Photo by Lily Reavis ’21
Yvaine Neyhard FP ’20 (right) guesses the costumes of “Table Breakers” team members during the pub trivia night on Wednesday.
BY LILY REAVIS ’21
When Yvaine Neyhard FP ’20 learned that Mount Holyoke was renovating the first floor of Blanchard Campus Center into a pub space last year, she couldn’t wait to start hosting trivia in it.
“I was like, ‘hey, I used to host trivia nights at home for my friends and I don’t know if you currently have someone in line to host trivia but — pick me, pick me, please, please, please,’” she said.
Since then, she has masterminded 17 different trivia events on campus. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, she and Megan Michaels FP ’21 put on the third trivia night of the school year. This time, every question was Halloween-themed, and attendees were encouraged to wear costumes.
When she was originally developing the trivia program, Neyhard reached out to the then-Student Programs Event Coordinator Riley Fickett, who encouraged her to apply for the Student Life Innovation Grant.
The grant covered the entire cost of Neyhard’s first trivia night and continues to fund food, space rentals and individual paychecks for the events.
“They basically sponsor it and they reimburse me for the cost of all the prizes and I get paid for being here,” Neyhard said.
Putting on an event like this is no small task — Neyhard said that she spends hours every day thinking of new questions, running errands and planning themes. On top of the time commitment, Neyhard is a commuter student and lives an hour from campus.
“If you could see inside [Neyhard’s] brain … it’s a trivia spreadsheet. Each has a category, each has a code, nothing’s ever been repeated,” Michaels said.
It’s true — Neyhard writes every question for her events and has yet to repeat any. She keeps her trivia spreadsheet “under lock and key,” according to Michaels.
Wednesday’s event was attended by seven different teams comprised of faculty, staff and students. The College catered the event, providing tables of cheeses, crackers and assorted dips, as well as a trivia-themed cake.
The first trivia event of the school year took place during Frances Perkins (FP) scholars orientation and was only open to FPs. The first campus-wide trivia event of the school year happened last month and was well-attended.
“We were packed last time, you couldn’t get in,” Neyhard said, explaining that 12 different teams competed. “We have some regulars now,” she added.
Natalie O’Neil ’23, Bria Carlson ’23, Bella Welsh ’23 and Lucy Sternberg ’23 make up one of these regular teams, which they have self-named “Table Breakers.”
“I feel like I had to come again because last time we broke a table,” Sternberg said. “It’s a tradition now.”
“I went last month and it was very fun,” Carlson said. The first-years describe themselves as “avid trivia fans” and hope to continue attending events throughout the year.
At the end of Wednesday’s trivia night, the team “Facebook Moms” won with 71 total points. “Puttin’ on the LITS” came in second with 67 points, and “Table Breakers” finished third with 64 points. Other team names included “Never Fear/Costumes” and “Mediocre at Best.”