Shauna McKnight | Co-Editor in Chief
Triviathon is a long standing tradition at Buena Vista University (BVU). For over 20 years, the University Cable Network (UCN) has broadcast this event on their network during homecoming week.
Triviathon facilitates campus participation during homecoming week by allowing students to work with others in their building to compete against other dorms. For the second year in a row, Briscoe took the win, and set a record for the BVU apparel contest, getting 119 pieces of university clothing onto senior Dale Verelye.
Faculty advisor for UCN and assistant professor of Digital Media Jerry Johnson has helped students organize this event for the last 16 years. He said he lets the students take charge during this event.
“I really don’t do too much of the work; I try to let the students plan everything and pull it together so this is really their project,” Johnson said. “It’s a good learning experience for them to plan a live broadcast.”
Students begin the planning process in August. They start by picking a theme, forming trivia questions, decorating sets, and choosing their hosts. Finally, their hard work and planning culminates in a live television event.
The contests to earn points for their dorms are always a favorite on campus. Students must run from their dorms to Lage Communications Building where the studio is located. Often, only the first 3-5 students are selected for contests so there is extra pressure to get there quickly.
Junior Greg Sibenaller is a frequent participant in this event. He says he enjoys the humor the hosts bring to the program, and that the show has a good reputation for being funny every year. Freshman Clair Boston said her first experience with the show was exciting and fun.
“I’m having fun and I love participating!” Boston said. “It’s really up to the students to participate and make it fun. I think the competition helps to involve everyone. And I also think it gives the freshman a little incentive, because we really want to beat the upperclassmen!”
One of the contests for the America themed program was to post candidates for “Triviathon President” and then vote for the president via likes on Facebook. Senior Michael Boyle took the win with 54 likes. At the end of the night, he delivered an inspiring political address to the students of BVU, urging students to unite as one Beaver Nation.
“It’s a real honor to represent the student body.” Boyle said, jokingly. “My plans for my presidency are to inspire students to participate and uphold the traditions of BVU.”
Senior Bri Funte is the General Manager of UCN and co-produced the program with seniors Paige Miller and Katy Rubino.
“We came up with some last minute things today, but it all came together,” Funte said. “We got the chance to have a different crew. We had a lot of new freshmen, and they got to learn the ropes with a fun, more relaxed project.”
Seniors Jacob Peterson and Kadie Dennison hosted the program. They both agreed that participating in theater productions helped their on-air speaking and improvising ability, and both were very grateful to UCN for allowing them to host the program.
Funte discussed the challenges of doing a live broadcast.
“It’s kind of hard to communicate with everyone. The producer has to talk to the camera people, and the hosts,” Funte said. “It started off slow in the beginning, but things picked up on their own. This crew has never worked together before.”
Although the program had some bumps, it finished on a strong note and was a learning experience for everyone involved. Despite changes to technology, and BVU itself, this long standing tradition remains a highlight of every homecoming week, bringing entertainment in the form of embarrassing contests, trivia questions, and imaginary points.
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Photos by Shauna McKnight
