Campus Activities LIVE! at Wake Forest University
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Girls Fight Back
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LOVE or CONTROL
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CEP The Evolution of An Agency
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The Wake Activities Board shares with us what works for them and most campuses their size.
An incredible program that will teach your students the signs of stalking and how to protect themselves.
Agent Gina Kirkland shares with students how to identify potential dangers and how to get help.
SPOKEN REASONS 24
This artist has a lot going for him from a successful performing career to a part in the new film THE HEAT. This Unique College Event Is Brought To You By Our Friends At Diversity Talent
From a profitable novelty company to taking on the cause of distracted and drunk driving.
IT’S ALL INSIDE
From the Publisher Real Life Laff Guru Artist Profile: Ron Placone
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Artist Report Cards 2013/14 Conferences Mark Toland: In Your Face 2014 AEP Conference
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RANDOM THOUGHTS & OTHER MINDLESS DRIBBLE Did You Ever Wonder Where A Particular Saying Came From?
Back in the 1500’s Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water. Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying,
"Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other drop-
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pings could mess up your nice clean bed.
Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.
PUBLISHER CONTINUES ON PAGE 17
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KEEP MOVING
BY ELAINE PASQUA
Studies are showing that Americans are becoming more sedentary - we are averaging 5,117 steps a day when we should be taking 10,000. When I was growing up, obesity was rare. On one hand I can name friends parents who were overweight. Between computers, smart devices and TV, we are moving less, gaining weight, and are experiencing an increase in weight-related ailments like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. From 1965 to 2009 people's sedentary time outside of work increased by 40 percent.
People can strive to exercise each day or even several days a week, but that is not enough. Those who sit for a living do not live as long as those who stand and move about. People who watch many hours of television experience a higher risk of death. That includes individuals who engage in seven hours of moderate to vigorous exercise a week. Marching during the commercials while viewing an hour and a half of television will add 2,000 steps to your day. (A sad commentary on how many commercials we are forced to watch!)
I remember a converstaion with a respectful athletic trainer before I presented to the athletes at U Mass Dartmouth. She said, "We were built to move - our bodies, joints and muscles function much better when we do." I was always athletic but as responsibilites pile on, it's not as easy to take time out to exercise.
So how do I keep moving? If people could see me at home they would think I am nuts! I am always making an effort to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. Squats are performed as I blow dry my hair and leg lifts while brushing my teeth or doing dishes. When I am working at my desk I force myself to stand and march in place every hour. I have an exercise ball and weights in my office and use a headset phone. While I am talking to people at different campuses I pick up the smaller weights to work on my arms. I also bounce on the exercise ball to
work on my thighs. I never walk up or down the steps, I always run.
Recently I had an appointment on the tenth floor of a building in Philadelphia. When leaving the office I saw a long line of people who were waiting for the elevator. I decided to walk down the steps, arriving on the ground floor the same time they did. As a bonus, the large windows in the stairwell provided at fantastic view of the city. As a frequent flyer I stand or walk laps around the boarding area of the airport, knowing that I will be sitting for awhile. While
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sitting isometrics are performed, isolating and tightening various muscles to build tone.
Incorporating movement into your daily routine will raise your metabolism, helping to control weigh and provide muscle tone. It will elevate your mental acuity by increasing the blood flow back to the brain and help you to secrete more endorphins, thus elevating your mood. Who doesn't want to look and feel better?
Be creative in the ways you incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Perhaps it could be as simple as parking further back in a parking lot, or not using a drive up window. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Run up the stairs! Walk across campus instead of taking the inner campus transport. It was discovered that even washing dishes or kneading bread by hand is benefical. Many gadets were created to make our lives simpler but they are actually creating a sendentary life style and we are getting out of shape! I recently met an 89 year old woman who was spry, radiant and as sharp as can be. Her secret? She never stops moving or working. This past year she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and filled a whole dumpster by herself! So keep moving! Your body and mind will be much healthier! An ounce of prevention can go a long way. Questions on college life? Email me at elaine@elainepasqua.com
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My Summer in the Middle East wealthy oilman repressing females? Or maybe my fears stem from the news reports of the frequent violent conflicts that proliferate in the region. For example, near the end of my tour I was briefly feeling more relaxed, then news broke of an increased terror threat that locked down the base I was on and closed embassies. Yikes!
on base because of the alcohol it contains, the only legal alcohol sold in the entire country. (Was also told they recently broke up a black market operation which was smuggling bacon and ham off the base since all pork products are illegal, and thus, coveted. Local restaurants had beef bacon on the menu which was basically just bacon-shaped beef.)
Even if the weather had been tolerable, I could not have relaxed because of all the dangerous creepy crawlies, such as the ginormous Camel Spider and the deadly Sand Viper (Google them) as well as big black scorpions that like to stay in cool dark places, such as our buildings and tents. Because these scorpions glow under ultraviolet light, the troops inspect their rooms with a UV flashlight before they go to sleep. This knowledge made relaxing even in bed impossible.
Even when I am home in the USA, I find it hard to relax around billionaires, or even millionaires for that matter (having always been a thousandaire myself). The Middle East has an abundant number of überrich and getting more each day. For example, in Qatar, the world’s richest country per capita, if you are a Qatari national the government distributes its oil and gas profits to you with a twenty-thousand dollar stipend every month. So a family of four is raking in eighty-grand a month for doing nothing! As a result, most of the common jobs are done by workers imported from India, the Philippines, and Ethiopia. These people are paid what we would consider slave wages, $250-$300 per month, but since that is ten times the amount they would earn back home they are thrilled to have the job, so much so they rarely report any abuse for fear of being deported. My flight on Ethiopian Airlines was filled with teenage girls being shipped to the Middle East to be maids. They were so fearful of the fate that awaited them many had thrown up before the flight even took off.
After my summer there I think I may know why there is so much regional discord: it is difficult to be pleasant to anyone when it is 140 degrees out! You did not read that wrong. The daily temperatures hit between 120° and 140°. Nighttime offers little relief since the heat index rises with the evening humidity. I did one outdoor show with a heat index of 136 degrees (without the stage lights) and that kind of hot can play tricks on your mind...I thought I saw Optimus Prime transform into a damn air conditioner!
By Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA Spanky)
I have just returned home from a summer in the Middle East, which is exactly what I suggest you do if you ever find yourself there that time of year. Before I continue, I want to state for the record I am casting no disparagements upon the cultures that populate that part of the world. What follows are not the words of a serious writer, like Salman Rushdie, but merely the offbeat observations of a professional buffoon who makes a living making offbeat observations. So please don’t anyone take offense and issue a fatwā on my head. Shokran jazeelan! (Thank you very much!)
The Middle East is a vast region and I covered a great deal of it; my Armed Forces Entertainment All Star Comedy Tour took me through thirteen different airports on nine different airlines to ten different countries, ruled by kings, emirs, presidents, and sultans. I have now performed in twenty-nine countries scattered around the world and can say with all honesty no other part of the planet has been as difficult to relax. Arriving in a crowded airport to find you are the only person wearing pants and a baseball cap, instead of an Arabic robe and headdress, is a little frightening. I was even unnerved by the women that are covered head to toe in a “burqa,” particularly the ones that did not have an open slit for the eyes, just a strip of semi-transparent cloth they peered through. Even Chuck Norris would be terrified to see them driving the car next to him. Perhaps my tension derived from growing up with the generally negative cultural portrayal in the western media. Can you name a recent movie that featured an Arab that was not either a terrorist or
If the heat and poisonous critters did not make things miserable enough, add the mix of strong winds and endless sand, creating sandstorms too severe to describe. Let’s just say that flashers have to describe themselves. So in fairness to the local people that live under such conditions, I can understand a little irritability.
Unfortunately, my trip coincided with the most irritable time of the year, the holy month of Ramadan, when from sunrise to sunset it is forbidden to eat, drink (even water), smoke, chew gum, hold hands with anyone, and to wear shorts or a shirt without sleeves covering your elbows. Think of how testy you would be in such oppressive heat knowing that taking a sip of water can get you a year in jail! In fact, the locals get so irritable, American base commanders restrict our troops from driving off base between 5:30 and 6:30 PM when there is rampant road rage after a full day of hunger, dehydration, and tobacco withdrawal. Even during normal conditions the driving is treacherous. I was told that because many locals have the funds or connections to fix traffic tickets, speed limits are generally disregarded, and I personally witnessed cars driving at speeds I estimate to exceed one-hundred-fifty miles per hour. So taking a relaxing drive is totally out of the question. Many Americans like to relax by taking the edge off with a frosty adult beverage, but most Muslims don’t have that option since alcohol is banned—not just during Ramadan—but eternally. Soldiers in Kuwait told me there is a black market for the Nyquil sold
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It was also difficult for me to relax in an Arabic toilet, which is fundamentally just a hole in the floor to squat over, and there is never any tissue, just a hose for clean up (which I guess is why they prefer robes to pants). One of the more shocking moments of my tour was when I was in the toilet of a Turkish Air jet, which, thankfully, had a seat, and pushed what I thought was the button to flush only to rudely discover I had activated the bidet. That will wake you up quicker than a double espresso!
