Cougar Trading Cards are informational collectable cards regarding various people around the University. This sounds boring, but collecting and turning the cards in gives the owner increasingly valuable prizes. The event began Fall 2009 and has been completely reset for this semester.
There are 56 total cards, and each card (minus one) has 5,000 copies. The single rare card, which only has 35 copies — and is randomly given out at events — is proportional to the number of $1,000 scholarships that exist for the collectors of all 56 cards. That’s right, collect all the cards and get a scholarship of $1,000.
Any student who has gone to a sports game, art exhibit, workshop, play, concert, public lecture, seminar, student group meeting, checked out a library book on a Tuesday actively participated in any event on campus, undoubtedly has become the owner of a Cougar Trading Card, possibly without being aware of the card’s value or function. Any student in one of professor Simon Bott’s classes should already know, but for the rest of the student population, it would be wise to read on.
Think of it like Charlie and the Chocolate factory; instead of there being five golden tickets, there are 56 cards (the rare 35 count card included). Instead of an endless supply of chocolate, there are t-shirts, posters, drawings for items like class rings and $1,000 in scholarships. In place of Gene Wilder (aka Willy Wonka), there is Professor Bott.
From one perspective, the odds aren’t exactly in the lone student’s favor. If all 37,000 UH students went hunting for these Cougar Trading Cards, 36,965 of those students would be out of luck for the scholarship. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) there aren’t that many students on the hunt yet.
Looking at last year’s results, there were approximately 422 students who turned in at least half of the cards. Twelve scholarships were awarded, along with two class rings and hundreds of posters and shirts given away. When you crunch the numbers, the odds are in your favor as long as you’re not lazy and apathetic.
Some students might find it a bit tedious and petty to play in a rat race, running around campus trying to collect trading cards that have no immediate value. Sure, it would have been more exciting if UH had made a deal with Magic the Gathering to create a collectable card game (maybe only for MTG fans), but the fact of the matter is that the Cougar Trading Cards are doing for students what students can’t seem to do for themselves: getting out and doing things.
The cards encourage students to go to much lesser attended events; worships, operas, music performances, seminars and a plethora of other events on campus that will not only help students academically and culturally, but will also help students discover where all those student fees go.
So far, 20,000 Cougar Trading Cards have been dispersed throughout the campus. Students who wish to stay informed can view status updates on Facebook. There is also an events list displaying every time and place where a Cougar card can be sought. You officially have no excuse not to be on the hunt.
David Haydon is a political science junior and may be reached at [email protected].
wheres the rest?