ouachita encourages.
“So this event was entirely SAS’s idea,” Mitchell Richards, Eta Alpha Omega president and biology major and chemistry and physics double minor from Springdale, Arkansas said. “They contacted me about a month ago and asked if Eta would be interested in helping. It seemed like a great cause so we jumped at the opportunity to help!”
At the event there was a $5 entry fee for the eating contest and all the proceeds went towards raising funds for a local food bank in Arkadelphia.
Ouachita also encourages club mixers through social clubs when events are participated in with more than one club in order to promote unity through different clubs as another layer of foundation for Ouachita, as well as to formulate new friendships between the different clubs.
“It was nice to get to work with SAS,” Richards said. “Mens clubs don’t collaborate too often, but I think this year has seen a lot of cross-club fundraising (the EEE’s and Tri Chi’s did a whole week together). So for me, it was cool to get to know some of them better. And the fact that it was for such a great cause made it very easy to agree to.”
Primarily, the Hungry Games was an eating competition.
“Contestants were asked to eat something quicker than other contestants, or in some cases just to eat more of the food than the other contestants. The competition included saltine crackers, grape soda, a caramel covered onion, and a blended happy meal just to name a few. The contestant who won the most rounds won a prize,” Richards said.
In the end, the event had a relatively good turn out with approximately 25-30 people for a first time event.
“I think the event ran pretty smoothly. There’s always room for improvement, but at the end of the day, we raised money for a local food bank, so how could I not be happy with that?” Richards said.
By: Emma Seay
