Judge Tumbly-r

The semi-official announcement Tumblr for the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt. We also serve as a collection of items and media related to Scav.

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The Five Day Huntcast is... all over the place. Which one of you all forgot the weekly sacrifice to Weathorr?

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What is Scav Hunt?

Scav Hunt is…celebrating nerds for their nerdery.

Scav Hunt is…celebrating athletes for their athleticism.

Scav Hunt is…celebrating musicians for their musicality.

Scav Hunt is…celebrating artists for their artistry.

Scav Hunt is going all-out for four days straight…

…or just helping out with one item!

Scav Hunt is students…

…alumni…

…professors…

…and people who have nothing to do with the UofC, as long as they want to have fun.

Scav Hunt is moments you’ll never forget…

…and friends ‘til the end.

Scav Hunt is something for everyone!

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In less than 36 hours…

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1994.279: What Hyde Park building has an “authentic piece” of Plymouth Rock? (3 pts)

The piece, along with many other rocks from around the world, could be found on the walls of the cloisters of Thorndike Hilton Memorial Chapel inside the old Chicago Theological Seminary building, now known as Saieh Hall for Economics. Hopefully they kept the rocks during the remodel.

How did the rock get to Hyde Park? Well, ignoring the fact that the whole concept of the Pilgrims landing at the rock was a myth drummed up after the fact, as that article from December 27th, 1926 can attest, people just used to chip fragments off as souvenirs all the time, which is why the formerly ten-ton boulder is looking a little weak these days. One possibility for this particular fragment comes from More Than Lore: Reminiscences of Marion Talbot, Dean of Women, The University of Chicago, 1892-1925. Therein Talbot recalled 1895, the time of her departure from Boston for the Midwest, where she was to be a department head and dean at the newly established University of Chicago:

Florence M. Cushing, an honored graduate of Vassar College with whom I had done educational work for several years, pressed into my hand a small carved box. In gentle and rather solemn tones she said, “It contains a piece of Plymouth Rock.” I felt the gift was rather symbolical of the attitude of Boston educators to the new undertaking. Those were shifting and perilous sands out there on the edge of the prairie, as it seemed to the dwellers on Beacon Hill. I must be reminded that the United States, at least my part of it, was founded on a rock; I might forget that four of my ancestors landed from the little ship “Mayflower,” and be tempted to follow strange gods unless I had some forceful, though symbolical, reminder close at hand.

It was a nice gesture. Even if we’re all following strange gods now.

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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We here at the Scav Judge Tumblr would just like to welcome aboard our new crop of judges for the 6th annual 2014 Scavenger Hunt! 

Gabrielle “John Foster” Dulys

Alex “Hearnia” Hearn

Max “Corporal” Klinger

Abbie “Keanu” Reeves

Joey “Exxon” Valdez

(Please note that the above nicknames are not canonical, approved, or particularly well thought-out.)

Thank you to all who applied, and if you were not chosen, please keep Scavving, and be sure to re-apply next year!

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Apply To Be A Scav Judge!

Click Here!

Right now, t’s 8:17 pm on the 29th of October right now, so you’ve got like... four hours to put a list together. But that’s how long it takes us to write the list each year!*

*Note: It, in fact, takes many more hours to write the list each year.

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So... you wanna be a judge?

The 2017 Judge Application is here! Give it a ponder, whydoncha?

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2006.6: Remember Pearl Harbor — purl harder! Remember that poster? Purl it harder. [’41 points]

Fuck Nazis.

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Did You Know: Going Nuclear

The University of Chicago is known for being home to the world’s first self-sustained nuclear reaction.  But did you know that in 1999, two UChicago students built a nuclear reactor in their dorm room?  It was all a part of the annual University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, colloquially known as “Scav.”  It previously held the world record for the largest scavenger hunt in the world.  Every year the panel of independent judges releases a list of items which includes things that must be found in the manner of a traditional scavenger hunt along with items that must be built, performed, written, designed, and sometimes invented.  Students sometimes go above-and-beyond to complete some of its more bizarre tasks. The two students who created the nuclear reactor remarked that “it’s kind of scary how easy it was to do.” The judges, needlessly to say, were pleased.

Check out some of the items from this year’s Scav list at http://scavhunt.uchicago.edu/lists/list2017.pdf

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With the help of Scav Librarian Emeritus Crayola, we’ve successfully gotten ahold of some scans from Dante’s Dilemma, the 2015 mystery novel in which someone is killed at Scav. 

