Campus Activities Magazine

Cameo Publishing Group CA OCT 08 PO Box 509 Prosperity SC 29127 Change Service Requested

PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA SC PERMIT #706

LIVE! AT SUNY/DELHI 12 Marty Greenfield leads a group of motivated students in offering innovative campus programs for 2008/09.

SCYTHIAN 18 It’s Irish music with an American flare and the critics rave. Check out one of the market’s newest musical sensations.

DIVERCITY 25 Here’s a unique show that blends friends from three different cultures.

It’s hilarious and educating at the same time.

2009 DIVERSITY ISSUE FEATURE STORY: BRENT SCARPO 31 Why Do You Hate Me? Brent Scarpo takes students on a journey that describes prejudice and hatred among minority populations in America, exploring some of the reasons as well as resolutions.

MATT GLOWACKI 28 Meet a guy who has had many obstacles to overcome yet maintains an intensely positive attitude.

D E P A R T M E N T S

On The Road The Second City From the Publisher

4 6 8

Agency Profile We The Living Jay Black Artist Report Cards

ONLINE EDITION: campusactivitiesmagazine.com

10 16 22 35

DRATSAB bin Laden must be laughing his SSA off.

Someone Please Unscrew Our Country

I am a humorist, and as such I am charged with the task of filling my allotted space on these pages with words that bring joy and laughter, an obligation I usually meet with ease. However, my chosen topic this month is such a grave and somber subject I was at a loss as to how to add levity. So, in an attempt to make it funny I’ve slipped in dirty words.

But because this is a family-friendly publication, I’ve written the offensive words in all capital letters and…in code (a code only a dyslexic can read). Statistically only 4% of my readers are dyslexic, and realistically you probably are not reading this anyway, but if you are I offer a sincere apology for my coarse language.

By the time you read this column, the outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election will have been determined; however at the time of its creation (September) things appear up for grabs. Today I neither endorse nor denounce either candidate, but rather reflect on the past eight years under George W. Bush; an Administration that, in my humble opinion, has created more TIHS than Ex-Lax. The country is in the toilet and I can’t wait to see this DRUT of a President swirl out of sight.

As W’s term thankfully comes to a

close I now know how the Pharaoh must have felt watching Moses depart. The “Ten Plagues of Egypt” pale in comparison to the calamities our country has suffered since the effects will last far longer.

The “waters of the Nile turning to blood” or the “Egyptian storm” would be easier for me to witness than the waters of Katrina turning New Orleans into a sea of corpses. I am still haunted by the disturbing images of needless death and destruction accompanied by the phrase “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job!” What the KCUF? I’d certainly rather endure “frogs, gnats, flies, and locusts” than the (President approved) torture of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. This is not the American Way; this is TIHSLLUB!

I suspect any of the Americans that had their house foreclosed (on the average of one every ten seconds) or the three and a half million already homeless might prefer “darkness” or even “hail.” As would the multitudes that will lose their jobs due to the collapse of America’s banking industry. W never even saw it coming.

How could he have his head so far up his SSA? The “disease in Egyptian livestock”

4, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov./Dec.2008

is a small malady compared to the wounds the Bush Administration’s environmental policies have inflicted upon the entire planet. They broke the Kyoto Protocol to limit greenhouse gases responsible for global warming and blocked Clinton’s drinking water safeguards. W’s ironically named Clear Skies Initiative allowed more pollution than before.

On a local level, two weeks after 9/11, W’s appointed EPA chief, Christie Whitman, declared air near the site to be "safe." Ensuing illness and death among Ground Zero workers and later tests proved otherwise. U.S. District Judge, Deborah Batts, concluded Whitman's "deliberate and misleading" statements rose to the level of "shocking the conscience." In other words, she is an evil lying HCTIB.

“Boils” do not do near the damage that improvised exploding devises do; just ask any of the over 30,000 US military returning home maimed and injured. And the over 8,000 parents that lost a child in a war we were misled to believe was necessary can surely relate to the plague of the “death of the firstborn.” Recently the Pentagon, after surveying 600,000 official Iraqi documents captured by U.S. forces, was forced to officially conclude that there is "no smoking gun" establishing any connection be-

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Of course, some of the above may be mere speculation on my part. But, if you want facts on how much this country has changed in the last eight years, I can provide them.

FACT: Gas prices rose from an average of $1.72 per gallon when Clinton left office to $4.11; while oil company’s profits hit record highs. Vice President Cheney, the sneaky ELOHSSA, formed a secret backroom energy commission task force composed of oil, gas, and electric utility executives; thus Bush threatened to veto the 2007 energy bill because of provisions that would close tax loopholes for big oil companies. The funds would have gone to spur investments in renewable energy.

The clean energy tax package was dropped due to his opposition. The Bush Administration lobbied hard to pass a House energy bill that would undermine states' ability to reduce urban smog. The bill also exempted oil companies from clean up costs for drinking water contamination from fuel additive MTBE (an actual additive, not a dirty word). While corporate coffers grow Mother Earth is getting gang raped to the chant of “Drill, baby drill!”

FACT: Although claiming to follow the conservative’s policy of small government, no President has spent more.

Just look at the National Debt and deficit (The National Debt is the total amount of money owed by the government; the federal budget deficit is the yearly amount by which spending exceeds revenue).

First, let’s look at the federal budget.

FACT: Bush turned a surplus of $559 billion to a deficit of $482 billion; that’s a difference of 1,041 billion dollars, in other words, W overspent 713 million

dollars each and every day he was in office! We hear the word “billion” so often we fail to grasp how much the amount truly is. Let me help: A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

Abillion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion days ago no one walked on two feet on earth.

And under the Bush Administration’s budget: A billion dollars is spent every three hours.

Holy TIHS! As shocking as those numbers are they are small potatoes compared to the National Debt.

FACT: Under Bush the National Debt went from $5.7 trillion to $10.2 trillion. So, what is a trillion dollars?

Atrillion dollars = $1,000,000,000,000. That's 12 zeroes to the left of the decimal point. A trillion is a million million dollars.

If you laid one dollar bills end to end, you could make a chain that stretches from earth to the moon and back again 200 times before you ran out of dollar bills!

One trillion dollars would stretch nearly from the earth to the sun.

It would take a military jet flying at the speed of sound, reeling out a roll of dollar bills behind it, 14 years before it reeled out one trillion dollar bills.

Regardless of your opinion on the Iraq War, you must admit $3 trillion dollars is an absurdly high price to pay. With the population of Iraq at about 28 million, this works out to Uncle Sam spending $107,000.00 for each Iraqi.

More horrifying: each American’s share in this financial disaster comes to $10,000.00! Are you GNIKCUF kidding me?

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov./Dec. 2008

I’m out of space before I even mentioned the manipulations in Florida of the 2000 election, voter irregularities in Ohio in the 2004 election, loss of US reputation internationally, the trade deficit, US jobs sent overseas, treasonous exposure of a CIA agent by White House officials, Attorney General Gonzales firing US attorneys for political reasons, the loss of our civil liberties, the deplorable conditions for our veterans at Walter Reed, failure to cooperate with the 9/11 Commission, the dismal outlook for Medicare and Social Security, the failure of No Child Left Behind, the Dubai Ports deal, the Harriet Meyers nomination, Cheney shooting a 78 year old, “Mission Accomplished,” and the crimes of Enron, Halliburton, Blackwater, Jack Abramoff, Kyle Foggo, Duke Cunningham, Claude Allen, John Ashcroft, Tom Delay, Mark Foley, etc… Say what you will about W’s performance the past eight years, you must admit the TIHS-for-brains has been busy.

I usually try to close this column with a joke, but I can’t find anything funny about the fact: W stands for “worst.”

One final thought about the Connecticut Cowboy who promised so much and delivered so little: KCUF him and the Trojan horse he rode in on…

Spanky has twice been voted “Campus Comic Of The Year,” and once the “Campus Performer Of The Year.”

He is looking for friends at myspace.com/campuscomic. He is represented by Red Planet Productions (212514-5741).

If you were amused or bemused by the above, please write to: forgiveplease@hotmail.com The opinions of the author do not necessarily represent the opions of the staff of Campus Activities Magazine.

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com, 5

Andy Cobb & The Career Evolution From Second City

BY KELLY LEONARD

313 and teaches improv and writing at Second City Los Angeles. He's done a buttload of commercials. He currently plays a talking burrito visiting a bachelorette party in a Taco Bell radio campaign. He apologizes to the entire Hispanic community for his performance therein. Es muy xenófobo.

How did working for The Second City

PSA Director/Producer ANDY COBB began writing, directing, and performing video while performing on the Second City ETC. While working as an actor in commercials and television, his awardwinning politically-themed sketch videos have been seen over 4,000,000 times on the web. He has directed, written, performed in, and produced satirical pieces for groups like moveon.org, Current Television, Courage Campaign, Healthcare ForAmerica Now, andAmericans Against Escalation In Iraq. He has recently licensed much of his catalog for broadcast on wireless networks through shortbrain.tv. His pieces have been covered by MSNBC, Nightline, Newsweek, NPR, and The Situation Room, and on the web from New York Times to Perez Hilton. As an actor he has worked on various shows on ABC (My Wife and Kids), Fox (Family Guy), MTV (Nick Cannon's Wild & Out), and Current Television (original pieces). He has made appearances as himself on CNN and Fox News (yes, Fox News). He currently performs live in Los Angeles with The 6, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

get you interested in Political Satire, or was that always something you nerded out on?

It's something that I've always geeked out on. ("Geeking" is the preferred term, us nerds find "nerded" pejorative. So's you know). I kind of came to comedy through activism, I've always

been a part of left-y groups, antiwar protests, third parties, folks working to change the system from the outside.

(By the way, I'm not doing the third party thing this year. This year is different in a lot of ways. Love you Ralph Nader, but I'm voting for the black dude). I work on campaigns, I like working with advocacy groups, I like being part of the larger cultural dialogue around politics. Combined with my interest in theater, Second City was an exciting place to work. It's cool to be involved with places like SC that value your point of view rather than folks that are reeeeeaaally hoping you will just say the lines and not bring up where your passions lie. It's easy to forget that 99% of the entertainment industry does not give a shit about your politics or your point of view on the world. It's just not their thing, and that's OK. Turns out, if you're going to make people care about your opinion you have to make it genuinely funny and interesting. Audiences at Second City were a great nightly lesson about what people are willing to laugh at.

What do you think is unique about The Second City's perspective on Politics?

ANDY COBB www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Because the performers create their own material I think it's a place where you are generally lauded and rewarded for expressing a vibrant point of view in your work. That's very rare in our business. Most acting jobs aren't like that, you're expected to stick to a www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

script. If you are articulate in your POV and able to translate into something funny, that's a real plus for SC. I liked that a lot.

How would you like to see college students become more involved in the political scene?

