The Political Science/International Relations annual bake-off invited political science, international relations and law, justice and society majors and minors to the pub this past Wednesday for a department-wide competition to determine which faculty member can bake the best dessert.
To vote, the students taste tested each treat, so having enough servings is a crucial factor for winning. Students each voted for their favorite dessert, all of which were anonymously submitted by staff. The importance of anonymity is no joke, and all of the faculty were serious about keeping their submissions secret.
After students voted anonymously for the best dessert, the chair of the political science department, Professor Jason Jordan announced the student raffle winners and the results of the competition.
Picking from a hat, the political science department first gave away a stuffed unicorn complete with its own Drew hoodie, followed by a pack of 3-ply Drew tissues (just in time for finals), and then the hat itself (still filled with the remaining tickets—the winner of the hat is in charge of recycling them).
Then came the competition results. In sixth place came administrative assistant Lydia Feldman with her scrumptious chocolate cake, complete with rainbow sprinkles. Then in fifth, Professor Chelsea Ebin with brookies.
Fourth place went to the tiramisu baked by Professor Phoebe Tang. Second and third nearly tied, with Professor Patrick McGuinn narrowly beating out Professor Timothy Carter’s brownies with delicious cake pops.
Taking home the win and the coveted squirrel trophy was Professor Jason Jordan with his tangy lemon bars. “This proves democracy works after all: Professor Jordan, me, the guy that counted the votes…” said Jordan.
When asked about the bake-off, Luiza Vaskys Lima (‘25), an international relations student and winner of the Drew-nicorn, answered, “This was my fourth bake-off, I think. I really enjoy this event and try to attend it every time!”
Vaskys Lima added, “As an IR student, it is great to connect and reconnect with other people in the department, including the professors. It is a great opportunity to talk about the different programs offered and ask about the IR-related experiences the other students have been having during the semester. And the food is usually pretty good! I voted for the winner, lemon stick, so I am pretty proud!”
Overall, the department saw a decent turnout, filling the Pub with students across disciplines. The desserts were good, the conversation perhaps even better, and the company unbeatable.
Only criticisms for next year? Bigger servings and some to-go boxes.
Shannon Thoma is a senior double-majoring in political science and English literature.
Cover image courtesy of Shannon Thoma.
