09.19.13 VOL. XLV, NO. 3 CONTENTS FORUM 3 A Word From the Elected 4 A Word on the Elected 5 Yellow Fever NEWS 6 It's Always Sunny in Cambridge 7 Textual Abuse 7 Be There or Be Square ARTS 8 The Germany of the Orchestra 9 Ionic, Doric, Corinthian SPORTS 10 Soccer? I Just Met Her! 11 Rucking Without the Radcliffe As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life. For publication information and general inquiries, contact President Angela Song (president@harvardindependent. com) or Managing Editor Sayantan Deb (managingeditor@ harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Christine Wolfe (editorinchief@harvardindependent. com). For email subscriptions please email president@ harvardindependent.com. The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box 201, 59 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
The Indy is in a pumpkin spice coma. Cover Design by ANNA PAPP
President Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Director of Production
Angela Song '14 Christine Wolfe '14 Sayantan Deb '14 Miranda Shugars '14
News and Forum Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Graphics Editor Associate News Editor Associate Forum Editor Associate Arts Editor Associate Design Editor
Whitney Gao '16 Curtis Lahaie '15 Sean Frazzette '16 Alex Chen '16 Anna Papp '16 Milly Wang '16 Kalyn Saulsberry '14 Sarah Rosenthal '15 Travis Hallett '14
Designer Jerry Chang '16 Cartoonist John McCallum '16 Photographers Maria Barragan-Santana '14 Tarik Moon '15 Business Manager Albert Murzakhanov '16 Columnists Aditya Agrawal '17 Michael Feehly '14 Jackie Leong '16 Andrew Lin '17 Madi Taylor '16 Shreya Vardhan '17 Senior Staff Writers Michael Altman '14 Meghan Brooks '14 Whitney Lee '14 Manik Bhatia '16 Xanni Brown '14 Terilyn Chen '16 Lauren Covalucci '14 Clare Duncan '14 Gary Gerbrandt '14 Travis Hallett '14 Shaquilla Harrigan '16 Yuqi Hou '15 Cindy Hsu '14 Eldo Kim '16 Chloe Li '16 Orlea Miller '16 Albert Murzhakanov '16 Carlos Schmidt '15 Frank Tamberino '16
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New Notes on the Same Spiel A serious revelation on student leadership on campus.
By LAUREN COVALUCCI
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hen I’m not writing groundbreaking op-eds for the Independent, I’m performing and choreographing for two on-campus dance companies. When I’m not doing that, I’m running their publicity, and have been a publicity officer for two years. And after two years of waking up thirty grumpy people at 6:45 a.m. over the course of two weeks so that we can fight other organizations over who gets to hang their piece of paper in a better place than the other pieces of paper, you’d think I’d know what I was doing as far as leadership goes. I thought it a bit unnecessary, then, to find myself in the OSL’s annual leadership workshops covering for my co-directors (unfortunately, I’m not smart enough to say no to things, which bodes well for my military career). Is it condescending to make longtime student leaders sit through nearly identical lectures every fall, often at least a semester after they took office? Is it ineffective to structure the workshops so that a senior about to leave office can knock out the student group’s registration requirements in three hours? Should they have served better snacks? Yes, yes, yes. Should the OSL quit while they’re ahead before they have a mutiny on their hands? Nah. Surprisingly, I actually learned something. As experienced leaders of student groups, we know the rules of postering. We know how to manage our group’s bank account. We know how to plan events and generate enthusiasm. (Here’s an idea — why not have these information sessions in the spring, when new officers take on new positions and could actually use some practical advice? Egad!) After a while participating in extracurriculars, this practical side had started to feel like the be-all and end-all of student leadership. Once I took on more activities and when academic obligations piled up, my titles started to feel like just a list of tasks rather than a real position. I do this, I do that, I get introduced to newcomers, I get a thank-you. I’m the same as anyone else in the room except I do a little bit of extra busy-work on the side. That’s not really true, though. Maybe this was especially potent because I’m coming into my fourth year at Harvard and feeling my seniority, but the workshops I attended brought out the responsibility — and, more importantly, the opportunity — to use our authority to build better communities. It’s not like anyone is going to take me that seriously, but I’m still someone that underclassmen, at least, look to as they feel out the tone of the dance companies and figure out how we interact with each other. That’s true whether I deserve it or not and whether I am conscious of it or not. The whole sentiment sounds cheesy as hell on the first pass, I know, but it really is the state of things here. We learn about these organizations from those who are juniors and seniors while we are freshmen. I already advocate for a certain vision of what I want my dance companies to be like: I want them to be inclusive, fun social groups that support The Harvard Independent • 09.19.13
creativity and feel like a good place to come home to. I didn’t get that on my own — I inherited it. At the workshops we heard a lot about the longevity of our groups, and at first I wondered why anyone cared about how long these organizations last. It’s partly so that the founders and leaders can extend their ego trips as long as possible, sure, but it’s also just good stewardship to leave things as prosperous as we found them so that new classes can benefit from a group the way that we did. It’s a place to do what we like and be liked while we do it. That’s the point. The OSL made a clever move by throwing some leadership morality into the mix of organizational tips. I don’t think many of us really identify with our class years, and the collective student body is far too nebulous to identify with. Some of us feel very connected to our houses, but most of us, I think, feel most a part of a specific group on campus. The fact is that student leaders are an underutilized starting point in initiating the cultural shifts that Harvard desperately needs. Also, student leaders, including myself, need to be much more aware of the effect that we have on our small-scale communities, which expand and affect our community as a whole. I really loved one part of the Student Leadership Essentials workshop in particular: a good stretch of time was devoted to talking about how to keep these communities safe, physically and emotionally, and how to responsibly intervene if there’s a real problem. Everyone at this school knows that suffocating feeling of having everything to do, no
time to do it, and no one to confide in. We could change that. The mental health conversations we had last year largely surrounded student suicides. We could change that. You do know that feeling like a valued member of an extracurricular community could be life saving, right? I don’t mean that in the cutesy way — I mean it literally. We don’t need to make our student leaders responsible for the health of their groups, but we could easily make the groups collectively aware of the health of their own members. This doesn’t have to be rocket science. It’s not hard to become less of an inadvertent asshole. Group leaders could make PGPs a standard part of group introductions. We could better monitor the way we implicitly use sexism. We could ask if someone’s okay when they walk into a meeting looking like they got hit by a mental 18-wheeler. This is simple stuff, and a cohesive effort on the part of 100 group leaders could substantively change the Harvard undergrad culture. So here’s a shout-out to everyone who has a title, whether you’re Executive-in-Chief or Secretary of Toilet Paper Services. By virtue of that title, people are watching, and even if their attention spans are only six months long, you have a great opportunity to make your group a better place to be. Take it. Here’s looking at you. Lauren Covalucci ’14 (covalucci@college) is an alwaysavailable pillar of support for her grateful editor.
