On Thursday, Nov. 13, the Campus Activities Board held “Bingo and Boba” in celebration of Kindness Day. The event, which took place in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium, began at 8 p.m. with upbeat music, puns and jokes from two CAB members. As people continued to arrive, filling the tables and contributing to the exciting atmosphere, volunteers made sure to provide players with Bingo sheets, ink dabbers, cupcakes and other snacks. Soon, the callers began drawing and announcing the numbers, creating a competitive yet friendly environment. 

The first round was standard: Players were asked to create a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line with five of the numbers called. One participant quickly completed the line and approached the table. The callers reviewed her card and encouraged future winners to loudly yell, “Bingo,” when they had finished filling out the given pattern.

 The rounds became more difficult each time as callers began asking players to make complicated shapes and diagrams with the numbers. In the third round, the callers told the participants to create a heart as a symbol of Kindness Day. The winner of this challenge took home a large Brandeis blanket, ideal for the current weather. At about 9 p.m., the volunteers began setting up a table filled with several kinds of Boba tea for attendees. The organizers called for a break, and participants could choose from the available Boba flavors: matcha, black milk tea, passion fruit and taro. 

Once everyone had their preferred tea in hand, the game started again with a standard round of Bingo. Afterward, the callers asked the students to create a rectangle along the entire border of the large sheet, meaning they had to fill out 45 numbers before yelling out, “Bingo.” After what seemed like an eternity, one person called out the magic word, followed by ten other people who claimed to have completed the shape. The callers opted to pick a number from one to a hundred, and awarded the prize to the person whose number was closest to the one they had chosen. 

The excitement remained until the very end of the game. The winners left with unique prizes, including wireless headphones, a Hydro Flask, a Brandeis mug and some Amazon gift cards. All participants received a reusable straw from CAB as part of the Kindness Day quest to avoid using plastic.