The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLV, No. 5 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Wednesday, January 24, 2018
The Harvard Crimson The cry for Harvard to defray the entire cost of constructing West Station is inappropriate. editorial PAGE 6
Women’s basketball defeats Dartmouth to remain unbeaten at home. sports PAGE 7
Financial Aid Drive Is Short of Goal
Tickets More for HPT Man of the Year
By jamie D. Halper
By Paula M. Barberi, aNdrew M. Bossi and Elizabeth H. YanG
Crimson Staff Writer
Harvard’s record-breaking capital campaign is still below its $600 million financial aid goal as the fundraising drive enters its final months, according to donors who attended a fundraising event earlier this month in New York City. The campaign passed its overall $6 billion goal in 2016, shattering higher education fundraising records in the process. As of June, the total sum had reached $8 billion. Despite this overall progress, though, some priorities are still short of their goals—and financial aid is one of them, administrators told College scholarship donors and recipients assembled at the Lincoln Center event on Jan. 10. Even after a $125 million gift from
Crimson Staff Writers
When Paul Rudd comes to Cambridge next week to accept the Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2018 Man of the Year award, students who want to do more than watch him parade through the streets will have to fork over roughly $200. Ticket holders will attend a celebrity roast of Rudd in the Pudding’s digs at Farkas Hall and will then be treated to the opening performance of the Pudding’s spring show, “HPT 170: Intermission Impossible!” The roast of Rudd requires “black-tie” attire, according to the Pudding’s website. But just a week earlier on Jan. 25, when Mila Kunis visits campus to
See Campaign Page 3
See Tickets Page 5
morgan j. spaulding—Crimson Designer
Cause of DOJ Probe Up For Debate
Harvard Sororities Gain Nationwide Support By Michael E. Xie Crimson Staff Writer
By Delano R. Franklin and Samuel W. Zwickel Crimson Staff Writers
As the Department of Justice probe into Harvard’s admissions practices stretches into at least its fifth month, experts disagree over the driving force behind the investigation. Some speculate the probe is politically motivated; others insist the investigation is more run-of-the-mill, intended only to unearth more information about the College’s often-opaque admissions practices. The ongoing Justice Department investigation, likely begun sometime over the summer, focuses particularly on allegations of discrimination against Asian-American applicants in Harvard’s admissions process. William R. Yeomans, a former
See DOJ Page 5
The Admission and Financial Aid Administrative Offices are located at 86 Brattle Street. Amy y. li—Crimson photographer
Members and alumni of sororities across the nation took to social media Tuesday to offer support for Harvard sororities’ planned defiance of the College’s penalties on members of single-gender final clubs and Greek organizations. The sanctions—which took effect with the Class of 2021—bar members of single-gender final clubs and Greek organizations from holding student group leadership positions, varsity athletic team captaincies, and from receiving College endorsement for prestigious fellowships. Harvard’s chapters of Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, and Kappa Alpha Theta announced in December they planned to defy Harvard’s penalties and instead continue with their standard female-only recruitment practices for members of the Class of 2021. In a Facebook post Monday, the national Delta Gamma fraternity page asked its members to support sororities at Harvard by “wearing your an-
chor badge or letters” and “flooding the hashtag #HearHerHarvard with memories of the most influential moments of your DG story.” The National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization for United States sororities, shared Delta Gamma’s post. The national Alpha Phi and Kappa Alpha Theta pages made similar posts. “While Harvard’s sanctions claim to support women’s right to make their own decisions, these sanctions actually force women to choose between the opportunity to have supportive, empowering women-only spaces and external leadership opportunities,” Delta Gamma wrote in another post Tuesday. Students and sorority and fraternity affiliates first popularized the hashtag #HearHerHarvard after University President Drew G. Faust debuted the sanctions in May 2016. The phrase recalls “Hear her, Harvard,” a slogan protesters chanted during a rally held a few days after Faust’s announcement. “#WithoutMySorority we wouldn’t
See Sororities Page 5
