Medaille didn’t break the Guinness World Record although it was a valiant try. They managed to fit 19 students into a VW Bug, which left me wondering just how the record was set at 25 without removing any seats (see background). My only two suggestions would be to try it in a Bug without a stick shift (this one had one… ouch!), and find the absolute smallest and nimblest waifs on campus that don’t suffer from claustrophobia.
More than anything else, it was a blast to watch the attempt in action. Just when I thought there was no more room, another student would manage to squeeze in. When two of the college administrators started to ‘charge’ the trunk (linebacker fashion) in order to close it, I began to look around for a medical team.
In the end, the students came away with a memorable experience and one more thing… a challenge. It would be cool to see if the Class of 2012 can ‘one up’ the class of 2011 (and so on). That would mean that the graduating class of 2018 would ultimately be victorious in setting the record with 26 students packed into the vehicle. It would be a lot of fun to see this senior challenge passed on from year to year. It’s also a great marketing stunt for Medaille regardless as to whether they break the world record or not. I would go back again next year to see this rather zany exhibition.