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Non-Required Reading By KALYN SAULSBERRY
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uring my senior year of high school, a teacher assuaged my anxieties about college: I would survive, he explained, because I was someone who was dedicated to learning for the sake of learning. I can remember nodding and thinking of how much I enjoyed school and my classes. Looking back on that moment as a college senior, I realize that in high school I had no true understanding of what it meant to learn for the sake of learning. In fact, it is a phrase I did not completely understand until just a few short weeks ago with the start of shopping period. My decision not to write a senior year thesis left me with a unique conundrum in terms of picking my classes during this year’s shopping period. For the first time in my undergraduate — or perhaps my entire — student career, I had the rare opportunity to craft a schedule that contained only classes that I wanted to take rather than classes that fulfilled requirements. As an indecisive freshman unable to pinpoint a concentration, I filled my schedule with Gen-Ed courses in the hopes that they would help me figure out my academic interests, so I finished those eight requirements early in my college career. Once I finally decided on my concentration — history — by sophomore fall, I was so in love with the department and all of its classes that I finished nine out of those ten required courses by the end of my junior spring. My frontloaded method of course selection left me where I am now — a senior with the entire course selection tool at my disposal to help me pick the four inspiring electives that I will take during my final fall semester (cue nostalgia). My approach to this fall’s shopping period felt eerily similar to that of my freshman fall: I could take absolutely anything that I wanted to, and this freedom of choice was exhilarating. As a senior, I was more confident not only in my academic interests but also in my ability to find my classrooms without using a map. However, this fall’s shopping period ended up being more stressful than those over the past three years. As I was in a position in which there was absolutely nothing standing in the way of me crafting the perfect schedule, I felt intense pressure to find classes that I would be able to report as “the best class I’ve taken at Harvard” on the end of the year Q-score guides. I ended up with a class shopping list of over twenty classes ranging from Sociology 162: “Medical Sociology” to African and African American Studies 11: “Introduction to African Studies” to Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 24: “First Nights: Five Performance Premieres.” The difficult part of this shopping list was that I could have been happy with any one of the twenty-plus courses I identified, but I had to narrow it down to four. 4
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With that being said, on the list of things that stress me out as a senior (and the list is long: the job hunt, studying for the GRE, networking, etc.), the problem of “too many amazing class choices that it’s nearly impossible to pick just four” seems like a minor issue. Nevertheless, it is a high-priority on my Senior Year Bucket List to take classes that inspire me and that I probably won’t get to take at any other point in my life. Such criteria seem to embody the very definition of a liberal arts education. I began to look at my newfound criteria for selecting classes as a welcome sign of finally and authentically learning to appreciate the classes I am taking not necessarily for the value they will have for a job down the line (i.e. next year), but for the value they bring to me as a person. Thus, even though it is likely that no one will ever ask me to recite the twenty lines of Shakespeare that I will be asked to memorize in my Gen-Ed, Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 56: “Shakespeare: The Later Plays,” I know that I will enjoy reading about Iago manipulating the happenings of Cyprus in Othello and analyzing the unraveling of Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. In addition to reading one Shakespeare play every week, I will also be learning how to understand and draw molecules in Science of Living Systems 11: “Molecules of Life” — which is a far cry from my history background, in which I learn how to decipher sometimes illegible primary sources. I will be reading about the experience of African American children from slavery to the present in the new course African and African American Studies 186x: “Childhood in African America.” Finally, I decided to complete my final history department requirement with a cross-listed course, African American Studies 139y: “Hollywood and History: Understanding American Slavery Through Film” in which I will watch movies ranging from Gone With the Wind to Django Unchained through the historical lens of the cinema. Even though the semester is still young, I am finding myself inspired by the lectures I am attending, because I feel that I am truly and finally learning for its own sake. I’ve been a student for almost eighteen years, and for the first time, I am truly uninhibited in my class selection. I am cherishing this moment. The jury is still out on whether or not I have indeed crafted the perfect schedule, but at least one thing is perfect about my schedule: none of the amazing classes I have selected meet on Fridays.
How to pick a year’s worth of electives.
