N*gger, Wetb*ck, Ch*nk.
The autobiographical comedy show that deals with diversity, stereotyping and racial issues will come to Ball State University Jan. 18.
N*W*C Coordinator Danielle Pye said she thought bringing the three-person group to campus was important because of Ball State's lack of diversity.
"As a [Fundamentals of Public Communication] instructor, I've noticed in my own classes that it's a predominantly white campus," Pye said. "Part of what we need to do as instructors is prepare students for real-world interactions. I think exposure to other races, ethnicities and world views is an important aspect of culture."
Pye said she wanted to bring N*W*C to campus because of situations such as when a Ball State student had racial slurs yelled at her out of a passing car in November 2005.
"I think initially it does create a sense of shock in anybody that sees it because the words are so powerful," she said. "Part of what they're trying to do is dispose of those words. Without addressing it properly they could have a negative reaction, but what I'm trying to do is inform people. If they know what it's about and visit the Web site, they'll see it's positive."
Pye said the group traveled to campuses throughout the nation, but she saw the show when it played in Los Angeles. The show is not heavy and is something everyone can relate to, she said.
When she saw the show, she said, each performer had his own personality. They act out skits and keep it topical to include situations that are happening in the country, she said. One example Pye mentioned was the group included a skit about Michael Richards after he continued to yell the "n-word" during one of his comedy routines.
"It's funny, timely and it's not after-school-specially so I think it's really good for a college student," she said.
Pye said although she did not ask President Jo Ann Gora if she could bring the group to campus, she did speak with a lot of other people and 12 organizations and departments have helped to sponsor the event. It costs about $10,000 to have the show on campus and about another $2,000 for travel expenses, meals and technical staff, she said.
She started organizing the event in June, she said, and it took a lot of phone calls, e-mails and meetings. She said one of the hardest parts about bringing the group to Ball State was trying to find a place for the event, but there were also so many details to work out such as transporting the group and providing a hotel and food.
She said she had to negotiate contracts and get administrative support, but most of all she needed money.
"I never intended to coordinate the event myself," Pye said. "I just knew about the show, and I kept mentioning it to people, saying 'hey, somebody should bring this show to Ball State.'
"As it turned out, that somebody was me. Luckily, I met Zac, and together we have raised a lot of money to get these guys here. Overall, it has been a difficult, but very exciting process."
Student Government Association Treasurer Zac Davis said he was asked to help raise money for the event because he was able to raise a lot of money when comedian Margaret Cho came to campus in April 2006. Cho spoke about having awareness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Davis said it was good to bring N*W*C to the university now instead of waiting for another incident, referring to the November 2005 incident. He said this event would provide students a healthy way to look at the terminology and break stereotypes.
"It's an actual program addressing the fact that these are things that aren't acceptable," Davis said. "It could be beneficial and hopefully not feed that fire."
He said he had not seen the show, but had seen some of the group's material online and was excited to see them in person.
"I think I just want [students] to understand that just because there's negative connotations with a word it doesn't mean that word has power," Davis said. "You can take that connotation and start removing the strength of that word. People have put power in words that can effect a person, but we can show that if they do use that word, we can use education to take away that negativity."
Pye said she hoped people would initially go to the show in order to laugh, but afterward it would spark conversations they would not otherwise have.
"I think the best way to combat stereotypes is to talk about it," Pye said, "and because N*W*C has strong connotations, [students] are afraid to talk about the issues. When people are more open that will lead to positive changes."
Additional Info
For more information about N*gger, Wetb*ck, Ch*nk visit nwclive.com or go to the Facebook group WTF is NWC?
Sponsors for N*W*C include: the Speech and Debate Team, the College of Communication, Information and Media, the Multicultural Center, the Campus Activities Fund Board, Housing, the Department of Theatre and Dance, African American Studies, the Department of History, Spectrum, the Asian American Student Union, the University Program Board and the Student Government Association.
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