National Collegiate Volunteers aim to utilize the talents, attributes and skills that students develop in college for nonprofit organizations to help college students gain awareness of big-picture issues throughout North America and the world.The group organized and put on the Sustainability Rocks event last Tuesday evening in the Levin Ballroom, which consisted of a fashion show, concert by the up-and-coming band Keeping Riley and a dance performance by the campus' hip-hop group Kaos Kids. The event was created in support of the sustainable fair-trade fashion company Of Rags, which combines New York and Ghana styles.

The board that partially consists of Yuli Almozlino '11, Helen Mac '11 and Alan Tran '12, as well as Michal Shapiro, the NCV Tufts and Brandeis director, all contributed to the answers to all of the following questions.

JustArts: What is the goal of National Collegiate Volunteers?

Tania Abramova '11: The mission of National Collegiate Volunteers is to empower college students with the tools and the resources necessary to partner with local organizations in order to create high-impact sustainable projects that address the needs of disadvantaged communities in the United States. NCV's focus is not only on community service, but also on community organizing and leadership development.

JA: How did NCV Brandeis decide to collaborate with "Of Rags"?

TA: "Of Rags" contacted NCV in late summer asking for our support to organize an event for them on Brandeis campus as part of their Fall college tour. We are always willing to stand in solidarity with and to support other sustainable development projects. "Of Rags" has a very strong and unique mission that we are proud to support and to promote.

JA: How has the student body reaction to the "Of Rags" initiative been?

TA: In speaking with students on campus about the "Of Rags" initiative, we received a lot of positive feedback. Though most students had never heard of the organization, they were impressed with the work it's doing and curious to learn more. The event turnout was successful and many students bought "Of Rags" clothing and signed up to learn more about their upcoming events and work.

JA: Why did you chose to bring the band Keeping Riley to campus?

TA: Keeping Riley is partnering with "Of Rags" for their Fall tour, bringing a unique new sound to sustainability. They have performed with some big-name bands like OK GO and Train, but have never lost track of the importance of community service, traveling across the country to support "Of Rags" raise awareness for their cause.

JA: Tell me about collaborating with student performing arts groups for this event.

TA: We knew that "Of Rags" and Keeping Riley were the main focus of the event, but we also wanted to showcase Brandeis talent in order to increase the amount of support and the visibility of this organization on campus. We were very lucky to have the MT's and Kaos Kids perform. They are both incredibly talented groups and added so much to this event in terms of quality and energy. Both groups were great to work with pre show and during the performance they rocked out! We couldn't have had such a wonderful event without them!

JA: What's in store for NCV in the future?

TA: This Fall NCV has partnered with the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing in order to support local affordable housing initiatives, specifically in the context of environmental issues. This semester and year we are actively supporting WATCH's "Healthy Homes" initiative. NCV is currently planning a weatherization of a Waltham home, known as a Barnraising. In addition to the Barnraising (date in December TBD) we will be bringing awareness and educational events to the Brandeis community. If students, faculty or community members would like to get involved or learn more about NCV, please contact the Chair of Publicity, Tania Abramova at taniaab@brandeis.edu.