The Campaign for Ethnic Studies at Harvard campaign held its first events of the semester this weekend, with a new, neon-ribbon visibility and a renewed sense of dedication to the cause.

The campaign passed out 600 green ribbons to audience members at Cultural Rhythms on Saturday, according to Tin-Ming L. Hsu '00. Most performers also wore neon green tape around their arms in support of Ethnic Studies.

Hsu and other campaign members also distributed a petition supporting the Ethnic Studies Campaign as an "instrument of education and awareness." By the end of the day, Matt Damon and about 200 students had signed it.

"We want to resurrect a drive on campus for ethnic studies," stated Tri M. Phuong '02. Phuong, Hsu, and Peggy T. Lim '00 are the three co-facilitators of the Campaign for Ethnic Studies.

The leaders said they want to maintain a connection to the past. As a result, they chose to continue using green as their color, just as previous drives for ethnic studies did, Hsu said. It is crucial that people "could see this [current campaign] as a continuous movement," she said.

The campaign's first planning meeting was held in Loker Commons yesterday.

Sixteen members attended the meeting, which the group hopes to follow up with smaller group meeting every week and large biweekly meetings.

Continuing the effort is important, Phuong says, because "American Identity will be hinged upon ethnicity."