The floor of the HUB Ballroom looked like a giant Trivial Pursuit board, and each team's objective was to reach the board's center by answering questions dealing with various cultures.

Participants learned that nihon machi refers to a Japanese ghetto, that Chinese-Americans are not the largest Asian-American group in the United States and the term kemo sabe means nothing at all.

People who attended Thursday's "Multicultural Pursuit Competition" not only learned the answer to those questions, but increased their awareness of other cultures in the University community, said Wanjiru Kamau, a Campus Life employee.

The event, sponsored by Project Growth, Campus Life and the Martin Luther King Jr. Interest House, promoted awareness and sensitivity toward different cultures, said Kamau.

"The reason we wanted to put the game board on the floor was so we could show people making advancements, not objects or game pieces making advancements," said Stephanie Jefferis, student coordinator for Project Growth.

Student groups from the Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance, Circle K, the Turkish Student Association and nine other organizations created teams from within their membership, said Kamau.

All organizations were welcome to sponsor a team so the wide range of cultures in the University community were represented, said Kamau.

The categories of the questions for the game varied, dealing with anything from American Indian culture to Asian culture.

Prizes ranging from a Domino's pizza to a movie pass were given to any team member who answered a question correctly.

If none of the teams answered the question, the audience was allowed to attempt to answer it for a prize.

Before the game began, several members of Project Growth from several cultural backgrounds gave brief speeches about their interpretation of Martin Luther King's dream.

While prizes were awarded for correct answers, the goal of the program was geared more toward learning rather than winning prizes, said David King, competition referee.

"There are no losers or winners in this game," King said.

He added that everyone was a winner if they learned something.

"I think it went very well, everyone seemed to have a good time," Kamau said.

The friendly atmosphere allowed people to learn while they were enjoying themselves, said Nyeshe Taliaferro, the resident assistant for the Martin Luther King Jr. interest house and one of the speakers for the multicultural pursuit competition.