Fun: Restrictions May Apply

When the genius that proposed that Harvard social life leaves something to be desired made his or her groundbreaking discovery, the College attempted to respond to this problem in a all-too-typically “Harvard” way: by doing some research and hiring an administrator.

When Harvard instituted the position of fun czar—officially called the Campus Life Fellow—as a coordinator for large-scale campus social events, the media and blog response was a flurry of derision. Were Harvard students so uptight that they needed to have fun despotically imposed upon them? Despite the apparent absurdity of having a fun czar, we approve of and acknowledge the necessity of such a position—not to impose fun upon us, but to create unique avenues for social life on campus. The College, however, needs to uphold its end of the unofficial contract it has with students: Along with creating a position intended for facilitating fun, the College must provide an infrastructure that is a workable palette onto which the czar can paint his or her masterpiece. As Jason B. McCoy ’08 is welcomed into University Hall as the next fun czar, we hope that he and the College are able to strike an administrative balance: undertaking projects that appeal to students and take advantage of the College’s resources, while leaving some aspects of social programming up to current undergraduates.

Many of the problems with Harvard social life stem from lack of funding and lack of social space, rather than lack of student initiative. The fun czar is the ideal figure to secure funding and social space for undergraduates, because he—unlike the typical College student—is a paid College employee. Unfortunately, the official backing of the College is accompanied by a certain restriction upon the type of events the fun czar is allowed to plan.

It would be ridiculous to expect Harvard College to plan or endorse an event that facilitates—or even tacitly condones—many of the illegal activities (namely drinking) that characterize students’ ideal weekend night. Undergraduates will have to get used to the fact that they need to provide their own opportunities for such parties. But the fun czar does have the power to provide venues for dry fun that don’t risk feeling condescendingly hokey. While the welcome-back barbecue and sing-alongs appeal to some, events such as Yardfest (which is happening at night this year) and Pimp Your Stein Clubs have a much broader appeal to the population of young adults on campus.

The position of fun czar holds great potential. The first fun czar, Zachary A. Corker ’04, spearheaded the efforts to establish the Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub in Loker Commons. The fun czars since have been the College-wide social coordinators, involved in planning campus-wide events, as well as smaller house events that require funding and resources that students cannot provide. These efforts are admirable, and the events themselves are exciting, entertaining, and above all, beyond the realm of what undergraduates can plan themselves. Events like karaoke or sing-alongs, however, do not exactly enliven the social scene at Harvard. The College does not lack wholesome activities in the line of sing-alongs or afternoon fun—undergraduates can easily engage in such activities without the help of a czar or the administration. What Harvard truly lacks is a consistent music scene and a good place to be on a Friday or Saturday night.