All around campus you can hear talk about Clark University Tag. You see people literally sprinting to their classes, some hiding in the library until the can sneak out the back. CU Tag is an annual event that unites the university students in one huge game of squirt gun tag. Though there was a lot of controversy this year about the original name of the group (CU Assassins) and the use of water guns, the game has been a huge success. We were able to contact the founder of the game, Luke LaLima, to ask him a few questions about the game and where he sees it going in the future.
HC: Why did you start CU Tag initially?
Luke: The reason why I started it last year is slightly selfish at its core but I think it proved to serve a greater purpose as it evolved. Last year I found myself going though a routine day and found myself in a slump, so I needed something to change up my everyday life. My brother had been playing this game at his high school and I saw that this game would be better in a college setting. I spontaneously bought 100 water guns and started a Facebook page. This year I took entrepreneurship as an elective knowing I would do this as a final project.
HC: Do you plan on CU Tag continuing next year even though you won’t be here? (Luke is part of the 3/2 program at Clark)
Luke: Although I won’t be here next year, I’ve already talked to people who want to take it over. My only hope is that those who run it preserve what I meant for the game to do: get students to interact with others that they normally wouldn’t. I just wanted to increase comradery across campus.
HC: What do you think about the game this year, even with all the controversy?
Luke: I had to go through a lot of, what my partner Andrew Riopelle-Tyrrell calls, red tape. I just acknowledged that today’s society is sensitive and that in order to get my final project for my class up and running, I had to make compromises. Some thought these were outlandish requests, others thought they were necessary. Regardless, I went into the process of getting my game approved by campus with the mindset of persevering what I mentioned in the second question. So far, it’s just been getting more and more support from the Clarkie community. Everyone’s having a good time and the selfies always give me a good laugh. I’m really thankful of the groups that supported my game and took a chance on what I believed in.
HC: What are this years proceeds going to and why did you chose to donate to this cause?
Luke: We’re donating it to Relay for Life, the event was advertised to us by SAAC. It’s a good coincidence that all the money is collected just before this big event on campus. We just saw it fitting and we believe in Relay for Life.
For those of you who are not on the CU Tag Facebook page here’s what you’ve been missing out on: