Digging for Gold: medallion hunt helps students interact on campus


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New Haven junior Daniel Walker (left) and Allen Park sophomore Chris Miller (right) search for the medallion near the towers after receiving the first clue from the guardians on Oct. 4 at the IM sports field.

The intramural baseball field was scattered with students hunting for gold Tuesday night. 

The students were participating in the third night of the annual Central Michigan University Homecoming Medallion Hunt. The medallion is currently hidden on CMU's campus for students to find.

A clue is revealed at 10 p.m. each night to students from Sunday to Thursday of Homecoming week on the Medallion Hunt's Facebook, Twitter and OrgSync. 

Tuesday's clue guided many students to the baseball field.

“We ran all over campus like a chicken with our head cut off," Benton Harbor sophomore Courtney Burnett said.

 This year's medallion hunt theme is "Guardians of the Medallion" to coincide with the superhero theme of Homecoming. When Burnett's team went to the baseball field, they were given a special code, which he said translated to "Pepper Potts at Stark Tower." Potts is a fictional character in Marvel's "Iron Man."

Burnett and his group, which included St. Clair freshman Christian Henson, Warren freshman Dallas Wheelock and Kalamazoo freshman Taylor Lajiness, searched several locations such as the Engineering & Technology Building, the Bovee University Center and the Towers residence halls, to no avail.

With each night, Henson said the quest becomes more difficult.

“It’s getting harder," Henson said. "The first night was super easy and we thought we could figure out where it was at, but after that the new clues on the other nights threw us off where we’re going.”

Burnett and Henson are both residents in Trout Hall.

Freshmen Julia Dobija of Trenton, Sara Byks of Mt. Clemens and Travis Herr of Lapeer represented Larzelere Hall. Their quest began at the Towers, with a hint from the Larzelere Hall Facebook group. After no luck in their search, the trio hunted down Washington Street and North Campus before calling it a night.

Tuesday was Dobija and Byks's first night joining the hunt. They said they both found the event unites the campus. Despite the competitive air surrounding the medallion hunt, Dobija said she believes it is not strange to sometimes ask the competition for help.

“I feel CMU has a close relationship, regardless of what team you’re on," Dobija said. "I feel like it’s not that weird.”

Byks said a key to conquering the quest is to depend on other people, but added it's tough for her because she likes to be a leader. 

“It’s a little annoying that we didn’t find anything but it’s fun because you get to be a part of the community," Byks said. "It’s pretty cool to see the communication among everyone.”

Students will continue their pursuit as the search continues Wednesday and Thursday. As students attempt to track down the medallion, Henson understands what it would mean to find it.

“If I find it, I am the greatest medallion hunter of all time," he said. "Trout (Hall) would love me for the longest time."

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About Evan Sasiela

Evan Sasiela is the University Editor at Central Michigan Life and a senior at Central Michigan ...

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