Greetings HGSA friends and associates!
I write with information on a GSAS community-building effort organized by a
very nice woman in the econ department. If you are a trivia fiend, this is
for you.
Sending wishes for both sunny weather and central AC to you all,
Annie
Hi all!
I’m a G6 in Econ running a social summer program
<https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/summersocialproject> this summer, and I'd
love for you to participate! The program is based on research I've done
with Mandy Pallais (a prof in my department), so it's a little quirky.
Here's the scoop:
Many of us would like to get to know Ph.D. students in other departments.
But Harvard – like society – is disconnected and siloed. We rely on
intermediaries, like university mixers, to connect us. But these can be
awkward and don’t often lead to lasting friendships. It would be much
better if people could connect their mutual friends. But connecting people
is costly and has some risk. While institutional intermediaries have an
incentive to introduce people because they can get paid, individuals can’t.
We’d envision a world where the costs of organizing were lower and people
were incentivized to introduce their friends. So in the *Summer Social
Project* <https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/summersocialproject>, Ph.D.
students from different departments pay $10 to join. Then, on Mondays in
July from July 10 to July 31 we play trivia at Remnant Brewing. *Participants
who put together a trivia team *(even just for one trivia night) *with
members from multiple departments split the pot of money at the end as a
small thank-you for bringing people together*. Maybe you could put that
money towards another trivia night with the same team!
Do you know a Ph.D. student in another department (say a roommate or friend
from college)? If so, would you be willing to introduce them to some of
your fellow historians over trivia? Or is there a group of historians you’d
like to go to trivia with and participating will encourage one or more of
you will bring in someone new?
If you're interested, *don't delay*! The first 25 people to sign up on our
website <https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/summersocialproject> can do so for
free, and the next 25 people get a discounted price of $5! This means
you'll still have the reward for putting together a trivia team, but you
get a deal in signing up.
I’m excited about this summer program; based on my research, I think it
could do a lot to form new connections in our community. If you have
thoughts about any of this, please feel free to get in touch (
janders(a)g.harvard.edu).
Sign up now, and invite a couple friends – in History or otherwise – here
<https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/summersocialproject>!
Thanks so much,
Jenna
--
Annie Boniface
PhD Candidate, History
Harvard University