Boston Makes Final 20 List for Amazon HQ2 By Nina H. Pasquini and Jordan E. Virtue Crimson Staff Writers
Amazon named Boston as one of 20 finalists in its search for a second headquarters earlier this month, after both city and Harvard leaders said they support the bid. Boston has long been considered a top contender among the nearly 240 proposals for “HQ2,” the name for the Seattle-based company’s second home, which could one day support 50,000 employees. Amazon will now move into the final phase of its nationwide search, undergoing studies of potential sites and labor markets as well as negotiating tax breaks from potential cities. Boston will face off against other major urban areas such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Several city officials stated their support for the bid, citing Boston’s skilled workforce and educational focus as key strengths. “I am proud that Boston is on Amazon’s shortlist for its second North American headquarters. As a thriving city with a talented and diverse workforce, culture of innovation and opportunity for all, I see no better city than Boston for Amazon to call their second home,” Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh Inside this issue
Harvard Today 2
wrote in an emailed statement. John Barros, Boston’s chief of economic development, also said he hopes Amazon will select the city for HQ2. “Boston is a perfect location for Amazon to grow,” Barros wrote in an emailed statement. “We have excellent constitutions, talented and diverse residents, a strong ecosystem, and a great business climate.” University President Drew G. Faust also said she was in favor of an Amazon headquarters in Boston in a letter to Amazon C.E.O. Jeff Bezos in October, writing that “Amazon, and its commitment to service, innovation, and discovery, would be a welcome addition to our remarkable community here in Greater Boston.” She also wrote that educational institutions in the greater Boston area would provide talented employees for the company. “A well-educated workforce and the promising pipeline of exceptional, highly-skilled, and nimble labor are also particular hallmarks of our region,” Faust wrote. Boston’s headquarters proposal presents the 75 colleges and universities across the city as a strategic advantage for Amazon, offering “highly skilled students and researchers from
News 3
See amazon Page 5
Editorial 6
Sports 7
rainy day on campus
Cambridge experienced torrential rain on Tuesday, the second day of shopping week. Kathryn S.. kuhar—Crimson photographer
Today’s Forecast
Sunny High: 36 Low: 17
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dancing queen :)
HARVARD TODAY
Wednesday | January 24, 2018
FOR Lunch
FOR DINNER
Popcorn Chicken
Chicken Marsala
Pork Sausage Sub
Reds Best Fish
Margherita Pizza
Tempeh with Mushroom
around the ivies Cornell Will Host 62 Students from Universidad Puerto Rico 62 students from the Universidad Puerto Rico arrived at Cornell University this semester to continue their studies nearly four months after Hurricane Maria tore through the country, according to the Cornell Sun. Cornell, along with Tulane University, New York University, and Brown University, is giving the students one semester of free tuition, room, and board. The Cornell-UPR Interuniversity Relief Program raised an additional $57,675 to help the students with additional expenses including transportation costs, course books, and winter clothing.
Yale Senior to Attend Trump’s January State of The Union
raindrops on berries Raindrops form on frozen berries in Radcliffe Yard on Tuesday afternoon. KATHRYN S. KUHAR—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Happy Wednesday, harvard! It’s Wednesday of shopping week, and that only means one thing... classes are getting real, psets are rolling through, and you can’t just peruse my.harvard in the back row of lecture anymore. Keep your head up, Harvard, we got this. In the Atmosphere…
Here comes the sun! After two days of brutal rain and gray, we’re about to see some blue skies. Don’t get too excited, though, because temperatures will be in the 30s all day. EVENTS
Yale senior Viviana Andazola Marquez accepted an invitation to attend the State of The Union Address on January 30 by U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-CO, the Yale Daily News reported. Marquez’s father, Melecio Andazola Morales, was recently deported to Mexico and barred from re-entry to the U.S. for 20 years. Following his detention in October, students at Yale and other universities signed online petitions and phone-banked for his release. Rep. Perlmutter is one of many Democratic house members to invite guests to the annual event as a form of protest against some of President Trump’s recent rhetoric and policies.
