Herbert Thomas, campus coordinator for the 2006 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, has denied allegations of cheating in the Oct. 16-19 tournament held in the MSC ballroom. Thomas was reacting to comments made by some of the competitors about the exceptional performance of Carlton Singleton, a participant in the competition. Some of Singleton’s opponents wondered how he was able to answer more than half of the questions and lead his team to victory in the tournament.
Singleton’s opponents and some onlookers of the tournament, argue that Singleton’s team was able to win because Singleton was both a judge and a competitor of the tournament.
Senior architecture major DeJuan Hall said that Singleton helped keep score of the tournament and that he answered all the questions this year just as he did in last year’s tournament. “During the tournament he didn’t answer any questions in the first match, but in the final match he was able to answer most of the questions.” Hall admits that the tournament is based on common knowledge and there was not a study guide given to any competitors to study but “you have to be super smart to answer all the questions.”
Thomas who is responsible for organizing this event said that Singleton was not the only student who judged and competed in the tournament, and that it was impossible for him to cheat. “When a student who assisted in judging went to play [in the tournament] a fresh new pack of questions was opened and I was the person who broke the seal.”
Singleton, 21, who is a double major in biology and political science with an overall grade point average of 3.85, competed in the 2004 and 2005 tournaments, winning a spot in the national competition both years. “He knows how to play the game and the depth of his knowledge is amazing,” said Thomas. “The questions that are asked in the tournament are based on a high school curriculum.”
Singleton attributed his success in the tournament to his thirst for knowledge in such areas as history, pop culture, mathematics and black culture. “It is the norm for me to wake up in the morning, read the newspaper, look at the history channel and watch CNN,” said Singleton. “I also have experience competing in competitions as this one in high school.”
Singleton said that the key to the game is knowing how to play it. He added, “I make connections when the questions are asked. Sometimes I get the answers right and sometimes I get them wrong.”
The prize for winning the campus tournament was a free trip to Orlando, Fla. for Singleton and all students who qualified for the varsity squad to participate in the April 12-17, 2007 competition, and possibly win $50,000 for the university.