I could fill a page with surprising observations about the local people I encountered (such as it appears the women are buying eyeliner by the pound and the language can best be described as sounding like Mama Cass' last words) however, in fairness to them, it is their culture with their rules and I was but a visitor. I am sure if they visited America they would be surprised to see a country where even the poor people are fat, and simpletons like me can make a living making offbeat observations. But say what you will about our country, it is a great place to relax...
Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA “Spanky”) has been described as a “campus entertainment icon.” He offers two great events at one low price, and has been voted “Campus Comic of the Year” (LaffGuru.com) and the “Campus Performer of the Year”. His credits include over 50 TV appearances, including: Showtime, Good Morning America, and The Late Show. He is represented by GP Entertainment.
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situated just northwest of the city of Winston-salem, north carolina, Wake Forest university is a small, private university originally founded in 1834 and was located in the town that bears it’s name. Wake Forest relocated to its present location in 1956. the school consists of a school of arts and science as well as a school of Business, and offers 40 majors and 57 minors.
student union at Wake Forest is the primary campus-wide programming board. Kathy arnett is the Director, who sits down with us to talk about the programs there, along with student leaders aubrey peterson, president, annie eggleston, vp of marketing, cameron Flayer, vp of membership, emily Biddle, vp of administration and Lucas swenson, vp of Finance, all of whom comprise the entirety of the executive Board of student union. cameron explains a little bit more about the size and structure of su. “the board in general has two advisors, Kathy being one and tiffany Hassler, the assistant Director. We have the five member exec board and additionally 12 programming chairs, who sit on the board. they are the ones who lead the committees and really plan all of our events.”
the committees are paired into six groups of two. “two programming board chairs are paired into six committees and each one has between 20-30 people. there are probably about 120 committee members involved in the su total. the committees include attractions, coffeehouse, Homecoming, Family Weekend, campus traditions, special events, Lectures, short courses, Films, springfest, tuesday trivia and social media.
With only about 7,500 students, 4,500 of which are undergrads, that is a pretty healthy level of participation for an activities board. “We plan over 200 programs a year,” cameron says, “and that’s happened since Kathy came on board about 10 years ago. prior to her arrival there were only between 50-60 events per year, but now there are so many more. there is a little bit of competition between program board chairs, we all want to plan as many events as possible and try to outdo each other (laughs).” unlike many universities, the budget for su is not solely derived from a student activities fee embedded in tuitions. “We get money from the university each year,” Lucas says. “We have a revenue level we must reach each year, if that makes sense. so, we get a certain allocation, but we also must generate a certain amount of revenue, which we do through ticketed events mostly. We also have the opportunity to apply on an event by event basis to the student activities Board, which does come from the fees included in tuitions.”
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Like most campuses, there are certain genres of entertainment that work better than others, and in all time slots throughout the week. “We have found a few genres that consistently work very well,” Annie says. “Late night programming and weekend programming always do well, and we maintain good attendance during weekly programming as well. We have Tuesday Trivia every week at 8PM, as well as weekly films shown on campus. Those are free for students and are always new releases, for example this weekend we had “The Hangover Part III.” So they are films that are current and interesting to the student population. We also have comedy clubs and open mic
actually have a Campus Traditions Chair, and she plans ‘Awake All Night’ which takes place once a semester, which is a night from 10PM-2AM in our student center and is filled to the brim with fun novelties, games and food, which are all free. That and our ‘Lighting Up The Quad’ in December are what we consider our campus traditions. As far as artists though, we don’t have anyone that is recurring. We have had some really great people that we have brought in the past that have gone on to great success, but generally we keep up a steady rotation rather than falling back on the same artists in consecutive years.” Artists may cringe at the thought of not having any possi-
the time we booked them but have gone on to great success, like Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Dave Matthews Band, etc. Last year we had a concert called ‘WAKEstock’ and it featured Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar, Natalie Stovall and Black Girls perform. We are really excited, in a couple of weeks we are bringing Brett Eldredge to campus, who is a rising country star. We booked him before he got big and now he has a number 1 hit on iTunes, which means we were able to grab him for a lot less of our budget than we would if we wanted to book the same show now. That’s a good feeling, and makes us look great to our administration, not only because it was a
nights, which tends to be very popular. We really have a broad range of programs that we do.”
bility of the coveted re-booking, but the SU likes to keep things fresh.
smart play, but because it will be very well attended, and the ticketed revenue compared to the amount invested will be a very good ratio.”
Many campuses seem to find a particular entertainer that works well, so they’ll have them back on an annual basis for a guaranteed hit. Not so at WFU. “We have campus traditions, we
One particular joy of working in the world of campus booking is the ability to say “We had them when...” WFU has it’s own share of feathers in their cap. “We have had some great people in the past that were not so famous at
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When it comes to what types of music work well, there’s a pretty even mix, but the board doesn’t attempt to force their own preferences onto the student popwww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
ulation, or turn it into a guessing game. “We try to send out student surveys at the beginning and end of the year to gauge what the population is interested in,” Emily says. “In years past we have had a lot of interest in hip-hop and country has been a growing area of interest. We try to avoid bringing in anything we know the campus isn’t buzzing about.” Having to derive revenue off of ticket sales makes catering to their market an important part of concert promotion, just as in the “real world.” Many of these events are open to the public, as having an audience of only 5,000 undergrads would make major concerts a fairly unsustainable model. “We tend to keep them strictly student based, unless it is someone really big that we know the public would be drawn to,” Aubrey says. “For instance last year we hosted Frank Warren of PostSecret fame. We know he has a very large cult following, so we opened that to the public. The ticket prices for the general audience is usually slightly increased over what student pay, just so they know it’s made to cater to them and they have first priority. They can get earlier sales and better seating as well.” Venue space, like on most campuses, can be a constant challenge when programming at WFU. “We don’t have a venue space large enough to accommodate our entire student body if we have to go inside,” Kathy says. “If we sell to the public, it’s going to be an outdoor show. We do have a coliseum, but it’s a bus trip away, not right on our campus. It’s also something that increases the overhead costs of putting on an event considerably.”
While they are limited in very large sized venues, WFU does have a variety of programming spaces for their other events where capacity is not such an issue. “We really try to utilize all of the venues that our campus offers,” Annie says. “We have two quads that we use for outdoor spaces, one is our lower quad, which has a really nice permanent stage already built in. We use that for our coffeehouse events, and we also have an indoor sports bar style place called Shorty's, which is a really great venue www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
for the indoor coffeehouse shows, late night open mics and Tuesday Trivia. There is a stage in there as well and it is always packed with students who are eating there anyway as part of their meal plan. We also have Wait Chapel, which seats 2300 people, which is our biggest indoor venue on campus, where we host some of our concerts like Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles and O.A.R. Davis Field and Manchester Plaza are our outdoor
concert venues and can accommodate up to 4000 guests. We also have a new space on campus called The Barn that is just three years old, which holds about 650 people. It is a very flexible space we have used as a comedy club, for away football game viewing parties and this year we are doing a Haunted Barn event, where our Film Chair will show a scary movie around Halloween.” WFu is a great example of a campus with a very sound business model and a wide range of events, teaching the students that are a part of its student union the skills they will need to plan and program professionally if that’s the career path they choose. For more information on WFu and su, contact Kathy arnett at arnettkc@wfu.edu or (336) 758-5228.
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There are many purposes for our system of student programming and campus activities, dollars that all students pay in their tuitions that are meant to entertain yes, but even more importantly, to enlighten. What’s really fortunate is when a program can do both and even still take it a step further. We’re talking about a program that can not only give your students something to do, but it can teach them what to do, and make your campus and surrounding community a safer place.
Girls Fight Back! was founded by Erin Weed in 2001, after she was inspired to take other women on the same journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment she had herself taken after the violent death of a close friend. “I had recently graduated college and was
living in New York City working as a television producer when I found out one of my best friends, Shannon McNamara who was two years younger than me and still in school, had been murdered in her campus apartment at Eastern Illinois University. Learning that for me, was almost like a ‘Matrix’ moment, where all of a sudden I realized that this ‘program’ I had been living in of a safe and secure world was just that, a program...an illusion. The real world is gritty and dark and scary and that is how I compare the change of my perspective in that moment, learning about the violence that can fall on any one of us. When I went home for the week of the funeral, I realized it wasn’t just me, everyone I knew was scared and very unnerved.”
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Erin started to process more and more what this fear was not only rooted in, but its greater effect on her life as well. “I started to wonder what that fear was holding me back from. I was hearing my friends saying ‘the worst part of my day is when I have to walk to my car in the parking lot, or leave my night class, or go to work at night.’ They didn’t want to live alone, or travel and I realized this fundamental fear of being murdered or raped or attacked is really holding us back in so many ways.”
