'Road Rule'-rs explain Americanism

Karen Kupelian / staff photographer Tim Beggy and Dan Setzler from previous "Road Rules" series speak out to the JMU student body Monday night.

Two former Road Rulers brought humor and inspiration to PC Ballroom Monday night.

Tim Beggy, from "Road Rules Two," and Dan Setzler, from "Road Rules Five," ran into the room with huge Looney Toon characters and a roll of paper. Their mission this time was to do nothing other than chat with JMU students about Americanism, seemingly much simpler than their previous tasks on the "Road Rules" show. They started off the evening with the national anthem.

"Americanism is understanding what America is … it's being able to find out what it is that all the states make up," Setzler said.

Both Setzler and Beggy emphasized traveling the states as much as one can.

"If you've only seen two states, you haven't seen anything," Setzler said.

Setzler also said that one of the beneficial aspects of "Road Rules" was that he was forced to deal with different people. "If you can learn people skills … you're going to be better off than with a 4.0."

Setzler said that when he travels, he seeks out people who are different from him. He explained that once he met so many different people from different backgrounds and cultures, he went home with a very different perspective on life.

"In order to learn more about yourself, you have to find out how other people do it too ," Setzler said.

They also commented on issues such as the problems foreigners have had to face in this country since Sept. 11 and being a better citizen by voting.

Beggy listed statistics to bring certain issues to light. "If the world shrunk down to 100 people … if you have money in the bank, money in your wallet and some change at home, you are among the top eight percent of the wealthiest people in the world. If you have attended church without harassment, you are better off than three billion people," Beggy read.

He encouraged people to take their opportunities to heart and be good citizens. "Go somewhere else, anywhere else, and see how much we take for granted," Beggy said.

Most of the night did not have such a serious tone.

A contest to see who could draw the best United States, with all the states included, was held. The winners received the stuffed Tweety and Taz. Beggy spouted off reasons why America is great, some being: good ketchup, good-looking bank tellers, Elvis, March Madness and deodorant. He also added that America has the coolest flag and Captain America.

Setzler explained, "This is what we love to do, we love to goof off. That's the best way to get our message across because that's why people watch us ... These are things we really feel strongly about. It's all about getting the message across and having fun."

The former "Road Rule"-rs speak to many schools around the country. Some of the topics usually include issues that relate to the "Road Rules" show, such as interpersonal communication and conflicts, diversity and traveling. Americanism was this event's topic because "it was of the times and important," Beggy said.

According to the junior and sophomore class councils, who were sponsors, this event was held for pure entertainment value. Lyndsey Walther-Thomas, junior class council president, said that no one had any idea what they were going to talk about, but she was happy that it was such a success.

"I think it was really great. It seemed like everyone had a really good time and they were really interactive and got the crowd involved," Walther-Thomas said.

Freshman Holland Erisman enjoyed seeing the "Road Rule"-rs. She said, "I thought it was really entertaining. It was ike we should be in a big circle sharing stories."

Beggy thought the event was a success as well. "I didn't know how well the participation would go, because I've done participation things before at other schools and they've gone horrific," Beggy said.

"I couldn't believe how cordial and intelligent everyone was. They all seemed to care and were concerned with the topic."

Setzler agreed. "I thought it went great," Setzler said. "I think when we did talk about a little more serious stuff people were like, 'ok, I'll think about that.' That's all you can really ask is for someone to think about it and maybe apply it to their lives."

Even with the semi-celebrity status that they have garnered through their time on "Road Rules," it has not inflated their heads and the guys think that they still can make a difference. "If there is a small percentage of something we can do to give back or give some type of message across, that's pretty important to us," Beggy said.