No doubt about it, Monday was beautiful. Students donned shorts, toted Frisbees, and basked in spring's sunshine and warmth. Walking outside was a pleasure, not an ordeal. And by the time the sun set and a cold drizzle began to fall, it was night -- everyone could quickly disappear into their rooms and houses, under a strong roof and out of nature's grasp.
But not junior Gary Wilson. Around midnight, just as everyone else made final trips home, Wilson fended off the rain and wind to set up camp on top of the library roof. A makeshift tent replaced a sturdy roof, a tarp attempted to cover the sodden ground, and a sleeping bag offered his only source of warmth. Will he make it through the night? Sure - this is day five of roughing it -- old hat for him. He's a survivor.
Or at least he wants to be.
Wilson, a mechanical engineering major from Wilton, CN, wants to join next season's cast of Survivor, CBS's mega-hit reality television program which puts strangers together to compete for money on a deserted stretch of nature. Contestants participate in a series of competitions and events, forge friendships, fight enemies, and, at the end of each episode, vote one of their peers off the show. Last man standing wins $1 million in cash, and the whole cast wins a place in the public eye for a few weeks.
Wilton wants the flash of fame, and of course, the possibility of fortune.
"I want $1 million really badly... also, I want to see what it's like to be in the limelight. I don't want to be Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys, or anything, and not be able to walk around. I just want to be able to be there for just a little bit," he said.
In order to get there, he first must apply. And that's where camping out on the library roof comes into play. In addition to a written set of questions, the Survivor application asks candidates to send in a three-minute video documenting why they'd be the "ultimate survivor."
To stand out, Wilson knew he needed to prove his prowess on tape. So one day after watching the show, he and his roommates got to brainstorming. Walk around campus naked for a week? He'd never. Camp out? "I thought...'Hey, that'll get their attention,'" he said.
That Thursday, Wilson procured a sleeping bag, a tent, and a video camera and plopped down, despite the cold, to start his mission. He would camp out for five days, and stay as far away from home as possible. He'd still go to classes, do his homework, and take tests - but changing clothes and showering were no-nos.
Throughout the five days, Wilson videotaped himself and his experience (including this interview), compiling almost an hour and a half of footage. Then, after tearing down his makeshift abode yesterday, it was time to start some hardcore editing. He now has to squeeze his various tapes into a three-minute segment by tomorrow, so he can send the application in time to qualify.
Monday night was Wilson's last night under the stars, and for the first time, the ground was already wet before he set up camp.
"I'm going to have an interesting night," he lamented. But it won't be his first interesting experience atop one of Tufts' most popular gathering spots.
Take Saturday: Wilson didn't need to set his alarm clock on Saturday morning - after all, it was the weekend. But he, along with a good portion of Tufts' population, arose bright and early to celebrate Kids' Day. Except Wilson hadn't planned on interacting with any kids. At around 9 a.m., he opened his eyes to sunshine, and a dear friend instructing his group:
"On the count of three, everybody yell 'Good morning, Gary!'...1...2...3...."
"GOOD MORNING GARY!"
And so the day began. "A few people came up to me, and the kids were like 'Hey, it's a tent! Should we go in the tent?' Kids were unzipping the tent, coming inside."
Becoming a campus attraction might have been more desirable than his battle with the elements Saturday night - which most of the campus heard rattling on windows, but not on the fragile sides of an open-air house.
"I got my tent up, and as soon as I got in it started raining. It sounded like this crashing... it was so loud. I tore down the tent and ran back to my house. It was so bad."
Wilson's perch afforded him the opportunity to explore - and confirm - the myth of the Library Roof as a hotbed of debauchery and, well, fun. Friday night found slightly intoxicated individuals serenading him with Destiny's Child's "Survivor." The weekend also offered a vision of what Wilson said was the "craziest thing I've seen at Tufts" - a couple that probably didn't have a single to go back to. A very loud couple.
After all of the sights, shivering, and videotaping, Wilson hopes to achieve his ultimate goal. But was all this enough? Ultimately, why will Survivor choose him, over anyone else?
"Why not? The show is supposed to catch reality... and they haven't had a normal 21- year-old yet. I can represent that for them. And I've lived in two different countries [Australia and Italy], so that gives a different perspective form a lot of people. I think that might help," he said.
Even if the producers don't agree, Wilson is happy with his quasi-wilderness experience. But not as happy as his classmates.
"It's been an experience. But I'm starting to stink," he said. "I need a shower really bad."
