A “quack-tastic” Duck Hunt

Alana M. Carroll

Anchor Staff Writer

A stampede of students stormed out of Penfield Hall as soon as the clock hit 7:05 PM on Monday night. Campus residents took to the residential village solo, in pairs and even groups in search of one thing only: rubber ducks. The bathtime accessories in a variety of styles were scattered outside of the dorm buildings as part of the Resident Student Association’s (RSA) “Duck Hunt” event. 

Photo by Alana Carroll

"I also participated in the Duck Hunt," said Hak Kay, a resident student, having grabbed a duck with a football texture and another with a unicorn horn. "I gambled and I won big. The unicorn was the winning duck in the end." The "big win" in question? A giant plush duck made to look like a strawberry.

"I literally picked [the unicorn] up because I was like, ‘oh sick, I want a unicorn duck!'"

Many students picked their rubber ducks, not just for the prizes attached, but due to their cute and colorful designs. A member of the RSA, after telling the excited crowd that they were only allowed to take two ducks, assured them that “due to popular demand,” they would be able to keep their finds. 

Some bore bright colors, making them easy to see against the grassy backdrop, such as clown noses, rainbows, or soccer ball patterns. Others were a bit trickier to spot, such as Hak’s football duck.

“The football was definitely the harder of the two to spot because [it was] in the sand near the volleyball field,” said Kay.

Although everybody at the event was a winner, a few “lucky ducks” left with larger prizes.

Among some of the more coveted prizes were a Nintendo Switch, an Apple iPad, a pair of Beats brand headphones, LEGO sets and Comfy brand blanket hoodies.

“They had a Nintendo and iPad, but like, people won those really fast which was surprising for the resident assistants, because they were like, ‘oh, we actually hid those.’”

“I won a little Nerf hoop and a cute crocheted mushroom,” shared Natalie Clifton, a resident student and Anchor staff member. 

“I had a princess duck and a pink penguin and I got a shirt and some socks,” shared Ezra Ashley-Hepler, a resident student. I asked about the prizes Ashley-Hepler would have liked and they answered: “some of the cleaning supplies, or the Comfy.”

Image taken by Alana Carroll

Reactions to the event were overall positive and students left the prize lounge with smiles. Given the success of the event, evident by its massive turnout, and being its second year, it's likely that it will return for the spring semester in 2026. 

“There was pretty much a duck for everyone to find,” Clifton complimented. “I had fun.”

“I will go again,” Ashley-Hepler added.

Stay tuned for more thrilling events thrown by RSA by keeping up with them on Instagram.