Snooki Visiting JMU: Start of a Revolution?

In two days, March 3rd, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi will be visiting James Madison University. I can't remember a more hotly discussed about event. Even when now-President Barak Obama came there wasn't as much hate spewed (okay, maybe that's a stretch). Snooki, more than probably any other entertainment figure these days, is loved by some and really hated by many others at the same time. For those that don't know, Nicole (originally from New York, and actually Chilean) was a part of the show "Jersey Shore", which followed the lives of several "guidos and guidettes" Real World-style. It was basically a train-wreck of a show and Snooki is most famous for getting punched in the face by a guy at a bar.

Over the past couple weeks, the news of Snooki coming to JMU has been all over the place, all the way from the Breeze and the DNR to Perez Hilton and the Huffington Post. Students, alumni, community members, and people from all over the country have been placing their judgment on Snooki, UPB, JMU, and JMU students. All the while, the show sold out in three days. I figured it's about time for the Windbreaker to step in and put its two cents in.

To start off with, I'd like to say I've maybe seen five minutes of the Jersey Shore (most of which was the child reenactment), because I'm not a fan of reality TV. I also don't like the fact that it glamorized that culture and while I enjoy making fun of it every now and then...this show was doing the opposite.

That having been said, I'd like to defend UPB on their decision as someone who was on their exec board for two years. The University Program Board tries to provide a variety of educational and entertaining events throughout the year. So far this year, according to UPB Public Relations Director Stephen Eure, they've "brought such events as the awareness program To Write Love on Her Arms, the educational How-To Series, and informational Sex Rules event." This event is purely for the entertainment value and is trying to hit a different segment of the JMU population. Not only that, UPB didn't really have much of a choice. Every semester they put out a survey to students giving different choices for comedy/lectures/musical performances in different price ranges and Snooki was an overwhelming favorite. None of the other choices got nearly that response, leaving UPB little choice other than to give students what they wanted. I've stated on here before how difficult it is to find an act to bring to campus that students are actually interested in, is in UPB's budget, and an act that has an open date on a rare night that campus locations are open. Again, anyone is welcome to join UPB for all the people who are always disappointed (it's pretty much your fault if you don't like what they bring).

To a majority of you that are judging Snooki and UPB...are you really in a place to judge. I love my school and am proud that anyone can come here and have a great time on any given night without having to pay to have fun, but it's a slippery slope. It's hard to walk around campus or talk to students without hearing about less-than-flattering things that happened over the weekend. And what reaction does this stuff get from their friends? Praise. The lifestyle people are condemning is happening every weekend (and most weeknights) at JMU, and the people living this very lifestyle are celebrated...but that's because these conversations are had in private (or at least not on TV)...out of the eyesight of others. Hypocritical? Maybe a little bit. Oh, and in case you didn't read the Huffington Post article, it was mainly talking about the fact that the event's Facebook wall had to be disabled because of the discriminatory posts from JMU students. And these are the people talking about being ashamed of their school? I'm all for giving feedback and saying you don't want to go (look to Josh Kelaher's Breeze letter or Facebook group for examples of good ways to do this), but to say some of the things that were posted is ridiculous.

So where do we go from here?

Most likely...nowhere. Snooki will come to campus. Some people will be pissed. Others will be entertained. Spring Break will happen. Everyone will forget or move on.

But is that really it?

All of you that are in an uproar...are offended...are ashamed...will you let this travesty just pass by?! Why not do something about it?

Get an educational lecture on campus. Bring in a senator, congressman, governor, or other political figure. Bring a debate on campus. Want to make a point? Get with UPB (or heck, maybe even join UPB) and help bring one of the above mentioned onto campus (UPB can help you get a list). Get them into Wilson Hall (after all, it has a higher capacity than Memorial). If UPB has already planned out their full budget, try SGA, other student orgs, or do some fundraising to get someone good and get them in there. Then pack the place out. Get it to be better attended than Snooki. Then do it again. And again. Make your event bigger than Snooki. Why not create a culture on campus of involvement in politics or education? Find something you're passionate about and pursue it. If you don't want to be known as just a party school that brings Snooki to campus...you know who can change that persona? YOU!

Stop being reactive to events on campus like Snooki and instead be proactive. Get out there and create a difference in your school. In my four years at JMU I saw a program formed by the a small group of student leaders on campus called jMubilee to bring together the JMU campus and Harrisonburg community. Every a year we put on at least one event, but my senior year a handful of awesome students helped me put together a huge event on Godwin Field the last day of classes. We scrounged together $10,000 from different places on campus and had free food, live music, an outdoor movie, and free games for over 1,600 people. Anything is possible at JMU. The faculty and staff are more than willing to help. Stop thinking small. Dream big. Complaining might make you feel better for the moment, but it doesn't help anyone and won't improve things for the future. Do something about it!

