Alpha Chi Challenges Students With Annual Academic Olympics

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Academic Olympics - The Arkansas Zeta Chapter of Alpha Chi honor society held its annual Academic Olympics at the University of Arkansas at Monticello April 1. Students competed in preliminary rounds by answering questions in their respective academic majors, then answered general education questions in the finals. Joseph Lockwood of Stuttgart (left) won the competition for the second consecutive year. Lockwood is a senior biology and biochemistry major as well as a starting wide receiver on the UAM football team. Placing second in the competition was John Ragsdale (right) of Monticello, a junior English major, while Deborah Wylie (center) of Kingsland finished third. Wylie is a sophomore business marketing major.

 
   MONTICELLO - Academic Olympics challenged students from several academic majors March 30 and April 1.

   Hosted by the Arkansas Zeta chapter of Alpha Chi at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Academic Olympics challenges participants with questions from several academic areas and general studies in a preliminary round held March 30.

   The winners of the preliminary round then competed in the finals for first, second and third place, April 1.

  Kate Stewart, professor of English and Alpha Chi sponsor, asked around 20 question in the final round, which came from the general studies curriculum. The questions varied from science, history, music and other academic areas. After finishing the questions, students requested certain questions be repeated so they could check their answers.

   Senior Joseph Lockwood, a Biology and Biochemistry major from Stuttgart, won first place for the second time. He first took the title during Academic Olympics in 2009.

   “It feels good (to win again),” Lockwood said. “I was pretty nervous about trying to win again.”

   He said he really likes history and thinks he had more history questions correct than science questions.  

  Junior John Ragsdale won second place. Ragsdale competed in the category for Arts and Humanities majors. He said he was surprised he won second place and he was thankful for Stewart and Alpha Chi for offering the chance to compete.

   “(The questions) made you rack your brain,” he said. “Some things seemed really easy and I contribute that to my age.”

   Sophomore Deborah Wylie, from Kingsland, placed third in the final round. Wylie competed in General Studies.

   Stewart invited the Lockwood, Ragsdale and Wylie to attend the Alpha Chi Banquet, which will be held April 12.

   The first place winner received a year’s tuition. Second place received a semester’s tuition and third pace received a $250 bookstore credit.

   The academic studies questioned this year included Agriculture, Arts and Humanities, Business, Computer Information Systems, Education, General Studies, Math and Sciences, Music, Nursing and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

   The preliminary round started with participants in the different academic areas in several classrooms of the Memorial Classroom Building with the exception of the Agriculture major. Robert Stark questioned the agricultural majors in the Agriculture building, also known as the Southeast Research and Extension Center. 

   Alpha Chi members Rebekah Heflin, Douglas Boultinghouse, Leslie McKiever and Travis Nicholson helped question participants.  Nicholson questioned the General Studies group. McKiever questioned Math and Science majors. Heflin questioned Education majors and Boultinghouse questioned Art and Humanities majors.

   Nicholson and Stewart checked the answers for the General Studies group.  Students listened and commented as the answer for each question was announced.

   Two students, Wylie and sophomore Bo Kelley from Monticello, kept tabs of each other’s right or wrong answers. Wylie won overall in the General Studies by one question.

   Wylie said she did not expect to win. She decided to compete after seeing an e-mail about the event. She described herself as competitive and the questions for General Studies as general information a person picks and retain from everyday life. She said she surprised herself by winning, because she did not know some general information. 

   Kelley answered correctly some of the questions Wylie missed.

   Before competing, Wylie said she prayed and did not try to let herself worry about it.

   The winners of the preliminary round included:

• Shelby Williams in Agriculture
• John Ragsdale in Arts and Humanities
• Chris Ledbetter in Business
• Kyle Knight in CIS
• Amber Swink in Education
• Deborah Wylie in General Studies
• Joseph Lockwood in Math and Sciences
• Rashaad Calaham in Music
• Ashley Reese in Nursing
• Meghan Pope in Social and Behavioral Sciences

   UAM professors and members of Alpha Chi developed the questions. Each moderator typically asks 20 questions from a large number of questions available.

   This year around 10-12 Alpha Chi members worked with the event in many different ways such as grading, moderating and organizing. 

   Alpha Chi plans the yearly event and Stewart request funds for the event. Alpha Chi sets the date so it can meet the deadline for awarding scholarships.

   Alpha Chi started hosting Academic Olympics around 1991.

   “Seth Barnes, who was President in 1991, came up with the idea because he did not think that the campus did enough to recognize academic achievement,” Stewart said. “We still try to put forth this message — an increasingly difficult task.”

   Not unlike the Olympic games, where the games challenges athletes in physical sports, Academic Olympics challenges UAM students in the skill of knowledge.

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