After a short intermission, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 presented Damon with a plaque and commended him for his work with the AIDS Action Committee.

During his acceptance speech, Damon quipped that when he told his father he would be at Harvard to receive an award, the first thing his father said was "Is it a diploma?"

Damon went on to tell the audience about "compassion, the root of all understanding and harmony" and said he felt his award was as much a responsibility as an honor.

Then, a member of Damon's former residence, Lowell House, presented him with a Lowell sweatshirt and invited him to become a member of the House's senior common room.

Amid the shouts and screams of his fans, Damon unbuttoned his white dress shirt and put on his Lowell T-shirt and sweatshirt, saying, "I'm definitely back now."

The show's second half featured performances by groups ranging from Latinas Unidas to the Vietnamese Association, the South Asian Association and the Celtic Society.

The Harvard Capoeira group performed a sparring routine including series of flips, handstands and kicks that make up the Brazilian martial art called capoeira.

Andy Krueger '01, president of the Celtic Society, said although he forgot some of the words to the piece he sang, he enjoyed being on stage.