When I think of Cambridge’s renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a lot of things instantly come to mind, first and foremost the treasure trove of brain power the university has among its students and professors.

This weekend, however, the 35+-year-old campus gospel choir will give the public something else to associate with the school, namely a love of gospel music. That’s because on Saturday, April 5, the first-ever Gospel Fest celebration will bring eight Boston-based college gospel groups to MIT to perform in a massive concert. Participants include:

• MIT Gospel Choir
• Boston College Voices of Imani
• Boston University Inner Strength Gospel Choir
• Brandeis Voices of Praise
• Kuumba Singers of Harvard College
• Northeastern University JDOAAI Unity Gospel Ensemble
• Tufts University Third Day Gospel Choir
• Wheaton Colleges Voices United To Jam

If you appreciate gospel music, Gospel Fest 2008 seems like a sure way to celebrate your faith in the company of fellow believers while also enjoying an evening of lively, spirited music.

Tickets for the general public are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and organizers make it easy to purchase them online. Then, just show up on Saturday before 7pm at MIT’s La Sala de Puerto Rico (MIT Student Center, 2nd Floor, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge) for a wonderful time. [More Information]

Take a look at the video clip after the jump for a sample of the MIT Gospel Choir in action. The song is “I Will Sing,” which the group performed during their Fall 2007 Concert on December 9, 2007.

Post from: The Boston Traveler

This year there’s a bit of a controversy, though, because Auditi Guha, a reporter for the local community newspaper the Somerville Journal not only decided to film the students as they launched their eye-catching event but to post the resulting video footage on that icon of voyeuristic viral-ness called YouTube. The video is also featured in the article “Tufts Naked Run Brings Students Together — with a Few Injuries” posted on the newspaper’s website. Critics argue that those actions are a violation of the students’ right to privacy … as hordes of them jog buck-naked … outside in the great wide open … for any passersby to see.

As the Bostonist notes, there’s really no need for the unwitting subjects of the nearly three-minute clip to fear recognition since Guha did at least have the consideration to film them only from behind (double entendre fully intended). Still, as you can imagine, posting this kind of traditional yet local coverage on the Web has rubbed many the wrong way, no ifs, ands, or butts about it. Maybe the kids will think twice before running around au naturel outdoors next year now that the taboo of filming them has been broken in a very public, widely available way. Then again, knowing fun-loving college students, probably not.

Post from: The Boston Traveler