Written by Randi Tubbs \/\/ Photo by Briley Kemper<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. James Huff \u2019s claim to fame is not only holding positions as the senior faculty fellow of the Honors College and associate professor in the engineering department, but also that he recently achieved a one-year streak of New York Times crosswords. Though Huff has had on and off streaks for two years, he is on his longest streak of 365 days of completed crosswords as of Sunday, Jan. 28. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[The crosswords] engage me in an everyday habit,\u201d Huff said. \u201cThey always wake me up a little bit, but they chill me out, too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the 2023-2024 Christmas break, the Honors College went abroad to Porto Rafti, Greece, where Huff began to share his hobby with his students. It became their daily ritual to complete the New York Times crosswords together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe started together pretty much every day on our trip over winter break,\u201d sophomore Eric Rice said. \u201cI feel like they\u2019re making me smarter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Huff and a small group of students have begun meeting every Friday in the Honors House to continue their group crossword solving. Huff projects the crossword puzzle onto a big screen, and they read through each clue together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe maybe would\u2019ve eventually figured it out on our own, but when you play together, then everyone can bring in their experiences,\u201d Huff said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group advises that if you would like to start playing, to start on a Monday. The crosswords get increasingly difficult each day, with Sunday being the biggest and most challenging. Tuesday through Thursday puzzles are themed, and Friday through Saturday puzzles are more demanding work. Daily mini crosswords are also available for free on New York Times, and a mid size puzzle is available once a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Huff says that a frequently asked question is if he cheats on his puzzles. He simply responds, \u201cI don\u2019t cheat, I learn.\u201d Another question he often receives is what he does if he doesn\u2019t have internet service. He said he just makes it work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rice and sophomore Aiden Joy have since subscribed to New York Times games to keep up with the crosswords they started abroad after seeing the benefit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou pay essentially 10 cents a crossword, or $3 a month,\u201d Joy said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither student played crossword puzzles before their trip to Greece. Huff openly invites all students to join him and other crossword lovers every week on Fridays at 3 p.m. in the Honors House to play along or to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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