The Triangle

Issue date: 4/2/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Michael Arrison Drexel University students freeze in a pose for three minutes at 6:30 p.m. April 1, at the 30th Street Station Freeze, organized by the student group Urban Playground.

A large crowd of Drexel University students took part in the 30th Street Station Freeze April 1, freezing in various positions for three minutes at 6:30 p.m.

The event, hosted by the Drexel student group Urban Playground, attracted not only many University students, but security, as well.

Ari Melman, a sophomore marketing and economics major, helped to organize the event as part of Urban Playground. Melman said Ve Yadav, another student, had the idea for the event after seeing the video of a similar freeze at Grand Central Station.

"He came to me for help with publicity, so Urban Playground spread the news as much as we could," Melman said.

The group created a Facebook event as a way to increase awareness about the freeze. By March 1, over 1,300 people were shown to be attending.

"We were expecting interest, but not this much," Melman said.

"In light of all the flash mobs, this is a non-violent way for us to have fun," Melman said.

Many of the students came out in groups, planning various poses to freeze in. Drexel humanities major Sam Russo and psychology major Gabby Leschhorn came with an idea in mind.

"We wanted to be walking across the station from opposite sides and act as if we just met," Russo said.

Russo said they saw the video of the Grand Central freeze and wanted to take part in this one. Both Russo and Leschhorn said the concern and comparison to flash mobs was unmerited.

"We knew it wouldn't be like that," Russo said. "It's just a bunch of college kids gathering together, trying to do something cool."

Megan Marti, a sophomore health sciences major, posed as if she were reading a book. Marti said she was "psyched" when she found about the freeze.

"It was really awesome, and after seeing the video of Grand Central, I always wanted to take part in something like that here," Marti said. "It was really cool."

Aleicia Phulwani, a third-year biology major, said she was not surprised at how many people showed up because of the popularity of the idea in other areas. She also added that the freeze was peaceful and not at all like a flash mob.

"It's the inverse of a flash mob," Phulwani said. "You can't be not peaceful when you're standing still."

Melman said 30th Street Station was chosen as the location because it was "large and accessible" and its proximity to Drexel.

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