Kalyn Saulsberry ‘14 (ksaulsberr y@college) is successfully staving off her senioritis by picking amazing electives. 09.19.13 • The Harvard Independent
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The Yellow (Wo)Man’s Burden Going around in circles. By WHITNEY GAO
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n light of the Miss America “controversy,” I’ve decided to speak on my experience as an Asian-American female who attends Harvard. First, I’ll provide a little background for those living under the proverbial rock. Miss New York Nina Davuluri, 24, was crowned Miss America last Wednesday, and the Twitter-sphere blew up accordingly, as it is apt to do. Comments about Davuluri being a “terrorist” and linking her to Al-Qaeda littered the online network following her win. It is important to note that these quips were made by an obviously ignorant small minority probably hoping for a laugh or two, but they represent the larger issue of AsianAmericans struggling to assimilate fully into American culture. Instead, the fan favorite — Miss Kansas Theresa Vail — was dubbed a “true American,” the requisites including loving tattoos, loving hunting, and loving her country (Vail served in the army for a period of time, continuing a family tradition of providing medical services for the armed forces). I originally thought to write on this specific issue, but I realized that I had no further insightful input on the subject. I refuse to call it an actual controversy because the majority of U.S. citizens will wholeheartedly agree with me when I call this absolutely unacceptable. Calling Davuluri a terrorist is just so blatantly wrong and ignorant that I don’t even think it’s worth the effort to argue why. But it did awaken in me a latent anger at the racism that is still evident and rampant in our country today — particularly towards AsianAmericans. I have no doubt that racism concerning other races is also alive and well, but I am personally a victim of racial prejudices against Asians. And since this is an article about my experiences, it is what I’ll be speaking on. Growing up in Arkansas, where there were few Asians during my formative years, I was exposed to some negative remarks — mostly involving small eyes and aromatic food — but, surprisingly, most of my experience was “positive.” You never really The Harvard Independent • 09.19.13
recognize that there is a problem until the problem becomes an obstacle to your happiness. Asians have always struggled with the Model Minority problem, presented constantly with what everyone tells us is a “good stereotype” — something we should apparently be pleased with and view as a gift rather than a troubling issue. However, I think it’s been reasonably covered that this “good stereotype” is not always a constructive force and can be a very valid problem, so I won’t be harping on that either. What I do hope to bring to focus is the ubiquity of racial prejudices. Many times I have found myself thinking that all is good and well. Many times I forget and fail to recognize that this is still a problem. Whether this is pure delusion and wishful thinking or merely a submissive acceptance of the world’s workings is unclear to me, but I would like to preclude all discussion with the acknowledgement of my good fortune. I have been fortunate to grow up in a community where I was not often attacked for my race, and if I was, it was usually all just words. I never truly felt like I was denied an opportunity or refused a friendship because of my physical appearance. There was lots of teasing and lots of jokes that bounced off my thick skin — something you develop pretty quickly as the token “insertrace-here.” It was not until I came to Harvard, where “uncommon” or “rare” are not words used to describe Asians (20% of the class of 2017 is Asian-American, according to the admission statistics listed on the Harvard College Office of Admission website), that I came to realize that I did belong to a group. I had not ever existed as anything other than an “individual” in its purest form — I was unique, I was Whitney. That sounds awfully personally elitist, but it’s the truth. I had never really had to live with a stereotype because there wasn’t a large enough sample size — there was just me. I never really lived with a force of comparison. Imagine if you had a tank with blue fish. And one day, a friend gives you a red fish. You’ve heard lots of things, and consequently, have lots
of expectations for that little red fish. But it doesn’t matter. You only have one red fish. Whatever it does is what you think red fish must do. I was a red fish. But when I came to Harvard, I automatically became a blue fish for the first time. And the blue-fish-life really shocked me. In my experience, Asian women are generally given two stereotypes (consciously or not) upon first impression. Either they are assumed to be ambitious, type-A, finance/ business/pre-med prodigies who only are interested in like-minded male counterparts or they’re the slutty, undignified groupies who only go after white athletes. Or, honestly, a mix of both. You get a “positive” model minority stereotype on one hand and a more degrading stereotype on the other hand, as if to counterbalance each other and cover both ends of the extreme. Alternatively, I feel like I get discounted and passed over in the crowd every day. So as opposed to getting slammed with a vicious stamp of expectation, I get swept away as part of a rejected collective. Once, my best friend from high school and I were Skyping. She was sitting in one of her male friend’s rooms, and the room was taunting her in the back, asking who she was talking to. She starts telling them about me, and, of course, being the hormonal teenage boys that they are, they really only cared about asking, “is she hot?” She tells them more about me, and they then realize, “Oh, she’s Asian. Nevermind.” While this example is incredibly superficial and mostly trivial, it was one of the clearest moments for me regarding who I am. I had never been so awkwardly selfaware of my race. But it was also in that moment that I realized that I needed to love myself for that exact reason — it was a part of me that inescapably defines who I am. I have also experienced, or had friends who have experienced, discrimination when it comes to board positions or membership in social clubs. The Asian population is glaringly underrepresented when it comes to social organizations, and
I’ve been in board meetings where a conscious, specific goal is to select fewer members, board members, participants, etc., that are Asian. Why is that even a thing? It saddens me to know that we are not being judged by the quality of our application and our character, but also by the color of our skin. Sorry to pull an MLK Jr. moment, but the truth is that even after fifty years, issues regarding race have not come as far as we would like. And being at Harvard, in some respects, makes it all worse. There is so much more pressure to go against the gilded grain, so to speak. The struggle to individualize ourselves is so much greater here. In a world where everyone is unique and everyone is stellar, how do you maintain your identity? In this case, I might ask myself, “How do I become something other than just another Asian?” But in order to answer that question, I have to acknowledge and consciously defy or manipulate the stereotypes that I conjure, which just amplifies the problem in general. One of the biggest questions I’ve struggled with, and the world struggles along with me, is the question of how to truly avoid and end racism. We know that reverse racism doesn’t work as intended, and merely recognizing the problem stagnates the progress that we hope to achieve. But how do we achieve that happy middle in order to actually solve the issue? Will we ever? Probably not. At least not in our lifetimes. I expect that I will always be judged by my race, no matter my life decisions. Whether I marry a white man, a black man, or an Asian man, people will have something to say. Whether I become a physician, a non-profit founder, or a homeless bum, people will have something to say. And whether I speak out now or remain quiet forever, most of the world will never realize that I, Whitney Gao, struggle with the emotional burden of being me. I’ll always be just one of them. Whitney Gao ’16 (whitneygao@college) has a dream.
