The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference

By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News

When Wheaton College senior tennis student-athlete Payum Payman and five friends decided to call their campus organization "Peace With the Middle East," they weren't looking to make a political statement. Rather, they wanted to do their part to break down stereotypes and showcase the positive aspects of Middle Eastern cultures.

The group did much to advance that mission last month when it sponsored a benefit concert that featured two international music sensations and raised money for a worthy cause. For once, the roar of excitement coming from inside Wheaton's Haas Athletic Center had nothing to do with athletics as an audience of 650 packed the center to enjoy the finger-popping beats of Persian pop star Andy and his singing partner Shani. Payman organized the November 11 event that used music as the common denominator to bridge cultural divides and generate more than $10,000 for the International Red Cross.

Payman, Eden Gudonis, Leif Kothe, Chris Dahms, Emily Piuggi and Sophia Donohue became friends after hearing the Persian music blaring from Payman's dorm room. In August, they formed the Peace With the Middle East learning community, one of several clusters of students living in Beard Hall that focuses on a specific theme or area of interest. Each cluster is expected to perform some type of community service, and the idea to organize a benefit concert emerged from a brainstorming session about possible ways the group could reach out.

Payman, whose parents are from Iran, admits laughing off the suggestion of bringing Andy and Shani to the campus at first. But the more the group mulled over the idea, the more they realized it could serve multiple purposes, including spreading awareness of Middle Eastern cultures and raising money to aid children in Israel and Lebanon caught in the recent Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.

The duo of Andy and Shani seemed like a perfect fit for what the group was trying to achieve, Payman said, not only because of their talent and acclaim but also because of their humanitarianism. Though his music is banned in his native Iran, Andy, who sings in English and Farsi, plays to sold-out venues all over the world and appeared in Dreamworks' "House of Sand and Fog." Currently based in Los Angeles, he has been recognized by the city for his contributions through music. Shani, an American-born actress, singer/songwriter and producer, has had music featured in the Academy Award winning film "Crash" and is the featured vocalist in the 20th Century Fox film "One Night with the King."

The ambitious project began the leap from concept to reality when Payman e-mailed Andy through the performer's Web site. The two sides eventually struck an agreement that would bring Andy, Shani and a rapper, V Style, along with a six-piece band to the Wheaton campus for a three-hour concert.

"We were impressed that the students wanted to do something to take part in the process of raising awareness and creating aid for the Red Cross," said Shani. "Secondly, it was just an opportunity to be able to perform in front of a group of students who may or may not know what we do. We thought it was a great opportunity to have a big party and introduce ourselves."

The projected cost of the event was $26,000, but Andy covered his own expenses of about $15,000. Even so, the group needed to raise more than $20,000 to cover the difference and related costs for staging, lights, security and parking. In the end, the group generated nearly $30,000 by tapping into multiple sources at the college and relying on other fund-raising events such as a charity golf tournament. In addition, Anonsheh Ansari, the first Iranian woman to travel in space, was a signature sponsor of the concert that attracted media attention from NBC, ABC, the Boston Globe and Rolling Stone magazine.

Shani said the concert experience was all the band had hoped it would be. She appreciated the way students embraced the music and said she and Andy would be open to working with other colleges and student groups in the future.

"It was a brand-new experience for some of the students and I could tell they were hearing some of these things for the first time. To see them respond the way they did, it was a fresh audience and the fact that they were so receptive, that gave us a lot of energy, too," she said. "If at any time, another college would like to do something for charity or one of their student groups, if there's a way for us to put something together, we'd always be happy to do it because not only were we raising money and awareness, we also were bringing people together."

Payman said regardless of how much was raised for the relief agency, the large crowd that attended the performance was success enough for him.

"It sounds cliche, but it's true, if you can reach one person and they can reach one person, that's how you have to start. We did that," said Payman.

Payman is an international studies major who aspires to a career in international law.

Payman Helps Bring Middle East Culture to Wheaton