So, Erin decided to do something about it. She began taking extensive self defense courses and training herself to master her fear and live the life she wanted unconfined by the worries of constant physical danger; not turning a blind eye to it or ignoring the dangers, www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
but by being prepared for the possibility of them. “At that time, it was something I was doing more for myself than anything else. I didn’t have any sort of grandiose plan, but I began to realize that if this was affecting me so deeply, it must be doing the same for women all over the country. I realized one of the best tributes that I could give to Shannon would be to become proactive in my own life and make sure the same thing never happened to me.” It wasn’t long before Erin realized that she could do more than just put her own mind at ease, she could make a real difference by spreading this message and teaching the techniques she had learned, not only in the basics of self defense, but in the attitude and confidence that came with knowing she was no www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
longer a shrinking violet or easy pushover to would-be attackers.
“Girls Fight Back! is a 90 minute seminar that is given at colleges across the nation,” she says. “We have been presenting it since 2001 and in that time have reached over a million people. It has been a really transformational time and experience in my life over the past 12 years, and has acted as my hope and healing.”
More than just delivering hope, it has been a way for millions of people to stake a claim on their own lives. “People have been able to claim their power, which is what I think the program is really all about. It’s not just self defense, or learning how to fight bad guys, it’s about owning your
power in so many different types of situations, whether that be physically, verbally or socially. It is about owning your own decisions and becoming a unique, independent and strong person in every facet of life. That’s really what Girls Fight Back! is and we’ve had a lot of success with it, and it has been a lot of fun.” There is a variation of the program called Students Fight Back!, which encompasses both men and women into one program, but the flagship program of GFB! is focused on the female population of your student body, a specific population that could have certain fears as they move onto or around campus and on their own, often for the first time.
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ERIN WEED
BREE SWARTZ
Gina Kirkland, of Kirkland Productions, motivated by some personal circumstances (check out Gina’s article on stalking in this issue), recently made the decision to acquire the GFB! franchise from Erin, who with two children and other projects commanding her attention, has decided it’s time to pass on the torch. “Girls Fight Back! is designed for women, and if you look statistically at addressing violence in our culture, violence against women is a very big issue,” Gina says. “That is not to say that men are not an important part of the answer; we do have men that come to the program and that works out great as well, but we are primarily speaking to the women on campus. Students Fight Back! still has all of the same core information that is important to everyone, but also includes a piece on bystander behavior that is very important so that men can be part of the solution.”
HEATHER MAGGS
gate this new way of thinking. Now with Gina and Kirkland Productions stepping in to take the program to the next level, the GFB! team hopes to expose many, many more students to the valuable and lifechanging lessons they are teaching. “Gina has been able to continue to train even more speakers to keep up with demand, and they have done a phenomenal job. They are better speakers than I am at this point, and it just goes to show you that when there is an idea that people need and want to hear, almost anything is possible.”
Gina leaves us with a profound thought: “I wanted to share a quote, that has been really powerful to me, from the wonderful
GINA KIRKLAND
Gavin de Becker and his book, ‘The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence.’ I think this really cuts to the heart of things. ‘Most men fear getting laughed at or humiliated by romantic prospects, while most women fear rape and death.’ That is quite a different fear, and when you put into that perspective and start to compare those things, it speaks to exactly why a program like Girls Fight Back! can be such a powerful and empowering tool for a campus.” For more information on bringing Girls Fight Back! Or Student Fight Back! To your campus, contact Gina at Kirkland Productions at 866-769-9037 or booking@kirklandproductions.com.
More than self defense, more than kicking bad guy butt, more than just feeling more comfortable about the fear of bodily harm, GFB! is about something more. “It’s an idea,” Erin says. “It’s much bigger than just me, or even Shannon’s story, as important as it is. We hope we can convey the information and make it relatable, but the idea is that one should NEVER make decisions stemming from fear...we should all live the life that we have always wanted to, no regrets, no holding back, no reservations with nothing standing in our way. That is what Girls Fight Back! is all about and I knew that concept had legs and was something that we could scale.”
Erin realized that if she wanted to spread this message in a truly effective manner, she couldn’t do it alone, so she trained a team of speakers to go out and help her propa-
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puBLisHeR COntinueD FROm page 4 In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."
Often times they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests And would all sit around and “chew the fat”.
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and even death.This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days, Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom; “holding a wake."
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be,“saved by the bell" or was "considered a dead ringer”. Where did "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting history.
They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. And then once it was full, it was taken and sold to the tannery... If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot. They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Just a little education you may not be getting in history class.
Thanks to my buddy Shawn in Orlando for sharing this history lesson with me and with you.
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Campus aCtivities magazine®, septmeBeR 2013, 17
By Gina Kirkland
talking is probably most familiar to us from celebrity news stories—Rhianna and Ashley Tisdale have both been in the news recently getting protective orders issued against their stalkers. The truth of the matter is that the most stalking cases (approximately 3/4) do not happen between strangers, but between two people who know each other, very commonly incidences in which the perpetrator and the victim have or (more importantly) had a personal or intimate relationship. In these cases, the closeness of the relationship once in place between the victim and the perpetrator is part of what makes this crime so complex for women.
S
It is estimated that 6.6 million people are victims of stalking each year, and I am speaking out today as one of those victims. This is a difficult subject to discuss and an experience that I have personally kept hidden for some time, but I am speaking out today in order to help others who may be in similar circumstances.
1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men will be stalked in their lifetime, and many of these crimes go unreported and unprosecuted. Though women can be stalked by men and women, and men can be stalked by women or men, for the purposes of this article, I will primarily refer to stalking in its most common form: women being stalked by men. And though this can affect anyone, the most common victims of stalking are women between the ages of 18 and 24—college aged women.
The Supplemental Victimization Survey by the Department of Justice defines stalking as including some or all of these acts which may not be criminal individually, but that collectively and repetitively cause the victim fear: • Making unwanted phone calls • Sending unsolicited or unwanted letters, e-mails, or other forms of electronic communication
These first two acts are the most commonly experienced by victims of stalking with 83% of stalking victims surveyed reporting that e-mail and text was used to harass them.
• Following or spying on the victim • Showing up at places without a legitimate reason • Waiting at places for the victim • Leaving unwanted items, presents, or flowers • Posting information or spreading rumors about The victim on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth. When victims were asked what their perception was as to the reason the stalking or harassment began, these were the most common responses: 30% 25.2% 16.7% 13.7%
Retaliation/anger/spite Control Mentally ill/emotionally unstable Liked me/found me attractive/had a crush 12.9% To keep in the relationship 10.3% Substance abuser
* Details sum to more than 100% because multiple responses were permitted.
President Obama issued a proclamation, naming January 2013 as National Stalking Awareness Month, stating that: “The perpetrator is usually someone the victim knows. Stalking behavior may be innocuous to outside observers, but victims often endure intense physical and emotional distress that affects every aspect of their lives. . . . Tragically, stalking tends to escalate over time, and it is sometimes followed by sexual assault or homicide.”
No two stalking situations are alike, and it is important to note that one of the frequent tactics of the stalker is to downplay his or her own behavior causing the victim to question the validity of his or her fears. Implied threats of violence, such as “I won’t be at peace until you are dead” or veiled threats of suicide such as, “you won’t be happy
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until I put a gun in my mouth” can easily be dismissed by the perpetrator as “fiery e-mails” or “a few angry texts” when the intention of these communications is obvious and clear—to create fear in the victim. Implied threats are no different in their intention than direct threats and should always be taken seriously. The Stalking Resource Center points out that stalking “can have devastating and long-lasting physical, emotional, and psychological effects on victims. The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than in the general population.” My personal experience happened twice as I made the mistake of succumbing to the behavior the first time and returned to the unhealthy relationship. This led me to have to repeat the breakup process a second time; thereby retriggering the stalking. I felt immense guilt and embarrassment that I made the same mistake twice; and, I allowed those feelings to negatively impact my ability to control my response and seek a swifter resolution.
The second stalking incident (after the second breakup) lasted well over a year, but I thought I could wait it out. I had great hopes when my stalker entered a new relationship. Maybe he will lose interest in me? I thought it was necessary to reply to his contact by repeating over and over that I was no longer and would never be interested. Granted, I had already trained my stalker that if he harassed me long enough, I would go back to the relationship rather than endure the stalking—a decision I later came to regret. None of my efforts had any effect other than to fuel the behavior, and I began to allow myself to believe that the situation was my fault, just as he insisted it was. My stalker made it clear that the only way to end the stalking was to go back to the relationship, telling me things like, “I will never love anyone but you,” “we were meant to be together forever,” “any woman who isn’t you is only a placeholder.” Love or control? The answer seems crystal clear in hindsight, but at the time, in the cloud of fear www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
and anxiety (confusion of the abuse paired with a history of emotional connection), it was difficult to decipher. For over a year, I was on edge. I didn’t sleep. I lost weight. I tried to move on with the many positive aspects of my life and ignore the stalking. I attempted to act like nothing was wrong in front of friends, co-workers, employees, my son, and my family. There were many uncomfortable times when I would be out with someone while my phone was beeping incessantly with e-mails and texts and I made excuses for it, pretending everything was fine, only to learn after the fact that no one was buying it. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I was completely stressed out and it showed. At the time, I couldn’t
admit to anyone that I had let another person so thoroughly control my life. It was completely humiliating.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the media often romanticizes this crime. I know that have you seen this portrayed on television or in movies—a man won’t give up on his quest for the woman of his dreams. She rebuffs him, and plays hard to get, but eventually she “sees the light” and he gets the girl. This encourages the incorrect notion that stalking is about love and that women don’t have the right to choose who they want to be in a relationship with.