Congressman Cancels Appearance at Penn due to Govt. Shutdown
programs available on campus. Their house in the Yard will be open from 2-5 p.m. Sophie G. Garrett & Stuti R. Telidevara Crimson Staff Writers
PBHA Open House Get a head start on that New Years Resolution to be a good person and check out the PBHA service
Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, canceled a scheduled talk at The University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday due to the federal government shutdown, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee was planning to give a talk on the ongoing Russia investigation. Instead, Schiff was required to be present in Washington, D.C. for votes related to the shutdown. Tuesday’s cancellation was the second time Schiff has postponed the event at the university, as Schiff’s initial appearance in December was rescheduled due to a Congressional schedule conflict. As of Tuesday evening no make-up date had been announced.
in the real world And The Oscar Nomination Goes To… Oscar nominations came out yesterday, just in time for us to binge watch the best movies of the year instead of getting a head start on our new classes. “The Shape of Water” is winning the competition so far, with 13 nominations. Big contenders are also “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Dunkirk.”
It’s Time to Talk to Trump We all knew this day was coming: sources say Bob Mueller wants to question Trump on his suspicious firings of James Comey and Michael Flynn. As the questions keep piling up surrounding the Russia investigation, we’ll wait to see if Trump agrees to a sit down with Mueller.
Who Is Behind the Fall of Bitcoin? Anyone who has been on the Internet in the past few months has witnessed the rise and semi-fall of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, and now we want to know why. It looks like there’s one programmer who might be behind it all.
The Government Is Officially Open After several days of back and forth, the U.S. government is officially now back to work. Democrats say they had to make a deal with Republicans to end the shutdown, after realizing the miscalculations of shutting down to reach compromise. Both sides remain frustrated with the process and the lack of negotiations, but at least the government is back in action.
The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 Derek G. Xiao, President Hannah Natanson, Managing Editor Nathan Y. Lee, Business Manager Copyright 2018, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WAIting at the dot
Kirby Porter ’18 playing against Dartmouth on Saturday. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Staff for This Issue
“I think it sends a totally wrong message if the Man of the Year is associated more with the glamour, the black-tie, and the opening night. The woman is somewhat brushed to the side if it’s a lower ticket price.”
Night Editor Alison W. Steinbach ’19
Olivia A. Sison ’21
CORRECTIONS The Harvard Crimson is committed to accuracy in its reporting. Factual errors are corrected promptly on this page. Readers with information about errors are asked to e-mail the managing editor at managingeditor@thecrimson.com.
Design Editors Elena M. Ramos ’20
Assistant Night Editors Editorial Editor Isabel M. Kendall ’21 Emmanuel R. R. Madeleine Nakada ’20 D’Agostino ’19 Story Editors Graham W. Bishai ‘19 Joshua J. Florence ’19 Hannah Natanson ’19 Claire E. Parker ’19 Brian P. Yu ’19 Phelan Yu ’19
Photo Editors Jacqueline S. Chea ’19 Zennie L. Wey ’20 Sports Editor Cade Palmer ’20
The Harvard Crimson | january 24, 2018 | page 3
Students Reassess Career Plans After Year of Trump By Simone C. Chu Crimson Staff Writer
After a year of Donald Trump administration controversy that culminated in a three-day government shutdown this week, several undergraduates said the recent political climate has made them think more seriously about their interest in pursuing careers in government. Diego A. Garcia ’20, the Institute of Politics’ communications director, said the past year “would give pause to anyone who’s considering a career in government.” As a result, Garcia said he was considering private sector political opportunities such as lobbying and political consulting. “But at the end of the day, the dedication and passion for public service remains at the core of my interests,” Garcia said. Madison A. Trice ’21, who said she aspires to work in foreign service and, eventually, the State Department, said the current state of politics has caused her to consider the effect an administration can have on foreign service work. “It makes it more difficult to envision representing the country’s interests as a foreign service officer,” Trice said. “A lot of the policies that are being touted right now [are] directly at odds with my personal values.” Malcolm J. Reid ’21, a ground reach liaison at the IOP who said he aims to work with the Republican National Committee after graduation, said he found the shutdown concerning. “I’ve never really seen people so divided,” Reid said.