I'm not going to lie, I don't think they all should. I think the ones who agree with my own views should be as active and vocal as possible, I would prefer if the ones who disagree found other hobbies. That's one of the fun things about being a partisan--I don't have to pretend that I want everybody to register to vote, for instance. It's not everybody's thing, and that's OK. There are plenty of college kids who are too busy drinking to be well-informed about politics. Personally, I think there can be a healthy balance between drinking and discussing politics--that actually sounds like a great night out to me--but if you're too busy playing quarters to figure out that Palin is a dummy with medieval views about women's rights, maybe you should stay home on November 4. Play some quarters.

With people like yourself producing more and more viral videos about Politicians, what impact has that had on this election?

I'd love to believe that it has had an effect. But probably not. It's cool that when you google "John McCain" our

video pops up--maybe that had an effect on some particularly suppleminded web surfer, but probably not most folks. You could have a lot more actual effect on politics by spending that time knocking on doors, organizing. But as far as cool, interesting, funny things that people are doing on the web, it's really a great time to be watching. There's so much cool shit that people are producing on the web I just can't believe it. Every day there's something blow-your-mind cool, or insightful, or fun to watch on the webtubes. A lot of that explosion of expression has been centered around politics, and this election. It gives me some hope for the world that there's this incredible technology that people are using to express themselves in new ways. Plus, we can watch those otters that hold hands anytime we want. It's a great time to be alive.

The SECOND CITY has joined Campus Activities Magazine as a partner to further help address the needs of student buyers in dealing with issues they face on their campuses. We are proud of this alliance with an organization which has given nearly 50 years to the American public, turning out some of the country’s most recognizable comedy artists. To learn more about The Second City, contact Fleming Artists at (734) 995-9066 or go to www.secondcity.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 7

Cheese? and I am going to give you a couple of excerpts from that here.

RANDOM THOUGHTS & OTHER MINDLESS DRIBBLE Change is Imminent.

How Will You Adapt?

The world has changed in the last few months. For better or worse we are faced with different ways to adapt.

This means your lives as programmers, artists and agents will change too. Schools will adapt to changes in the kinds of programs they buy for their students. Although many campuses have not seen budget constraints yet, past history proves there will be either cuts or consolidation of programs. For artists and agencies, it is now time to plan for how you can meet the needs of the schools.

There will probably be an added dimension and you have to be prepared to prove your show is of more value than that of your com-

petitor or colleague.

You would think as a publisher I would spend a lot of time reading, and that is true to a certain extent. Because I travel frequently, I have become addicted to audio books and I have been exposed to hundreds of great authors whose works I would have never have had time to read. But I do read the submissions from students, staff and perspective articles for both of our magazines. Still with all that said, how has that prepared me for a changing world?

I was actually getting a hair cut when the girl cutting my hair asked me what I thought about all the changes in the economy and the political system.As we got into a conversation, I realized that I had been so busy that I had not prepared at all.

Then she introduced me to a little book written by Dr. Spencer Johnson (co-author of The One Minute Manager). She told me it was a short read and the impact would take

8, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

less than an hour. As she talked with such enthusiasm, I thought to myself, “What the heck. I’ll give it a try.” Now I have done this many times before. Someone recommended a book, I bought it and it sat on the coffee table unread for years.

I stopped by Barnes & Noble on the way home and shelled out $20. I took it home and threw it on the table and there is stayed for a few days. Then one rainy afternoon, when there was nothing on television, I went over and picked it up. Who Moved My Cheese? was all of 95 pages and with big print and full-page illustrations. I sat down and started reading. An hour or so later, as I finished, I was amazed at the wisdom that was in this little book. Not only can you adapt the lessons here to your business but to every aspect of your personal life.

Kenneth Blanchard (Johnson’s co author of The One Minute Manager) wrote the foreword to Who Moved My

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

“However, as you watch what the four characters do, and realize both the mice and the Littlepeople represent parts of ourselves - the simple and the complex - you can see it would be to our advantage to do simple things that work when times change.

“Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for “Cheese” cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace or even an activity like jogging or golf.

“In the third section, A Discussion, people discuss what the story meant to them and how they are going to use it in their work and in their lives...

“Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it’s taken away, it can be traumatic.

“The “Maze” in the story represents where you spend time looking for what you want. It can be an organization you work in, the community you live in, or the relationships you have in your life.

“I tell the Cheese story that you (are about to) read in my talks around the world, and often hear later from people about what a difference it has made to them.

“Believe it or not, this little story has been credited with improving careers, marriages and lives!

“There are three sections in this book.

“In the first, A Gathering, former classmates talk at a class reunion about trying to deal with

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

“Everyone knows that not all change is good or even necessary. But in a world that is constantly changing, it is to our advantage to learn how to adapt and enjoy something better.”

What a glowing and true description of this book. the changes that are happening in their lives.

“The second section is The Story of Who Moved My Cheese?, which is the core of the book.

“In the story you will see that the two mice do better when they are faced with change because they keep things simple, while the two Littlepeople’s complex brains and human emotions complicate things. It is not that mice are smarter. We all know people are more intelligent than mice.

This is one book that I highly recommend to both the readers of Campus Activities Magazine® and American Entertainment Magazine. I think it will open your eyes and give you insight. You might identify with the two mice, “Sniff” and “Scurry” or the Littlepeople, “Hem” and “Haw” who were small as mice but acted a lot like people you know today.

There is a lesson to be learned and maybe in a way, the mice were smarter.

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 9

AGENCY PROFILE we think will move other people.”

An unprecedented dedication to educating student members of the campus activities market keeps Auburn Moon constantly involved in supplying educational sessions and material for students through conferences and other consistent contact with students. “The commitment we have towards education I don’t always see among agencies. There certainly are a lot of other agents working hard to help, but I don’t see it as a norm and the more people involved the better off we are.”

According to Nancy the mantra of “A student is a student is a student” is certainly a false notion. “Certainly the students have changed over the years in terms of the level of excitement they have for doing this. Their enthusiasm for this has altered, especially in the last couple of years with the domination of this modern technology which connects us more, but makes us less connected.”

It is true that no one seems to pick up the phone anymore, opting for the flurry of emails we all swat away daily

“Our motivating factor is to represent acts that move us and that we think will move other people.”

T

he Auburn Moon Agency is a staple of campus activities and one of the most familiar groups in the market. Prolific at both conferences and within the pages Campus Activities Magazine®, artists on the roster of Auburn Moon consistently deliver the highest caliber of entertainment for student audiences.

The agency became known predominantly as a music provider in its early incarnations and while their music roster is still as strong as it’s ever been, a unique blend of comedy, lecture and

special events make Auburn Moon’s roster extremely well rounded.

Nancy Oeswein, Auburn Moon’s CEO (that’s Chief Entertainment Officer) has the most insight into the agency as its founder. “I think there is something that really defines us more than the specific types of artists we represent.

We are now very diverse; while we certainly did get our start being known as a music agency, we now book just as many dates in comedy and quite a bit in lecture. Special events have always been a part of our roster as well, espe-

10, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

cially with The Great College Drive-In Movie. But, what defines us much more than the types of artists we represent is the passion that we have for this business.”

There are a lot of different reasons people get involved in the entertainment industry and as we all know not all of them are scrupulous. One thing that is for sure is that everyone at Auburn Moon is deeply dedicated and passionately excited about what they do. “Our motivating factor is to represent acts that move us and that www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Just speaking with Nancy lets one know immediately that she doesn’t view the time she takes out with students to help educate them about the college market as a chore, but much more of a delight.

“Every day the I so truly embrace opportunity to teach students and I get so excited when we get to work with a student on their very first show.”

At Auburn Moon, the staff has a special bit of first-hand perspective when it comes to the student board members they work with. “Every one of us at this agency from our business manager to every agent here started as a student booking talent at their schools. We were all a part of that and we try not to lose sight of what that feels like for the students.” www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

like dozens of flies. “I feel like we have to work harder to have a real impact on students lives, but we still have that impact. The thought of being a positively influential force on a student’s first entertainment production experience is a real driving force for us here.”

It all began with Nancy 14 years ago, long after she had entered, become tired of and left the corporate world and had been in the campus market for a few years. “I had worked for another agency for a couple of years before I started our agency and was even an artist as an opera singer and singer/songwriter years before then, so I had some perspective on the business. I was convinced by a friend to give the business a try and about six

weeks in I realized that I had found my calling (laughs). Unfortunately the things that were important to my boss at the agency weren’t necessarily what was important to me, so I decided to move on.”

Two and a half years later the infamous Jeff Hyman, (the man now in charge of most all of Auburn Moon’s college market business), joined the team. “Jeff has been with me for eleven years now and he has definitely helped to define this company and helped us to grow in unique ways. He has been as much a part in building this company as I have.”

One thing is clear, the vision and practice of those at this unique and contemporary agency are both admirable and practical, offering entertainment that will blow audiences away, and sometimes even do a little more. “It was important to me from day one (and kind of even in the defining of who we were) that what we should be about was sharing art that moved us and other people; believing in the power of art to change lives. To lift people up, to bring people together, to create a sense of community, to make people think.”

BOOK IT! For more information on the Auburn Moon Agency and their artists, contact them at (800) 566-6653. For virtual links, including complete rosters and digital media of Auburn Moon’s artists, check out our website at www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 11

SUNY Delhi is one branch of the State University of New York school system.

Located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, it trains an undergraduate population of just under 3,000 in a variety of technological and other fields from automotive and carpentry to culinary, healthcare, computer technologies and an especially popular hospitality sector. “The college itself has gradually been adding additional four-year bachelor’s degree programs

for about the past ten years or so,” says Marty Greenfield, director of student activities and college union at Delhi. “With that has come continued growth and incredible expansion enrollment-wise.”

In fact, Delhi has actually been the fastest growing student body of all the State University Of New York satellites, with this year’s enrollment being a record high. Of those students, an im-

12, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

pressively high percentage of them are involved in campus life and student activities. In fact, based on student surveys given on campus, as many as 70% of students at Delhi regularly participate in some form of event hosted by the Student Programming Board.

“Every year, they do a SUNY-wide student opinion survey and this past year, 71% of students identified themselves as being as least moderately involved with student activities on campus.” www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

In addition to attending events held for recreation, the students at SUNY also seem to be very actively involved with the community as a whole. “73% of students reported that they had done some kind of organized community service through our O’Connor Center for Community Service.”

The O'Connor Center for Community Service helps to match students and various other entities on campus such www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

as clubs and classes with opportunities to donate time and care to local nonprofit agencies and organizations. The center has become a hub for local organizations that are in need of assistance and the staff at the center also further eases the logistical burdens of service by arranging for transportation and giving parties involved feedback on completed aid projects. In the same poll that showed such high turnouts for service, students were also noted to

have rated opportunities for community service at SUNY Delhi and opportunities for personal involvement in campus activities very highly.