Stalking is NEVER about love. It is only about power and persistence. Gavin de Becker in The Gift of Fear states, “The fact that a romantic pursuer is relentless doesn’t mean you are special— it means he is troubled.” Complicating matters further, it is often difficult for the victim to explain the unwanted contact, which is sometimes so bizarre and far-fetched that she might feel crazy even saying it out loud. For this, among other reasons, the crime often goes unreported to police and also unreported to friends and loved ones. That isolation works to the perpetrator’s advantage making it easier for him to hide this behavior to the outside world and to any shared associates.
One of the most insidious developments in stalking over the past 20 years is how easy it has become through technological advances. When in the past a stalker had to leave his house and show up at your home or place of work, today many stalkers control their victims with unwanted e-mails, phone calls, texts, and even setting up false profiles on social media to monitor your activities all from the comfort of home. This new wave of stalking, called cyberstalking, has become very common with 83% of stalking victims reporting some form of cyberstalking. The good news, is that it is also makes the stalking easy to document with a long trail of evidence. This can be very helpful to the police if and when you decide you need a court order of protection. As painful as it can be, (and I personally know that it can be), you must keep a log of all contact. Keep all e-mails, or as I did, forward them to someone else to keep on your behalf so you don’t have an opportunity to see them again. Keep records of texts. Record all calls with times, what was said, and any threats that were issued. If you do decide that prosecution is necessary, those logs are essential to your case. Some unwanted romantic relationships can be ended altogether before there is a major situation on your hands, if people know how to say NO properly. It seems easy—a simple two letter word, but in our efforts to be kind, we often use it incorrectly. This is one lesson I wish I had
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learned much earlier! de Becker explains that, “stalking is how some men raise the stakes when women don’t play along. . . . In fact, many cases of date stalking could be described as extended rapes; they take away the freedom, and they honor the desires of the man and disregard the wishes of the woman.” So, if a person decides he or she does not want to be in a relationship with any given person, it is best to say NO one time and explicitly and then say nothing else. Anything communicated after “no,” even if that communication is reiterating how much you want to end all communication, IS MORE COMMUNICATION. If you resist communication 20 times and then cave in and reply to tell the stalker that you want to be left alone, your stalker doesn’t hear that you want to be left alone. What he or she does hear is that it takes 20 attempts at contact before the stalker gets the desired result . . . your attention. However, not all cases are that simple. Some require further efforts. So, if you are in this situation or you know someone who is, how do you free yourself from a stalker? Here are a few tips:
• Trust your instincts. Don’t downplay the danger. There is no such thing as “stalking light.” If you feel unsafe, you probably are.
• It also may be advisable to seek out professional counseling. It is normal to feel vulnerable, unsafe, anxious, depressed, stressed, confused, frustrated, and isolated when you are the victim of stalking. These are common reactions and ending the stalking may not relieve those feelings.
• Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having friends or relatives around you. Tell people around you how they can help you and have a plan of what to do if your stalker does show up at your home, work, or school.
For additional resources:
• Take threats seriously. Danger is typically higher when the stalker talks about suicide, or murder, or when the victim tries to leave or end the relationship.
• Contact a crisis hotline (contact information is included at the bottom of this article). They can help you with your safety plan, tell you about local laws, and refer you to other services. • Contact the police. Stalking is against the law in all 50 states, all US Territories, and Washington DC. Note that laws vary from state to state and the legal definition varies regarding the element
www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/aboutstalking.htm Crime Victims Hotline (stalking) 1-866-689-HELP (4357)
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Sexual Assault Hotline To be connected to the rape crisis center nearest to you, dial 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) 1-877-739-3895
All statistics come from these sources: • US Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women • Supplemental Victimization Survey by the Department of Justice • US Department of Justice Statistics Special Report • The Stalking Resource Center, The National Center for Victims of Crime
•
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
• DON’T COMMUNICATE with the stalker or respond to any attempts to contact you. Block e-mails, block texts, make your online profiles private or take them down altogether.
• Keep evidence of the stalking – all e-mails, text messages, phone messages, notes, or letters. If the stalker shows up at your home or work or is following you, document the time, date, and place. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw and keep photographic evidence of any damages or injuries the stalker causes.
of fear and emotional distress as well as the intent of the stalker.
• Consider getting a court order. Keep in mind that this is not the best course of action in all cases. In some cases it may be just the motivation needed to get your stalker to stop. In other cases, it may fuel the anger and give the stalker the one thing he craves most – your attention and the knowledge that you are frightened. If you aren’t sure on how to move forward with this, seek help and advice from some of the resources listed below.
•Talk about it! Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers whom you trust about the situation and seek support. Have others help watch for your safety.
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About the Author – Gina Kirkland, owner of Kirkland Productions and KP Comedy, channeled her lifelong passion for Women’s Issues into the purchase of her third company, Girls Fight Back, in 2013. She is picking up the banner from the amazing Erin Weed to continue bringing the message of living a fearless life and combating violence against women to millions of young women across the country. www.girlsfightback.com www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
ARTIST PROFILE: Ron Placone
Becoming more serious about stand-up comedy helped really hone Ron’s performance abilities, but it wasn’t exactly his bread and butter. “This was a couple of years ago and I wasn’t at the point where I could be making a living at it quite yet, so I thought, ‘What else can I do?’ The one thing that really interested me was going back to graduate school, so I did. I studied rhetoric and in the back of my mind I thought there had to be a way to fuse my academic interests in media and news structure and deliberative democracy with comedy, but have something that would be a little more ‘high brow’ for lack of a better term. You see a lot of media satire with things like ‘The Daily Show’ or ‘How TV Ruined Your Life’ over in the U.K., but I thought there would be a way to do it as a one man performance lecture that could fit into a higher ed setting more so than the traditional comedy club setting.” Ron approached his department about it and during the final semester of his master’s program he was given an independent study to essentially complete this program. “I wrote a 30 page paper about the topic and my research interests in general and then turned it into an hour long performance lecture. I have video sketches and songs and lots of things going on, but with a fair bit of academic theory woven throughout the entertaining portions.”
A brand new speaker to the campus market, and a brand new columnist to Campus Activities Magazine, Ron Placone is tackling a subject each and every person that goes to college deals with and is influenced by on a daily basis. The show is “Madness In The Message: Start Talking” a one-man show about media criticism in the modern age.
Now, you could be an exception, but it’s pretty unlikely if you’re reading this, since Ron’s deconstruction of the mass media machine in our culture encompasses pretty much all mediums printed, watched, uploaded or spoken. He has made it his mission in life to cut through all of the proverbial BS and help students see beyond the veil. To get a taste of his medicine, check out the first in-
stallment of his monthly column in our August issue (available on our website at .campusactmag.com) entitled “College Students: America’s Best Hope” and be sure to check out his upcoming columns in issues throughout the rest of this year.
Ron was interested in issues of media during his undergraduated studies. “I was interested in the media reform movement and new media in general, and in particular I had a very heavy interest in broadcasting and was interested in working in radio. I eventually did and also started doing stand-up comedy, which I still do. Slowly but surely, all those things started to build and form together into something cohesive.”
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After all of the groundwork was laid, it was time for Ron to field test the work. “I performed it at a theater once a month for four months and it was well received, but not exactly in the right place. It occurred to me that the obvious home for it would be the college market, it truly is a program meant for undergraduates and universities. That is where I developed these ideas and where they flourish. My next step was to figure out the campus market and start doing it.”
This is a program completely fresh and brand new to the market, with Ron just coming out of his graduate program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2012. “I wanted to find a way to merge my interests into something a little different and the college market was the obvious choice. It was fun doing it in theaters and people who came to see the show knew what they were coming
to see, so it was fine, but it didn’t feel like it was a perfect fit. When I am in a lecture hall or theater on campus though, it clicks; it feels like what this is really meant for.”
