A Comp Roundup: ...There's the Pizza

Welcome to this article. It's a truly great resource, better than anything the Independent has ever written...

It is one of the most prestigious articles running in any journal in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report, and it can get you into law school, too, promise...

Oh, good. The pizza's here.

After two weeks of open houses at various campus organizations, the sales pitches used to woo first-years have become slightly haunting, students say.

During Freshman Week and shopping period, first-years were the subjects of an all-out assault of hospitable smiles, firm handshakes and high-calorie food. The warm, fuzzy feeling each organization tried to leave with prospective members could approach the smothering.

"People here are on the most part very helpful," said Christa M. Franklin '98, a Matthews resident who attended the Crimson's open house on Monday, September 19.

About 100 eager first-years attended the Crimson's open house on Monday. The next day, more than 100 packed the Institute of Politics (IOP), nearly 50 went to the Harvard Independent's open house and about 40 were at radio station WHRB's introductory meeting.

'The free food is effective, definitely.'

David V. Bonfili, head of IOP study groups

Every group but the IOP had multiple open houses, and, at each spot, prospective participants appeared to be getting a practiced, timeworn pitch.

"I think they're worthwhile because they introduce you to the clubs in a relaxed atmosphere, and there's no commitment to sign up," said Mario J. Garcia-Serra '98, who attended the IOP open house on September 20.

But others said the introductory meetings were either completely useless, or just plain annoying.

"I've definitely heard a lot of stuff that has bored me--bureaucratic stuff," said Ethan G. Drogin '98, a Strauss A resident who attended the WHRB meeting and other campus open houses.

"They're not incredibly informative," said Josh Gluck '98, who attended both the Crimson and the IOP meetings.

In the crowded meeting rooms, things could get sticky. All three of the media groups were quick to bring up the sore points of their competitors.

At The Crimson, editors trying to draw subtle contrasts with the Independent, noting the extensive facilities available in their building at 14 Plympton St.

Over at the Independent, president Ellie Grossman '95 was more specific about her rival.

She began her open house by announcing that this year is the 25th anniversary of the newspaper's inception. But her remarks contained a second message.

"We were founded during the political upheaval of the '60's when people felt that the Crimson was too radical and [people were] looking for a more objective alternative," she said.

WHRB's president, Alexander Barylski '96, also didn't miss a chance to show what was bigger and better at his organization than at other campus media groups.

"We are a player in the Harvard market and in the Boston market as a whole," he said. "While The Harvard Crimson does not try to compete with the Boston Globe and the [Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra] does not try to compete with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, we are right there on the dial with everyone else."

The competition was also heavy over which group had the best facilities.

While Crimson schmoozers touted their in-house presses and hid broken phones in an out-of-sight box, WHRB emphasized the station's "huge record collections" and "brand new studios" in the basement of Pennypacker Hall. The editors of the Independent boasted about their new home in the basement of the Canaday Hall's A-entry.

At the IOP, Student Advisory Committee Vice Chair Chris Garcia '95, the master of ceremonies at the IOP introductory meeting, waved his hand around the room and said to a packed lecture hall: "This is a fun place to visit. Unlike every other campus organization, we have tons of resources."

Food

To make the recruiting process less intimidating, organizations try a lot of different tactics. But the primary one remains the same, year after year: prospective compers are fed.

"The free food is effective, definitely," said David V. Bonfili '96, head of the IOP Study Groups Committee. "Bring pizza and they will come."

It worked for the IOP, where deputy director Cathy A. McLaughlin arranged for the Institute's caterer to make 1,500 slices of pizza.

The staff of the Independent had a little more variety in its open house fare--two bottles of Coke, one of Diet Coke, a Diet Sprite, one bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, one bag of Oreos and six pizzas donated by the paper's advertiser, Dial-A-Pizza.

The Crimson entirely broke from the norm with eight boxes of slightly stale Dunkin' Donuts, although the first-years left an entire box of jellies untouched.

"It is kind of intimidating for freshmen to walk into [the Crimson newsroom]," Gluck said. "I mean, maybe you had a small office in high school, maybe. It's a big step up and the doughnuts made it very homey."

At WHRB, compers went hungry. The staff spoke for 40 minutes instead.

"You'll find we're quite old-fashioned," Barylski said. "We just make our pitch."

That might help explain why the radio station had the lowest attendance of the four. Few aspects of the open houses were more popular than food.

"I didn't know they were having pizza but I came anyway," said Ramon A. Rasco '98, a visitor to the IOP. "I'm definitely happy now though."

'Clueless'

Organization leaders said open house attendance differs from year to year. But without exception, the excitement dissipates quickly.

"Freshmen are basically clueless," said Ahmad I. Atwan '96, head of the fellows program at the IOP. "So they have to hit as many open houses as possible. By the time they realize that classes take up all their time, the commitment wears off."