For a relatively small campus, Delhi has an extremely active schedule. “I would say we do about 200 programs per year,” Marty says, qualifying with ‘that includes the programs the residence hall associations do as well.”

Marty says that tally includes events running

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE,13

the gamut from major events drawing crowds over 1,000 to affairs on a slightly more modest scale. “Some of those programs may be small in-house residence hall programs that draw 4 or 5 people as well as our big concerts and events.”

Most of Delhi’s programming focuses on evenings and weekends, but they have recently forayed into some daytime programming. “Actually this past semester we started to do some noontime programming, its something that we hadn’t really done before. We did some experimenting last year because we weren’t getting the big draws for any of our coffeehouse style programs in the evening. We found out hosting some of these acts in the daytime right in the lobby of our student union (Farrell Hall) has really paid some dividends in terms of making programming available to some of our commuter students who wouldn’t normally get to attend evening programming. Also, you can include all of the people who may not have gone out of their way to come see a singer in the evening, but was caught by a performer while on their way through the area and stayed to enjoy the performance.”

As is the norm at seemingly practically every college nowadays across the country, comedy is king at Delhi, but students enjoy a variety of other entertainment as well. “We do most of our comedy shows on Sunday nights and usually have standing room only in our little theater, which holds about 400.

Sunday just tends to be a kind of downtime for a lot of folks around here and they are looking for something to do. It works well for us and we found out after experimenting with different nights that Sunday just seems to be right for comedy night.”

While comedy may be the consistently most popular, music thrives at Delhi as well. “The music scene on campus I’m pleased to say is growing. We are doing more dates with both bands and individual performers.”

Most contemporary genres seem to do well.

Movie nights are a hit nearly everywhere as well. “Movies are pretty big here, we have movies just about every weekend, unless we have something else specifically conflicting with them.”

Sometimes the fun can even go off-campus. “Through our campus intramurals program (which is run out of the student

activities office) we do off-campus trips and activities like roller skating, bowling, a Broadway trip every year and we try to get down (NYC) to a baseball game as well. We really try to provide a wide range of programming opportunities in the hopes that we can hit everyone here that pays a student activities fee in their tuition and hope they take advantage of it.”

The budget for Delhi’s activities are mainly funded through the built-in activities fees in tuitions, but sometimes on larger events the board will attach a small fee to public tickets to help recoup some of their budget. “Like all SUNY schools, our students pay a student activity fee. We rarely charge our students for anything beyond that unless it is a major show. Basically, everyone has prepaid with their student activity fee and we always intend for them to get the very most they can out of that money.”

Since many students may not even realize where that portion of their money is going, the school does its best to make sure to spread the word. “When we do workshops at the beginning of the year, we really encourage students to exploit their students activity fee and get as much as they can out of it. Go check out a program. If you don’t like it, don’t stay, but at least give it a chance since you technically helped pay for it.”

Delhi sports a pretty diverse student population both ethnically and culturally and they make a specific effort to expose all of their students to new cultures and ideas. “We try and focus on diversity. We have a program that is in its fourth year now called The Freshmen Four. This program has an academic linkage to our freshmen seminar classes. They are a series of programs where we try to deal with freshmen adjustment issues, whether it is relationships, diversity, disability awareness or for example this year we did a lot with voter registration and election awareness. It changes every year and we want to hit as diverse an audience is possible. That is what’s great about comedy. Everyone loves to laugh and our comedy audiences tend to be very diverse.”

When it comes to the marketing and promotion of shows, Marty is an old school guy, preferring hard copy media such as poster and flyer advertising to most digital media.

But, SPB at Delhi utilizes a variety of other strategies as well. “I’m big on flyers and

14, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

posters and tacking notices on doors, but before every weekend on Friday morning we have been sending out an email blast through the presidents office which lists all of the things to do in the area over the coming weekend. Also, if there is a special program, we will send out its own email blast.” Promotions through dining services seem to be effective as well and, Marty says you can never underestimate word-of-mouth.

An especially exciting bit of news for SUNY Delhi has to be both bitter and sweet. The student union they currently occupy, Farrell Hall, was built in 1964 and has served its campus well for nearly half a century but will be evacuated in December to be torn down.

In its place, a $21 million modern Mecca for students on downtime will be erected. “We have actually been working on the project now for five or six years and come the end of this semester, Farrell Hall will officially close. The closer it gets, the more terrified I am becoming. To see it come all the way from the planning stages it seems surreal to actually be happening now.

“The architects met with student focus groups, myself and other faculty and administrators as soon as they were hired and it’s really exciting, because the architectural firm has really captured the essence of what we attempted to verbalize to them. The building is just amazing (looking at the plans) and will be state of the art. Apparently Farrell Hall was state of the art when it was built in 1964, but now 40 years later it is no longer adequate for our needs. It is really exciting to see the project come to fruition and look exactly like we hoped, even though we didn’t know exactly what we were hoping for.”

SUNY Delhi is as an active and exciting campus for a student interested in making the most of their experience on campus as any other out there. With a diverse population and programming schedule, an active and involved student population and state of the art facilities on the way, this is one exciting place to catch a show.

For more information on the Student Programming Board at SUNY Delhi, contact Marty Greenfield at (607) 746-4568. For more Campus Activities Live!, hit the archives at www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

When I received an e-mail from the band We The Living asking if I was interested in having them play in my residence hall, my first thought was, “Wow, this is random.” How had they come across my name and contact information? They even mentioned where I had gone to graduate school – apparently they had played there before. Why did they choose to contact me?And what kind of name is “We The Living?” But hey, checking out the music on their MySpace page would bring a welcome distraction during my long workday.

I soon found myself playing the songs over and over in my office. Students and staff dropped in and stayed for a while to listen to one song, and another one, and then maybe listen to the first one again. I decided it was time to read the e-mail more closely and find out what this band was all about. It sounded too good to be true. The band was affordable; they’d bring their own equipment – really I wouldn’t have to do much for this event and what students wouldn’t love a concert in the basement of their own residence hall?

Seven months later, I’ve hosted two We The Living concerts in my community and am planning a third one for the spring semester.

I’ve also found out that the name We The Living is based on an Ayn Rand novel. Lead

singer John Paul Roney explained that he had read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, which really moved him, so he started looking through the titles of her other novels to find a name for the band. We The Living fit the best.

These Ayn Rand novels also go along with what the band wants to stand for, that everyone should have a philosophy for life.

But how did this band manage to win over my staff and me so quickly, turn us into committed We The Living fans and become our favorite group to work with for programs?

First, there is, of course, their music. Their melodic rock songs will remind you of Coldplay, Lifehouse and OneRepublic. Whether it is “Best Laid Plans,” the song praised on PerezHilton.com last spring, another hit from their debut album Heights of the Heavens or one of their new songs, the catchy melodies with heartfelt lyrics soon find you humming – and in my case dancing – along. We The Living’s songs tap into your emotions. John Paul explained how, when he gets emotional, there is almost like an overload in his brain; he then tries to remove himself from the situation and thinks about it, trying to find a way to explain it, often coming up with a metaphor for the situation. Once he has this metaphor or imagery, once he can see the picture, the rest

16, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

just happens.And when seeing the band perform live, you can’t miss the guys’ dedication to their music, the love and joy they feel for performing. And let’s be honest, John Paul and his soothing voice, guitarist Matt Holmen with his rock star moves, drummer Benjamin Schaefer sporting his v-neck shirts and bassist and fashion expert JasperAustin may leave quite a few broken hearts behind.

But seriously, the members of We The Living know how to win over their audience.

I’m not sure if it was their music, their stage presence or their eagerness to connect with our students after the performance, but they were able to build up a dedicated fan base very quickly. At the end of the concert, John Paul emphasized how much the band members wanted to meet the audience. And trust me, the audience wanted to meet them. While selling their CD, tshirts and hoodies, the foursome answered questions, told funny stories from the road, signed autographs and took pictures with students. In the days after the concert, the buzz about We The Living filled our hallways – even my Housekeeping staff heard about them and was curious to find out more.

And my “educator’s heart” swelled with excite-

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

ment, when John Paul explained to the eagerly listening audience how the opportunity to download music has transformed the music industry and made it more challenging for new artists to reach potential fans. If my students just paid as much attention to the things I try to tell them as they did to what John Paul had to say! I even overheard some of them talking about how they would no longer illegally download music.

In addition to educating my students about the music industry, We The Living has shown great interest in supporting different charities.

In a brief conversation after our concert, Matt emphasized how much he would like to expand on their work with charities. Matt said that “people often feel like they can’t make a difference or they have to make a gigantic difference, but if everyone just takes one small step, it helps.” Being on tour, the band gets to meet lots of people every day and Matt wants to empower these people to make a difference, no matter what it is. We The Living has worked with Invisible Children, an organization that raises awareness about the situation of night commuters and child soldiers in Uganda. John Paul explained that the band did not want to insert their opinion into others; they realize that as musicians, people may listen to them, but that doesn’t make their opinion more important. The band was looking to

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

give back to the world – realizing that “you can’t wait for some day” – and the Invisible Children movement really resonated with them. “It’s not political,” John Paul said, “These children deserve this.” The band even flew out to San Diego to meet with the central leadership of Invisible Children and learn more about how they could help.

As the person booking the band, I appreciated their professionalism when working with me as well as their flexibility and understanding when it came to difficulties with having contracts approved in a timely manner – oh the joys of working at a public institution! They stayed in touch with me via e-mail prior to the performance, showed up early, were willing to work with whatever space we were able to provide and set up their equipment as well as cleaned up after the concert. If just all programs were this easy!

We The Living is currently on a national college tour with Civalias, the project brainchild of Adam Stidham. The melodic sounds of Civalias, which resembleAqualung, Coldplay and Radiohead, get the audience ready and excited for We The Living taking the stage. Initially, We The Living booked college gigs to fill up their evenings between playing other venues. But soon, as John Paul explained, they

realized that, “when you make the most out of the unique things that happen on a college campus, it can be a great venue to play.” In the age of YouTube, people can sit at home and watch the best shows online; the only reason to go to a show is if you already know the band and want that “live” experience. On college campuses, We The Living, found that a lot more people were willing to give them a chance and listen to their music. Shows give students an excuse to leave their room – and hey, it’s for free, so why not go?

“It’s the best way to get in front of the audience,” John Paul explained.

Being on the road has been a great experience for the band members. Jasper has found touring to be a combination of two things he loves, music and traveling. “It’s like being on a constant road trip,” Jasper said.

For Matt, a highlight of being on tour is the different people he gets to meet every day. He added, “I love my job.”

To invite We The Living to your campus, contact the band at booking@wetheliving.com.

Maybe you too will soon become a member of the We The Living Fan Club.

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 17

According to Wikipedia, The Scythians or Scyths were an Iranian-speaking people of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity.