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News
A Ray-sin in the Sun Harvard is no longer a place where the sun don’t shine. By CAROLINE GENTILE
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nstead of setting up a booth at the Activities Fair, complete with free candy and a homemade sign, Angela Oh ‘15 and Christina Vourakis ‘16 flitted through the throngs of freshmen, decked out in vibrant yellow shirts and armed with equally bright pins and pamphlets. They were on a mission — one that could not have been accomplished by simply setting up a booth. Only official Harvard organizations are permitted to have booths at the fair, and Project Sunshine, of which Christina and Angela are the co-presidents, is a new organization on campus that Harvard has not (yet) officially recognized. The only two members before the fair, the co-presidents knew they had to garner new members somehow. Project Sunshine is not entirely new to Harvard. The non-profit organization, which provides social and educational programs to ailing children and their families, had a chapter on campus several years ago, but it too was not officially a Harvard organization. As a result, when the presidents left Harvard after graduation last year, so did Project Sunshine. Oh remembers receiving an email from the Harvard Pre-medical Society, which was looking for people to run Project Sunshine after the previous presidents graduated. During her time at Harvard, she had not yet found a volunteering opportunity that truly interested her and fit into her schedule. “Although there are some great PBHA programs, I couldn’t find one that clicked with me,” she admitted. What drew her to Project Sunshine was its unique approach to volunteering. “The programs were so specific and different,” she said. “They aren’t just teaching, mentoring, or tutoring. There are lots of activities — like cooking and arts and crafts — to do with the kids.” Project Sunshine’s headquarters have been instrumental in the revival of its Harvard chapter. They have a lot of experience giving guidance to college chapters especially, since there are so many. Each chapter is matched with a mentor who has led a Project Sunshine chapter in the past, who check in weekly over Skype to make sure everything is running smoothly. Vourakis even visited the national office in New York to take full advantage of the help they were offering. Oh described her and Vourakis’s relationship with nationals as “lots of phone calls, lots of mentoring, and lots of us asking questions and them providing us with more than enough answers and documents.” Even with all the support from Project Sunshine’s national headquarters, taking on the responsibility of running a nascent organization and making it official is no easy task. Without a booth to promote Project Sunshine, spreading the 6 harvardindependent.com
word was especially difficult. But even just being able to pass out a few pamphlets and buttons led to 10-12 new members. Of these new members, several will soon become board members after a short application process. The board and the copresidents will then meet to write up a constitution — fancy Harvard-speak for “a summary of what the organization is about” — and select a faculty advisor. Finally, Vourakis and Oh will fill out an application due in early October, and they will hear if it is accepted in November. “It’ll be a heavy workload during the first semester, but after that, it should all be smooth-sailing,” said Oh. Luckily, the Harvard chapter of Project Sunshine need not wait to be official before they start their volunteer work, which can take on two forms. Off campus, trained volunteers, who must be over 18, will go to Tufts Medical Center, where they get to decorate cookies with adorable children for two to three hours roughly once a month. The training is not very rigorous. Simply watching a short PowerPoint presentation on how to behave in a hospital environment is sufficient. On campus, anyone, trained or untrained, minor or not, can volunteer for “Sending Sunshine” events, which are very relaxed and involve either making craft kits or decorating cards with uplifting messages in them, also known as sunny-grams. As the organization grows, Oh and Vourakis are considering other activities to do with the kids at Tufts Medical Center in addition to cookie decorating, such as making maracas, crayon art, and lava lamps. In the introductory meeting, they emphasized that the volunteers can pick and choose which activities to do with the kids based on their own interests. The national headquarters of Project Sunshine provides its chapters with a wealth of resources, including a long list of acceptable activities from which to choose. “Everything [at the national headquarters] is stabilized and organized, which makes it so much easi-
er for us,” explained Oh. Vourakis and Oh also hope to collaborate with other groups on campus to help spread the sunshine. For fundraising, they might potentially work with the Harvard College Arts Society and have an event with a small entrance fee. Oh thinks “Sending Sunshine” events on campus would also making a good opportunity for group bonding for sororities, other volunteer organizations, or random small groups “so they can get to know each other better while doing something useful.” The relaxed yet rewarding environment Project Sunshine offers is a rare find in a volunteering opportunity. Though its presence at Harvard is small for now, Oh and Vourakis, along with their newly recruited members, hope to not only make Project Sunshine an official Harvard organization, but also to spread the experience of working with children and to expose undergrads to a unique, hands-on way of volunteering in hospitals that doesn’t involve being a candy-striper or a paper-pusher. Caroline Gentile ’17 (cgentile@college) would’ve also liked some free candy, but a warm fuzzy feeling is nice, too.
