The Troupes of WSSU: The Vice Versa Productions Story (Part 1)

Vice Versa Productions - Wal-Mart Fashion Show - September 30th, 2008

In a previous post, I talked about Vice Versa, an entertainment group that dissolved in the spring of 2009, based at Winston-Salem State University. Though this may be a controversial topic to some of the older WSSU readers, I felt it would be a failure not to share the fate of this organization so that others may learn from the mistakes that cause V.V. to fall. I will be respectful.

The group had the potential, in the beginning, to give Mozik and Epiphany a run for their monies in the sheer ambition of its mission; a total entertainment group consisting of steppers, models, singers, and dancers. However, after their first appearance in this form during the 2005 Homecoming Jump-Off show, that format was substituted for merely performance modeling. I don't know the entire back story as to why the other performance mediums were dropped, but I do remember seeing their show, and marveling how one group was able to fill up two intermissions for a pep-rally in the school's biggest auditorium, and the audience was interested. Similar to Couture Productions from NC A&T and the longevity of their spectacles which combine spoken word, performance modeling, and dancing.

Most organizations fall apart for various internal and external reasons. For Vice Versa, infighting, unstable leadership, a revolving door of membership, lack of consistent branding, and claims of embezzlement were the internal issues that plagued the group. The external forces were issues with the university administration, student recognition of their brand, and moving off campus. I will now go in depth about these.

• Infighting - Every group suffers from some form of this. Those that have longevity have been able to make sure that not too many members have conflicts with each other. Fighting (verbally or physically) is human nature, no it's not pretty or wanted, but it's ordinary, especially when creative peoples are at odds. It's the responsibility of leadership to make sure these conflicts are solved and productivity is not halted because of them. The conflicts that happened within V.V. were so traumatic and heated; most of the original charter members who were there in 2005 left by 2008, including the co-founder, to join Mozik, Epiphany, other entertainment groups on campus, or simply focused on their studies. 
•  Unstable leadership – It's important for leadership for organizations to maintain a constant presence and is consistent with direction, preserving order, and looking out for the general well being of the group. It's ok to disagree with leadership, it's not ok to quit just because you feel things are not being done the way you want them to, that's cowardice.
• Unstable membership (a revolving door) – What probably killed Vice Versa off the quickest was the rate of new member intake to membership retainment. For every new member that came in, it seemed two or three old ones were quitting. Without older members there to train new blood and adequately train them for better shows, the performances became subpar, only getting better the last year of the group's existence, when members stayed longer and gained more experience
• Lack of Consistent Branding – Ask anyone what Vice Versa's image was on the yard and you would get some unpleasant remarks from students. Of course, students on campus had negative things to say about the other troupes, and even Greeks, administration, and faculty. However these groups were/are successful in marketing an image that doesn't change and that's easily tangible. 
• Students know administration is moderately conservative, bourgie, and intellectual because through dialogue, seminars, program, media, and memo documentation, that's what's presented. 
• WSSU students know that the Omegas will present themselves as boisterous, jovial, macho-men because that's what those guys do. Mozik has the cool kid, suave image and they make damn sure their members up hold the representation. Epiphany's members preserve the brand of being unique, fierce, warm hearted, and fun. Vice Versa faulted by not creating a brand for itself, and allowing the students to do it for them. Students labeled them as ghetto, dreadful, and tacky. Sadly, that's how the models allowed themselves to be portrayed, instead of fighting, like Epiphany did when they went through the same hateful spell after recently forming, and insisting on their own image and reason for being, besides: "Doing things our way," V.V.P's motto, which seemed intent on rebellion.
• Embezzlement – What can be very damaging for an organization's integrity, whether a student group, small non-profit, of corporate giant, is embezzlement claims. No one wants to participate in a faction where you work hard to pay dues and the monies you and others have saved up for are not spent in accordance to what you were told they would be. Such corruption damages how individuals and the groups they are working in are seen by the community and will affect that group's survival therein. 
•  The story: For the 2008 Homecoming, a friend of mine in Vice Versa put up cash payment for the troupe to pay for the fees needed to participate in Royal Court's annual ceremony where Ms. WSSU is crowned and all organizational kings and queens participate and pay her tribute. Sadly, my friend's monies were not used to pay for these fees, the dress needed for Miss Vice Versa, the tux needed for Mr. Vice Versa. Instead, the money disappeared and Mr. and Ms. Vice Versa weren't able to participate in the coronation ceremony that year. It was frustrating for my friend who donated monies for that specific purpose; a struggling college student with bills. She sought council with the Director of Student Activities over the incident. This was a precursor to the eventual dissolution of the group by administration.