Blue Key Society Hosts Scavenger Hunt

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Courtesy of Andrew Osburn

“Fam 6” poses by the Gregor Mendel statue

Julia Stanisci Staff Writer

Last weekend, the University’s Blue Key Society welcomed its new members. A retreat was held on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, at which new members learned more about the organization and bonded with both old and new Blue Key members through small group icebreaker activities, yard games and more. At the end of the retreat, new members got the chance to meet their “Fam Heads” in anticipation for the big event of the weekend: the scavenger hunt. 

For those unfamiliar with Blue Key’s structure, all members of the society are organized into 13 “fams”  which are denoted by number,  with each assigned a certain color (or pattern). Each fam has a leader (head) and around 25 members. Each year, five to 10 new members are added into each fam. Throughout the year, fams compete with one another to earn points, which can be gained through attending events, showing Blue Key spirit, fam bonding, and more. The fam with the highest total points at the end of each year wins a prize. The goals of this year’s new fam heads are clear. 

“Being a fam head in Blue Key Society is about creating a friendly and welcoming environment for the society’s newest members,” Fam 6 head Andrew Osburn said. “I’m especially excited to be a fam head this year because I get to help welcome one of Blue Key’s most diverse classes ever.”

Saturday night’s scavenger hunt was every fam for itself, each decked out in its designated color. This event was the first time this year that new members got to meet their fams, so it was a huge deal and an incredibly fun reveal. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., each fam could be found running around campus, trying to find certain landmarks or complete certain challenges. Each task had to be recorded with a picture of the entire fam. Scavenger hunt checklist items were grouped into different sections, each with a specific point value. Items ranged from five points (like getting a group photo with the Gregor Mendel statue) to 40 points (like going to The Mansion or getting a selfie with University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, Ph.D., O.S.A.). There was also, of course, the token item: a photo with men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright. When asked about his experience, freshman Preston Muñoz was full of excitement and nostalgia for the event. 

“I definitely loved it so much,” Muñoz said. “Never in my life would I have thought that I would be running around campus with a bunch of strangers that I now call my family. I am super glad I went.”

Members got competitive, and many were definitely out of breath by the end of the night (and not just because one challenge was to sprint to the fourth floor of Tolentine Hall). The winning fam was featured in Blue Key’s meeting on Tuesday: Fam 3 took the win.