09.19.13 • The Harvard Independent
News
A Square Deal
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Optimizing that marginal utility. By WHITNEY GAO
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our college experience should hinge on how much free shit you can attain. Seriously, we’re (almost) all broke college kids who are struggling to not perish under mundane cafeteria fare. Although our houses do a fair job of being infinitely better than the Annenberg offerings — I’m looking at you and your omelets, Marvelous Marvin — we all know that the true prizes are in those events that shamelessly market their free food offerings. Free food from various places in the square is the ultimate temptation to draw a college crowd. Who would pass up free Finale dessert? Free samplings of Yenching’s? Free Berryline? No one. The answer is no one. This weekend, the Harvard Graduate Council did it right, holding a Welcome Back event of fantastic proportion in the Square. They had discounted Chutney’s, pizza of various kinds, Zinneken’s, and John Harvard’s. Osushi brought free samples (their everyday rolls are surprisingly delectable). Zipcar had a sign-up table brimming with free giveaways (pens, etc.) that drew crowds. Corbu Spa & Salon not only handed out free mini-cupcakes, but also gave out a free manicure or blow-dry service with an email sign-up. The end of Brattle Street was also blocked off by a stage where Berklee musicians entertained the festivalgoers with some great and refreshing music. At this point, you may be beating yourself up, wondering why you didn’t know about this and why no one bothered to tell you. Do not fret! This is actually just one of many festivals that Harvard Square hosts and holds throughout the year. First of all, you should realize that you live in Harvard Square. And while exploring the square and indulging yourself in its more delicious options might both only empty your wallet and cause you to have to loosen that belt permanently, it’s well worth it. Blame it on my incessant need to discover new food and new locales, but I probably could qualify as a walking information depot for the Square. And though I’m awkwardly broke weeks before my monthly credit bill gets paid, I’m proud to say that I’m well aware of the area that I currently inhabit. And now, I will share the secrets of the Square with you. You should capitalize on your situation, and I realize that not everyone is willing to part with their George Washingtons to become intimate with the culinary members of the Harvard Square Business Association. Your first step should be to like Harvard Square on Facebook. I do not care how lame you think that is, your life will be infinitely enriched by that choice. The page always publicizes its various festivals and events. Obviously, there are some events that don’t offer free anything — the Bastille Day Festival was incredibly disappointing — but that’s usually rare and is wholly dependent on the attending vendors and their marketing choices. However, you will find beautiful gems like the “Some Like it Hot” chili cook-off, the “Everyone Loves Latkes!” Hanukkah event, the “Taste of Chocolate” festival, and the “Lovin’ the Square” Valentine’s event. I really hope I see you there this year. Whitney Gao ’16 (whitneygao@college) voted for Grafton Street as having the best chili last year, though Crema’s turkey chili was pretty close. The Harvard Independent • 09.19.13
Exce$$sive Examining the Coop’s quasi-monopoly on the textbook industry. By MANIK BHATIA
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hile the past two decades have seen an admirable increase in the accessibility of college, particularly to low and middle income families, one area of financial concern still remains: textbook prices have soared to the extent that many students simply cannot afford them and are looking for alternatives such as online rentals, book exchanges, and even illegal downloads. Returning from the Coop this fall, I stopped to look at my receipt that covered the majority of the books I needed for the semester. It read a staggering $294.55 and does not begin to include a handful of coursepacks and additional texts ordered via Amazon. The total expenses came out to approximately $400. What’s worse, my peers and I stared at our respective bills with an apathetic indifference, almost grateful that the damage wasn’t worse. An initial price shock after our first trips to the Coop is only natural. Many students at Harvard, particularly those from public schools, are buying books for the first time. Novels purchased at bookstores typically run from $10-$30, a far cry from the close to $200 required to purchase the sixth edition of Professor N. Gregory Mankiw’s “Principles of Economics” textbooks. So what drives the price of a textbook? According to The National Association of College Stores, “roughly 33 cents of every textbook dollar goes to production cost and another 11.8 cents of every dollar going to author royalties.” Already, these costs account for nearly half the book’s total cost. The second issue, not with the cost of the books themselves, arises when professors require books that have equally viable, cheaper alternatives or books that are hardly used in class. As it stands,
professors and lecturers have no incentive to keep class related costs at a minimum — they pay nothing out of pocket. Perhaps this view is cynical, but it does offer insight into the reasoning behind “requiring” hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks only to use them a handful of times. Students lament the lack of viable alternatives on campus, as Coop rentals, which are generally half the price of the new book, still remain out of reach for many students. Thus, many turn to other online vendors such as Chegg, which acts as a wholesale book renter, and Amazon. Sharing his thoughts on the dilemma students face, Brendan Newman ’16 of Mather says, “the prices listed at the Coop are just outrageous. I usually find the books I need on Amazon, but there is a waiting period that comes with the delivery. For a week or two, then, I’m scrambling a bit.” While some professors have taken steps to make course materials, specifically textbooks, more widely available by uploading documents online, many students still pine for a hard copy. Bryan Moore ’16, also of Mather, notes that, “in some ways, I do appreciate professors uploading books and coursepacks online, but I still prefer having a hard copy that I can mark up. Working in front of a computer for hours on end hurts my eyes as well.” While textbook prices are likely to remain high for the coming years, progress is being made in the space of E-books and E-readers to make online reading a more affordable, user-friendly experience. Manik Bhatia ’16 (mbhatia@college) resents the Coop for cramping his style. harvardindependent.com
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:
An interview with violist Anna Sato.