Ron feels the college audience is specifically receptive to his message for a number of reasons. “I think that colleges and universities are where these ideas are alive and well. It’s a time in their lives when people look at the media from a more political standpoint. It’s one thing to say ‘Oh look at how goofy the news is!’ We see that all the time from just about anyone who watches it. It is not hard to find absurdity in the news media on a daily basis and look at it through a satirical lens. But the purpose of my program is to delve deeper than that, why is this absurdity going on? What is going on with this modern media structure, who’s running it and the types of ideas that they are trying to promote and why? Why do we have such an intimate love/hate relationship with the media in this country and further, from a more philosophical standpoint, what does it really mean to interact with the media in general? We have to realize these are second hand messages that we are not perceiving on our own. These stories are not created by the media, they are relayed and refracted by it, but we have a response to these messages that can be widely varied based on our own cultural and intellectual perspective in relation to them. This is something one is around much more in college than at any other time in life, whether it be a communications, journalism or philosophy class, or just that academic, intellectual atmosphere of processing new ideas. Pretty much everyone has been exposed to these ideas in college to some degree, whether it is something you are majoring in, or just a core class requirement. I think to explore these ideas is meant for colleges, and thus far the reception has been very encouraging.”
Keep an eye on Ron’s column for more on his perspective. Give your student body the benefit of his insights and let them draw their own conclusions. Contact G.G. Greg Agency at gggregagy@aol.com or 440-266-1732. Be sure to mention you discovered Ron through the magazine and get a special discount through CAM from the agency through the end of October.
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INTERVIEW AND STORY BY IAN KIRBY The term “YouTube celebrity” is thrown around a lot these days, but there aren’t a lot of them who have more than their 15 minutes (or 15 seconds) of fame. They get their hits on the videos and fade right back into the relative obscurity from whence they came.
This month’s cover artist is the exception, someone that one can refer to as a genuine, bona fide YouTube celebrity, so much so that he has made the jump from his own successful channels to the big screen. Spoken Reasons has amassed over 300 million views on his series of videos (not just a single flash in the pan but multiple 1+ million view video success) and boasts over 3 million subscribers. Hollywood has taken note of this self made star, to the point that he just made his debut acting appearance in the smash success “The Heat,” starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. It’s not surprising that his star is on such a meteoric rise, for a guy who got a standing ovation after his first spoken word performance, and won $500 for his first stand-up comedy appearance. Not to mention the role he landed in “The Heat” was his first ever audition.
Spoken Reasons is a poet, comic, writer, actor and legitimate jack-of-all-trades, who has clearly mastered some. When booking for the campus market, SR says you’ll get a little bit of it all. “When you see me in person, you are going to get the Spoken Reasons show. You’re
not going to get a straight stand up show, you’re not going to get 100% laughs, or all poetry. You are going to see a person who possesses many talents, including comedy, singing, spoken word, piano; it’s a show with a lot of variety. I am not a very structured guy when it comes to my live show (laughs), I perform based on how I’m feeling and how the crowd is reacting. They are always receptive to it. I believe if you are an artist and you are true to yourself and true to your craft and people know that, you will never have a problem. It doesn’t matter what you do, if you want to get on stage and chop your feet off and throw them in the audience, if that is what you are passionate about and people know that, they are going to accept it. There are plenty of artists in the world out there who do reckless things on the stage and they have fans that support them. You personally may not support it or understand it, but someone will.”
His initial fascination with performing was captivated by the spoken word. “It was actually a weird situation. I was in college myself and didn’t have much to speak of. I was on the verge of looking for a job, and I was involved with a girl who dumped me for a football player that had entered the NFL draft. She told me that I wasn’t going to be anybody. I needed to upgrade all my clothes, because I was always wearing the same thing because I didn’t have any money. That being said, I used that as motivation; I locked myself in my apartment for about a week and asked myself ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to do
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to make myself a better person?’ I decided to start sharing my pain and thoughts with the world. I got on Google and typed in the keyword ‘poetry.’ It was just something random, but I found spoken word poetry through that and found out there was a venue right around the corner form my apartment complex. I went on a whim and I liked the people, I liked the strong mental pictures the metaphors invoked, so the next week I wrote out my poetry and hit the stage myself. I showed up and got a standing ovation and it captivated me. I have been holding on to it ever since.” This was in the city of Orlando, at a club called the Speak No Evil poetry lounge. SR says a group called Diverse Elements was an early influence, a collection of poets he eventually befriended and became a huge personal influence for him. “They are like my poetry family. They were the first poets that I was exposed to, so those people were all inspirations to me early on. In the beginning I was just being inspired by them from afar, but over time, they adopted me like a little brother and it was on a personal level. I consider all of them family.” After that initial encouraging reaction of a standing ovation from his first performance, Spoken Reasons dove headfirst into the world of becoming a full time performer. “I saw it as a career path. I consider myself a messenger, and I think it is my life’s calling. It was the career path I wanted to take, but spoken word is not a big market or a place where one can make a lot of money. I www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
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With 50 Cent
was in Orlando, had just dropped out of college and wasn’t making any money. I wasn’t making enough to make ends meet and keep the lights on, so I moved back home. Once that happened, I didn’t have any choice but to get online and get on YouTube. I discovered that I could make my own channel, and from there I decided I would just do comedy.”
It came naturally to him. “I have always been a funny guy, but it wasn’t something that I asked for. It was a means to an end at the time; I was in a situation I had to find my way out of. That was in 2008. I was able to generate enough buzz to start supporting myself off of shows. I made all of my ends meet by doing poetry and standup shows around the region, driving to Atlanta and other major markets in the area. Nowadays these kids on YouTube are putting up videos that are getting popularity, but they have no stage experience or knowledge of what it’s like to work in front of anything but a camera. That’s why I am glad I started off as a poet, because I was able to maintain my financial income on that level, which not only allowed me to keep producing content for my YouTube channel, but also gave me real life experience handling live audiences. I got on the road.”
Just like with the spoken word format, Spoken Reasons garnered immediate success with stand-up comedy, which turned out to be a more viable source of bookings, since the art form was more in demand in more venues than
With Justin Bieber
purely spoken word performances. “I did a majority of comedy performances because that was where I could find work. I stayed online, I never stopped dropping videos. I dropped 2 a week for 9 months straight in 2011, and it allowed me to continue to grow my presence and fan base. You have to get out and show up, perform shows. You can’t just sit at home and wait, looking online hoping success will come to you.” When it comes to finding those bookings, the old adage “get off your ass and knock on doors” applied to his method of getting things done. “I networked! When I first got on YouTube, I was already an actual road artist. I was networking with people who were in the game for 20 or 30 years that allowed me to get my foot in the door in a lot of places that most YouTube kids had no idea about, and these old school folks knew nothing about them. Me getting out and actually talking to people and working on selling myself made all the difference, rather than just sitting back and trying to let all the YouTube views do the work for me.”
The campus market has been a part of Spoken Reason’s world for a long time. “The college market has always been a priority for me. I entered the college market in 2008, doing free shows. I would drive from my home during college to another college and volunteer my services just for a chance to perform. At most other venues I would be performing for older people. The college market has the students, who re-
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ally relate to me. I’m a young guy, I’m only 24 years old and those are the people I appeal to the most. They make up the majority of my fans, so why wouldn’t I be where they are?”
Being in front of a less jaded crowd is a thrill for any performer, but most especially one that has made his bones in a forum like YouTube, where the demographic feels right at home. “They are very enthusiastic. Rather than the older crowd at a comedy club being surprised by me, someone they don’t know, on a college campus, I am who they came to see. I am who they look up to and who inspires them. That’s a great feeling. I make them laugh and bring joy to their lives and they respond in kind.” Spoken Reasons isn’t the aloof sort of performer who walks on, does his stage time and disappears, part of his favorite thing about performing on campus is meeting the people who want to meet him. “I do meet & greets, I hang out with my fans, I actually take pictures with them on stage while I am performing a live show. I always take pictures and I interact with my fans on Twitter each and every day. I actually make my Twitter about them, not me.” Watching Spoken Reasons on YouTube is a practice in eclecticism. He covers such a wide range of topics and material it’s easy to see why he can find a home on just about any stage, in front of any audience. “I am whoever you accept me to be. I am just a guy who tells the truth and speaks from the heart. I don’t believe truth has any color, or www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
With Shaq On The Set Of THE HEAT
class, or age. It’s all about the topic I am discussing and anyone can relate to what I am talking about. I might have come from a different situation or environment than some of the folks in my audience, but there is nothing truly different about us. Whatever each person hears and sees is what each one accepts. I am not speaking just for one direct type of demographic, I am speaking to people in general.”
SR is constantly looking to new challenges and to break new ground, it’s what makes him who he is. “I initially tried stand-up comedy because I wanted to accept that challenge in my life. I was in a poetry venue performing and I saw a flyer and they were giving out $500 to any person that won the competition. I signed myself up, battled about 300 comedians and won the
whole competition. I just did it because I wanted to see if I could.”
It was his first audition that landed him his role in “The Heat.” You might think working alongside such stars as Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy would be intimidating for the big screen virgin, but if you do, you don’t know Spoken Reasons. “Of course that is a direction I want to pursue, because I can captivate more people, and that is what I am here for. It is a huge platform. Let’s say I was never to be in another movie, it doesn’t matter. Because I am creating my own content, writing my own stuff, I still get to be in front of people and spread my message. My career doesn’t depend solely on me landing another role. Each one might help me reach more people, but I will always be out and performing, and that is all that really matters.” This is a young and dynamic star with a big future, who will probably have a limited time in the campus market before he is either too hot to afford, or too busy to work the gigs. So, if you want to find out how to get him on your campus while there’s still time, contact Brian Dennis at Diversity Talent Agency at brian@diversitytalenta gency.com or 770-210-5579. BE SURE TO MENTION THIS STORY TO RECEIVE A SPECIAL CAM READER DISCOUNT ON THE SHOW!
