‘Fun Czar’ Corker Subject of Media Frenzy

Special Assistant to the Dean for Social Programming Zachary A Corker ’04 became the subject of a small media frenzy following a Jan. 12 article on the Reuters news-wire service.

Once Reuters weighed in, several local and national media outlets followed suit, reporting on the new Harvard “Fun-Czar”—a term which was coined by the Harvard University Gazette in their November 2004 article, but one that Corker dislikes.

According to Corker, the Gazette article was spotted by a reporter for the Reuters wire service who lives in Cambridge. Interviews for the Reuters story, Corker said, were conducted in December.

Since the story appeared on Reuters on Jan. 12, WHTH Boston Channel 7, CNN.com, “Lou Dobbs Tonight” and The Boston Herald all picked up on the story.

Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, who holds a Master’s of Public Administration from Harvard’s JFK School of Government, mentioned Corker’s role as his “Most Ridiculous Item of the Day” on his show “The O’Reilly Factor” last week.

“Corker is a 23-year-old guy, says he’s fun, but he’s really up against it. Take it from this Harvard alum. We’re not exactly talking the Mardi Gras up there in Cambridge,” O’Reilly said.

But Corker noted that O’Reilly was never an undergraduate at Harvard and has no basis to comment on the undergraduate social scene.

“They are really playing up the Harvard student as a one dimensional bookworm, and Bill O’Reilly went to the K-School after all—he doesn’t even know the Harvard undergraduates,” Corker said.

Assistant Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin II also disagreed with the slant of the Reuters article and O’Reilly’s implication that Harvard students aren’t capable of planning their social lives.

“Zac’s role is not to plan student’s social life because they do a great job with that themselves. Rather, Zac’s role is comparable to what many student activities offices at large campuses provide—a staff member who can listen to students’ needs, brainstorm and advise them on how to accomplish their goals and help them plan an event to completion,” Associate Dean of the college Judith H. Kidd and McLoughlin wrote in a press release.

But Corker is also disappointed that some media outlets have been criticizing his qualifications for the position.

The Boston Herald called Corker a “Boozing Bozo” based on some of the statements on a website he founded as an undergraduate, hahvahdparties.com.

“The headline was pretty rough and the article itself was pretty unfair,” Corker said. “Hahvahdparties.com is a funny site but it doesn’t have much to do with what I do now, but The Herald didn’t make that distinction.”

Despite the negative aspects of the coverage, Corker said he has enjoyed watching the stories unfold.

“Friends called me and told me that they saw me on CNN.com and my parents thought that it was pretty funny—you just take it all with a smile.” Corker said.

McLoughlin and Corker both insist that the media attention will not change the function of the job. Corker said he declined all requests for interviews, and has already scheduled a number of events for February including concerts in Loker Commons, a roller skating party “in the Van Wilder vein” and busses to the Beanpot tournament.

Applications for seniors interested in Corker’s job next year are due today.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu