On Sunday, Aug. 22, Union University kicked off the 2021-2022 Union Cup games with the annual residence life Half-K.
The Union Cup is a series of events hosted by Union’s residential staff aimed to create organic and long-lasting community. Each dorm building competes to gain the most points by the end of the year and win bragging rights over neighboring buildings. Students earn points by participating in physical, mental and recreational challenges.
Though some of the events vary from year to year, many games stood the test of time as student life favorites and continue to appear in the event lineup. Among these are Trivium, a group trivia competition, Chomped, a cooking competition, and the Half-K kickoff event.
Tad Binkley, a junior history major and RA for Watters 3, the winning dorm of the Half-K, said, “The Half-K is one of the first events that is set up for freshmen to encounter student life, resident staff and the broader campus community.”
Though many students take advantage of these opportunities, some still choose not to attend. They may opt out for reasons of disinterest in the events or discomfort with the unknown environment. However Isaac Elliot, the graduate assistant resident director for the male quads, invites these students to step out and try them.
“Personally, I think the events are awesome, but for those who haven’t given it a chance, I would just encourage them to come in with an open mind. Come with people you know, and—often times—the camaraderie of competition will bring you together and—often times—bring you out of your comfort zone in some ways which I believe can be a good thing,” Elliot said.
“Even if I hadn’t won, I had a blast,” Binkley said. “It gave about six guys—who, not all of them knew each other—a little bit more of something in common.”
Trivium is the next scheduled Union Cup event and will take place on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. on the practice soccer field.
