The Activities Programming Board hosted its first “Hot Ones” with President Ronald Rochon Tuesday in Carter Hall located inside University Center West.
APB provided wings and dipping sauce from Sodexo for attendees. Rochon sat down with Audrey Fox, APB president, and Laura Gobert, APB graphic designer. Attendees ate wings while Fox and Gobert conducted a conversation-based interview with questions regarding Rochon’s life.
“Our inspiration for this event is the ‘Hot Ones’ wing interviews that are on YouTube,” Fox said. “Basically, the interviewer hosts a celebrity, and they make their way through continuously more spicy wings as they’re asking questions, and that’s what we’ll do with Rochon.”
Fox said Gobert thought of the event.
Fox said they are not using the original “Hot Ones” sauces but instead, sauces the APB adviser picked.
“We really just wanted to introduce Rochon and have a fun event where students can enjoy wings but then also get to know their president,” Fox said. “I feel like he has a great personality and a great mindset and goal with the university. And some students may not be familiar with that.”
Before the event started, students were asked about the expectations they had going in.
“I want Dr. Rochon to get asked spicy questions while eating some spicy chicken,” said Kristina Yang, sophomore psychology major.
Avery Burk, freshman pre-diagnostic medical sonography major, said she has been looking forward to the event.
“I hope to see, well, it’s always the funniest on ‘Hot Ones’ whenever they’re having a full-on mental breakdown while they’re trying to answer their questions,” Burk said. “I never want that on someone, but it’s kind of always fun to watch.”
Olivia Andrews, freshman undecided major, said she was excited and thought it was a cool idea for an interview.
“I think it’s cool how they’re taking something that’s super popular in media and kind of just taking it back to USI,” Andrews said. “I thought it would be more popular than this, but I’m excited for it nonetheless.”
Andrews said she would like to see Rochon struggle during the “Hot Ones” interview.
“I want to see him sweat, he’s such a good person but like, I want to see him struggle just a little,” Andrews said.
Rochon said he was unfamiliar with “Hot Ones” but enjoyed sitting down and answering questions.
“I’m sitting here with students and eating hot wings and receiving great questions and sharing was a lot of fun,” Rochon said. “I enjoyed it a lot.”
He said his experience was interesting going from wing to wing, but also seeing students’ reactions.
“I haven’t eaten all day,” Rochon said. “So it felt good to get some sustenance in my body but the wings were hot. It was interesting as we went from wing to wing, you felt a different degree of heat.”
Rochon said after the “Hot Ones” interview he felt at peace knowing he had shared positive messages.
“Right now, I just feel really at peace,” Rochon said. “I get to share some good messages with the students. I thought that they were good because they were receiving them well. Students were listening, and I wanted to push them to think about ways in which we can better serve. So I really feel good right now. I’m happy, very happy.”
He said, if asked, he would agree to another “Hot Ones” interview.
“If the students invited me again to sit down and have fellowship with them and some good wings, I’ll do it again,” Rochon said. “Without question.”
Rochon said he hopes students are aware of how important they are at USI.
“I hope that they learn how significant they are to me, how important they are for this university and how important they are to one another,” Rochon said. “That’s really important to me. Students are strong, vibrant people with voices. And I want you to know that about yourselves when you leave this campus, you know, fully engaged and fully prepared to take on and lead the world.”
