The themes of revolution and American history permeated most of the activities and events connected to the 2007 Artemas Ward Week, which lasted from Tuesday to Friday, according to Artemas Ward Director Jennifer Sibel.
The Kennedy Political Union helped kick off the week's events Tuesday night with a speech at the Woods-Brown Amphitheatre by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, The Eagle previously reported.
That same evening, the Student Union Board presented the film "Talk To Me" in the Ward Circle Building. The film is about Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, an ex-convict who becomes a talk show host and community activist in 1960s D.C., according to a Student Government press release.
| Artemas Ward, the man whose statue stands in the central median of Ward Circle, was a major general and the second-in-command of the Continental Army to George Washington during the first years of the American Revolutionary War. He had also previously served in the French and Indian War - also known as the Seven Years' War - and was commander-in-chief of Massachusetts' colonial militia during the Battles of Concord and Lexington and the Battle of Bunker Hill. He later served in several capacities within Massachusetts' state government and was elected as both a delegate to the Continental Congress and the U.S. House of Representatives.
SOURCE: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress |
Unlike the week's other events, the Friendship Auction did not have an immediate connection to Artemas Ward, revolution or America, Sigel said.
"I wanted to do a really fun activity, and I knew a lot of people would get into that," she said.
On Thursday, Eagle Nights invited students to come eat traditional baseball game foods like hot dogs, hot wings and root beer floats while watching the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on a large projection screen, according to the press release.
On Friday, students could go to a festival on the Eric Friedheim Quadrangle. Activities at the festival included a mechanical bull, fortunetelling, a Velcro wall, an inflatable rock climbing wall, a cartoonist and a refreshment stand where volunteers distributed cotton candy and popcorn.
Ariel Jahner, a freshman in the School of International Service, said she enjoyed the festival.
"It's exciting," she said. "I got to ride a mechanical bull for the first time."
Tim Tallivan, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he enjoyed jumping onto the inflatable Velcro wall.
"This whole event has been great," he said. "The Velcro wall was a lot of fun."
During the event, candidates vying for the Undergraduate Senate seats allotted to the Class of 2011 were given the opportunity to give 60-second final campaign statements. SG Vice President Jeff Hanley decided to give them the opportunity to speak after The Eagle published a column by Travis McArthur, a senior in the School of International Service, in which he criticized Undergraduate Senate candidates, according to an e-mail sent out by Board of Elections Chair Amy McConnel.
McArthur specifically criticized three 2011 Senate candidates - Emily Beyer, a freshman in SPA; Jack Weingart, a freshman in the School of Communication; and Nick Troiano, a freshman in SPA - for what he felt were deficiencies in their campaigns, according to the column.
Three candidates - Megan Miraglia, a freshman in SPA; Ben Schorr, a freshman in SPA; and Troiano - actually spoke during the event but mainly outlined their campaign platforms and encouraged people to vote before polls closed at 5 p.m. that day.
The final event of the week was a French-themed night in the Terrace Dining Room Friday evening. The dinner was meant to connect to Ward's military service during the French and Indian War, according to the press release.
The week's events were an overall success, with none of the events drawing fewer than 100 participants, according to Hanley.
"It's been going great," he said. "If I could go back and do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing"