The first thing we note is that, while the cover indeed prepared us for the fact that the plot would involve a body with its dick cut off, the blurb made no mention of the “giant papier mache replica of a woman’s vagina”.  As judges, we are naturally interested in determining what exactly the item requested in this context would be. At first glance, "a giant papier-mache replica of a woman's vagina" would appear to contain a redundancy. However a quick checking of cis-privilege reminds us that there are many people with vaginas who are not women. As said vaginas are not structurally different, however, we must conclude that the fictional judges must have, in fact, requested a papier-mache replica of a SPECIFIC woman's vagina. Who would this specific woman be, pray tell? Well, the game is afoot! There is an outside possibility this is a reference to:

2014a.84: Take us on a Fantastic Voyage through your team’s larger-than-life model of a human organ. Your structure must be able to comfortably accommodate at least four tourists at a time and present an accurate and informative account of the organ’s inner workings. We’ll happily enter the body part of your choice, but remember that our heart belongs to the Franklin Institute. [150 Points]

Though Diane Kelley, Scav Founder and Scav Genital Scientist Emeritus, would like to point out that such a statue would most likely be more accurately referred to as a vulva rather than a vagina.

That said, while there are some minor quibbles (the reference to Scav Participants as “contestants”, the idea that we are assailed by visiting dignitaries and so forth), the logic that a murderer might choose to commit their crime during our fair event as there would be multiple suspicious dollies being wheeled around campus already... that is probably narratively sound.

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“Blind psychiatrist Mark Angelotti is faced with his most troubling case yet when he is asked to evaluate Rachel Lazarus, the estranged wife of a slain University of Chicago professor. Months earlier, the professor’s body was found stuffed into one of the exhibits at “Scav,” the school’s world-famous annual scavenger hunt, and – in a feast for the press – missing a vital piece of its anatomy.” So it appears that, much to our pleasant astonishment, there was a mystery novel published in 2015 in which someone is murdered during Scav, and the corpse is apparently missing their dick... I mean... that’s how you have to interpret that synopsis, right? Anyways, updates as soon as we get a copy.

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A few more Matt Meech-approved clips of:

2017.60:  Recreate the iconic scene of the juvenile marine iguana escaping Galapagos racers from Planet Earth II, except you are the iguana, the snakes are team members inside of sleeping bags with their arms tied behind their backs, and instead of the Galapagos Islands, you are in the stacks. [ssssssseven points

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2017.60:  Recreate the iconic scene of the juvenile marine iguana escaping Galapagos racers from Planet Earth II, except you are the iguana, the snakes are team members inside of sleeping bags with their arms tied behind their backs, and instead of the Galapagos Islands, you are in the stacks. [ssssssseven points]

One of the most beloved items from this year’s hunt. Specifically beloved by Matt Meech, the editor of the Planet Earth II episode that inspired this item. High comedy.

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Doing Honest Work In College

Naturally, we of the cabal are always interested in what the latest crop of UChicago essays topics will be, especially since we were confirmed to have inspired the most popular one in 2012. (So suck it, Blue Chips!)

However, we feel we must react to one of this year’s crop:

Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History.

People, people... we definitely spotted you the definitively correct option all the way back in 2014a.

2014a.22: Design a full College Catalog entry for UofC’s newest and most promising department, Fundamentals: Issues and Sexts. The entry should be complete with program description, graduation requirements, and course listings. [5 points] 

So, prospective students... you can either write an essay or write an essay AND earn five points. Your mission is clear.

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2017.70: At exactly noon on Friday, silently approach the center of the Quad with your team's flag and any interested parties. The Judge will note which teams are represented. An air horn will sound. For the next 30 seconds, everyone will simultaneously scream detailed opinions about the direction the country is headed in as loudly as they can. An air horn will sound. All parties will immediately depart in silence. [1 point]

Video courtesy of Eric Volpert. Also, I’m not going to say that admin almost killed this item for fear it would start a riot. But I’m also going to note that I am pointedly not NOT saying that admin almost killed this item for fear it would start a riot.

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2017.160: A freestanding adhesiveless Pringle(TM) ringle. [7 points]

From The BJ Team and GASH.

Also... damn.

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2017.56: You are just a machine; an imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece? Can a robot... flip a waterbottle? - Actually, Detective Spooner, that last one is eminently doable. [25 points, 10 bonus points if it can flip bottles of various weights]

From Zach Robertson of The BJ Team.

Also... damn.

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2017.26: We had feathers. We had crazy colors. The next crazy hair trend is from the Land of the Fey. To be up to stuff with this fashion movement you must construct and wear a wig made from grass, flowers, leaves, and other all natural hair products. [27 points]

From BJ Team member Carina Baker.

Also... damn.