Much of the surviving information about the Scyths comes from the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 440 BC) in his Histories, and archaeologically from the exquisite gold work found in

Scythian burial mounds in Ukraine and Southern Russia.

The name "Scythian" has also been used to refer to various peoples seen as similar to the Scythians, or who lived anywhere in a vast area covering present-day Ukraine, Russia and Central Asia — known until medieval times as Scythia.

Nowadays, this historic group of people may be a distant memory, but their moniker carries on and is familiar to an entirely new generation of peopleand certainly not in just the Eastern European regions of the Scythian’s origins. No, American college students are now seeing that Scythian is one of the freshest, hottest and most unique up-and-coming bands in the campus market.

As a whole greater than the sum of it’s individual parts, Scythian is made up from an eclectic, yet kindred, group of classically trained and highly skilled musicians. At the heart of this project is Oleksander Fedoryka (known now simply as “Alex”) who tells the story of Scythian first-hand. Upon the initial question of exactly how to define what Scythian is, Alex at first hesitantly fumfers. “What we like to say is umm… it’s... a little bit hard to define it exactly, really because the music incorporates a lot of different genres. I think if you try to put it into one solid whole, it would be something like an immigrant gypsy spirited style with a lot of roots influences. It is Americana, Eastern European, Middle Eastern – really music from all parts and times of the world, including a lot of music that is at the root of many of the cultures.”

The members of Scythian feel especially connected to what some may consider “World” music, as 1st generation native-born Americans themselves. “We are all immigrants’ sons of

18, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 19

the first generation. All of our parents are from different countries and I think we carry that with us, although we definitely infuse that with Rock n’ Roll and a lot of the influences we were raised with in The States. It is really a melting pot of music from all over the world so in that sense it’s pretty hard for me to pigeon-hole it into one neatly descriptive phrase for your readers (laughs).”

were able to get eight festivals in our first year and then blew up to 25 in our second. When that happened, it changed the dynamic quite a bit. The band was able to hit the road and be exposed to a lot more people.”

A snowballing effect naturally occurs

and positive exposure garnered by festival dates turned into venue dates down the line in those same areas.

“We are able to come back to those regions and do venues and, we have been able to start playing college shows as the word spread and more and more people heard of us.”

The band now does fewer pubs and along with the 30 festival dates, expects for a majority of their shows to be in the college market and venues. “If the trend continues, we’d love to play festivals and colleges and universities exclusively, in addition to some European touring.”

Scythian is full of hard core, street wise and street tested musicians who are not only classically trained with some jaw-dropping pedigrees, but also have the real-world experience in winning over public crowds in what has to be the most intimidating and unsympathetic realm for any entertainer: the city streets. “My brother and I started out as just street musicians, never really thinking this was going to be anything besides us just getting together and having fun on the sidewalk.”

The music of Scythian is raw and in your face. It gets people up and dancing and doesn’t concern itself with pretension or showing off. It is energetic, primal and infectious.

Surely the people who originally held the band’s name would hold it up with great admiration.

Scythian commenced in 2005 and in that time, they have made impressive progress. “I guess in one way, for us the last few years has seemed like a very long time. We understand in reality that it is a relatively short period of time for the success we have enjoyed out there.”

With a solid center of Alex and Dan Fedoryka installed, Scythian took its next step toward its current incarnation with the enlistment of Josef Crosby (Joe), another fiddle player. “Our parents were best friends before we were even born and we knew each other our whole lives,” Alex says. “He moved into our house when he was coming out of college and he was looking for something to do; he didn’t even have a job yet. He noticed Dan and I going down the street, open up our

Perhaps the reason for this period seeming so long is the fact that the band crammed so much experience into that time frame. “We’ve done about 600 shows together, which is probably why it seems so long in one sense. But, all in all the feedback has been great and we are having a blast. We did about 30 festivals last year, so it’s been pretty exciting.”

Scythian’s 600 shows have been split out over an ever-evolving list of venues and markets. “The places and people we play for have kind of changed over the years. Obviously when you first start out, you do the hard work establishing your name and honing the act in local bars and pubs. The first year for us was a sort of gelling process, mostly in Irish pubs. A lot of our music started out as being very Irish centered and based anyway, so that was a natural fit. Over the years I feel like we have evolved a bit to bringing in the gypsy and European elements into the mix.”

Later on, the group hooked up with Mike Ounallah, Scythian’s drummer and the only member of the group to be trained in jazz as opposed to classical instruction. “By that time people were inviting us over for dinner parties and other things and we realized we might actually be able to make something serious work. Mike came in (believe it or not as our seventh drummer)! We were like Spinal Tap our first year and had horrible luck. Once we found Mike though, we knew this band had just come together. We really took off once he came on board.”

Street performing embedded the con-

summate performer’s mentality into the DNA of Scythian, lending them an exciting action-packed show, an audience-minded performance, interaction and obviously, some great danceable original and delightfully ethnic music. Despite producing great things for them now, these things didn’t come easy. “Man, it’s pretty scary when you’re out there and you’re like, ‘Okay, if I don’t do something good and grab someone’s attention, I’m going home hungry!’ It’s one of those urgent things in life and you have to learn like sink or swim.

‘Hook the crowd or suffer!’ (Laughs).”

Street performing and really all live performing bring a passion to the music for Scythian that goes far beyond the average avid interest.

“Sometimes there is a great pressure in music, most especially if you are formally trained. You must hit each and every note exactly where, when and how it needs to be hit. There is no room to breathe, no life. The pressure can be so great growing up with the focus being so much on the excellence of the performance that it loses its fun and its meaning.

“When we get out there in front of a live crowd, all of that falls away; its not important anymore and loses its meaning. What’s important is focusing on the people you are playing for. It’s kind of the most basic lesson and the core point of music itself; it’s making people move their feet, clap their hands, put a smile on their face and forget about their troubles. It doesn’t matter if you hit any one note or not because that’s not what people remember when they walk away. It’s not what makes them give you a dollar, buy a ticket, or book you for an event. It’s about the experience and we have worked long and hard to be able to give that to people in spades.”

BOOK IT! For more information on bringing Scythian’s music and experience to your campus, contact Sophie K. Entertainment at (877)-664-8559.

For virtual links, log on to www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Once the band had worked out a solid live set and made something of a name locally, they started getting shows in the festival scene. “We 20, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

cases and starting to play. We all of a sudden had $150 to $200 a couple of hours later. He decided to get in on it. It was all a riot. We were friends getting together, playing and having fun, making some money and then going out on the town. It was very freeing and we loved it.

It was a fun way to connect with people without having to really feel like we were ‘performing.’ It taught us to be loose, flowing and spontaneous; to grab someone out of the audience and do something silly, to interact. We wanted to make our show a very interactive thing; otherwise, people just walked on. I think that was a big part of how we formed what is now the spirit of this band.”

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 21

Jay Black has come a long way in making a name for himself in comedy. Named Campus Activities Magazine’s 2008 Reader’s Choice Award winner for Best Comedian of the Year, he has gone from teaching high school to a successful career in stand-up in an impressively short period of time.

“I spent seven and a half years teaching school but went into comedy because it was a life long dream,” he says. He also admits that being overcome with one of man’s baser instincts nudged him over the precipice of taking the leap onto a stage. “One day, I met a girl who I thought was super hot,” he says. “I wanted to impress her, but I am not really all that good at sports and I’m not that good looking (laughs). One thing that I thought I had was some talent, so I went to an open mic night with her. Six years later, I am a full-time comedian and she is my wife.”

22, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE,23

Jay is in his third year playing dates in the college market and only his second year as a full-time professional comedian. “I think January will mark my two-year anniversary and I am almost shocked at my progress.” Jay says one such shock came with his award from the reader’s of this publication this past spring. “I couldn’t be more proud about that award, it was excellent.”

Jay has had some success in the television world since then and says his ability to show proof of his support in the college market based on an award voted on by campus buyers has been an immense help. “Since the award this past spring, I got to be a regular on the TV show Extra as one of their pop culture commentators, which is exciting.” Jay made his debut on Showtime and has followed that up with appearances on Fox Business Channel and A&E as well.

As a writer, Jay has spent the last few years as one of Hollywood's most sought after screenwriters, working on several feature films. “I was hired to do a page one rewrite of a screenplay which will hopefully be produced by 2009 or 10.” It is the aspiration of many entertainers to crossover into other dimensions of their talents and Jay is no exception. “It was very cool. It was always sort of my dream to be involved in the movie business in some way and being able to do fulltime comedy freed that possibility up. I will definitely say that winning the award from this magazine doesn’t hurt in Hollywood man. When you say ‘College Comedian of The Year’ people pay attention.”

Jay is obviously a talented guy, but doesn’t seem to ride the wave of ego many of our brightest stars tend to get swept up in (at least not in our interview). He is modest and humble and has no illusions about the real catalysts for his success. “In all sincerity, I owe all of this to being able to perform in the college market. Besides stage credits getting me in doors, there would be no way I could take the time to fly out to L.A. and do the work I do if I was still teaching.”

Not just any old writer (ahem) can break into writing Hollywood screenplays; it takes a special ability to be funny and entertaining to make a story come to life. Fortunately, Jay possesses this ability. “Do the skills I’ve developed on stage during stand-up affect my writing ability? Absolutely. In a lot of ways, I think if you are trapped in some room isolated it is hard to tell whether something is funny or not. When you get out in the club or college in front of a crowd, they will let you know exactly who’s funny or not (laughs). ” Every comic has a thread. It makes the rope they use to tie everyone together. Strung through ideas of insight and wit, the adept comedian is able to make audiences of any age feel like best friends- if only for a few minutes. “Without sounding too cheesy, I think my comedy is relatable because it is about being a human being and going

through what every human goes through. I have a wife. College kids (or I should say students rather) may not have wives or husbands, but they almost all have certainly been through some sort of relationship or another. They have certainly felt the frustration that comes along with those situations as well.”

comedians (especially comedians who look like me), don't get groupies. The hardest part isn't the performance or the students- that’s what’s fun.

And it isn't even the travel. It's being away from my wife and son. I can't wait until he's old enough to start opening for me, then I can bring them both on the road with me!

Let’s also not forget one of the most disarming and time-honored forms of humor, good old selfdeprecating wit. “I do a lot of joking about myself and my own insecurities and what a geek I am.

I think everyone at some point in their lives felt insecurities about the way they look or how people perceive them. I think those are the things that can connect us and we can all laugh at.”

Q: Dear Jay, I'd like to get into stand-up.

What should I do?