To UPB, I'd say make all of these people put up or shut up. Bring a good cultural event to campus and see if the attendance is even comparable.

I'm a huge fan of the "Be the change" campaign. There were a few phrases that always stuck out to me: Be exceptional, Be the example, Be visionary, and Be passionate. To extend that a bit further... Don't wait for someone else to start something...be the ignition. Don't join the trend...be the trend. Don't accept things the way they are...push the boundaries. There aren't too many things at JMU that are beyond the scope of a group of passionate, resourceful students. If I may borrow a page out of Dr. Mark Warner's book... "YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

Your move JMU...

Orientation: Creating the JMU Community

Now that the new-school-year smell has started to wear off, let's review one of the most important annual events in the life of JMU. 1787 Orientation week is where JMU freshmen (or "first-years" in Orientation lingo) get their first injection of purple. All this happens through no easy task. The Orientation office employs seven full-time staff and three GA's that work year round to make those first steps onto campus by brand new JMU students the best they can be. In addition to the staff members, there were tons of student staff and volunteers.

The first of the student staff were the 1787 Student Coordinators, Chaney Austin and Tyler Conta. These two started way back in the fall getting organized for this year's 1787 week. These two deserve a huge round of applause as they put in countless hours and many late nights putting things together. Next up were three SOC's (Student Orientation Coordinators) and an Operations Assistant Coordinator that helped keep the hundreds of other volunteers doing the right thing, in the right place, at the right time. Manning the home base of the Orientation office in Wilson Hall and keeping everything going behind the scenes were the three OOA's (Orientation Operations Assistants). The next group, 26 OPA's (Orientation Peer Advisers), were in charge of the Summer Springboard and overseeing all the FROGs. Their counterparts, ANT's (Assisting New Transfers), focus on helping incoming transfer students transition to life at JMU. Each one of the ten ANT's also previously transferred to JMU from another school. Last, but definitely not least, are those shining soldiers in yellow. A grand total of 252 FROGs created new connections and are the main face of JMU Orientation program. So if anyone asks how many people it takes to put together one of the top first-year experiences in the country...the answer is 304.

1787 started off Tuesday afternoon as the first half of the freshmen started moving into their residence halls with the assistance of their FROGs. That night they were entertained by a free showing of The Sandlot at Grafton-Stovall Theater. Interesting bit of trivia, most of the new students were only two or three years old when that movie first came out and Billboards #1 song of 1991, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams (raise your hand if you feel old). The remaining freshmen moved in Wednesday morning and had the University Welcome that afternoon, followed by Playfair (a community building exercise) in UREC that night. Turn-out across the board was better than in years past and according to 1787 Co-Coordinator Chaney Austin, "Turn-out was off the hook! We had so many people come out to all the events, it was awesome!" Thursday's main event was Quadfest and is an annual favorite. Thousands of first-years flooded the newly-finished Quad to munch on sno-cones and cotton candy, listen to music, learn the frog dance, throw frisbee, and play lots of other games while rotating for dinner and into Wilson Auditorium for J MADisON.

Friday night, the first-years walked back over to the Convo for the Pep Rally where they got their first taste of "Virginia's Finest", the MRD's. They also got to hear from many of the sports teams including Football, Men's and Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Basketball, and Field Hockey. The Student Duke Club also introduced themselves and had sign-ups before and after. That night there were also lots of smaller activities around campus for students to participate in.

Saturday, as many students as could possibly fit crammed inside of the Festival Ballroom for Jimmy's Mad Jam, where some of JMU's A Capella and dance groups performed. Turnout for this event could not have been any better without a larger venue.

Saturday night's marquee event was the crowd favorite. Michael C. Anthony, a hypnotist that visits every year for Orientation (and sometimes during the regular school year) captivated thousands of students who decided to (at least for the time being) postpone heading out to party to watch this incredible act. This year, something different was in the air. I'm not sure if students were worn out, or were just ready to listen intently to their professors, but the students on stage weren't the only ones being hypnotized. Only minutes into the performance, students in the crowd started falling under Anthony's trance (something I had never seen after four times watching him). The first two were relatively close to the stage, so after lots of screaming from around the entranced few, they were led on stage and continued along with the rest of the students on stage. That wasn't the end of it though. One student in the very back of the Convo became so entranced a little later that even after Anthony had some assistance to do a long distance "snap out of it", she had to be walked around to the stage to have Anthony's spell taken off of her. From what I saw, there were also three others that couldn't help but participate. In fact, a girl two rows in front of me became particularly scared of the belt/snake routine and then proceeded to shake her moneymaker for the surrounding area during the dance contest. Facilities personnel was thankfully able to assist those unfortunate ones and get them under control. The rest of the performance was outstanding as usual. Everyone seemed to be very entertained and a new guy will spend his freshman year with the nickname "CHA-CHA".

