I'm guessing it's part of the puzzle. There's nothing "puzzly" about the contents of the doc-file, and the fact that it's a doc-file should arouse suspicion, just like you picked up. I've been going through the file with a hex editor but haven't found any notable hidden strings yet. Since I am in Europe and have no desire to go anyway, I've stopped trying to figure it out.

The letters have different sizes and fonts. They could have htmld it, I guess, but they needed it to be rich text.

I think I have got it... should I give a spoiler?

No. Just decipher the thing for yourself and go find those geeks. If you spoil it for everybody else, they'll just declare the effort null and void (they did not solve the puzzle themselves) and immediately release a new puzzle, which means your efforts will come to naught.

It's an honour thing. Go for it.