Following the last government shutdown in October 2013, eight percent of the class of 2014 moved on to careers in government, military service, non-profit agencies, or NGOs after graduation, based on a survey from the Office of Career Services. By comparison, just four percent of students in the class of 2013 went on to government or public-service related careers. Robin Mount, a director at OCS, observed that midterm elections have brought a bump in interest in working in campaigns among undergraduates this year. Renae Ford ’20, membership director of the Harvard College Democrats, said that the Trump presidency spurred her to join the club. Through her activities with the organization, she said she has come to seriously consider campaign strategy as a career path. “I’ve never left a day of outreach not feeling good,” Ford said. “I do think that maybe the election was such a shock to people that it made them more motivated to get involved,” Alexandra Shpitalnik ’19, campus outreach director for the Democrats, said. “Our first meeting of 2017 was bigger than I had ever seen one of our meetings be.” Shpitalnik said she plans to work in non-governmental organizations after graduation and eventually transition into government work, though she said the current administration made her think more seriously about which type of work would suit her best. “I decided that I want to work in NGOs for a long time before I start working for the government, because
The Office of Career Services is located at 54 Dunster Street. kathryn s. kuhar—Crimson photographer
I want to get that background knowledge and then jump into the U.S. government work so that I can bring a lot of context into my field,” Shpitalnik said. Students also said they were looking to other career paths where they could help enact political change. “We are seeing what they’re call-
ing the ‘Trump bump’ in applications to law school,” Mount said. “There’s a lot of people interested in public interest law, in immigration law, and advocacy.” Lisette Leon ’21 said she believes hateful and ignorant attitudes toward immigration have increased under the current administration, but this has re-
affirmed her career goals. “Because Trump can say these things and he has a huge platform, other people feel empowered to say hateful things or ignorant things [about immigration]. And, if anything, it motivates me more to study government and pursue an immigration law career,” she said.
Capital Campaign Financial Aid Funding Is Lagging Campaign From Page 1 Kenneth C. Griffin ’89—the largest donation the College had ever received— endowed hundreds of scholarships early in the campaign, the College has yet to meet its $600 million goal with less than six months left to go. The capital campaign will officially conclude on June 30, according to outgoing Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Tamara E. Rogers ’74. University spokesperson Anna Cowenhoven declined to comment on
the total sum the campaign has raised for financial aid thus far. Roy G. Geronemus ’75, who has funded scholarships at the College for the past 15 years and also attended the event, said that he was surprised the financial aid drive was lagging behind. “I would have assumed that they would have been further along in obtaining the support that they need to give Harvard students whatever is necessary,” he said. Despite the unexpected fundraising update, Geronemus said the event
was a good motivator to continue contributing to the campaign. “I think the team made a very compelling, supporting story to continue my interest and support of the value of supporting other students who require financial aid as a means of diversifying the class and providing opportunities to kids who wouldn’t have the opportunity to be there otherwise,” he said. Griffin spoke at the Lincoln Center event about how he learned the importance of financial aid from his grandmother, who financed his education at
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the College. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein ’75 offered a personal testimony about financial aid making it possible for him to attend Harvard. And William R. Fitzsimmons ’67, the University’s dean of admissions and financial aid, talked about the ways in which Harvard’s financial aid campaign can serve as an example for other institutions of higher learning, according to Kia C. Turner ’16. Turner, who was a senior class gift marshall for the Class of 2016, said she spoke about how financial aid had im-
pacted her experience at the College and post-graduation. “We were there to tell our Harvard stories: tell why financial aid was so important to us, and then I think for me especially, it was not only ‘Why is financial aid important at the College?’, but ‘Why is it important once you leave the gates, when you go off into the world?’” Turner said. Approximately 70 percent of Harvard students receive some form of financial aid, and 20 percent of students have full scholarships.
