The beloved weekly University trivia competition, Nova Quizzo, returned to campus on Thursday, Jan. 28.

This time, Quizzo was held on the Campus Green instead of its usual spot at the Riley Ellipse (the Oreo).

At 19°F, the event was blisteringly cold. When you take the massive wind chill into consideration, the temperature felt sub-zero. Numerous groups had to periodically run over to the nearby Falvey Library in between rounds, simply to stay warm.

Participants were able to book a fire pit in advance. However, the rapidly-swaying fire barely helped in the fight against the frigid weather. Campus Activities Team (CAT) distributed hand warmers to mitigate the freezing sensations. However, the additional aids barely helped.

Sophomore Pat Lyons of the Quizzo team “Marv’s Maniac’s,” testified to the brutal weather.

“I was incredibly cold, especially in my fingers because I was typing all the answers on my phone for my team,” Lyons said.

Nevertheless, what appeared to be about 20 or so teams of brave and eager participants showed up that night, ready to compete, and stayed through the entire game.

The theme of the Quizzo competition was “2020.”

There were three rounds that night: historic events of 2020, celebrity tweets in 2020 and albums of 2020.

The winning team was called “Scrambled Legs.” The team won shirts and hats from the bookstore, as well as Nova Quizzo Champion shirts.

Overall, it was a fun night. However, my suggestion for CAT going forward this semester is that it tries to rent out Jake Nevin Field House for Quizzo at least until March.

CAT’s in person activities for the week did not stop there. The next day, Food Truck Friday hit the Campus Green. It was 21°F with considerably less wind, making the experience a bit more bearable than Quizzo. Students could get cheesesteaks, tacos and more at the Beast of the Street food truck. There was also a pizza truck, an ice cream truck and a dessert truck.

On Saturday, there was a basketball game viewing at the Campus Green. Viewers who wished to see Villanova compete against Seton Hall were expected to wear light blue in support of the Wildcats. Later that night, there were two games of bingo.

The University was able to successfully keep students busy with activities for the first weekend of this semester. Hopefully, COVID-19 cases return to lower levels, and we are able to continue to experience many more Quizzo games, Food Truck Fridays and bingo nights all the way through spring.