The weekly Trivia Tuesday at the University of Miami’s Rathskeller has gained popularity, with more than twice as many teams as last semester when it was held on a trial basis.
The friendly competition was a staple at the original Rat, which was once located where the Student Activities Center now stands. It provides a fun and free way for students to relax with friends in the middle of the week and test their knowledge of minutiae.
Participants are divided into teams of six players. Teams can expect questions such as “what is the highest grossing holiday of the year?” or “which Middle Eastern country along the Mediterranean Sea, about 35 miles wide and 135 miles long, gained its independence from France in 1943?”
“People can have that consistency to go to the Rat every Tuesday,” Rathskeller Advisory Board (RAB) Chair and junior Julie Earl said. “So that it becomes a tradition that everyone knows about.”
While it was a regular feature at the original Rat, Trivia Tuesday lost many of its participants when organizers tried to continue it in the temporary quarters located within the Whitten University Center. In an effort to bring it back after the new Rat opened in the Student Activities Center, a couple of trial runs were held last semester to figure out the logistics before it was officially restarted as a weekly event this semester.
Organizers said the event has steadily grown in the few short weeks it has been around. On Jan. 28 there were 12 teams competing, compared to five that participated in one of the trial runs last semester.
“It’s a great way to just hang out with friends on campus after class,” said junior Paul Aherne, a recent participant. “I like being able to participate in something that our alumni knew as a tradition.”
The event takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the Rat’s patio so that groups can hang out on the gliders while playing. The prize for winning? A gift card for $30 to the Rat for the top team and “#attherat” tank tops for each member of the group.
“I come because I like the Rat and the chance to win money,” senior Kerry Gilmartin said.
Trivia Tuesday is an example of the weekly programming that RAB members are adding more regularly, in addition to comedians and karaoke nights.
“It’s moving us in the direction of consistent weekly programming,” Earl said.
Trivia Tuesday
Where: Patio at the Rathskeller
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays
Top group is awarded a $30 gift card to the Rat and “#attherat” tank tops.