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YOUR GUIDE TO AMERICA’S BEST ARTIST RATINGS THE RATING SYSTEM: 5= EXCELLENT 4= VERY GOOD 3= AVERAGE 2= FAIR 1= POOR
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 current reports from our readers. All ratings here had complete verifiable information and were signed by the reviewer. All reports must have been submitted by the school where the date was played. These reports are comprised of reports electronically submitted on our web site. Reports MAY NOT be submitted by the artist or their agency. ALL REPORTS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON OUR WEBSITE AT: http://www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com/arc/ THERE IS A DIRECT LINK TO THE REPORT FORM ON THE HOME PAGE. HERE ARE THE CATEGORIES FOR THE RATINGS FOUND AFTER THE BUYER’S NAME AND PLAY DATE: (1) ORIGINALITY; (2) ARTIST’S ABILITY; (3) RELATIONSHIP TO THE AUDIENCE; (4) COOPERATION / ATTITUDE; (5) ROAD CREW / MANAGEMENT; (6) AGENCY COOPERATION; (7) PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS PROVIDED. Campus Reports listed in RED indicate the buyer reported a perfect score in all categories that applied to their campus performance for that artist or event. ATTENDANCE (When Available) AND THE LOCATION ON CAMPUS WILL FOLLOW THE PERFORMANCE DATE. THESE RATINGS REPRESENT ACTUAL SHOWS REPORTED BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND AUGUST 31, 2013
COMEDY
ADAM GRABOWSKI Auburn Moon Agency
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/18/13 244 Student Union Ballroom 555555Adam was absolutely HILARIOUS. His humor and jokes connect extremely well with the college audience. His graphs had people laughing uncontrollably and taking pictures to post to social media. Adam is interactive and loves to hang out afterwards to give out his shirts and slap wristbands as well! Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB
Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL 08/21/13 100 The Goodman Center 55555-5 Adam had high and great energy and was very college friendly. He had the new students laughing from the minute he started till the second he ended. Wonderful! Gail Concepcion, Student Programmer/Orientation Leader GRANT EDMONDS' COMEDY VARIETY GAME SHOW Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Adams State College, Alamosa, CO 08/21/13 60+ Carson Auditorium 5355-5Great job working with us at the last minute for programming. Ashley Favela, Grizzly Activity Board VP of Programming JACOB WILLIAMS Franco Talent
Keene State College, Keene, NH 08/23/13 450+ Mabel Brown Room 5435-55 Very professional. Very thankful for the experience. Kind gesture in meeting fans after show. Took pictures and signed posters. Ex-
cellent artist to work with. His comedy style is different, and appeals to a different audience. Name recognition really helped out with his advertising. Ryan Mahan, Events Coordinator JEN KOBER Admire Entertainment
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/22/13 1119 E.J. Thomas Hall 555555Jen is at the top of her comedy game! She strung stories together with her comical wit seamlessly. Our students loved her and the way she interacted with the crowd all throughout the show. Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB MISSION IMPROVABLE Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 08/16/13 600 Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center 555555Brett Bruner, Director of Persistence & Retention
Lincoln College, Lincoln, IL 08/19/13 75 Student Center 5555554 Jeff Nelson, Dir of Student Activities
Millikin University, Decatur, IL 08/21/13 500 Performing Arts Center 5555555 They were very funny. The students LOVED this show. Great reviews. Molly Berry, Director of ISE
Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, IA 08/22/13 150+ Chapel 5555555 They were simply awesome from the time the arrived to the time they left! The students love their show and have been asking when they will return. I plan on booking AGAIN!! SIMPLY AWESOME! Kat Niemann, Director of Student Engagement
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SAMMY OBEID KP Comedy
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 08/23/13 500 Illini Union at the UIUC 5555555 It was a great show. The students that attended could be heard laughing, all the way down the hallway. Sammy was also very nice and easy to work with. Tearria Beck-Scott, Program Advisor
VARIETY
CHRISTOPHER CARTER Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette, IN 08/12/13 3000+ Elliott Hall of Music 5555555 Chris was fantastic! I needed everything to be inclusive and easy as we have a very busy orientation structure. He was great!! Great agency to work with for entertainment too! Kasi Jones, Coordinator of Orientation
University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 08/21/13 1000+ Hendricks Hall 5555555 Our student body loved Chris's performance. He was actively involved with the audience throughout his performance. Carrie Calovich, Comedy Coordinator Loras College, Dubuque, IA 08/24/13 500 Auditorium 5555555 Emma Smith, Programmer Executive CRAIG KARGES Karges Productions
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 08/20/13 1600 Tent at Carnegie Mellon 5555555
Craig's show was excellent as always; we have had him do this Orientation program annually for many years. The Orientation Counselors who saw him as first year students are excited to see him again and share the experience with our 1340 new students. We get over 1500 at the event every year. It is a great show! Anne Witchner, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs; Director of Orientaiton
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 08/23/13 600+ Union Ballroom at Duquesne University 5555555 Craig is one of our most anticipated acts every year and he never disappoints! I have seen his show three times and continue to find myself lost in a jaw dropping trance. Jade Leitzel, Assistant Director of Orientation Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 08/24/13 850+ Off-campus venue 5555555 This was Craig's third time performing during the Lehigh University orientation weekend. As always he was captivating, entertaining and put on an amazing show. We plan to bring him back next year. Matt Kitchie, Director of Student Activities
Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, AR 08/26/13 325 Garrison Center Union 5555-55 The show was amazing and the students loved it!!! Chad J. Fielding, Dean of Students ERIC DITTELMAN Franco Talent
American University, Washington, DC 08/23/13 222 Tavern 5555-44 Eric was FANTASTIC!! He was engaging with our students and did about an hour of teasers before the show which caused students to show up early to the event (something that NEVER happens at our school). He is incredibly easy to work with.
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Katie Junot, Coordinator, Program Initiatives FREDERICK WINTERS Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Lincoln College, Lincoln, IL 08/16/13 150 Johnston Center 5555-55 Jeff Nelson, Dir. of Student Activities
Edgewood College, Madison, WI 08/28/13 275 Anderson Auditorium 5555555 Even though Fred was sick, he still put on an amazing show for new students! We had standing room only available and people were still trying to cram in to see him perform! Those on stage loved it and the audience was fully captivated by his performance! We've already been asked to bring him back next year! Rosana Godinez, Assistant Director of Student Activities JOEL MEYERS GP Entertainment
California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA 08/23/13 237 Natali Student Center Performance Center 5555555 Joel is a very personable guy and is absolutely great to have at our school. We thoroughly enjoy every time he comes to Cal U! Kate Sheldon, Student - Secretary/Treasurer MAT FRANCO Franco Talent
The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX 08/22/13 1000+ Gym 5525555 Franco was an awesome performer, however for a venue like a gym and a crowd of 1000, this kind of performance did not work. It was too noisy, the gym was not equipped with the right sound system, and if the students were not directly in front of him, they did not get the chance to feel engaged. LM Cortina, Program Coordinator
MICHAEL KENT Fresh Variety
Illinois State University, Normal, IL 08/14/13 575 Brown Ballroom 5555-55 Excellent performer for our Welcome Week. The students enjoyed Michael's magic and comedy. Definitely a high quality act and performer. Michelle Whited, Programming Coordinator
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 08/17/13 1100 Byrnes Auditorium 5555555 He was wonderful! He was my first act in my position on my programming board. I adored him and enjoyed him all together! I would want to bring him back sometime! Kimberly Branham, Coffeehouse Chair Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 08/22/13 300+ NKU Ballroom 4555544 Michael Kent is wonderful to work with. That is evident in our yearly booking of him. NKU loves Michael Kent! Leah Kelly, Coordinator of Programming
Miami University-Oxford, Oxford, OH 08/23/13 600 Student Center 5545-44 Most easy going performer. Great to work with and fabulous personality. Can't wait to book him again. Most successful part of Welcome Week. Laura Whitmire, Assistant Director
Urbana University, Urbana, OH 08/24/13 110 Student Center 5555-55 Always a huge hit on campus! Michael is excellent with our students - from the quality of his pre-show prep through the end of the show. A true and proven fan-favorite! Mitch Joseph, Director of Campus Life Bowling Green State University-Main Campus, Bowling Green, OH 08/26/13 425 Student Center Ballroom 5555-55 Better every year!