-James, WNEC

One thing that makes Jay’s show different from most comics student buyers may run across is his experience with students as a teacher and his still-remaining eagerness to connect with as many of those students (and audiences) as possible. Far from the performer who drops his mic and walks off stage the second his last joke is finished, Jay is fast becoming known for his often extensive Q&Asessions with audiences after the show is over. “This Q&A thing that I do has become a very popular part of the show. I didn’t really think it was that unique when I started doing it but then we kept getting calls with all these glowing reviews for this section of the show. It actually has become a sort of selling point for the show in itself. At each college show I do, I let the students know about 15 minutes before my set is over that I will be taking questions if they want to think of one. At the end, I let ‘em at me. They can ask me anything they want; about my life, stand-up comedy or whatever else pops into their heads. I’ll stay there for as long as they are willing to ask questions.

If you are determined to be a comedian though, I'll tell you this: get out on stage right now. Most colleges have an open mic night (if yours doesn't, talk to your student activities board about starting one), so there's no reason why you can't start performing this very week. Write three to five minutes of stuff you find funny, then give it a try.

Don't worry if you don't get laughs your first few times, just keep getting back up there (a comic should be drawn to the stage like Paris Hilton is drawn to TMZ cameras). When you feel ready, contact the closest comedy club and give it a try there. Presto: you're a comedian!

In honor of the success both Jay and students have reported for their after-show Q&Asessions, Campus Activities Magazine® is announcing a new periodical section within the print and online editions of the publication. Now, comedian Jay Black is available to answer your questions. It can be anything from the serious or mundane to the zany and wacky. Go on, make it interesting, we dare you.

See the end of this section for the how and where. Keep an eye on the website for new Q&A updates. Maybe your question will even be placed in one of our printed issues.

Q: Dear Jay, what's the hardest part about performing at all those colleges?

-Rocky, Millersville A: The hundreds upon hundreds of groupies. It's like, ‘Ladies, I know I'm handsome, but you can't break into my hotel room to try and steal my socks!’ That's stepping over the line.

If you haven't guessed, I'm joking. Apparently

24, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

A: You should get a degree in accounting and then go be an accountant. They make good money and can pay to go to a comedy club and get to be home every night!

Q: Jay, if you could live on any Star Wars planet, which one would you live on and why?

-John, Dominican A: This is actually harder to answer than you think, because Star Wars planets tend to pick a theme and then stick to it. For instance, Hoth is all ice, all the time (kind of like Wisconsin). So even if you like the cold (which I do) you have to worry about whether or not you'd want to live in it forever. The same is true for Tatooine (desert), Endor (forest), Dagobah (swamp, creepy Dark Side caves), and Coruscant (city). In an ideal world, I'd have a Millennium Falcon so I could go from planet to planet, but that's not your question.

Gun to head, I'd say Coruscant, only because it seems like that's the only place in the Star Wars universe where you'd be able to get a) Cable and b) Taco Bell.

If you have a question for Jay, go to campusactivitiesmagazine.com and scroll to the bottom of the home page. Just under the login field click “FEEDBACK.” Fill out the appropriate fields and we’ll be sure Jay answers your question in either an upcoming print or online edition of “Q&A with Jay.” Feel free to shoot us any other note you’d like us to see as well, we’re always willing to take suggestions!

BOOK IT! For more information on bringing comedian Jay Black to your campus, contact Rob Jockel at Cutting Edge Entertainment at (860) 693-9116. For virtual links log on to our website at www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Divercity is a three-woman theatrical comedy experience about life, love, politics and social issues.

Performed by Latina, Sara Conteras; African-American, Meshelle (simply Meshelle); and the American born but English raised Jewess Sherry Davey, the show is an unwww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

likely and diverse combination of three friends who approach the topics of their differences and commonalities in a hilarious one-of-akind performance.

“It’s a kind of unprecedented piece with nothing like it before,” says

Meshelle. “It’s a theatre show that is laced with political, social and racial undertones. It’s all done in good humor and right out in the open – we put it right out there. We are three totally different women but we share so many things.”

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 25

G

etting past the aesthetics and obvious cultural differences, these three gals actually have quite a lot in common. “If you saw the three of us alone you would have never placed us being together at the same place in the same time, just by virtue of our business.” All three of these lovely ladies are full time professional stand-up comedians.

Working in television, film, theaters and clubs, they all knew full well the chances of working with two other female comics were less than uncommon; they were all together rare.

“Comedy is a male-dominated genre and, generally when women are cast into a role, it is the only slot they need that ‘type’ of comic for.” So, the chances of seeing three professional women stand-up comics (especially of such varying pedigrees and backgrounds) are pretty slim.

on it, giving voice to more than just one racial, ethnic, or religious group.

I think that gives us a sense of openness and authenticity that hasn’t been seen in this type of project before. We strip down the stereotypes the minute we step on stage; we poke fun at them and at ourselves.

It’s a great way to get a dialogue started with an audience.”

Sherry says that while Divercity is about music and comedy in an entertainment experience, there is something more to it as well. “We not only want to entertain people, but when au-

dience members leave, we want them to think ‘Wow! Why don’t we see more of this positive diversity in our society and how can we attain that?’ We’re really hoping to make people think and laugh at the same time.”

While many buyers may at first think something like Divercity might be too risky because of its obviously controversial subject matter, Meshelle says this is a due consideration they’ve taken under advisement well ahead of time. “We have a version of our show that we do in a college environment.

While we are breaking down stereo-

Meshelle explains the utmost attention is paid to propriety. “This isn’t Def Jam,” she quips. “It’s just three funny women from three vastly different perspectives having a dialogue about culture.”

“America’s campuses have to shift with everything that is happening demographically within this country. We want to celebrate the fact that in a

This show is the kind of performance that makes one feel right at home.

With three widely relatable and utterly amiable characters on stage, the audience gets to laugh about the very things they relate to most. “It’s basically an opportunity to talk on stage about the things people talk about across the kitchen table, in the boardroom or on a college campus. It’s the discussion that’s happening between student and teacher, mothers and fathers, and parents and children. It’s a great opportunity to finally have that dialogue in a comedic way and with music, improv stand-up and sketch comedy all rolled into one great show.”

too, but the smorgasbord that has become our lives. There is a buffet of all kinds of people, ethnic, racial, social, etc. and together they make for a great dining experience. It would be the same when you look at Divercity in a campus setting. If everyone in that setting had the same frame of reference or point of view or the same exact experience in life, then the ability for that group to achieve the best they can or reach the highest heights in that setting is pretty limited. There is nothing new coming in, nothing fresh or unexpected. We can bring that to any group.”

types, we are not attacking anyone, just shedding light on some of the ridiculous social tendencies we all seem to possess at one time or another, whether with intent or inadvertently. Very often, that is something that students want to explore and need to explore. I mean, diversity in general is such a hot topic among most modern students today, so we are hoping this show can be a bridge for that and start a dialogue for campuses and their students.”

school setting we should appreciate not so much the ‘melting pot’ syndrome, which we don’t really subscribe

BOOK IT! For more information on bringing Divercity to your next meeting or event, contact Craig Neier Associates at (973) 227-8787. For virtual links, log on to our website at www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Race and racism are ever-present topics of conversation among countless circles with our culture and is it not a good idea to present fresh and new ways to break the ice on these subjects without swaying too far either on the side of the offensive or preachy? This is the show that can bridge that gap. “This is the only show I know of out there that explores racist culture in America through comedy,” Sherry says.

“There are very few people willing to go there and we do it in a very funny manner. And, it does so with the filters of several different points of view 26, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 27

A

s you enter into an unfamiliar dining hall, your eyes scanning the room, you sense a familiarity but you can’t quite put your finger on its source. It’s not the food, or the layout, the smells or the décor- though they are not terribly unique to be sure. Your eyes scan the room again and a realization creeps in- the people. It’s not the faces or the clothes or the chatter- but their groups that have triggered your feelings. They have separated themselves, maybe unintentionally, into groups of those of the same race, ethnicities, and cliques. A sports team at one table, international students at another, what appears to be a group of sorority girls, the “geeks,” the freshman? You feel a twinge of guilt as lectures about stereotyping echo in your ears- but it is undeniable and you know without a doubt that you have seen this before, time and time again in dining halls, restaurants, cafés, and even stadiums across the country.

What you are noticing is not the result of your prejudices, but a phenomenon called Self-Segregation.

Generally speaking, however, people gravitate toward those who share similar physical characteristics, values, beliefs, and interestsand why wouldn’t they? It is far easier to carry on conversation and feel accepted in group of people who like the same things. Not to mention that fact that you don’t have to worry as much about being “politically correct” (an idea that I fear

may be doing more harm than good, but that is a different article).

For those of us who can recall times in our lives when we have entered into a situation knowing very few people- a new school, a summer camp, college- if we are truly honest we will attest to the fact that our first inclination is to judge people by their appearances in an effort to find those who appear to be similar to ourselves and then we gravitate toward them. If you’re denying ever having done this- think harder, after all its human nature.

These initial decisions about who you may be most likely to get along with are based on stereotypes and, despite what you may have heard from some “diversity experts,” stereotypes are not bad. They are first impressions based on generalizations of people based on past experiencesand they really are a great time saver!

Before you stop reading give me a chance to explain this supposedly controversial assertion.

Stereotypes are a necessary way of grouping the vast amount of information that we take in everyday into manageable thoughts, ideas and opinions about just about everything.

We don’t have time to approach everything and everyone that we meet with a completely open mind.

We must use past experiences to determine what we perceive to be the best possible interpretation of a thing

28, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

or situation so that we can interact.

My point is we have to make assumptions about people. The problems arise when our assumptions are wrong or based on prejudicial ideas.

A major flaw of many diversity programs is that they focus on trying to teach you not to assume things about others rather than teaching you to question and evaluate your assumptions and their bias. As well as failing to remind you that there are always gray areas.

I realize that I am probably explaining things to you that on some level you already know- and may have been trying to suppress for fear of being a bigot. I hope I have begun to quell those fears. Alas, we can’t stop here or I would just be the guy who told you it was ok to know what you already know rather than a diversity trainer. So you may be asking yourself, “If stereotypes are ok as long as they are accurate and not prejudicial, and self-segregation is human naturewhat are we supposed to change?”

I’m glad you asked! Human nature is all well and good but self-segregation is not and I have yet to meet anyone, myself included that has absolutely no prejudices and never makes assumptions based on false beliefs. If that were true we’d never have to date, one look at someone would reveal whether or not they were our soul mate (wouldn’t that be nice).

sume that we have more in common with someone than we do-stupid hormones. On the contrary, when we choose friends many of us fail to move beyond those who appear to share our same interests and fail to recognize that though someone may look very different from ourselves they may very well share a great deal in common with us. To that end, we need to learn to push aside our human nature and explore the values, interests, and beliefs of people who look different from ourselves.

Even if we find that we have little in common, we may discover new interest, views and beliefs.

Diversity is not something that merely exists; it is not something that can be taught. Diversity is something that must be experienced. We don’t all have to try to be the same, we don’t have to love everyone, but we do have to be willing to explore our own beliefs, learn from others, move outside of our comfort zones, and develop more accurate stereotypes.

