Students Elected To Plan Events

A large part of Harvard undergraduates’ social life next fall has been placed in the hands of a diverse group of Harvard students, whose interests cover a social and extracurricular spectrum ranging from the Din & Tonics a cappella group to the Harvard Yearbook.

The newly-formed College Events Board (CEB) elected its five-member executive board in their first meeting last Thursday.

Tessa C. Petrich ’07 and S. Adam Goldenberg ’08 will lead the twenty-member social programming group that will take over the responsibilities of the Campus Life Committee (CLC) for coordination of large-scale campus events like the Harvard State Fair and the Harvard-Yale football game pep rally.

Secretary Andrea M. Nosal ’08, Treasurer Shaan K. Hathiramani ’08, and Publicity Director Haining Gouinlock ’07 will round out the executive board, whose members will serve until December.

The College Events Board is comprised of one elected member from each of the 12 Houses, six members appointed by those 12, and two members—the Concert Commission Chair and a First-Year Social Committee representative—who will be chosen in the fall.

Last month the College approved the Undergraduate Council’s proposal for the CEB, and will fund the body with $200,000 for the next academic year.

Board member and Winthrop resident Rowan R. A. Sheldon ’08 said that everyone who ran for a position was “overqualified,” but called Petrich and Goldenberg fantastic leaders who will do “an incredible job.”

“They complement each other well,” said Sheldon. “Tessa has an incredible vision for the board, and Adam has an incredible ability to implement things and ideas,” he said.

Petrich’s past experiences in planning social events include chairing the Pub Night Commission and working for the FYSC and Cabot House Committee.

Goldenberg is a member of the Crimson Key Society, sings for the Din & Tonics, and is a Crimson editorial editor.

At what Board members called a calm but energetic election in the Straus Common Room last Thursday, the CEB also elected coordinators for next fall’s two major campus-wide social events. Allison B. Kessler ’07 will coordinate September’s Welcome Back Event, and Rachel M. Berkey ’08 will coordinate November’s Harvard-Yale football game pep rally.

Finally, President of the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College Michael L. Vinson ’07 and CLC Vice-Chair Sopen B. Shah ’08 were elected to serve as the Board’s two First-Year Social Committee liasons.

“I feel that the inaugural members

have much talent, experience, and enthusiasm towards putting the 200k budget to good use—namely making everyone feel ownership of their student events, by not only listening to their ideas, but involving them in the event planning process,” Nosal wrote in an e-mail.

—Staff writer Emily J. Nelson can be reached at ejnelson@fas.harvard.edu.