³Ô¹ÏÌìÌà Scavenger Hunt Draws 250 Students Downtown
³Ô¹ÏÌìÌà students had a unique opportunity during Fall Welcome Week to explore the many boutique shops, ethnic restaurants, cafes, and cultural venues that make up the Electric City.
The ³Ô¹ÏÌìÌà held its first ever downtown scavenger hunt Sept. 2. The event was open to all of the Jesuit university’s students.
More than 250 students registered in pairs and
received t-shirts and maps at 3:30 p.m. on the DeNaples Patio. At 4 p.m., the participants descended on downtown Scranton with the goal of locating as many
of the over 30 participating businesses as quickly as they could. The students, using the Foursquare mobile app to
find clues, had to find a poster-version of Iggy, the ³Ô¹ÏÌìÌÃ's mascot, in each location. Iggy also made cameo appearances around town.
Mary Kate Gallaglier, a freshman nursing major from Port Ewen, N.Y., said the scavenger hunt was a great way for her to learn about the city.
“I thought it was a lot of fun,” Gallaglier said. “It was a really good way to see the city.”
Mike Trischetta, a junior physics major from Scranton, said he was surprised at what he found was available to him in Scranton.
“It was very eye-opening,” Trischetta said. “I saw a lot of places I otherwise never would have gone to.”
The scavenger hunt ended with a reception at the Vintage Theater at 5:30 p.m. Participants were treated to free foods from downtown eateries while the winners were announced.
The first place prize of a $200 gift
certificate to The Mall at Steamtown was awarded to Bridget Hanley, a freshmanfrom East Islip, N.Y., and Breana Fitzpatrick, a freshman from Florham Park,
N.J. Second place went to Bob Law, a junior from Lansdale, and Kate Lazorko, a
junior from Philadelphia. Third
place was a tie between two teams: Deanna Russo, a freshman from Hillsborough,
N.J., and Chris Peticca, a freshman from Franklin Lakes, N.J.; and Shannon
Lavis and Elisa Giusto, sophomores from Scranton.
Following the awards presentation, students were encouraged to continue their downtown exploration at First Friday, a monthly art-walk event that takes place throughout the city.
The scavenger hunt was one of several new initiatives planned by the ³Ô¹ÏÌìÌÃ’s Community Relations Office to better familiarize students with the city. Other events included a downtown tour and dinner for Resident Assistants in August. Coming up is Family Weekend, from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, which will have a downtown focus with restaurants offering discounts and specials, and College Night First Friday Oct. 7, featuring student groups from several Lackawanna County colleges performing at downtown venues.
In
coordinating the downtown Scavenger Hunt, the Office of Community Relations
partnered with the Center for Student Engagement, the ³Ô¹ÏÌìÌÃ’s Small
Business Development Center as well as First Friday Scranton, the Greater
Scranton Chamber of Commerce and Scranton Tomorrow. Sponsors included: Diversified Information Technologies, The
Mall at Steamtown, Penn Security Bank & Trust, PNC Bank, Radisson
Lackawanna Station Hotel, Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union and Wells Fargo.
Community Relations
Contact Us
- Community Relations
The ³Ô¹ÏÌìÌÃ
800 Linden Street
Scranton, PA 18510-4699
1.570.941.4419
community@scranton.edu