Five for five has a nice ring to it.
That鈥檚 the number of times The Coast has asked its readers to choose a best university or college in its annual 鈥淏est of Halifax鈥� poll 鈥� and how many times AV俱乐部 has emerged the top choice.
This year marks the fourth straight first-place finish for AV俱乐部. Readers of the Halifax-based weekly paper first expressed their esteem for Dal by awarding it top billing back in 2005, the year the category was introduced in the poll. The paper then dropped the category for several years before reintroducing it in 2012, when Dal's current winning streak began.
Dal may hold a slight advantage in the poll as Halifax鈥檚 largest university, but its mix of academic excellence, research achievement and community impact 鈥斅爁rom services like Dalplex and the Arts Centre to the contributions of more than 320 student clubs and societies 鈥斅燾learly resonates across the university鈥檚 student community and the city of Halifax. While AV俱乐部 has faced some significant challenges this past year, the university has had many major milestones as well, from Axel Becke鈥檚 Herzberg medal win (Canada鈥檚 top scientific research award) to the launch of successful new programs in Landscape Architecture and Medical Sciences.
"AV俱乐部 wouldn't be the same without the support of the Halifax community, and it's great to see our contributions recognized," says Richard Florizone, AV俱乐部鈥檚 president. "On behalf of the university, my sincere thanks to The Coast鈥檚 readers."
Another Dal-linked 鈥淏est of Halifax鈥� nod this year went to the T-Room, which earned a silver award for 鈥淏est Trivia Night.鈥� That鈥檚 a slight dip from the Sexton Campus pub鈥檚 first-place showing in last year鈥檚 poll. (It finished second to Rogue's Roost, which recently closed its doors.) But with five golds and two silvers over the past seven years, it鈥檚 clear there鈥檚 a lot of love for the T-Room's trivia night, which happens every Friday evening starting at 9:30 p.m.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the only trivia in town on a Friday night, so it definitely has a different feel to it than a weekday trivia,鈥� says Stan Selig, who has been co-hosting trivia at the venue for about eight years now. 鈥淧eople probably have a little more fun on a weekend night.鈥�
Other Dal connections to pull out wins: the Student Union Building's Pete's ToGoGo won gold in "Campus Eats," with the Loaded Ladle finishing second. The Dal-hosted CKDU 88.1 FM won gold for "Best Radio Station" while South House took home a bronze award for "Best Activist Organization."
Check out the full 鈥淏est of Halifax鈥� results on .