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Andy Alt, Director
Texas A & M University-Texarkana, Texarkana, TX 08/28/13 150 Eagle Hall (Banquet Room) 5555-55 Michael was fantastic to work with! Our students loved him and he was really helpful with promoting the show. He instagrammed & tweeted with our students, sent posters, and did a noon teaser. We can't wait to have him back! Celeste McNiel, Coordinator for Student Activities Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH 08/30/13 590 Dana Center 5555-55 We love Michael! Jean M. Couture, Director of Student Activities MIKE SUPER Mike Super
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/23/13 1545 E.J. Thomas Hall 555555Mike Super was LAVENOUS! His full performing arts magic and illusion show blew the minds of everyone in the audience! There is still a buzz going around about how he pulled everything off so seamlessly. Mike was great even after the show and stayed as long as it took for everyone to get through the meet and greet line. Holly K. Pilcavage, Graduate Assistant, Residence Hall Program Board RAN'D SHINE Everything But The Mime
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA 08/24/13 100+ Cole 5555553 Abby Trypus, Graduate Assistant Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD 08/28/13 200+ Dining Hall 5555555
Awesome show for college students. Great mix of comedy and magic, great audience participation. We will for sure bring Ran'D back at some point. Anthony Davis, Student Life Specialist East Stroudsburg Univ of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, PA 08/29/13 50+ Common Grounds 5555-44 Daniel Pagan-Figueroa, Campus Activities Board
GAMES
ASIAN NAME PAINTING AND CARICATURE.COM (NAMES AND FACES) Everything But The Mime Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg, SC 08/19/13 100+ Student Center 555555Kim Caton, Director of Student Activities BIG CHAIR PHOTOS Kirkland Productions
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 08/20/13 450 Student Union Building 5555-55 It was a great event and our students had a blast with it! The attendance number we entered was what our student working the event estimated - not exactly sure of the accuracy, but we had an excellent turnout. Thanks for everything! Kelsey Holt, Graduate Assistant CARICATURE ARTISTS Everything But The Mime
Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC 08/24/13 100+ Shaw Plaza 5555555 Fantastic program! Will definitely have back on campus. Jeff Mandell was sensational! Jonathan Rink, Director of Residence Life
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HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES Kirkland Productions
Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA 07/06/12 150+ Engineering Meadow 555555Maria-Lisa Flemington, Program Coordinator PORTABLE ZIP LINE Xtreme Entertainment
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 06/25/13 120+ Recreation and Wellness Center 454554Xtreme Entertainment was very helpful when working with students during the event planning and arrived early to set up. Very helpful and knowledgeable with campus safety and state inspection. Great to work with! Jonathon Morris, Graduate Assistant, Campus Activities Board SPIN ART SHUTTER SHADES Kirkland Productions
Texas A & M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 07/10/13 80+ The Club at A&M-Commerce 5555-55 The shutter shades were unique and our students loved them! Crystal Garcia, Coordinator of Student Activities
SPEAKERS
A SHOT OF REALITY Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, IA 08/20/13 275 Hamilton Auditorium 5555555 Barb Klein, Dean of Enrollment Services DAVID COLEMAN Coleman Productions, Inc.
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/19/13 195 Student Union Ballroom 555555David keeps the energy alive! He split his session in half- first he speaks to them about how to be a better leader and person and then he has them BE better leaders and people through a series of activities. David is always so willing to stay and talk with our students about anything they have on their minds. Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB DEL SUGGS Del Suggs
Darton College, Albany, GA 06/12/13 100 Student Center 5555--4 Del is a class act. He is exceptionally well rounded as a speaker, but can also easily handle specific topics. A great speaker indeed. Eric O'Cain, Assistant Dean for Campus Life University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/15/13 70 Quaker Ballroom
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555555Del was thought-provoking and extremely inspirational to all of our students! He was a fantastic start to our semester and left them all with life-long lessons to not only be better leaders, but better people. Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB ELAINE PASQUA Pasqua Productions, Inc.
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 08/05/13 110 Football Team Room 5555-55 Program was excellent and well received by students and coaches. Students were engaged in activities as well as answered and asked questions. Students stayed afterwards to ask more questions and do demonstrations. Elaine was very approachable to both student athletes and to coaches. Ann Carr, Sr. Associate Athletic Director JESSICA PETTITT Kirkland Productions
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 08/13/13 200 Auditorium/Ballroom style 4555-4Jessica was brought in to talk to our Resident Assistants and Hall Staff about social justice advocacy in their position. She was great to work and even in her hectic time of moving, she kept on top of keeping in touch with me leading up to her visit. She was very "lowmaintenance" and was very understanding of the busy time of year that this was for us. She was a joy to have and our students were very receptive to her message. Victor M. Salazar, Jr, Coordinator of Staff and Community Development
Millikin University, Decatur, IL 08/20/13 500 Performance Arts Center 555555We loved having Jessica on campus during our orientation week. The First-Year students ate up every word, and really got into her message. I would be very interested in booking her again next year because her message of inclusion is the foundational piece of our campus. Molly Berry, Director of ISE MAYIM BIALIK Keppler Speakers
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 06/27/13 546+ Union Pegasus Ballroom 4555-5Mayim was very kind towards our student staff and interacted well with the audience! She had a great speech and took time to answer questions from students after. She also stayed after to make sure that every student had the opportunity to meet her and signed autographs. I would recommend Mayim for your campus! Jonathon Morris, Graduate Assistant, Campus Activities Board SEX SIGNALS Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 08/27/13 400 Spingold Theater 555555Jack and Sharyon did a great job and the majority of students really enjoyed it. I did want to pass along some feedback though: some students felt that the transition from comedy to rape was abrupt and there was no warning or lead in to it, which took some
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students aback. Also, the stop cards were not as clearly explained and students did not realize they were supposed to continue using them throughout the presentation. Perhaps a clearer explanation would have been helpful. Overall though, it was really great and was exactly what I had expected. I look forward to bringing Sex Signals back to our campus again soon. Jenny Abdou, Director of Orientation
GOO GOO DOLLS AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE © grand opera house
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI 08/30/13 400 Student Union 5555-4We will book them again. Mark Olkowski, Judicial Affairs Coordinator TOM KRIEGLSTEIN Swift Kick
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/18/13 179 Quaker Ballroom 555555Tom's Dance Floor Theory and Free Hugs are just the beginning to the amazing leadership development his presentations have to offer. He helped to create bonds and new friendships in minutes that might have taken a lot longer to form without him. Such a great way to start off the semester! Holly K. Pilcavage, Graduate Assistant, Residence Hall Program Board TRACY KNOFLA High Impact Training
University of Akron Main Campus, Akron, OH 08/17/13 166 Quaker Ballroom 555555Tracy was amazing from beginning to end. She truly cares about each student in our program and it shows. Her True Colors presentation and activity sets the tone for working with different types of people from day one. Holly K. Pilcavage, GA-RHPB
Campus Activities Magazine® NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Kathy C. Arnett Director/Student Union & Associate Director/Benson University Center Wake Forest University Joseph W. McGibboney Coordinator for Student Programming Dean of Student Department Florida Gulf Coast University
Boyd Jones, Campus Programs Director Dept. of Student Affairs Winthrop University April Palmer Assistant Dean of Students Newberry College
Mike Rapay University Program Council Advisor Auburn University Tom Faessel Assoc Dir Res Life Activities The University Of Akron
Chris Schuler- Partner Bass/Schuler Entertainment
Nikki Franklin Senior Entertainment Specialist TalentPlus Universal Gina Kirkland, President Kirkland Productions
Sailesh Jiawan. Owner Metropolis Management Laura Gilman. Partner Fresh Variety
2013 events
naca sOutH: naca centRaL: naca miD-atLantic: naca nORtHeast: naca miD-ameRica: naca West:
2014 events
september 26-29 • chattanooga, tn October 2-6 • tulsa, OK October 17-20 • Buffalo, nY October 31- november 3 • Hartford, ct november 7-10 • peoria, iL november 14-17 • Ontario, ca
apap natiOnaL cOnFeRence: Jan 10-14, 2014, neW YORK HiLtOn, neW YORK, nY naca natiOnaL cOnventiOn: FeB 15-19, 2014, HYnes cOnventiOn centeR, BOstOn, ma naca nORtHeRn pLains: april 3-6, 2014 • st. paul, mn aep WORLDWiDe signatuRe event: June 19-21, 2014 gRanD OpeRa HOuse, WiLmingtOn De cOntact inFORmatiOn:
national association For campus activities (naca) • (803) 732-6222, naca.org association of performing arts presenter (apap) • (202) 207-3842, apapnyc.org association of entertainment professionals (aep) • ian Kirby (803) 941-7228, aepworldwide.org
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campus activities magazine®, septemBeR 2013, 31
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32, CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE速, SEPTEMBER 2013
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Isn’t it time we brought a little class back to magic?
That’s exactly what magician Mark Toland has set out to do, combining aweinspiring and mind-blowing visual magic and mentalism with a classic hip style that hails back to the days of Sinatra and old time Vegas. It’s magic specifically tailored to the campus market. “I’m trying to get across the point that it’s not magic for kids,” Mark says. “Which is reflected in my website and promo materials.” You can watch just a bit of video on his website and see that he’s cut from a different cloth than most of the performers working the market currently. “I think there are a few things that make me different,” he says. “The show can be really funny, but I don’t consider myself a ‘comedy magician.’ On the other hand, it can be really dramatic, but I also don’t take myself too seriously. I am trying to make the experience as theatrical as I can, without becoming too contrived.”
