Sidwell Chosen as Fun Czar

The College’s Student Activities Office announced last week that Sarah J. Sidwell ’09 has been selected as the campus’s fifth Fellow for Campus Life, or “fun czar,” for the upcoming academic year.

The fun czar serves as a coordinator for social events around campus. As a member of the Student Activities Office staff and College Life and Activities Group, Sidwell will work closely with the College Events Board to plan events such as Yardfest, the annual welcome-back celebration, and Harvard-Yale weekend festivities.

Sidwell will succeed Jason B. McCoy ’08 to the position on July 1.

For her, getting the position is “a dream come true.”

“I can’t wait to start working with students to plan the most exciting and fun events that we can imagine,” Sidwell said. “I intend to come into this position with enough energy and creativity to honor the amazing ‘fun czars’ who have transformed social programming at Harvard.”

Sidwell is no stranger to social coordinating. She has served as Hospitality Chair and Production Chair for the Harvard Concert Commission and as Director of Alumni for the Fellows Program at the Institute of Politics. She currently works in the College Dean’s Office as the Room Reservations Coordinator and serves on the Advisory Board of the Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH).

“I’ve been a social planner for as long as I can remember,” Sidwell said. “Ever since middle school or even elementary school, I’ve been planning social events.”

Sidwell will work closely with Assistant Dean of the College David Friedrich and Judith Kidd, Associate Dean of Student Life and Activities, to sustain the range of social activities offered to students.

“Sarah brings tremendous experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm to this position and we know that her talents will benefit students immensely,” Friedrich said in a statement released by the College.

“I’ve worked with her before on Yardfest,” CEB Chair Kevin M. Mee ’10 said. “She’s a really great, really nice person. I definitely look forward to working with her next year.”

Due to the current economic downturn, Sidwell may face financial constraints her predecessors did not.

“It will be a challenge for us to be realistic in tough economic times without sacrificing fun for students at Harvard,” Sidwell said.

The Campus Life Fellow’s position has been in existence for five years, created in 2004 with the appointment of Zachary A. Corker ’04 as special assistant to the dean for social programming.

“It has provided us with invaluable connections to our students and student organizations and we look forward to continuing this good work with Sarah next year,” Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds said in a College press release.

—Staff writer Michael J. Ding can be reached at ding2@fas.harvard.edu.