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The Harvard Crimson | January 24, 2018 | page 5
Harvard, Allston to EdX Courses Partner Experts Collaborate on Mural with Microsoft and GE Debate By Truelian Lee a nd Jacqueline P. Patel
Crimson Staff Writers
Muralist Paul Deo will collaborate with local high schoolers and Harvard students to create an augmented reality mural at the Harvard Ed Portal in Allston. The exhibit will be installed on one of the external walls of the Ed Portal during Arts First week in April. The Portal, which is located at 224 Western Ave., is a service initiative from the University that offers education, arts, wellness, and professional development workshops to Boston residents. Paul Deo, a mixed-media artist who specializes in set designs and city murals, has previously worked on Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” and Planet Harlem, a mural in Central Harlem. Deo’s work at Harvard is co-sponsored by the Office for the Arts and the Ed Portal. Deo said the goal of the mural is to “uplift and celebrate” Allston residents. “The mural is going to have aspects of what the students and what the residents—I’ll open it up to the community of Allston residents—what they will like to see and envision for Allston,” he said. “I think it represents that people care—that they care enough to have this groundbreaking, beautiful mural right there in Allston.” Deo said he hopes to incorporate augmented reality—technologies which fuse animations and sound— into his two-dimensional mural. Deo consulted Harvard and Allston students to develop a plan for the exhibit. According to Deo, Allston high school students told him they wanted the mural to have “bright colors” during an October 2017 meeting.
“Something that tells how great Allston is, how great of a place it is to live. They really wanted something positive and uplifting that they could take pride in and visit with their family members and friends and go through that experience together,” Deo said. In a workshop last Friday, Harvard students decided to make the theme revolve around a sustainable, futuristic Allston. The students proposed asking Allston residents to recite a poem by Washington Allston, the namesake of the neighborhood, as part of the mural. Students also suggested including images of a flying MBTA subway line, the Charles River, and butterflies. Though Allston high school students were supposed to participate in the workshop, only one attended. “He [the high school student] said they had a whole lot of things going on, so I think they still want to remain involved through input and through the emails and connections. They seem really excited about it,” Deo said. “The interaction between the Harvard students and the Allston high schoolers is crucial.” Moving forward, Deo said he plans to finalize the two-dimensional design and the augmented reality animations. “I really want to uplift with my skills—to uplift and make people feel better about where they are and who they are,” Deo said. “I’m trying to break through that second dimension to heal the viewer and calm them. AR [Augmented reality] offers them that opportunity.” —Staff writer Truelian Lee can be reached at truelian.lee@thecrimson.com. —Staff writer Jacqueline P. Patel can be reached at jacqueline.patel@thecrimson.com.
