Students hope to whisper their way to a world record

Remember playing the “telephone” game – also known as “Chinese Whispers” – when you were growing up? One person in a group whispers a message into the ear of the person sitting next to her or him, and on it goes from one to the next until the last one in line has been told.

As you might expect, what goes in the first ear isn’t always what goes in the last ear. The original message can change significantly during this primitive game of oral communication.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 7:45 p.m., the residents of Sellery Hall at UW–Madison will attempt to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by conducting the largest game of “telephone” ever recorded. Due to limited space, the event is limited to Sellery Hall residents only.

Chancellor John Wiley and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will serve as the official judges of the game. The Guinness Book of World Records requires that judges witness the event.

Organizers are hoping that more than 800 of the building’s 1,100 residents will participate. They estimate that it will take 45 minutes to an hour for the message to reach the last person in line. Just lining everyone up (starting at 7 p.m.) could take 30-45 minutes.

In addition to breaking the record, the event has another purpose, says Dora Valentin, a residence life coordinator at Sellery. It is a unique way to welcome the students to their new home and help them get acquainted.

“We hope this will be an opportunity for our residents to get to know each other, form new bonds and feel more a part of their Sellery Hall community,” says Valentin. “There aren’t a lot of activities in which over 800 people can be together all at once.”

However, she notes, the rules do require that while the message is being passed, the participants have to remain quiet – particularly if they are in close proximity to a whisperer.

Pupils from the Mayfield College Amnesty International Group in Dublin, Ireland, reached the current “telephone” game record on March 19, 2003. According to Guinness, the first whisper in that game was “They inherited the earth and then the army came and scorched it.” The final words passed on were “Mayfield College.”