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• 1 2018-03-07T04:09:34-05:00 The Story of the House Committee 1 What is a House Committee? plain 2018-03-20T03:34:28-04:00
  
  
  
  Join Lowell HoCo!

  What is Lowell HoCo?
  
  When I designed the above promotional material for the House Committee (HoCo), I wanted to make sure that the committee felt open to anyone interested in joining. The great thing about HoCo is that it does not require any entrance requirements other than a willingness to help out, and the committee is flexible to meet the desires of the students. Within reason, anyone in Lowell House (one of Harvard's 12 undergraduate living communities of about 350 students) can come to us with a vision for a house-wide event and we will work on executing it. Our events and tasks are made easier by the number of hands that we have, so we do not set any barriers to entry. As a committee, we assess our recruitment success by how many people join from various different friend groups in the house, and this just requires committed and passionate outreach. More people involved means greater likelihood that people from every corner of the house will come to our weekly House events! 
  
  
  
  The above flyer says "Lowell 'HoCo' provides fun, inclusive, enriching programming. We advocate for student concerns, facilitate common space usage, organize intramurals, and help you show off your house pride with swag! Our two signature events are Yule Ball in December and Bacchnalia in May, but we also host events like Stein Club, Coffee House, Trivia Night and more!" For more details on these events, see the photos below.
  
  
  
  
  The Lowell House Committee has some elected positions including Co-Chairs (the primary leaders), Events Chairs (coordinate large dances), Stein Chairs (coordinate small Happy Hour events), Merchandise Chair (plans merchandise), and Common Space Manager (coordinates buying furniture/equipment), and finally intramural chairs (coordinate sports in the house). 
  
  
  
  
  Unlike some house committees, anyone can come to our meetings, voice their opinions, and vote. The question for us and committees across campus remains: How do you get people interested in an activity that is purely in service of a larger aim, offering no benefits or recognition? Part of me thinks we just get lucky year after year. Which leadership positions do house committees need in order to not overextend themselves? Through this larger research project, I aim to better answer that question and assess the limitations and opportunities of the committees from the perspective of the leaders of the committees.