By CINDY H. ZHANG Crimson Staff Writer
Digital learning platform edX is partnering with Microsoft and General Electric to provide Massachusetts residents with subsidized online courses and guaranteed job interviews. In a November press release announcing the new partnership, edX CEO and MIT professor Anant Agarwal said the program would expand career prospects for residents of the Commonwealth, giving them “the tools they need to gain knowledge in the most cutting edge fields, including Data Science, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.” Founded in 2012 by Harvard and MIT, edX is an online education platform.The company offers over 16,000 open online courses and has enrolled approximately 15 million students, according to edX Vice President of Business Development Lee Rubenstein. Microsoft will subsidize course fees for Massachusetts community college students taking edX’s introductory Computer Science Professional Certificate course. For six months, starting on May 1, Microsoft will cover tuition for the final segment of the three-part course for students who successfully complete the first two parts. In addition, the company is offering 500 coupons for Massachusetts residents to enroll in any Microsoft-developed edX certificate course for free. “By providing students and Massachusetts citizens with the necessary skills to bridge gaps in the tech industry, it helps them open new opportunities and be successful in their careers,” Chris Roy, a senior director at Microsoft, said in a press release. GE, which began relocating its headquarters from Connecticut to
Boston in 2016, is also offering 100 free edX certificates to Massachusetts residents. The company has promised that any Massachusetts resident completing and passing edX MicroMasters programs in Supply Chain Management, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, or Artificial Intelligence in 2018 will be offered an interview for either an internship or full-time position. Announcing the partnership late last year, Governor Charles D. Baker ’79 simultaneously unveiled a Commission on Digital Innovation and Lifelong Learning, tasked with identifying ways to partner with industry and higher education to increase access to online education. “We appreciate our local employers and higher education institutions creating more online programming to help address the diverse and changing needs of employers and students, including non-traditional learners and young people,” Baker said. While Rubenstein said the new partnership’s reach cannot be measured until late summer, he said that edX’s collaboration with Microsoft and GE could expand in the future, and that other companies might sign on to similar partnerships. “All signs are pointing to lots of interest from lots of corporations in students who have completed the MicroMasters courses. They are anxious to find people with these credentials,” Rubenstein said. In the meantime, Rubenstein said he was optimistic that the program would help advance edX’s mission: to expand access to educational opportunities. “For many people, they may find a path forward by taking these courses,” Rubenstein said. “This partnership, it’s a table leveler.”
Woman of the Year Tickets Cheaper Than MOY tickets From Page 1 accept her 2018 Woman of the Year award from the Pudding, prospective attendees will pay $80: less than half the price of a ticket to see Rudd. Ticket holders will get to watch a celebrity roast of Kunis and will attend a shorter, incomplete preview of the Pudding’s spring show. Kunis’s roast is not black-tie, per the group’s website. Students and wage policy experts say the way the two events are set up— and the price gap—is unfortunate. Some argue the Pudding should rethink the way it structures the Woman of the Year and Man of the Year celebrations. The Pudding has been hosting Woman of the Year and Man of the Year celebrations since at least the late 1960s. The daylong festivities for each event include a parade through Cambridge for the honoree as well as the later celebrity roast.
“It clearly indicates that they take the Man of the Year event more seriously, assumed to be more high-profile, to attract people with higher income brackets, possibly who are already further in their career, or who think they can gain more from networking at the event,” said Ariane Hegewisch, program director for employment and earnings at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “I think it sends a totally wrong message if the Man of the Year is associated more with the glamour, the black-tie, and the opening night,” Olivia A. Sison ’21 said. “The woman is somewhat brushed to the side if it’s a lower ticket price and less events happening.” Pudding President Amira T. Weeks ’18 declined to comment. Other students agreed with Hegewisch and Sison. Brandon N. Wachs ’18 and Matthew “Teddy” T. Brokaw ’18 suggested combining the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year festivities to help improve the situation.
