GOFA is officially kicking off on Monday, December 1st, and with it comes the return of all the classic events students look forward to each year in the spirit of giving for the Women’s Shelter and Dorothy Day House. At the top of that list? The legendary Penny Wars. For years, Penny Wars has fired up friendly competition between grades, as students gather spare change. The rules have always been simple: pennies add points to your grade’s total, while nickels, dimes, quarters, and other coins can be used to attack other grades by subtracting their point value. A nickel takes away five points, a dime ten, a quarter twenty-five – you get the idea. 

However, this year brings a twist. With the penny officially discontinued, students may not be able to find them as easily as before. As a result, the organizers of Penny Wars decided to change the rules. Without the presence of many pennies, there will no longer be deductions based on the type of coins being used; instead, scoring is now done by weighing the coins for each grade. The heavier the coin the better. What won’t change is how much fun the game is. 

From December 1st through December 19th, everybody is encouraged to search high and low,; check your couch cushions, your backpack pockets, your car cupholders, even that old pair of jeans you forgot about. Then bring whatever change you find to the Door Six stairwell and prepare to join the chaos. Penny Wars is just one of the many challenges in the high-stakes, grade-versus-grade showdown known as The GOFA Games. Every coin you contribute helps your grade climb the leaderboard, so load up your jars. Rally your classmates, and get ready, because the battle for GOFA glory starts now.

Let us know what you think about the changes in the comments below.