Anderson At Rutgers

Rutgers Hosts Anderson Cooper 360° Town Hall on Bullying
Students assist with pre-production and attend live taping

October 05, 2011
By Carrie Stetler

Anderson Cooper and his CNN crew descended on Rutgers yesterday to tape the first program of a five-day series on bullying, transforming the Livingston Student Center into a full-blown set, complete with risers, cranes, and an 18-wheeler mobile studio.

There were also a few celebrities: “Dr. Phil” McGraw; talk show host Kelly Ripa; and Jane Lynch of Glee, who joined Cooper via satellite.

“Something like this has never happened here before,’’ said Neela Patel, assistant director of the Livingston Student Center, who helped prepare the space for CNN’s visit.

More than 50 Rutgers students, many of whom are engaged in activities to combat bullying, attended the taping of the show, an episode of Anderson Cooper’s 360°, which will air on CNN Sunday, October 9, at 8 p.m.

Maurice Elias, a Rutgers psychology professor who researches effective ways for schools to curb bullying, appeared as a guest on the show along with Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, and Lee Hirsch, director of the documentary The Bully Project, among other experts.

"Bullying: It Stops Here" premieres October 9. Anderson Cooper 360°'s weeklong series begins October 10.

One reason Cooper chose to host the forum at Rutgers was the suicide of student Tyler Clementi last fall, which became a “tipping point in the national consciousness,’’ said the show’s producer, Chuck Hadad. Tyler’s death preceded a wave of bullying-related teen suicides that focused media attention on the issue.

CNN approached Rutgers officials several months ago with its request to host a town hall at the university. “Rutgers had a very important decision to make. Do we get involved? They decided yes, and once they were in, they were fully in,’’ said Hadad. “Every department couldn’t have been more helpful.”

Cooper also came to Rutgers because of its diversity and “great reputation,’’ Hadad said. “Some of the best people who work at CNN are Rutgers alumni.’’

CNN invited students from Rutgers professor Steve Miller's journalism classes in the to help out with pre-production. The students toured the network’s mobile studio in the parking lot, met with Cooper and his staff, and helped test lighting.

“For students to be able to see them set up and shoot a show like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,’’ Miller said. “It’s one thing to hear lessons from me and another to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.’’

The students saw firsthand how much effort goes into taping a one-hour production.

“It takes months and months to prepare for this,’’ said Kara Madison, a senior journalism major who is interning at the BET network this semester.

Senior Terek Pierce, a journalism major and executive producer of “Wake Up Rutgers’’ was there taping RU-tv’s piece on the show. “We do this on a small scale,’’ he said. “They have hundreds of people moving around.’’

During a pre-production session Hadad had asked the students what they wanted to be when they “grow up.’’ Pierce had replied, “I want to be you.’’

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"Bullying: It Stops Here" premieres October 9.
Anderson Cooper 360°'s weeklong series begins October 10.

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“That made me laugh,” Hadad said. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

According to Hadad, Cooper was so moved by the bullying stories he covered within the last year that he envisioned the show as a call to action.

Cooper teamed up for the special with media giants Facebook, Time Warner, and the Cartoon Network, which recently launched a campaign to prevent bullying, centered around a social media app that allows youngsters to publicly pledge to end bullying around them.

“This issue has become paramount to Anderson,’’ said Hadad. “Kids are suffering, kids are dying, and it doesn’t have to be this way. Anderson covers wars, people dying of malnutrition. But these kids are dying because they feel like they have no place to turn. He thinks that’s unacceptable.’’