By: Rami Mansi
On Feb. 26, the Brooklyn College (BC) Women’s Center (WC) and the Women’s History Month Committee collaborated and hosted “Ultimate Trivia Game Night.”
The event started with the setup of light refreshments, including snacks and pizza, which were served to attendees. Soon, the games were brought out, and all bets were off!
UNO, chess, Connect 4, and other games kept players at their seats for multiple rounds; after every round or so, attendees would invite new guests to sit next to them and play a round.
When asked why the Center is choosing to host an event such as this one, President of the WC, Rimaz Elmosbah, stated that in a school where students don’t prioritize community, hosting events like these encourages students to partake in extracurriculars.
“It’s important to have these events that bring everyone together because I know [BC] is a commuter school and people just come [to campus], then to class, then go home. But I want people to know that there are events and clubs to help people come together and be, like, friends,” Said Elmosbah.
Following a brief setup time, the trivia rounds began.
The three rounds of trivia were all pre-made Kahoots that were presented on a screen for all to join. The first-place prize for winning a Kahoot was a mug with the WC’s logo on it.
The first Kahoot had questions about science and space, titled “Brainy Bites.” The second Kahoot was based on the history of MTV, with questions about what the channel provides and how the channel transformed through time. Lastly, the third Kahoot was based on the popular game show “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?”
Although the trivia was as intense as a bingo game you play with your extended family on New Year’s Eve, attendees found the atmosphere of the event more than calming; it was peaceful.
“[The WC] has different things, different types of events that we have, but this event is one of the many [events] that’s very calm, a collective chill. Not every event has to be insane,” Reassured Elmosbah to the Vanguard.
Some of the attendees were not familiar that this event was going on, but stayed because of the positive atmosphere. Students like Khadija Espada, who was not prepared for trivia night, stayed to have some fun.
“Originally, I wanted to come [to the WC] to pray, and I wanted to work on my schoolwork. Then I noticed that there were gonna be games. So I just came to play Uno and, yknow, I like it […] It’s very nice, I’m meeting new people.”
The WC is home to many resources on campus, just ask Damien Niesewand, a BC graduate and Squad Member of The WC.
“ [The WC] has many basic physical needs like sanitary products […] We have snacks, tea, coffee. So, your physical needs get met, but then we also have the emotional support. There are people who come in and talk to some of the higher-level staff, like quite regularly, about things going on with them.”
With March being Women’s History Month, the WC hosts the Women’s History Month Committee.
“[The Committee] runs a lot of events to continue building that sense of community; they were the people running the trivia night.”
Niesewand continued by discussing the importance of The WC holding events such as this Trivia Night: Showing up for the BC community
“We are trying to show that [The WC] is a space people need. Like [having community events] is more important now more than ever. Just staying present and making sure people know that they have a space here.”
For more information about the Women’s Center and the Women’s History Month Committee, please visit them on Instagram: @womenscenterbc.