Matt Glowacki teaches us to constantly reassess who we are, who we want to be, what we can do, what we believe, and what others can teach us. He has been speaking for over a decade to thousands of people nation wide.

In the college market he is the number one most booked diversity speaker of 2008! You can learn more about Matt, his programs, and his ideas at www.MattGlowacki.com.

BOOK IT! To book Matt contact Brooke at Coleman Productions (704)-896-9494 Brooke@ColemanProductions.com

When it comes to dating we often aswww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 29

It was just over ten years ago now that Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten to death outside of a small town in Wyoming. A little bit longer since James Byrd Jr. was dragged to death behind a pick-up truck in west Texas and, in April of 1999, 12 high school students lost their lives in the horror of the Columbine Massacre.

It was after mourning these tragic events and using them as a basis that then Hollywood casting director Brent Scarpo was moved to create a film and subsequently a presentation to go along with it designed to break the cycle of hate that engulfs our country (and really our entire species).

A little over ten years ago, Brent found himself in the position of being a pretty successful casting di-

rector. Working on such significant films as Matilda, Air Force One, That Thing You Do! and The Shawshank Redemption. “I loved casting, but I knew eventually I would want to produce and direct a film of my own that would make a difference in the world.

I have been an actor, director, producer and a writer and now I take all of those attributes and put them into my speaking.”

Brent recalls the memory that may not have seemed too significant at the time, but would become the catalyst for the next ten years of his life.

“I was looking at the poster of the Shawshank Redemption on my wall, this was around 1995. On that poster it says ‘Fear will hold you prisoner, hope will set you free.’ What I have discovered through

30, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

working on campuses for the last ten years is that there is a lot of fear.

Fears of this issue called hate. Students know there is intolerance, high school students even know it as bullying.”

Brent created the film Journey To A Hate Free Millennium in the hopes that the issue of hate could be addressed.

And, while the tragic events of Columbine, James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard’s respective deaths were the vehicle for Brent’s story, the real object behind it is about dispelling and dissolving hatred. “What I’ve proven through the

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Journey to A Hate Free Millennium program is that we bring a lot of hope.”

Brent draws from not only the events Journey focuses on, but also his immense experience and talents he developed in the entertainment industry before becoming a live presenter. “I tell my audiences about the last film I worked on, Matilda, which ties perfectly into the message of my program. The film is about Matilda (played by Mara Wilson), a little girl who was born different from everyone else because she has magical powers. Everyone hates her,

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

from her own family to the rest of the world, which she explores trying to find unconditional love, until she meets Ms. Honey. Being the last film that I cast, I look back on the experience of working on that film and really see it as a foreshadowing of the work I do today. When I decided to transition out of Hollywood and produce and direct my own film, it was in 1998. I worked with a few different people and we decided to do a documentary on hate.”

The goal was to determine and focus on what the filmmaker’s considered the predominant issue facing a society entering a new millennium. “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the number one crisis and issue that we will have to address in the next century?’ For whatever rea-

son, we thought it was hate. Call it intolerance, call it bullying, call it war; whatever the case may be, that was our gut feeling.”

In 1998, Brent didn’t know how right they were. “We started producing and directing the film in ’98 and knew we wanted three stories. The first one we found was that of James Byrd, Jr., the African-American man who was chained behind a pickup truck in Jasper, Texas and dragged over three and a half miles to his death. He was killed only because he was African-American.”

This shocking story received nationwide attention and unsettled all of those who heard it. “Shortly after that, Matthew Shepard was killed.

This past Sunday (October 12, 2008) was the ten-year commemoration of

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 31

Matthew Shepard’s death. Matthew was the young gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming who attended Wyoming State University and was sadly brought by two young men to a fence in the middle of nowhere and beaten 18 times with the butt of a gun, which crushed his brain stem.”

A bicyclist found Matthew’s brutalized remains three days later. “He thought it was a scarecrow tied to a fence but shockingly found upon further inspection that it was a human being.”

In these two narratives of atrocity Brent and his associates had found a basis for what could become a powerfully moving documentary based on the horrible repercussions of the hate in our world. “Those two stories were those that we really thought should be a part of this, so myself and my pro-

The resulting documentary was Journey To A Hate Free Millennium. The premier of the film commemorated the first anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death and was held to a warm reception at Colorado State University. Submitting the film for the Oscars, the filmmakers hoped to promote the stories within to an even higher degree but

Brent now teaches students to let life tell you where you need to go but at the time, he didn’t have the benefit of that particular bit of experience to aid him.

Eventually the film made an impression among the wider college market. “Colleges started calling to rent the film.

Because it is an emotional film, I wouldn’t rent it alone, I felt it really needed processing and a solid background presentation.” Brent made going out to personally present the film at each of its showings a mission. It was at this point that he found a new voice in himself and a new passion for his work. “That’s when I found out that I had the potential to really become an amazing speaker. I started speaking literally a month before we had the pre-

“The film was on NBC, Stockard Channing played the role of Judy Shepard and actually won an Emmy that year for the role. That was a really proud moment for me to see this little documentary actually become the impetus for a major television movie of the week, while at the same time shedding so much light on this important topic.” ducer Mark Bedogne started working on the film.”

The aspiring film makers moved from California to Denver to be in a more centralized location for working with the families of these tragedies, who were all willing to work with Brent for the greater good. “What’s interesting is that I have the exclusive rights to all three of these stories, all of the families gave me permission to talk about them.

I worked with Judy Shepard and James Byrd Jr.’s family extensively.”

unfortunately it was cut just at the final round of nominations. “Had we not been cut at the end we would have

By February of 1999, Brent had moved to Denver and was making significant progress on the development of the first two stories, however the producers found themselves in a quandary; they felt the correct format for the film would be to involve three stories instead of just the two. They didn’t have a third to fea32, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

great reaction that Brent’s follow-up project The Matthew Shepard Story was co-produced by NBC and Goldie Hawn’s production company. “That’s when I knew this was a big thing,” Brent admits. “The film was on NBC, Stockard Channing played the role of Judy Shepard and actually won an Emmy that year for the role. That was a really proud moment for me to see this little documentary actually become the impetus for a major television movie of the week, while at the same time shedding so much light on this important topic.”

been nominated, so I was a little distraught and didn’t know what was supposed to happen next.”

ture, until sickeningly their ‘luck’ changed with the events of April 1999 when Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris stunned the nation at Columbine High School. “In April of 1999, sadly the third story found me.

My still photographer who lived in Littleton, Colorado called me and said I should turn on the news. That’s when we realized these two boys had gunned down 12 students and a coach. So, all of a sudden I literally found myself in the middle of the city where the third story was taking place.”

that this is what my life would look like right now. It has been 10 years to the date and I’m still speaking. It has been my passion. I look at the last ten years now and ponder; where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going? My whole goal has been to look at this issue of hate, tolerance and bullying and figure out what the solutions we have to create are going to be.

I have always said hate is going to de-

stroy this world; what are we going to do about it?” Ironically, it was shortly less than two years later when the ultimate amendment of hate was appended to the history of the world on September 11 of 2001.

In the past ten years, Brent has enjoyed a great ride through the college market and looks forward to the next ten as well. Journey garnered such a

Brent has been an activist and leader in times of darkness and violence in our country since his foray into the topic 10 years ago. He flew to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 2006 to speak with bereft families of victims after Charles Carl Roberts IV, a heavily armed and dangerously disgruntled truck driver barricaded himself in a oneroom Amish schoolhouse standoff, which would eventually leave five young girls and the perpetrator dead. “I actu-

THE MOST POPULAR AND REQUESTED SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION PROGRAM IN THE COLLEGE MARKET!

mier in October of 1999 and since then my life has changed dramatically.

Back then; I could never have guessed

A

C AT H A R S I S

P R O D U C T I O N S

P R E S E N TAT I O N

V

SEXSIGNALS

THE REAL LIFE FUNNY SORT-OF-IMPROV SHOW ABOUT SEX AND STUFF As presented to over 1500 audiences at over 400 colleges and universities, SEXSIGNALS blends a unique, provocative combination of humor, improvisation, and facilitated dialogue to explore the challenges of dating, sex, and consent on college campuses today.

Parents of James Byrd, Jr. www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

A R E

Y O U

G E T T I N G

T H E

S I G N A L ?

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N O N S E X S I G N A LS , C O N TA C T : CATHARSIS PRODUCTIONS T: 312-243-0022 W: www.catharsisproductions.com E: info@catharsisproductions.com TO B O O K S E X S I G N A LS , C O N TA C T : BASS-SCHULER ENTERTAINMENT T: 773-481-2600 W: www.bass-schuler.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

November/December 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 33

Brent is ready and willing to present his topic at your next important campus gathering. Hate and intolerance are issues that everyone has to deal with, but anyone can also be better equipped to do so. Bring in insight, compassion, understanding and knowledge that will rub off on your students and hopefully help change the way some people think.

BOOK IT! For more information on bringing Brent Scarpo and Journey To A Hate Free Millennium to your campus, contact Brooke at Coleman Productions at (866) 328-3762. For virtual links, log on to our website at www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com 34, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, November/December 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

INDIVIDUALPERFORMANCE BOX SCORES L I V E

PROMO

“For ten years I have been speaking at colleges so an event such as electing an african-american to the presidency would happen and I am so amazed at what we did as nation. Meanwhile, PROP 8 still allows GLBT NOT to get married or enjoy the rights and freedoms that most people do in our country. Living in CA, we are having demonstrations, riots and is still the last frontier for this country, which is why I continue to speak with the film so that ALL people enjoy the freedoms that this country has to offer.”

If you want to know how good an act might be that you plan on booking, just ask another campus where they have played. Here are reports from our readers on recent playdates. No report may be submitted older than ninety (90) days at the time of our deadline for the issue. If you would like to report on a performance, complete a form on our website at campusactivitiesmagazine.com, use a form in this issue or request one at (803) 712-1429. Forms can easily be submitted online, by mail or fax. All forms online must have complete verifiable information. Mailed and fax forms must be signed. Agents and/or acts have the right to respond to negative reports. No reports will be accepted from agencies. All reports must be submitted by the school where the date was played.

AGENCY COOPERATION

Brent says he has been able to engage a goal that has been truly satisfying. “For me, it is about getting to as many people as possible with this issue. It has been an amazing ten years. I have been to all 50 U.S. states not once, but twice. I’ve been to 10 countries. I have presented my program to over 1 million people throughout the world. For the first three years I did this, I used to put pins in a U.S. map to track where I had been. Eventually they wouldn’t fit anymore. It has been a truly rewarding process.

