2008 Woodie Awards
Diversity game show kicks off unity week
By Rachel Seeman
Issue date: 3/18/05 Section: News
A Diversity Game Show kicked off Unity Week at SRU Wednesday night in the MPR of the University Union, with events continuing through Tuesday.
"The events are to promote unity and diversity among students, faculty and staff," said DaNine Fleming, director of intercultural programs and adviser for Student Union for Minority Affairs (SUMA).
Tim Stevenson, vice president of major events for UPB, said Unity Week is important because students can interact with those different from themselves.
"It's important in educating individuals about how important it is to understand people no matter how different they are from you," Stevenson said. "It's a chance to bring everyone together as one."
Stevenson is credited for developing the idea of the game show.
"The game show is a fun and interactive way for students to learn about diversity rather than a boring lecture," Stevenson said.
The game show questions included asking participants to define words regarding diversity and tested their knowledge of diverse groups.
Questions were also asked for the best ways to approach and solve diverse problems.
"The game show questions addressed race, gender and disabilities," Nicole Bastide, vice president of cultural diversity for UPB, said.
The questions were multiple-choice with five possible answers; points were earned by choosing the best possible answer.
There were no penalties for wrong answers, and there were eight handsets that teams used to answer the questions from their seats.
After each round, there were physical games requiring cooperation from all teams. For example, one game was a race to see who could hand an object down the line and back up to the front again the fastest. Each person faced the same direction and alternated the passing between over their heads and between their legs. Prizes included candy and t-shirts.
The game show host, Flora Johnson from Simplified Entertainment, co-created the game show through research. She hopes that the game show gets participants to discuss diversity.
"I'm glad people came out. I'm really happy we had a nice turnout," Johnson said.
Game show participant Stephanie Murray believed the game show was effective in promoting diversity because it focused on all ethnicities, genders and races.
Dave Stewart, another game show participant, agreed that the game show was a success.
"The questions tested everyone's knowledge of diversity while still having a good time," he said.
Other events planned for Unity Week include: The 2nd Annual King and Queens Event, Unity Carnival, Transition Brotherhood Series, Multicultural Movie, Mr. and Miss Unity Pageant, Gospel Fest, "Bitch' Betta Have My Money: Images of African American Women in the U.S. Media" lecture by Dr. Rhonda Matthews, Self Expressions and a Unity Week Fashion Show.
"The events are to promote unity and diversity among students, faculty and staff," said DaNine Fleming, director of intercultural programs and adviser for Student Union for Minority Affairs (SUMA).
Tim Stevenson, vice president of major events for UPB, said Unity Week is important because students can interact with those different from themselves.
"It's important in educating individuals about how important it is to understand people no matter how different they are from you," Stevenson said. "It's a chance to bring everyone together as one."
Stevenson is credited for developing the idea of the game show.
"The game show is a fun and interactive way for students to learn about diversity rather than a boring lecture," Stevenson said.
The game show questions included asking participants to define words regarding diversity and tested their knowledge of diverse groups.
Questions were also asked for the best ways to approach and solve diverse problems.
"The game show questions addressed race, gender and disabilities," Nicole Bastide, vice president of cultural diversity for UPB, said.
The questions were multiple-choice with five possible answers; points were earned by choosing the best possible answer.
There were no penalties for wrong answers, and there were eight handsets that teams used to answer the questions from their seats.
After each round, there were physical games requiring cooperation from all teams. For example, one game was a race to see who could hand an object down the line and back up to the front again the fastest. Each person faced the same direction and alternated the passing between over their heads and between their legs. Prizes included candy and t-shirts.
The game show host, Flora Johnson from Simplified Entertainment, co-created the game show through research. She hopes that the game show gets participants to discuss diversity.
"I'm glad people came out. I'm really happy we had a nice turnout," Johnson said.
Game show participant Stephanie Murray believed the game show was effective in promoting diversity because it focused on all ethnicities, genders and races.
Dave Stewart, another game show participant, agreed that the game show was a success.
"The questions tested everyone's knowledge of diversity while still having a good time," he said.
Other events planned for Unity Week include: The 2nd Annual King and Queens Event, Unity Carnival, Transition Brotherhood Series, Multicultural Movie, Mr. and Miss Unity Pageant, Gospel Fest, "Bitch' Betta Have My Money: Images of African American Women in the U.S. Media" lecture by Dr. Rhonda Matthews, Self Expressions and a Unity Week Fashion Show.
