Battle of the Sexes at Trivial-Quadrivial Pursuits

Still rejoicing from the Dedication of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel earlier that day, New England students continued their celebration of Thomas Aquinas College’s patron last Monday night with a beloved TAC tradition: Trivial and Quadrivial Pursuits.

A campus-wide competition famous for its extravagant costumes and over-the-top displays of creative gamesmanship, the game features three teams, each drawn from members of all four classes. The teams vie to answer questions drawn from the College’s classical curriculum, with a  panel of tutors posing the questions and judging the answers.

This year’s event took on an added dimension, however, as two of the seniors captaining teams chose their members by sex. Simone Kelly led the all-female Grammarians; Jeffrey Healy led the all-male Logicians; and Thomas Doylend led the co-ed Rhetoricians. 

Question after question, students piled together to articulate a witty response, cheering with much exuberance after each correct answer. Early into the game, the Rhetoricians held a tight lead over the Logicians and Grammarians. After a couple disheartening rounds, though, the Logicians finally broke their dry spell and correctly answered three questions in a row for the win.

“I liked the banter between the captains,” said Jeffrey Healy. “We’re all really good friends, so it felt like home, yelling and screaming at each other in a high-stress environment.”