'Road Rules' alumnae to speak about women's issues

By REBECCA MARTIN

Veronica knows first hand the effects television can have on people. She knows how manipulative television can be and how much editing television shows have to go through before they air, giving the audience a false sense of reality, Veronica said.

She knows because she’s the Veronica from MTV’s “Road Rules,” a reality show that takes young people around the country or the world to compete for money and prizes.

“I have seen, experienced and been through the body images and the unrealistic images young women go through,” Veronica said in a phone interview Tuesday night from Pennsylvania.

MTV’s “Road Rules” alumnae Veronica and Rachel will speak today in the Satellite Student Union about problems women face. The USU Productions event starts at 7 p.m.

Kristie Godfrey, the adviser of USU Productions, said the organization wanted to present an educational program allowing students to leave with information they did not already have about serious issues facing college students.

Coordinators are hoping students come to the presentation not only for the celebrity presenters, but also leave with more information on issues including body image, self esteem, men's awareness, eating disorders, positive self-image and women in the media.

“We wanted to do an educational program,” Godfrey said. “But we need the celebrity status to draw people there.”

The presentation will focus on personal issues Veronica and Rachel, who are both currently cast members of “Real World Road Rules Inferno 2,” have faced in regards to their physical appearance while they were on reality television, student coordinator Michael Horta said.

While the two Road Rules cast members may appear to be confident on television, their lecture will focus on how they became confident in themselves, Horta said.

“Each Real World and Road Rules act has a different topic,” Horta said. “Veronica and Rachel are some of the more recognizable ones, because they've been on so many challenges.”

Besides making stops at colleges across the country, Veronica and Rachel started the clothing College Dropout to help promote diversity.

—The Collegian’s Chhun Sun contributed to this story.