THE RATING SYSTEM: 5= EXCELLENT 4= VERY GOOD 3= AVERAGE 2= FAIR 1= POOR

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

Brent says the only way through the tunnel is through communication, earnest dialogues and understanding diversity. “It is really about how well we can communicate with each other. We need to understand the meaning of diversity, the meaning of truly accepting people no matter how they are born.”

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

Brent feels things have really come full circle after ten years. The kind of hate people saw at Columbine has now grown from a high school epidemic into one that has crept its icy claws in to grip the heart of the college world. “We have seen a huge rise in shootings at college and universities. VT, Louisiana Tech just last year, St John’s University and the Chicago Vocational Career Academy shootings are all what I am afraid may be foreshadowing for the future. I said at NACA Central that there is a new epidemic that started at Virginia Tech and now every student has to be worried about shootings at their

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

schools just like we were worried about shootings in every high school ten years ago after Columbine.”

ARTIST'S ABILITY

Another shockingly ironic coincidence was Brent giving his presentation to a full room of rapt students around the beginning of April of 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia. It would only be about two weeks later when a madman in the form of Seung-Hui Cho stormed the campus of Virginia Tech, leaving a wake of 32 dead and many more wounded. “I was there and it was so surreal. I was doing not only the Journey To A Hate Free Millennium program but also another program I present called Why Do You

Hate Me? Sadly, Seung-Hui Cho was not in the audience, I would have remembered him.”

ORIGINALITY

ally pulled over two Amish farmers after their children had been murdered by that truck driver and asked them how they were doing and how they were handling this terrible situation.”

N O V E L T Y

ADAM BLAI GP Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

5

4

4

5

5

-

-

Glenville State College, Glenville, WV Kip Colvin, 10/17/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Chris Chelko and Mike Dubois were outstanding. We hope to have them at Bay Path again in the future.

5

5

5

5

-

5

-

They came in early to do a teaser and did not leave until they talked to everyone in the dining center.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

2

4

5

5

-

-

1

4

4

5

4

4

5

5

ADAM PATE Modern Arts and Music

THE ADULT CIRCUS GP Entertainment

Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA Brianna Consolmagno, 10/17/08 Dean College, Franklin, MA Jen Bathwell, 10/18/08

Culinary Institute Of America, Hyde Park, NY Peter Eraca, 10/21/08

SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, NY Alice Sonrensen, 10/24/08

CHRIS MOON, GHOST HUNTER GP Entertainment

Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ Tiffany Kushner, 10/27/08

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Chris Moon was very easy to work with and most students enjoyed the presentation.

Nov/Dec 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 35

Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI David Bone, 8/16/08 Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, KY Ebony Griggs-Griffin, 8/18/08 University Of Central AR, Conway, AR Lindsay Grifford, 8/19/08 Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Ashley Burroughs, 8/20/08

Sienna Heights University, Adrian MI Rachel Ruff Anderson, 8/21/08 Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH Katrice Carter, 8/23/08 University of Akron, Akron OH Tom Faessel, 8/29/08

5

-

5

5

4

4

4

5

5

4

5

Craig was great in the show and extremely easy to work with! I’d definitely use him again!

4

5

5

5

-

5

-

Great job!

4

5

5

5

-

5

5

He was excellent! Thank You!

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

Great job! It was a pleasure working with you!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Amazing showmanship; clear communicator, routine was similar to those who have seen it but presentation made it just remarkable as ever

4

5

5

5

-

5

5

Our students are still talking about your show a week later!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

He was so amazing!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

A one-of-a-kind performer. This was the largest crowd in the history of our 9:09 PM series - 1525 in attendance!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

4

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH Amy Att, 8/28/08 Michigan Tech, Houghton, MI Katie Russell, 8/28/08

Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT Kasima Brown, 9/6/08

Fantastic show!! Best of all great shows at Midd. Absolutely wonderful.

St. Ambrose University, IA Melissa McDonald, 9/12/08

Everyone really enjoyed the show and lover you, Craig. Thanks for everything!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Craig is great. He performed as part of our family weekend program and he was very well received.

4

5

5

5

5

5

4

(Everyone is stealing his act) Posters were slightly too big, but they looked great!! We love Craig at EWU.

3

5

5

5

5

5

5

His performance was highly entertaining and received an enthusiastic response from the audience. Good interaction, great stage presence.

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

Craig was excellent!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Great publicity! Great show!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Longwood University, Farmville, VA Susan Sullivan, 9/20/08

Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA Charles Zeller, 9/24/08 DePawn University, Greencastle, IN Lauren Weatherall, 9/26/08 Regis University, Denver, CO Dan E. Lan, 9/25/08 Univ of ME, Machias, ME Peder H. Mol, 9/27/08

WIN A FREE WEEKEND OF SHOWS JUST BY SUBMITTING ARTIST REPORTS ON ACTS Barton College, Wilson NC Ashley Lutterioh, 9/16/08 5 5 5 5 5 AT YOUR CAMPUS. GO TO CAMPUSACTIVITIESMAGAZINE.COM FOR DETAILS. 36, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

PROMO

Darmouth College, Hanover, NH Cory Cunningham, 7/25/08

5

AGENCY COOPERATION

CRAIG KARGES Karges Productions

5

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA Tara Anderson, 10/2/08

5

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

Christopher Carter Was Amazing! Everyone from alumni, parents and students enjoyed his show.

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

Denison University, Granville, OH Sarah Eichner, 9/30/08

ARTIST'S ABILITY

CHRISTOPHER CARTER Bass/Schuler Entertainment

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES I want to put Craig in my pocket and take him with me everywhere!

Extremely entertaining and personable!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Craig is great to work with and we were happy to have him at our school.

4

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Fantastic Show! The students loved it.

Stonehill College, North Easton, MA Jim Hermelbracht, 10/25/08

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

As always Craig provided a great evening event for our Family Weekend. I had not seen his show in a while, it never disappoints!

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

UT- Knoxville, Knoxville, TN Tyger Glauser, 10/27/08

One of the nicest people I’ve ever met, cared about one of my students, above and beyond. Packed auditorium, love to have back.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

4

4

5

5

4

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

-

-

4

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

5

5

5

Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA Alissa Cochenour, 10/4/08 Eastern KY University, Richmond, KY Dustin Carter, 10/9/08 California State University, Chico, CA Chad Disharoon, 10/22/08

Washington State University, Pullman, WA Melanie Burt, 10/24/08

ORIGINALITY

PROMO

AGENCY COOPERATION

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

ARTIST'S ABILITY

ORIGINALITY

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

DANIEL MARTIN Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Methodist University, Fayettville, NC Doris Jackson, 8/18/08 Aurora University, Aurora, IL Jabari Harrell, 8/26/08

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ Faby Reyes, 9/9/08 DAN LORNITIS The College Agency

Glenville State College, Glenville, WV Kipp Colvin, 8/28/08 FREDERICK WINTERS Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL Kellie Close, 8/16/08

Really enjoyed the performance- was a pleasure to work with.

Edgewood College, Madison, WI Erin Lewerenz, 8/23/08

University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL Dominique Annis, 8/27/08 St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI Kris Fliss, 8/29/08

He was so much fun to work with.

UMD, Duluth, MN Joe Acheson, 9/3/08

Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, CO Samantha Crandall, 9/8/08 Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA Tara Anderson, 9/11/08 Central College, Pella, IA Jill Wyckoff, 9/13/08

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Great show! People were always laughing! Can’t wait until next year!

Nov/Dec 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 37

5

-

5

5

Mr. Winters put on a great show. Students loved it and were talking about it everywhere I went for the next couple of days.

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

It was a very great performance.

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

Frederick far exceeds expectations. His committent for his work is evident by every moment he spends on stage. Truly in a class of his own.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Always great to work with Fred. We love him at MTI.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

4

4

5

5

5

5

-

5

-

This was a fantastic show! The most excitement I have seen on this campus!

Harley was great! Altered his show to meet our students! Stayed on an hour after the show to interact! Awesome!

Great show! I would definitely have him again.

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM Bruce Vandevender, 8/28/08

University of Southern MS, Haniesburg, MS Wynde Fitts, 8/18/08

5

5

JOSHUA SETH: COMEDY HYPNOTIST GP Entertainment

JUSTIN KREDIBLE GP Entertainment

5

5

DR. JIM WAND Wand Enterprises

MCLA, North Adams, MA Dan Summers, 10/27/08

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

-

-

Would have loved to have received more posters. Joshua was great to work with. Very professional and easy-going.

5

5

4

5

4

4

4

5th year here and can’t wait to book him for next year. Always a great event for orientation, one of our largest events every year.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Great show, better than expected.

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

Amazing! 2nd year with us and we want him back for 2009.

38, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 2008

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Guilford College, Greensboro, NC Andrew J Herz, 8/22/08 Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY Justin Roe, 8/26/08

Adelphi University, Garden City, NY Jennifer McCabe, 8/28/08

We love Justin Kredible! He’s coming back next year for the third year in a row!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Simply amazing.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Great show! Welcome back any time!

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

Amazing show he was good with the audience and left them in awe of all his tricks. Easy to work with, personable and professional.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

4

5

Will definitely have Justin back again. Great show.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Awesome show!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Justin Kredible was amazing... Awesome... He was just incredible! His show better than expected -magic skills and comedy perfect for cam-

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

4

5

5

-

-

Great show!! We really enjoyed having him at our campus.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Fantastic! We would love you to come back for you “senior” year!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Awesome! Want you back next year!!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Wasn’t what we expected because we weren’t sure what it was. It was better. Very funny!

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

Justin was great, he had a great relationship with the audience and got them involved.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Just Incredible! Great show! Audience loved it!!

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

They were great! We’ll certainly have them back.

5

5

5

5

-

-

-

Promo had excellent info, but was provided to us a bit late.

5

5

5

5

5

5

3

Monmouth Univ., West Long Branch, NJ Mike Patterson, 8/31/08 University of Akron, Akron, OH Paul Gargas, 9/10/08 NYU Poly, Brooklyn, NY Edward Roa, 9/12/08

Towson University, Towson, MD Ryan Grasso, 9/13/08 Thiel College, Greenville, PA Antonio Quarterman, 9/19/08

Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA Kristin DeLuca, 9/20/08

Justin’s show was fantastic. He grabbed the audience and had the the entire time. Looking forward to having him back in the future.