Unlike most magicians, who’s technical ability in creating a true experience for an audience is limited to their performance experience, Mark has made the study of the art a priority, and brings in knowledge to his field that even most serious performers lack. “I was a theatrical performance major,” he says, “and I kind of look at magic from an acting/theater perspective. I see the show as a play or plot, not a display of skill. It’s something that has a beginning, a middle and an end. There are twists and turns, surprises and call backs from different times in the performance. I want audiences to feel like they are sitting down to watch a feature movie, except instead of writing off the amazing things they are seeing to computers and Hollywood effects, they are left trywww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
ing to figure out what just happened right in front of them, live on stage and involving their own peers.”
Because Mark’s show is written and performed around this theme of an experience and high drama, he’s not locked into any particular “type” of trick. As long as an effect he wants to perform flows with the continuity of the experience, he can put it in the show. This lends him a tremendous amount of leeway with the types of magic he wants to perform. He isn’t boxed in to doing only scary mutilation tricks like Criss Angel, or freaking people out with his dark stare like David Blaine, or hauling around large and complicated boxes and rigs for grand scale stage illusions like traditional Vegas magicians. “It’s kind of a roller coaster; I find that onesecond I can do mind reading and mentalism, and then turn around and do some sort of bizarre stunt mixed in with some hypnosis maybe. It just keeps things fresh and is a good, eclectic mix of what I like to do.”
It truly is an experience for the audience. Mark does not turn it into a “Look at me!” performance where he only wants to show off his skill. What he does is about bringing the audience in as deeply as possible, no matter what the means. “I do some standup comedy, some storytelling and improv games, it’s everything I loved doing and watching in college (laughs) and I kind of combined it all into what I think is a new brand of magic show.”
Mark grew up in a small town in Kansas, and he didn’t become the innovative and interesting magician he is overnight. He credits much of his success to the fact that he was raised in a place where there wasn’t a whole lot else to do. “I come from a really small town, and I really think that is why I do
magic. I live in Chicago now, and I think that if I had grown up here I would have been out at Cubs games and down in the loop and experiencing all the things there are to see in a big city. I wouldn’t have been home with a pile of books and a deck of cards becoming fascinated by my eventual career choice. Way too much idle time with my hands led me here, I was pretty hooked on magic for a long time.” Like so many of us, during his early adult years, Mark went through an interesting personal metamorphosis and changing of perspective that led him away from this path for a time. “I became somewhat disillusioned with magic in college, I started at USC in LA and then finished at Wichita State. I saw so many magic shows that I dragged my girlfriend (now my wife) to, that became just this big blur of the same thing over and over and I kind of fell out of wanting to do magic. I just wasn’t excited about it any more. I took a step back and really started to approach it from the mind set of an adult. How would an adult appreciate this art? I didn’t want to patronize, I didn’t want to pander; I wanted to perform it the way I saw it and give a kind of show that plays to their intelligence and keeps things classy and high brow. I had my ups and downs. I wasn’t completely committed to it my entire life, but it has definitely been my passion for most of it and it felt very good to realize that I could come back to it with a fresh perspective and approach that made it exciting for me once again.” See how the classy, chic and truly amazing Mark Toland can make magic exciting again for your campus. Contact him at 855-624-4268 or mark@marktoland.com for more information.
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE®, SEPTEMBER 2013, 33
CEP Uses Its Success To Develop Programs That Save Lives
One thing we all have in common, whether personally, as business owners, or as campus life professionals, is the desire not to become stagnant.
CEP, Inc. has cemented itself as one of the top suppliers of novelties and games in the campus market but its mastermind, Mike Seymore, sought to make it much more. In this article we’ll explore how Mike wanted to take his company from being a profitable business that only provided fun to its clients, to something that could also provide education and enlightenment. “I have been in the college market for 21 years,” Mike says. “Because I have had such a background in product development in the college market producing dynamic new games and attractions, there was a time back in about 2000 that I decided I wanted to take it even further and begin creating features that people could experience in museums.”
Mike first created and patented a flight simulator that the average person could get in and experience combat scenarios and fly like a pro. “It featured realistic physics wherein the pilot could dive, climb, do barrel rolls and experience a 360 degree virtual reality as if they were really in the air. The users were strapped into five-point harnesses, which held both pilot and gunner, so that a companion could sit next to you and enjoy the experience as well. They were able to use missiles and machine guns; it was an incredible and very realistic experience, especially for that time.”
To lend some perspective, 13 years ago may not seem like a long time, but in the world of technology and gaming, it was generations ago. The Playstation 2 was first released in that year, and there was no such thing as an
Xbox. “We started doing very well distributing these systems to museums around the country. By the time we got into it a couple of years, my creative mind was starting to feel a bit pigeon-holed dealing with only this one product (laughs). I had moved away from the college market at that point, where it was only about 30 percent of our revenue, but I missed being more involved with it. The campus market really lets us spread our wings in terms of creativity, and not just in products, but in the way business is done and developed. That was when my brother and I officially formed CEP and began launching products into the campus market very quickly.” This was in 2006. Mike and CEP were able to be successful launching novelties and games in the market, but realized they were on the threshold of being able to do something much bigger. “We knew we had a national platform to do some good – a lot of good. That was when the decision was made to get into the health and wellness aspect of college entertainment.”
This would become the true evolutionary leap for CEP to transform themselves beyond just fun and games and turn into a company that could truly help make a difference. “First we got into drunk driving prevention; we as a country were losing about 1700 college students every year to alcohol related auto fatalities. That was in 2007, then in 2008 we moved into texting and driving prevention programs, because we saw that on a national scale this was becoming a huge problem. Even though we were excelling with our product line in the novelty/variety niche, I really wanted to serve a greater good and help our students to become stronger, smarter and live longer and healthier lives by being exposed to educational programs that would allow the students to really absorb these messages
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through interaction, becoming their own proof statements through peer on peer learning as opposed to lecturing to them. That allowed us to really affect change.”
CEP’s health and wellness division developed programs not only for drunk and distracted driving, but nutrition education, tobacco education and cyber bullying as well. “We are working on delivering a message on bullying through a game show medium, and we continue to develop more of these programs wherever we see a need.” Then it struck Mike that it wasn’t only campus life and college students that could be positively affected by these programs. “We realized that for every single college campus out there buying programs to help deal with these issues, there were 50 high schools with students preparing to go to college that could not afford these programs. That’s when we realized how unfair that was. This was giving students from the more affluent areas of society where the programs were affordable an almost unfair advantage in this preventative education. This isn’t just about well-off kids having nicer things, these are issues that the other kids are not being exposed to educationally that can literally translate into life or death.”
That is when the decision was made to form a non-profit foundation. “This was all based on the momentum that our novelty company had,” Mike says, “that allowed us to be able to afford to move in that direction. I set out to form a 501c3 called the P.E.E.R.S. Foundation, which stands for Professionals Encouraging Educational Reform. The goal of the foundation is to get out in society and offer these educational programs that are critical, in my opinion at least, especially when it comes to distracted and drunk driving but also in nutritional and tobacco education, to the youth of www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
America. Kids these days (I sound old) are born with these phones in their hands, and often get behind the wheel with absolutely no preparation or education about just how dangerous it is to use them while operating a 1-2 ton motor vehicle. None of us were born knowing everything. We need to be educated.”
Of course no small business owner could support the education of our entire youth on their own dime, so Mike had to use his skills in business, sales and persuasion to figure out how to make it happen. “We went out in an attempt to partner with corporate America to fund the underprivileged school districts with these important programs. It took about seven years in development before we got our first two big accounts, but those two accounts have alwww.campusactivitiesmagazine.com
lowed the foundation to do an incredible amount of work in those districts by going out into society at community events to educate the general population and students. Now we are in a position where we are getting more and more attention nationally from some of the biggest corporations in America.”
The AT&T “It Can Wait” campaign is a perfect example, and Mike says there are more in the pipeline. “We are currently working with another company that is the biggest of their industry that I hope will let this project continue to evolve and allow us to bring these important programs to the masses.”
As one can clearly see, CEP Inc has gone from your basic novelty company and turned
itself into much more. Evolving from what was, granted, an innovative company, but still one offering only fun and games, to one that allows them to truly impact the world and quite possibly save lives, contributing to an improvement to the quality of life of the thousands of people its programs have touched.
How will you evolve? What will you do to grow yourself and your work beyond what you might have first conceived, and turn it into something truly important? For more information on CEP, Inc., and the P.E.E.R.S. Foundation, contact them at 866-288-8126, or email Mike directly at: mike@cepincorporated.com.
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES MAGAZINE®, SEPTEMBER 2013, 35
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