Sunday afternoon, students, FROGs, and OPAs once again filed back into the Convo for the 1787 Convocation. At this presentation, one of the stories from the students' summer reading program, the DNA Age, was brought to life. JMU Biology professor Carol Hurney (who is a fantastic professor btw) MC'd between monologues by JMU theater majors playing the parts of characters in the story. It dealt with ethics and privacy concerns of newly created DNA tests for diseases and seemed to be a touchy topic for some that left the crowd fairly evenly split. Along the way, FROGs discussed with their groups how they felt about the situation. This really seemed like a great way to get the students involved and talking about contemporary issues that will affect our lives.

Overall, it was a great week put on by the entire Orientation staff and congratulations to all the first-years that have made it through almost three whole weeks of classes. I can't underscore enough how important Orientation is to this university. It's not just about getting recognition from U.S. News and World Report (though that's not bad), it's about building the community that is JMU. Ever since JMU was a school of only a few thousand, people have been questioning how big JMU could grow before it would lose the "JMU atmosphere." That sense of community is created during those first few days where the focus is on getting to know the campus and each other, and students get to know themselves a little better, too. As Dan Boxer ('08) put it, "You instantly become a member of the JMU family..." Because of programs like Orientation, I don't see JMU losing that community spirit anytime soon.

Third Eye Blind To Perform at Fall Convo Show

Today, at the University Program Board's Crazy Commons Day, UPB announced that the performer for this semester's Convo show would be Third Eye Blind. For those that have been disappointed in Convo shows in the past, I thought I'd provide a little insight into how much work goes into just lining up who is coming for the show (with some help from Angela Morton, Director of Center Stage).

To start the process, UPB receives a list of artists compiled by their middle agent, Melissa Boyle Aronson from Babco Entertainment. Melissa helps provide insight and guidance through the entire process from getting the avails list to getting feedback after the show. The avails list is a list of artists that are touring for the fall/spring, their general price and general availability. It includes a wide variety of artists, from well-established bands that can cost well over $100,000 to bands on the rise that may be $10,000 (most of which 95% of the student body has never heard of). The Center Stage Committee, along with the Executive Council of UPB go through this list and try to narrow it down a little. They have to consider what artists are within UPB's budget and the band's availability. In addition, they have to take into account all the additional costs of setup, lighting, sound, stage, security, marketing, etc., when looking at costs, because it can add upwards of $15,000-20,000 to the cost of the show. The stage plus rental of JMU Convocation center can cost around $9,000 on their own. UPB generally tries to book the Fall Convocation show in September/early October, before basketball season begins. They also have to work around a schedule of pre-scheduled events that take place at the Convo.

UPB tries to include a variety of artists to try to reach the maximum number of students. Then, they create a survey for the students to take, asking what nights they prefer to see a show, who they would like to see, how much they'd be willing to pay to see them, etc. This year, they divided the artists into genres and tried to get the top 3-5 for each. The survey is distributed via mass email, Facebook, and the UPB website. UPB tracks the results and sees if any favorites emerge, trying their hardest to book the students' number one choice, given that they are within the budget and all parties can agree on a show date. From there, it moves into a bidding and negotiation period, working with Melissa and the artist's manager to come to a reasonable agreement. In the past, UPB has had numerous artists decline their bids, so they've had to go back to the survey results, find the number two or number three pick and start the bidding process over again. Booking an artist can be a long and stressful process.

"This year, we really wanted to make an offer to Third Eye Blind, especially after the students' overwhelming disappointment when they fell through last year," said Angela. Third Eye Blind received over 3,300 votes on the survey and were the clear favorite of the JMU students (OAR, Jack's Mannequin, Dashboard, and MGMT were also among the top picks this year). Luckily, we were able to work with them this time and come to an agreement. Angela said that when it was announced, "It got an overall positive response from students." To help decide on future performers for Convo shows and the rest of the University Program Board's events, there are several ways to get involved. Visit their website, office (Taylor 234), or talk to one of their members to find out more.

Show info

October 8th at 8pm, Convo

Tickets on sale Thursday, Sept 17 at Warren Box Office at 8am

Prices: $26 reserved seating for students with JAC, $31 for floor seats/general public in advance/students at doors, $36 general public at doors

JMU 1787 2k9

Starting Tuesday afternoon, thousands of freshmen and transfer students have descended on campus for a week of getting to know the campus and each other through lots of fun and informative events. A full report on 1787 Orientation will be posted sometime next week. A quick thank you to all people involved with this, as it's a ton of work and is very important to the university. It also got us ranked in the recent U.S. News and World Report for having one of the best orientation experiences in the nation. I was able to stop by the first rotation for Quad Fest on Thursday and the Pep Rally last night and wanted to put up the photos. I've also started using an account dedicated to Windbreaker photos instead of just using my personal account and I'll be repopulating that with all my old JMU sports and events photos from the past couple years. Check back in a few days for the full report.