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC Noah Rawls, 9/22/08 SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY Suzanne Sharp, 9/26/08

Plymouth State, Plymouth, NH Amanda Parshley, 10/4/08 Tyler Jr. College, Tyler, TX Vincent Nguyen, 10/6/08

Adams State College, Alamosa, CO Jennifer Carter, 10/9/08 Maryville University, St. Louis, MO Paul Wray, 10/18/08

Springfield College, Springfield, MA Karen Friedlander, 10/24/08

LOUIS PAUL- “BALLOONS WITH ENCHANTMENT” Self Represented University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 10/8/08 NATE STANIFORTH Sophie K. Entertainment

University of WY, Laramie, WY Liz Atwood, 9/16/08

MARK MAVERICK- HYPNOTIST Self Represented Erie Community College- City, Buffalo, NY Mona Abdulla, 10/16/08

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

ORIGINALITY

PROMO

5

Glenville State College, Glenville, WV Kipp Colvin, 10/1/08

Albany College Pharmacy, Albany, NY Liz McGamy, 8/30/08

AGENCY COOPERATION

5

JASON BISHOP Everything But The Mime

Monmouth University, West Long Beach, NJ Heather Kelly, 9/1/08

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

5

HYPNODAN GP Entertainment

La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA Carolyn Lemongelli, 8/22/08

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

Frederick Winters is amazing! Works so well with students and mesmerized audience the entire time! Best entertainer I’ve worked with!

HARLEY NEWMAN GP Entertainment

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA Sarah Richardson, 9/6/08

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

5

Marian University, Fon du lac, WI Jasamine Bayatpow, 10/30/08

MacMurray College, Jacksonville, IL Corinne Wagner, 11/6/08

ARTIST'S ABILITY

5

PROMO

Mitchell Technical Institute, Mitchell, SD Julie Hart Schutte, 10/14/08

-

AGENCY COOPERATION

Mayville State University, Mayville, ND Darcie Ellerton, 10/6/08

5

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD Janessa Hayenga, 10/3/08

5

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

MSU Moorhead, Moorhead, MN Barbara Michel, 10/1/08

5

SUNY ESE, Syracuse, NY Leah Flynn, 8/20/08

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

University of Mary, Bismark, ND Katie Frantis, 9/30/08

5

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

ARTISTʼS ABILITY

University of IL, Urbana, IL Jessica Smith, 9/26/08

ORIGINALITY

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

Nov/Dec 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 39

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

AGENCY COOPERATION

-

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

5

ARTISTÕS ABILITY

5

It was fun and entertaining. Hopefully you guys come back next year.

4

4

4

5

4

4

4

I was very impressed by the positive energy of the staff and how they were able to engage almost if not every student!

4

4

5

5

5

4

1

Small crowd but great show! Students that were here has a great time.

4

4

4

4

4

4

3

University at Albany, Albany, NY Maria Sgartoda, 8/28/08

Very entertaining and according to the crowd those that attended has a great time. An excellent form of activity.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Vance-Granville CC, Henderson, NC GP, 10/22/08

Great job by Ralph!

3

4

3

4

3

3

3

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC Noah Rawls, 9/22/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC Noah Rawls, 9/22/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 10/6/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Kirkland CC, Roscommon, MI John Gave, 9/9/08

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

COUCH POTATOE GAME SHOW GP Entertainment Regis College, Weston, MA Magdala Jean Jules, 9/7/08

Newberry College, Newberry, SC Jennifer, 9/8/08 SANDS OF TIME GR8 Show

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 10/10/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

-

-

-

4

WAYNE HOFFMAN Hoffman Entertainment

Saint Martin’s University, Lacey, WA Jen Manley, 9/12/08

Unique program. The audience loved him.

University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL Dominique Anns, 9/16/08

Coll. Of St. Benedict & St. John’s U., St. Joseph, MN Michael Neutkens, 9/18/08

N O V E L T Y / G A M E S

5

5

5

5

-

-

4

4

5

5

-

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

3

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

CASH ATTACK Neon Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 10/10/08 CASINO NIGHT Admark, Inc.

University of WY, Laramie, WY Liz Atwood, 9/16/08 COSMIC 3-D MINI GOLF Bobby K Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 10/10/08

COYOTE ON CAMPUS- PHOTO KEY CHAINS AND POSTCARDS TO HOME Everything But The Mime University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 10/8/08

40, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 2008

CRANIUM CRAZE GAME SHOW GP Entertainment

DASH FOR DOLLARS GAME SHOW GP Entertainment

DIXIE TREND Dixie Trend Programs

GREAT COLLEGE DRIVE IN MOVIE Sun Technical Systems

EGO IMAGING, MEGAFLIX & FREAKY SNAPSHOTS Bass/Schuler Entertainment

BATTLE OF THE SEXES GAME SHOW GP Entertainment Post University, Waterbury, CT Allison, 9/7/08

Curry College, Milton, MA Allison Coutts, 9/5/08

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

5

4

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

-

-

-

-

5

-

-

-

EXTREME ARCADE Goodtime Activities Inc.

FAMILY FEUD GP Entertainment

ORIGINALITY

PROMO

AGENCY COOPERATION

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

-

5

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA Frank Bruno, 9/10/08

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC Noah Rawls, 9/22/08

University of St. Francis, Joliet IL Dominique Annis, 8/22/08

5

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

SALSA MAGIC The College Agency

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 10/10/08

5

ARTISTʼS ABILITY

PAUL RAMSAY Neon Entertainment

ORIGINALITY

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany, NY Liz McGarry, 10/4/08

We used this game show for family weekend and it was a fun new addition to the weekend. Larry and Ann Marie are amazing! Self-sufficient!

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

SUNYIT, Utica, NY Chris D., 10/28/08

We are going to be bringing them back I hope.

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

Big success! Artists were on time and the show was performed with excellence. Will definitely book again with GP.

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

FEAR: THE ULTIMATE GAME SHOW GP Entertainment

Fairleigh Dickinson, Teaneck, NJ Jessica Harris, 9/9/08

William Patterson University, Wayne, NJ Travis Robinson, 9/1/08

-

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Nov/Dec 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 41

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

AGENCY COOPERATION

PROMO

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

3

4

4

4

5

5

5

Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY Christina Nyman, 9/20/08

5

5

-

-

5

-

-

University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY Liz Atwood, 9/16/08

5

5

5

5

4

-

-

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

4

4

5

5

5

-

The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ Jessica Claar, 10/31/08

4

4

5

4

3

-

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 11/5/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY Christina Nyman, 9/20/08

Excellent- high energy- willing to help and explain the rules. Friendly, participants really enjoyed themselves.

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

Everything was great- Dexter was a delight to work with (please send again). Only problem, printer kept tearing up and lines backed up. Slow.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Keith was great! Very accommodating and worked well with students.

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

IRON MAN DRIVE IN MOVIE TJohnE Productions Inc.

LASER WARS Laser Wars, Inc.

LASER TAG Endeavor Entertainment 4

4

4

4

4

-

-

MOVIE MAKERS Kramer Entertainment 5

GENDER BLENDER GR8 Show

5

5

5

5

5

5

MUSIC VIDEO MANIA Neon Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

GRANT EDMONDS COMEDY VARIETY GAMESHOW! JOEY EDMONDS Presents A great performance for new student orientation!

Minot State University, Minot, ND Sarah Perry, 9/2/08

University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL Dominique Annis, 11/5/08 GREEN SCREEN PHOTOS Neon Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Amanda Cunningham, 11/10/08

4

4

4

4

4

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

4

4

5

4

5

-

-

-

5

5

5

5

-

-

-

4

HANDS OF WAX Goodtime Activities, Inc.

SE Community College, Beatrice, NE Carrie Puhalla, 10/8/08 Great job! Students are still talking about it.

42, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 2008

4

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

P E R F O R M I N G

ORIGINALITY

PROMO

5

Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA Brian Boenau, 8/29/08

Gaston College, Ernie Charter, 10/27/08

AGENCY COOPERATION

4

FRESHMAN CHALLENGE GAME SHOW GP Entertainment

George Fox University, Newberg, OR Jessie Saver, 8/31/08

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

4

Overall, very good. The students really enjoyed themselves.

University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY Liz Atwood, 9/16/08

University of Minnesota, Crookston, MN Lisa Samuelson, 8/22/08

5

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

FUN ON THE GO INFLATABLES Fun On The Go

5

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

North Country CC, Ticonderoga, NY Bella D., 10/27/08

5

5

HIGH ROLLER CASINO NIGHT GP Entertainment

Misericordia University, Dallas, PA Darcy Brodmerkel, 9/29/08

University Of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 10/8/08

East Georgia College, Swainsboro, GA Vicki Sherrod, 10/8/08

5

5

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

ARTISTʼS ABILITY

Tiffin University, Tiffin, OH Laura Green, 10/01/08

5

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

FUNNY T-SHIRTS & PICTURES TOO The Smith Agency

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA Bethany White, 9/18/08

ARTISTÕS ABILITY

THE FEUD GAME SHOW GP Entertainment

ORIGINALITY

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES

A R T S

BREAK! URBAN FUNK SPECTACULAR Love Productions

TRAVIS WATKINS & COLIN GILBERT- SLAM POETS Layman Lyric Productions

M

U

S

I

C

-

BLUE JUPITER The College Agency

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 11/5/08

CHINUA HAWK & CHRIS CAULEY PROJECT Auburn Moon Agency University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 11/5/08

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com

Nov/Dec 2008, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, 43

RELATIONSHIP TO AUDIENCE

COOPERATION/ATTITUDE

ROAD CREW/ MGMT

AGENCY COOPERATION

PROMO

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 11/5/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

University of Pittsburgh, Titusville, PA Stephanie Thomas, 10/16/08

4

4

5

5

4

4

4

Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH Shelly, 10/12/08

4

5

4

5

-

-

-

4

4

4

5

-

-

-

5

4

5

5

5

-

-

5

5

5

5

-

5

3

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Jessica Williams, 10/27/08

5

5

5

5

5

-

-

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 10/9/08

5

5

5

5

5

3

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

-

5

4

5

5

-

5

4

STEPANIAN Neon Entertainment

University of Akron, Akron, OH Steve Pagios, 11/5/08

C

O

M

E

D

ORIGINALITY

ARTISTÕS ABILITY

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BOX SCORES Y

BUZZ SUTHERLAND Quantum Talent

CHUCK MIGNANELLI GP Entertainment

DEREK HUGHES- COMEDY MAGICIAN The College Agency

East Carolina University, Greenville, NC Jacob Tidwell, 11/5/08 ERIK RIVERA Sophie K. Entertainment

Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY Jessica Williams, 10/27/08 JAY BLACK Cutting Edge Entertainment

Penn State Dubois, Dubois, PA Marly Greeley, 10/29/08 KELLY MACFARLAND Cutting Edge Entertainment

A favorite comedian of the students. Great to work with.

KYLE DUNNIGAN Sophie K. Entertainment

MICHAEL PALASCAK Bass/Schuler Entertainment

Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT Ginny-Beth Joiner, 10/8/08 Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN Angela Zemke, 10/14/08 St. Martin’s University, Lacey, WA Meaghan Carlson, 10/18/08

Michael was a great change of pace from the “cookie-cutter” comics that abound in the college market these days. Great on and off stage.

Michael was very nice. We had a great turnout and everyone really enjoyed the show. We would gladly have Michael back.

44, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 2008

www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com