Simon, or in this case Student Union President Sherin Shibu, calls Dean Robin Figelman to the stage. Sherin says that she must discuss a topic that she picks out of a hat for two minutes straight. Ms. Figelman picks up a piece of paper, and in her horror she reads, “50 Shades of Grey.” After pausing for a moment, she says, “I love 50 Shades of Grey. I even read it twice, alone. You can fill in the rest.”
Fear Factor occurred on March 4 and brought both laughs and commission that will help out clubs, publications, and teams. Other faculty members who participated were Parent Coordinator Dafne Manhart, Attendance Officer Yvette Reyes, Payroll Secretary Anna Pace, and Staff Member Philip Sforza.
The SU Board wanted to raise $1,000 and almost reached this goal with a total of around $900. Junior SLT Caitlin Cassidy says, “I definitely think the event was successful. We raised a lot of money with tickets along with the bake sale. Overall it was something fun to go to with your friends on a Friday and that was our real goal.”
Only the SU Board knew the challenges for the event. Mr. Sforza describes, “I really didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous about what kind of stunts they were going to have us do but it was [ultimately] a lot of fun.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Bea Tolentino thought they would do “more exotic things, like eat chocolate-covered crickets or eat a whole spoon of cinnamon.” Instead, challenges ranged from cracking an egg on your head, in which one egg was completely raw, to eating worms placed in a bowl of whipped cream—all while blindfolded.
While Bea recalled Mr. Sforza doing push-ups on mustard, both Ms. Figelman and Mr. Sforza thought Ms. Figelman getting “egged” was the funniest moment. “I really didn’t think that the egg would crack,” remarks Ms. Figelman.
Some wondered why Ms. Figelman struggled doing push-ups on the “unknown substance.” She explains, “I wish that I did a lot more, but I had a major competition on Saturday and couldn’t do push ups or couldn’t eat things. I did the best I could for the situation I was in; if Fear Factor happened on its original date, then I would have gone all out.”
The SU Board ultimately decided to change the date for Fear Factor because It wasn’t “able to get to word out far enough in advance.” Caitlin states, “We started hanging posters and making announcements only a week in advance and with the rush of FON season the SU fundraiser was drowned out. In order to increase its chances of being successful, we moved it to the next closest date.”
While it is not certain that Fear Factor will occur next year, Sophomore Class President Kathy Ling concludes, “As of right now, we cannot be 100% sure. The SU Board is always looking for ways to improve, and we have already discussed ways to better the event. It all depends on the board next year.”