Indy: When did you first start playing music? AS: I started to play the piano when I was 4, the violin at 6, and the viola when I was 12. Over the years, I eventually dropped the violin and focused on playing the piano and viola throughout high school. These days, I primarily play the viola. It’s funny because no one else in my family is musical. My dad was very encouraging of the arts when I was a young age so I started music (along with ballet). Indy: Can you give us a summary of your music experience at Harvard thus far? AS: When I was a freshman, I was involved in the River Charles Ensemble, the Brattle Street Chamber Players, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO). I also took Chamber Music 187, a “course” which allowed me to get credit for forming small ensembles with other students. As of now, I am primarily engaged in HRO and Brattle. Since last year, I have been the Director of Sales for HRO, selling tickets and merchandise such as CDs, sweatshirts, stickers, and shot glasses. Indy: Has your perspective on music changed from high school to college? Did your success in high school affect it in any way? AS: When I was in high school, I qualified for All-State, All-Eastern, All-National and also the Juilliard Pre-College Division. I tried extremely hard to be the “best.” The competitive edge in me was a certain drive throughout my musical career. Don’t get me wrong. I loved playing music, but there was more stress and pressure involved. But now that I’m in college, I see music as more of an extracurricular rather than anything else. It’s much more fun and not very stressful. The seating in HRO is rotational (minus the principal spots) and there is only one audition (to get into the orchestra, not for the seats).
PHOTO REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ANNA SATO.
Anna Sato is a sophomore in Quincy House, planning on concentrating in Statistics. Hailing from Stony Brook, New York, Anna has been involved in several music organizations since freshman year, including the HarvardRadcliffe Orchestra and the selective Brattle Street Chamber Players. » 8 harvardindependent.com
Indy: Best experience? AS: Something that is different from high school is that there are a lot of social gatherings in college, such as parties. You get to know people beyond the surface level. You don’t get to really know people personally during sectionals or rehearsals because the focus is all on music. Something that is often memorable is the HRO retreat (which I just got back from this weekend at Greenwood). You’re with the same group of people for the weekend, including the conductor. You rehearse a lot, but there’s also lots of time to get to know people. It’s a yearly tradition at retreat to sit in a circle on the first night and introduce yourselves; and if someone in the circle has a story about you, then they tell it – be it an embarrassing story at a party or even just an interesting fact.
still had to miss a concert. It was just frustrating sitting idly by while everyone was playing. Indy: If you were a musical instrument, what would you be? Why? AS: Definitely a viola. I am what I play. I don’t think I’m relatable to a violin because I’m not incredibly hyper or high-pitched. A bass is just too big. Viola describes my personality well – calm, mellow and zen. It’s a good compromise between two opposite extremes. Indy: How often and for how long do you practice in a week? AS: In high school, I practiced two to three hours every day. These days (laughs)...I just practice to the point that I can keep up with the rest of the group. Indy: How hard is it to balance schoolwork and music activities at Harvard? AS: It’s like balancing any other extracurricular activity with academics. I started with four music organizations in the fall of my freshman year. I eventually dropped a few to join other extracurricular organizations such as the Harvard Financial Analysts Club. I do music because I like music. When there are too many rehearsals and commitments, music becomes a burden, so I try to use that as the standard. Indy: Do you have any tips for freshmen interested in joining musical groups? AS: Do as much as you can while still enjoying it. When you reach the point when you feel that you don’t want to be at rehearsal anymore, you should drop it, because you’re forgetting why you love music in the first place. Also, if you want to maintain your musical talent, you need to practice. Unlike in high school, there are no private lessons or monthly auditions, so the pressure to practice is actually very low here. Self-motivation is absolutely necessary. Indy: Do you see yourself playing music in ten years? AS: I think so, although probably not as much as now. Hopefully, wherever I will be, I can still get some musicians together and play chamber music for fun. It’s really a good way to relax and get your mind off the stress of daily life. Otherwise, I might teach kids on the side as a way to stay involved in the music world. At minimum, I hope to take my viola or sit at my piano now and then to just play by myself. Eldo Kim ‘16 (eldokim@college) doesn’t understand why the triangle is considered an instrument.
Indy: Worst experience? AS: I fractured my right elbow while skating with friends in New York over winter break. I was out for two to three months. I did a little bit of playing but 09.19.13 • The Harvard Independent
Columns of Columns Meet the Independent’s fall Arts Columnists. Starting next week…
Breaking the Fourth Panel B JACKIE LEONG y
Everyone has read at least one graphic novel in his or her life. But even with the recent slew of movies mined from the Marvel archives and the trend of webcomics that’s taking the Internet by storm, the visual story continues to be one of the most underrated methods of storytelling — one that begs a larger audience. There almost certainly exists something for everyone: the spectrum varies from tightly woven narrative to stunning artwork, and when executed beautifully, both. Far from the stereotypical “Peanuts” and “Garfield,” the world of the graphic novel runs deep and vast, to the point that it is almost intimidating for an outsider to jump in. Consider this column to be your starting gateway. From the pages of the graphic novel to the succinct bites of a classic four-panel strip, “Breaking the Fourth Panel” will bring you a biweekly taste of the eccentric and wonderful world of the visual narrative art-form.
When The Curtains Rise B SHREYA VARDHAN y
A journey through theatrical world in and around Cambridge, undertaken by a layperson with a love of stories. The column will explore the many nuances and delights of this most vivid and dynamic form of storytelling, celebrate the moments when a story is brought to life, and ponder the dimensions this form literally and figuratively adds to a tale. The column will also juxtapose these plays with other stories, sometimes from other media, and try to understand how a rich variety of voices, words, and faces go into the synthesis of a play. From musical comedies and Elizabethan plays The Harvard Independent • 09.19.13
to modernist theatre and realistic drama, the writer (and readers!) will explore a variety of genres by musing about shows in theatres around Harvard, Cambridge, and Boston. Interviews with actors, producers, playwrights, and directors will permit further insights into the colourful world of the stage.
