My Conquest for the Purple Hard Hat

Reserved for only the most dedicated of engineers, the purple hard hat is exclusive to the winners of the term-long engineering scavenger hunt, known to many as ScavEng. Those with the courage to consider the venture often tap out upon seeing the sheer vastness of the item list. With over 300 entries, I’ve spent more time on this silly goose chase than all my classes combined. Whether it’s travelling to every printer on campus, making extraneous requests from my peers and professors, or scouring the engineering buildings for a single comb, ScavEng has had me delicately dangling by its strings for the entire semester. 

But why would anyone possibly want to put themselves through this epic journey for a measly purple hard hat? Is there no better prize for all that effort? Isn’t ScavEng that Orientation Week thing? To the first question, I respond with another cliché: sometimes, the real journey is the friends you make along the way. Between the creator of the EngSoc logo, the director of Alumni Affairs, the head of the CEE department, the EngSoc president, and even the Dean of Engineering, dozens of people have added a piece to my large ScavEng pie. To the second question, I respond with the truth: the glory and class that come with the purple hard hat are the greatest prize I could ever imagine. To the third question, I respond with another question: have you ever stopped to read an EngSoc bulletin board? There are 14 of them around campus (and I took a photo with each of them). 

If you’re still not convinced that ScavEng is the greatest chore you could ever have the honour of wasting your time on, consider the souvenir value. As someone who rarely finds the excuse to get their camera out and “capture the moment”, ScavEng has helped me not only by using up my limited iCloud storage but also by compiling all the photos into a cute little album. Totally adorable! I’m sure I’ll cherish the photos for years to come. 

A keen and observant reader may have noticed that this is my first article written in The Iron Warrior. An even more keen and observant reader may have guessed that this article was inspired by an item on the ScavEng list. I present to you, Item #61: “Your name in the Iron Warrior.”