By Ian Spencer
The Mayor of Huntington Avenue, a position originally started in 1955, was resurrected a few years ago and is now being redefined by the current mayor Jordan Clark.
Clark, a sophomore African-American studies and political science double major, can be seen touting his mayor’s cap and shirt at many Northeastern sporting events. He also serves as a liaison between students and alumni, he said.
But with the help of the Northeastern community, Clark said he is looking to bring new visibility and definition to the position.
“I go to a lot of sporting events and a lot more alumni events than I expected, but there is not a lot [about the position that is] actually defined,” Clark said. “The Mayor’s Cup is one event that has been planned that I hope can be a signature event for the position.”
The Mayor’s Cup, held last night at the men’s basketball game, was a competition between residence halls to display attendance and school spirit. The event included such prizes as T-shirts, pizza and a trophy for the winning hall.
There was little evidence of the competitions until halftime, when Clark presented a trophy to two shirtless students from the winning hall, Stetson West, which brought about a dozen enthusiastic residents in attendance. Other halls in attendance were not identified.
The two shirtless students, Frankie Piccirillo and Alex Peterson, are both freshman engineering majors and residents of Stetson West’s second floor. They said Clark told them about the Mayor’s Cup and to come to the game.
Dom Fumai, a Stetson East resident and freshman accounting major who was at the game, said he went because, “I saw some flyers in my dorm and heard a couple people talking about [the Mayor’s Cup.]”
Both Piccirillo and Peterson said they enjoyed themselves after the victory, and while they said they were excited about the T-shirts, neither had eaten any pizza. “I ate three meals before I got here, but it looks good,” Piccirillo said.
Besides this event, Clark said a new aspect to the position was a seat on the Athletics Review Committee, giving him a say in the discussion about decisions regarding the fate of various Northeastern sports on campus.
Despite working on current changes and improvements, Clark said he has also enjoyed some of the more traditional aspects of the position.
“Going to lots of sporting events is great and I like it when different people know who I am. A couple times in the lobby at Matthews [Arena] some alumni even recognized me as the mayor, because they remembered the position and knew the hat from when they went to school. It was really cool,” Clark said. “Probably my favorite moment was leading the Homecoming parade.”
Clark originally decided to run for the position when he saw the competition online in the list of events for 2007’s Homecoming.
“Once I decided to run, it helped a lot that I am an RA (Resident Assistant) in Stetson West,” he said. “A lot of the people on my floor were willing to help.” Upon winning the competition, Clark said he received things like his signature top hat and a sweatshirt, as well as 150 dining dollars on his Husky Card. Most importantly though, Clark said, is the name recognition that comes with the position.
Clark said he is unsure if he wants to run again, citing a co-op in the fall as a potential time conflict.
He also said he wants to work toward getting more signature host events for the position, similar to the Mayor’s Cup. Clark said he feels he should promote school spirit and event participation. “We are not really known for our sports, but I feel like they are a huge component of college life, and I want to raise that thought and promote school spirit,” he said.
