The Reading/Writing Center is holding a reading contest until May 19 to count the collective number of pages read on campus, encouraging a love of reading among students, faculty, and staff.
“Many students view reading as just something they have to do for homework,” said Parker Lovett, a senior from California studying English who works in the RWC.
“We saw something special within the students who were excited about reading. And so we wanted to spread that same enthusiasm, that same energy for reading as being more than just an assignment. It’s something that can truly help you learn more about yourself and more about other people.”
The goal of the contest is to count the number of pages people on campus read, and any type of reading material is fair game. A sign on the RWC bulletin board says students can read anything, including “Textbooks, novels, articles, scriptures, essays, homework, Ensign, Ke Alaka’i, Kula Manu.”
Lovett said he hoped by coming into the RWC to write down what they’ve read, students will realize how much they actually read. He hoped the contest might help them see the worth of reading in their lives.
Mari Murdock, the assistant director of the RWC, said the idea for the contest came from Erin Baker, a reading tutor in the RWC who works a lot with EIL students. The idea was to show students that people are reading for fun, not just for classes.
Murdock explained, “A lot of EIL students are intimidated by reading in English. They don’t like reading, even in their own language. So she’s trying to encourage everyone on campus that ‘Hey, we can read for classes, but we can also read for fun,’” she said.
To compete, students can come to the RWC to pick up small slips of paper that ask for one’s name, the number of pages read, whether or not one is currently an EIL student, and the titles of pieces read. At the end of every week, tutors count the number of pages read and mark them on a thermometer on their bulletin board.
Audrey Acomb, a sophomore from Utah studying graphic design who also works in the RWC, said, “The idea is to pay attention to how much you read and what you’re reading, and how many pages we read altogether as a big group.”
Acomb said this is the first week of the contest. After the first week of the contest, 6,000 pages had already been submitted. The RWC’s collective goal is to reach 100,000 read pages by May 19.
Acomb said anyone on campus is welcome to participate in the contest, including faculty. The contest is building towards a campus-wide reading exhibition to be held in the Aloha Center on May 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lovett said the event is going to be set up like WorldFest, where different departments will have booths to share their favorite books and the reasons they love reading. RWC staff intends to have games and guest speakers to announce the winners of the contest.
Murdock said the exhibition would “basically just be a show-and-tell kind of reading event. It’s just a way for people to talk about and showcase what they’ve read.”
The plan is to get the EIL, Library, and English departments involved, along with other groups such as the English Circle, Honors Program, and Ke Alaka’i.
Kern O’Reilly, a junior from Ireland studying biochemistry, said he liked reading because it’s peaceful. “When you’re reading in the moment, you’re not thinking about other things.”
O’Reilly added he liked the idea of the contest because people will be documenting everything they’ve read.