Hyacinths and Biscuits B MICHAEL FEEHLY y
“Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.”—Carl Sandburg. Poetry, like its distant cousin pornography, is hard to define, a term whose best lexicographers are experience and individual taste. This column will take poetry as both subject and method; I’m not seeking to define poetry so much as to use it in the sense captured by Sandburg — poetry as synesthesia. Whether poets are writing about hyacinths and biscuits, red wheelbarrows and white chickens, or funerals felt in the brain, poets retain an interest in the sensual, the combination of details from various senses. Bringing the senses in concert is not only a goal of the poets but of all artists. The vivid descriptions of blind poets such as Homer and Borges are no less thrilling to us than the thundering symphonies of Beethoven or the compositions of Gabriel Fauré, two virtuosos who lost their hearing. It is this work of bringing the senses together that inspires this column. I will take poetry as a lens, as an approach to the arts. I hope this approach will allow poetic consideration of those arts beyond what is seen self-evidently or selfidentifiedly as poetry. Expect to read in this column both typical articles on poetry as published and practiced here and now but also articles seeking to find the poetry in the everyday: in the built environment, in the visual arts, in prose, in clothes, and, yes, even in biscuits.
Starting the week after…
Futures Past: The Art of Science Fiction B ANDREW LIN y
This column will provide insightful — and occasionally snarky — analysis of the art behind and inherent to the many worlds of science fiction as a whole. Readers can look forward to amusing and surprisingly far-reaching ruminations on everything from the urban and aesthetic dynamics of ecumenopoli to the evolution of background music in science-fiction films and televised events. As a true nerd and an inveterate Star Trek fan (although I do sometimes condescend to watching Star Wars as well), I would say I’m well versed in the lore of all manner of scifi franchises, both arcane and renowned. Despite my occasional penchant for inflicting large volumes of sci-fi trivia on my friends, this column promises to provide some measure of understanding into the aspirations of both our ancestors and our current selves — all through the piercing lens of art in science fiction.
Behind The Scenes B MADI TAYLOR y
Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of a play or musical before the curtain rises on opening night? Have you enjoyed a student production in one of the many theaters at Harvard? This semester, I’m going to give you a glimpse backstage in my column. As I work on a few shows myself, I’ll share stories from rehearsals and some of the fun facts I’ve learned from spending years in the theater. I’ll also bring you interviews with students staffing this semester’s shows, explain what a Producer really does, what a Stage Manager’s “Bible” is, and give you the run down of the shows happening in various spaces across campus. If you’ve ever had questions about how a show comes to life, stay tuned and check out the amazing theater scene here at Harvard!
Through an Indian Lens B ADITYA AGRAWAL y
I am Indian, and I am unequivocal in my love for the arts (and Chicken Tikka Masala, in case you doubted my ethnicity.) Over the next few months, you are invited to join me as I try to decrypt the arts scene in Harvard, Cambridge and beyond, from my starry-eyed, spice-rubbed perspective. I will present my definitely non-definite takes on everything from street art to curated exhibitions, from student productions to poetry slams and other first world contraptions of art with which my decidedly fresh-off-the-boat eyes are yet unacquainted. My bumbling yet brief encounters with the arts back home in India shall be my looking glass as I glance through the peeping hole of all things artsy and wonderful. I may discover a Wonderland, but even if I don’t, I know I’m going to have the time of life. So are you.
harvardindependent.com
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Sports
No Crowd, No Hands, No Problem
Women’s soccer squeezes out a tight victory By DOMINIQUE LUONGO
D
onning my favorite crimson Harvard T-Shirt, I went to my first-ever collegiate varsity athletic game: women’s soccer featuring our Harvard Crimson vs. Long Island University Brooklyn Blackbirds. This leads me to my first question: How does Long Island University have a location in Brooklyn? Unless my geography teacher lied to me, those are two different parts of the state. Not knowing what to expect, I left early for the game, but in the true spirit of being a freshman, I managed to arrive to the game a bit late, having gotten severely lost on my journey to the Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium. The atmosphere of the game was not at all what I expected. A large portion of the audience was made up of families with babies and small children and athletes spending their leisure time away from training rooting for their friends. The other, much smaller portion, was, well, me, myself, and I. There was a nice crispness to the air and the sun beat down in a way that was strangely reminiscent of my life back home in Florida. It was the kind of weather that demanded rolled up sleeves (we South Floridians don’t do tan lines) and promised gorgeous conditions for a soccer match. Excitement was in the air. The weather and emotion from the babies in the crowd added a real sports atmosphere. Or at least something like it. The Crimson boasted an impressive presence on the field. The eleven women on the field acted as a collective unit, exhibiting adroit ball movement. As soon as I sat down, junior defender Marie Margolius from the Crimson headed the ball as it came down from no less than thirty feet in the air, exciting the crowd. Cheers from the few Harvard faithful energized the night, as the game looked early to be of a Crimson hue. LIU seemed to flounder with a weak defensive line that allowed Harvard freshman forward, Margaret “Midge” Purce, to score in the first half — the 10 harvardindependent.com
Photo by Dominique Luongo
only goal scored in the game. The second half of the game proved to be equally matched, with each team unsuccessful despite a few scoring attempts. Freshman defender Bailey Gary of the Crimson kicked the ball over the high fence and out of bounds, sending a referee scurrying to recover it. I’m not sure if she knew this, but the ball is typically supposed to go into the net, not over it. Perhaps her kicking skills are more in line for rugby or football. It was impressive nonetheless. LIU Brooklyn player Shino Kunisawa came in intensely with the ball, attempting to score, but Harvard’s defensive line and freshman goalie, Lizzie Durack, blocked the shot. With about fourteen minutes left in the game, Marie Margolius drove a shot, but the ball was blocked by LIU Brooklyn goalkeeper Jessica Sexton, dampening Crimson efforts to increase their lead on LIU. As the game wound down, each
team pushed themselves even harder. Plays and passes rapidly increased in tempo, ultimately culminating in a dramatic injury on the LIU team, stopping the game for several minutes before the injured player was able to stand up and walk off the field with the echoes of applause following her, allowing play to resume, albeit with much less spirit than was previously exhibited. The game looked to be a lost cause of LIU, and the injury only added to the devastation of defeat. The Harvard Crimson ended the game gracefully, holding off offensive plays for the final few minutes of the game until the clock ran out. The 1-0 victory secured the team’s first win of the season, and improved their record to 1-3-1. If one pictured a typical soccer game, one would indeed be picturing this Friday game: one goal, lots of stoppage, and an injury. As far as stereotypes go, the woman’s soccer team seemed to be aiming for the ultimate cliché.
