What’s that? Zombies by Zwemer? Corpses outside of Coly! Dead walking around the DeWitt buildings? Nowhere is safe during the Student Activities Council (SAC)’s Humans vs Zombies event, returning to campus April 8-12. It is the perfect blend of chaos that can lead to relationships that last for years to come. The premise of Humans vs Zombies seems simple enough: stay human, but with some well-timed surprises. SAC guarantees it will be an amazing time you will never forget.
There are many strategies while competing in the fan-favorite event of Humans vs Zombies, and a few professionals from past years have offered up their best tips and tricks. Junior sports management-business major Noah Lopez started off with an easy but solid suggestion. “One tip is to try to stay in a group of other humans because you’re stronger with numbers,” Lopez said.
This is not only one of the biggest tips, but it is also one of the greatest benefits of the game. You get to know so many more people on campus. That is just one reason why people like senior history major, Elena Lee, love this high-action game. “Humans vs. Zombies is a great way to shake up your normal school routine, meet new people, and develop some healthy paranoia,” Lee said. “I would recommend planning out your routes, so you spend the least amount of time outside as possible and be ready for anything to happen.”
Many participants from last year’s game agree with Lee that you need to be ready for anything to happen. Sophomore theatre major, Jessica Schulmeister, attested to this when she was asked about the game. “I was only a human until 5 p.m. the first day, so the best advice I can give is to be careful of the cafeteria around supper time,” Schulmeister said. “Zombies might be lurking in the lobby and run out to get you before you can reach safety.”
Schulmeister is not the only one who fell victim to the zombies early on. The champion of last year’s game, sophomore exercise science major Nathan Jensen was turned zombie only a few days in. “I got out two days in because I became cocky and went to the Peer Learning Center during an Apocalypse Hour,” Jensen said. “To stay alive, always err on the side of safety. But being a zombie is super fun as well! Definitely my favorite SAC event last year!”
How did Jensen win if he turned zombie on the second day? Well, SAC likes to make their scoring as creative as they can. For last year’s competition, the participants were playing for their assigned houses. These houses were in a year-long competition to see which house could earn the most points throughout various events. For Humans vs Zombies, if you survived the five-day onslaught of zombies, you scored 15 points for your house. If you turned into a zombie, as Jensen did, you scored points by turning other humans into zombies. Jensen turned a remarkable 11 humans into zombies, rewarding him with 33 points for his house. This earned him the well-deserved title of champion and racked up the points for his house. This year’s competition will look a little bit different since there are no houses to play for. Maybe you’ll need to stay human in order to win. Maybe you’ll need to eliminate the most humans to win. To find out, join the action coming up next week!
Humans vs Zombies is not just an afternoon commitment or an event every night. It is a full-time, schedule-adjusting, no- turning-back competition. Only the best of the best can survive to the end. Will you make it out alive? Test your skills April 8-12 by joining the competition. Who knows, you might just be our next Humans vs Zombies champion.
