Senior Scoop 2013 winner

Continuing a tradition started last year, student judges decided on a Senior Scoop for the Class of 2013 in the Student Union. The winner was a mint Oreo fudge flavor.

The Senior Scoop is a collaborative effort between the Senior Transition and Engagement Program, the UConn Dairy Bar and Dining Services. Making over 26,000 pounds of ice cream each year and having over 200,000 visitors from all over New England, the Dairy Bar has won numerous awards and will hold the newest flavor chosen this year. The Senior Scoop event was created by President Susan Herbst as a way for seniors to leave their mark on the school.

 “Last year was the first year UConn kicked off this idea,” said Navi Cheema, the hostess of the event, who was crowned Homecoming Queen on Tuesday night. “We had so many more participants this year. I think it’s gonna stick around.”

Cheema was the Master of Ceremonies for the Senior Scoop where UConn seniors were able to select an ice cream flavor combination that represents their class. To begin the process for the selection, the Senior Transition and Engagement Program sent out emails to seniors with choices for ice cream flavors. They were able to choose between 15 to 18 base flavors of ice cream, 10 to 12 mixes to put in the ice cream and 10 to 12 different kinds of swirls. 

“We took seven or eight flavors that had the most entries,” said Dan Doerr, Director of the Senior Transition and Engagement Program. “We gave the panel those flavors and they decided what they thought would best represent their class.”

The panel included five judges who were present at the Scoop Selection to make a final decision between three flavors. They included Stephanie Elliot, Heng Chen, Molly Callahan, Nisarg Chhaya and Darlene Desir. Cheema gave brief introductions the judges while sharing information about them with the audience, including their favorite ice cream flavor and asking what they have on their UConn Bucket List. 

There were three finalists. The first flavor had a mint base with Oreo mix and fudge swirl. Each judge had their own sample, and after tasting each sample, they were able to share their opinions with the crowd. Chen liked the first flavor, claiming that it was “something you could eat after a spicy meal that’s refreshing.” The next flavor was a red velvet cake ice cream that had chocolate chips and fudge swirls in it. Finally, the last scoop had peanut butter cups and fudge swirls in a banana base. Desir thought that, although the peanut butter wasn’t overwhelming, the taste was really rich.

Cheema gave the judges time to deliberate while making announcements about “One Ton Sunday” where students are able to get buckets of free ice cream outside of the Student Union. She also encouraged seniors to submit creative names for the flavor chosen and reminded them that voting begins next semester.

After announcing the mint Oreo fudge flavor as the Senior Scoop of 2013, students ate complementary ice cream.