Yet, despite the hackneyed appearance of the contest, the Crimson ladies represented their school proudly. The excellent performances of freshman players Durack and Purce — who lead the team with 21 shots coming into the game — shows that the Crimson’s addition of nine new players to the women’s soccer roster this year promises a solid season, especially once the Ivy League schedule starts on September 27th against Penn. It is the my hope that Harvard students will turn out in greater numbers to support the Crimson at the next women’s varsity home game on Saturday, September 20th, at 7:00 at Soldiers Field against University of Rhode Island. Maybe with a few more riled-up college students, the only babies at the game will be the ones wearing away uniforms. Dominique Luongo ’17 (dominiqueluongo@college) had hoped for more cheers and fewer diapers at the game. 09.12.13 • The Harvard Independent
indy
Sports
Shut Up and Ruck
Women’s Rugby makes history with first varsity game.
By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN
U
pbeat girl-power anthems sounded in the background as the Harvard Women’s Rugby Team took to their AstroTurf-stage Tuesday night. The team made history as the first Division 1 NCAA women’s rugby team. Not only is the women’s rugby team the 42nd varsity sport at Harvard, but also it is Harvard’s newest sport in 20 years. The women’s rugby team played the Quinnipiac University Bobcats in a tough game. Despite amazing tries scored by Xanni Brown ’14 — who is, completely coincidentally, a beloved staff writer for the Harvard Independent — and Aniebiet Abasi ‘15, the women’s rugby team fell to Quinnipiac 3910. While the Harvard Women’s Rugby team had difficulty receiving possession of the ball after performing a lineout, standouts Cayla Calderwell ‘14 and Helen Clark ‘15 did an excellent job on defense. Both women were also instrumental in holding the scrum strong. Even though the Harvard Women’s Rugby team lost their first game of the season, fans rooted enthusiastically for the
team until the last few minutes of the game and into the team’s triumphant victory lap around the field. Beyond the scoreboard of this game, members of the Harvard Women’s Rugby team own a victory in Harvard Athletics. The traditions of hard work, dedication, and a love of rugby carried the small club team that was started in 1982 into varsity territory. Tim Wheaton, associate director of Harvard Athletics, was among the fans cheering the team on during their inaugural game. “There is only one first, and it is great to be at the first Harvard Women’s Rugby game,” stated Wheaton, who went on to say that it is “fantastic” to see the hard work of students and Harvard administrators culminate in the creation of the Varsity women’s rugby game. He is proud to provide support and see the growth of the team. As the Harvard Women’s Rugby team made its transition from a club team to a Division 1 varsity squad, captains Brandy Machado ’14, Ali Haber ‘14 and Xanni Brown ‘14 were highly instrumental in seeing the team transition. Machado said,
Photo by Shaquilla Harrigan
The Harvard Independent • 09.12.13
“The biggest difference between club and varsity playing is that intensity must be up.” She also joked that the biggest perks are the “swag—all the new warm-ups and jerseys—and the laundry loop. Last year, I had to wear a jersey that had a huge rip up the side.” Machado said, “As captain, I have to remain level headed and set the tone.” On working with the new coaching staff, Machado explained she’s happy with how “they aren’t disconnected from the team. We’re all on the same page. There were weekly phone calls, so were ready to go the second we were all back on campus.” Haber said one of her favorite parts of the transition was “the support of Harvard believing in us and our ability to represent Harvard.” She also explained that going varsity has “challenged the team’s fitness in a really good way. There has been a strong physical and mental focus.” Head coach Sue Parker, former head coach of the Navy Women’s Rugby Team and chair of the USA Rugby Women’s Collegiate Strategic Committee, comes to Harvard with a wealth of knowledge and experience. On working with her new team, she explained, “I knew that coming in, it [the Harvard Women’s Rugby Team] would be a unique, committed group. The entire staff is pleased with their effort and improvement.” Coming to a team that has been established since 1982, Coach Parker appreciates the traditions that she inherited and hopes to build new ones into the program: “The best traditions have been carried over from the club team. They’ve been in existence for thirty years. There is a rich tradition of camaraderie.” Some of the women’s rugby traditions include a post-game song and a group effort to clean the field.
Other traditions are “top secret.” Captain Ali Haber hopes to leave behind a tradition of teamwork. “I want the team to make a family that is a super open place, even to players who have no prior experience.” By the Yale game on Saturday, September 21st, Coach Parker hopes to work with the women to continue improving on scrums and consistent possession. She wants her team to play “open…play a wide open and dynamic game plan that suits our athleticism.” Haber goes on to say that when she looks ahead to the Yale game, the first word that comes to mind is “Winning,” Haber says, “We can beat Yale. We can play our game, and play right.” Hopefully Haber’s words will speak true when the Harvard Women’s Rugby team confronts its toughest opponents, Princeton and Brown, later in the season. Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@ college) thinks Rugby has the best terminology.
harvardindependent.com
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FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
RUGBY RUGBY RUGBY
captured & shot
SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN
RUGBY RUGBY