Testing their Knowledge: Students vs. Senators

The Student Events Team hosted an event called “Are you Smarter than a Student Senator?”  Tuesday, where students had the opportunity to win up to $300 in cash by answering simple grade-school questions.

The event was a fun way to get to know some of the student senators here at Minnesota State University, Mankato and learn about Student Government.

Participating senators included Jack Wheeler, Zahara Osman, Catherine Nelson, and Arnavee Maltare (student body Vice President).

“As a member of the Student Government, we plan and improve programs, as we are always looking for students to bring issues to us or things they want to see improved so we can learn how to accomplish them,” student body Vice President Maltare explained.  “We work on advising and also having diversity and inclusion on campus. I encourage people to come and see all the committees we offer, and if you are interested feel free to reach out.”

Playing off the popular TV game show of the same name, the event worked very similarly to the show.

The game was hosted via Zoom, or in-person in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom, with random students selected to play. Six rounds were played that allowed six participants the chance to win some money. 

Students played until they got a question wrong, ranging from first- to fifth-grade questions covering various subjects such as math, english, science and social studies. 

Each question was worth $50. Once students got a grade school question wrong they were able to answer one final bonus question about MNSU to earn an extra $50.

Another aspect of the game were the two cheats students were given each round. Chat and copy were the two cheats given to allow the player to either chat with a senator or copy one of the senator’s answers in order to move forward in the game.

At least two students who joined in and participated won the full $300 meaning they answered all grade school questions correctly and the bonus question about MNSU.

Some MNSU bonus questions consisted of “Who was the Taylor Center named after?”, “How many students attend MNSU?”, and “How long has Dr. Davenport been President of MNSU?”.

The Student Events Team is planning to do more fun activities in the future. A full list of events can be found on their website.