Shippensburg University’s Sociology and Anthropology Department and The Connors Institute held The Equality Games at the Ceddia Union Building’s MPR on Nov. 11. 

Many students attended the event, in addition to President Charles Patterson.

Students participated in an interactive experience, playing games such as a remote-controlled car race, bowling, cornhole and hitting a target with a football. 

Games started with two players on different sides, one side being socially advantaged and one being socially disadvantaged. The side that you were on decided how challenging the game was. Advantaged students had less obstacles and better tools compared to the disadvantaged students.

At the same time, attendees participated in a scavenger hunt that showcased posters and diagrams about poverty, inequality and social capital in Pennsylvania cities. Additionally, there were segments where students participated by adding their own city to the hunt and finding Big Red, Shippo and Patterson “hidden” on the posters.

Completing the scavenger hunt gave attendees the chance to win an Amazon gift card in a raffle. As a bonus, participation in the games increased the probability for attendees to win the raffle.

“We’re trying to get people interested in the study of social problems,” Lawrence Eppard, Director of the Connors Institute and associate professor of sociology, said. “We tried to focus a lot on Pennsylvania, which is a state [students] know a lot about and make it personal for them.”

The games and scavenger hunt were held to highlight social inequality problems in America. 

Eppard continued to emphasize the importance of making the experience more personalized for the attendees. 

“They’re learning about their own personal poverty risk and they’re learning about their own neighborhood,” Eppard said. “We thought learning about social problems [was] the big overarching goal, but then we thought making it more personal … [would] be more interesting for them.”

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