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NJIT Research Professor Herbert Tate Heads Panel Discussion for Governors Group
Architect School at NJIT Offers Again Popular Two-Day Summer Career Program
New Jersey Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education Spring 2002 Workshop
NJIT and American Water Works Association Form New Research Center to Improve Drinking Water
New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame at NJIT Inducts Four Members; Fetes Others
New NJIT Degrees Benefit Students, Technology Industries and New Jersey
Reality TV Comes to NJIT!
"Survivor". "Blind Date". "Fear Factor". Actually, it all began with "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Reality TV has come to New Jersey Institute of Technology and it has taken over! Students can't wait for the next NJIT version of their favorite shows and a chance to win some money!
When "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" became a hit, the Hazell Center staff began planning their own version of the quiz show. With limited resources (we don't have a million dollars or a cool set!) the staff created "Who Wants to be a Hundredaire?" in the Hazell Center Pub. Each week students from the audience were selected by raffle to participate in the show. Questions were gathered from a variety of resources including "Trivial Pursuit", the NJIT Student Handbook, and the Internet. Contestants sat on a chair on a small stage facing a large screen in which the questions were displayed for all to see using PowerPoint. For the three "life-lines" each contestant could poll the audience, do a fifty-fifty, or ask a friend in the audience for help. Correct questions were worth $5 each and contestants could keep playing until they reached $100. The event was very popular, but students wanted more!
Who will be the ultimate Survivor? At NJIT it was Ulysses McCormack who walked away with $1000 after a grueling weekend of participating in NJIT's version of "Survivor". The challenge for the Hazell Center staff was to make the event as similar to the actual show as possible while keeping it safe and working within the one weekend time constraint. Other challenges including finding students and staff to camp-out with the "Survivors" during the event, and the filming of the event to be shown later that week when the winner was announced.
Twelve students from over 50 applicants were selected by a committee of NJIT students and staff to participate in this fall 2001 outdoor activity. Each applicant had to complete a three-page application and waiver form and participate in a group selection process. The twelve students selected were divided into two teams. Each person was permitted to bring homework supplies, sleeping bag, flashlight, one change of clothing, and a luxury item. The challenge began Friday evening in the rain when the teams were given bright orange fencing and told to fence off a designated area on the campus green in which they would be living for the next three days. Teams were then given a cart of wood, tarps, rope, hammers and nails and instructed to build their own shelter. Each team was also given their food supplies for the weekend which included such delicacies as tofu, rice cakes, baked beans, freeze dried army rations, peanut butter & jelly, and Tang.
The first challenge began with a "friendly" volleyball game. The losing team had their first tribal council meeting that evening, complete with tiki torches, in which they voted off the first member. Other competitions throughout the weekend included obstacle courses, scavenger hunts, silly games, and the dreaded eating contest in which contestants had to eat pickled octopus, gefelta fish, and jalepeno peppers. Reward challenges were eagerly anticipated since prizes included take-out and pizza! Competitions and tribal councils alternated until only two students remained. The other ten contestants voted for the winner on Sunday afternoon and the winner was announced at the Survivor Party the following week.
With "Survivor" finished, we thought we could take a break from Reality TV. Then, NJIT staff member John Piechnik won the January 21, 2002 episode of "Fear Factor"! For those not familiar with "Fear Factor", six contestants compete in three frightening and /or disgusting events until only one winner remains. NJIT's version of "Fear Factor" will take place on February 7 with John acting as host. We will show John's episode and after each event John will comment on his experience. Then, students will be randomly selected from the audience to participate in one of our three frightening events for a chance to win $100. Events include the "eat something gross contest", "the pool of disgusting ice-water contest" and a contest too frightening to mention!
For those looking for something a bit more romantic, NJIT will be sending several couples on a "Blind Date" before Valentine's Day. "Blind Date" is a popular TV show in which a couple who have never met are filmed on their first date. Sounds innocent? If you've seen the show you know it isn't! Our couples will be selected by a committee of students and staff from a pool of applicants. Each couple will be given a chaperone that will drive them throughout their date and film the evening. The dates will be shown later that week in the Hazell Center with the participants commenting on their experiences.
Are we done yet? John Piechnik will go on to compete in the season's final "Fear Factor" episode to be broadcast in April 2002. For more information about hosting these Reality TV events at your school, contact Donna Minnich, Director, Hazell Center at minnich@njit.edu.
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