GSD Welcomes Three New Profs of Practice By ARCHIE J.W. HALL Crimson Staff Writer
The Graduate School of Design will soon welcome renowned architects Jeanne Gang, Mark Lee, and Sharon Johnston into its halls as new professors of practice. Gang, who won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011, heads the Chicago and New York based architecture and urban design firm Studio Gang. One of her recent projects was the Aqua Tower, an 82-story Chicago skyscraper with an exterior modelled after the shape of water. The building was awarded the Emporis Skyscraper Award in 2009. Gang’s work focuses on the importance of materials, the environment, and innovative ways of managing waste, according to Design School Dean Mohsen Mostafavi. Johnston and Lee are founding partners of the Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee, and co-directors of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America. Johnston said she and Lee “focus on the arts and education” in their work. The Menil Drawing Institute, a 30,000 square foot modern art museum in Houston designed by the pair, will open this year. In an interview, Mostafavi described Gang, Lee, and Johnston as “at the forefront of the next generation of contemporary architects.” “They’re not just practitioners who come and work with our students as professionals, but really creative innovative thinkers,” Mostafavi said. The three architects—who are all alumni of the Graduate School of Design—will be teaching studio classes
closely connected to their professional work starting this semester. Lee said that he sees teaching as an important complement to his private sector endeavors. “Teaching is something that works seamlessly with practice. Teaching is not just the transference of knowledge, but very much about the production of knowledge,” Lee said. Johnston and Lee’s studio class, called “Museum Island,” will examine “‘island’ and archipelago’ organizations in architecture and their generative potential in urban design,” according to the course description. The course will ask students to design an art storage building on the Menil Foundation campus in Houston, where Johnston and Lee’s museum project will open later this year. One of the course’s goals, according to Lee, will be “studying how institutions could be integrated with a neighborhood.” Gang’s course, “After the Storm: Restructuring an Island Ecosystem,” will focus on the humanitarian response and aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the Caribbean, particularly the U.S. Virgin Islands. The class will be co-taught by Claire Cahan, an architect at Studio Gang. Johnston said she looks forward to contributing to the graduate school she attended now as a faculty member. “It has been a really rewarding reconnection with the GSD,” Johnston said. Lee added that the School has evolved since his time at Harvard. “The campus has changed a lot, Harvard Square has changed a lot, the School has grown a lot,” Lee said. “The School is at a new threshold of a new future with global connection, we’re very excited to be part of this.”
“I can understand why an all-male acting troupe would want to have the male entertainer come to the opening night of their show,” Brokaw said. “It’s not totally out of the blue, but I don’t see why the events have to be seperate.” “You could make the Woman of the Year event at the same time as the black-tie event. Actors and actresses both deserve equal recognition,” Wachs said. Nonetheless, Economics Professor Claudia D. Goldin, who researches the gender wage gap, said she thinks the difference in ticket price has more to do with history than with gender inequality. “This has zero to do with gender gap and pay. This has to do with the history of this institution, when they came up with this Man of the Year award—and [when] it became black-tie—and why, because Woman of the Year was much older,” Goldin said. The Pudding’s Woman of the Year award started in 1951, preceding the
first Man of the Year celebration by roughly a dozen years. The Pudding has come under fire from alumni in recent years for its allmale membership practices. Women on campus have sought to audition for the historically male group three times and, each time, have failed to receive callbacks. More than 86 individuals signed a Pudding alumni petition in Sept. 2016 calling on the organization to admit women. An op-ed in the Boston Globe last week criticized Kunis for accepting the Pudding’s invitation given the group’s refusal to go co-ed and her previous support of feminist causes. Kunis and Rudd did not respond to repeated requests for comment. —Staff Writer Paula M. Barberi can be reached at paula.barberi@thecrimson.com. —Staff Writer Andrea M. Bossi can be reached at andrea.bossi@thecrimson.com. —Staff Writer Elizabeth H. Yang can be reached at elizabeth.yang@thecrimson.com
U.S. Sororities Support Defiance of Sanctions Sororities From Page 1 have our future bridesmaids or friends that will last a lifetime. #HearHerHarvard,” the chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta at California State University, Fresno wrote on its Facebook page. Other sororities without chapters at Harvard also expressed their support. “Today, we stand with the women of Harvard that are being stripped of leadership opportunities, scholarships, and fellowships for being a part of a Greek organization. #HearHer-
Harvard,” the Wright State University chapter of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority wrote on its Facebook page. Of the four sororities that recruited at the College last year, only one has opted out of recruitment this year. Earlier this month, the former Harvard chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma adopted gender-neutral membership practices and rebranded itself the Fleur-de-Lis. In an interview in December, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said the College would finalize an enforcement plan for the social group penalties by the start of this semester.
Boston Still in the Running for Second Amazon HQ amazon From Page 1 around the world” and providing “a source for strong partnerships and collaboration with the community.” The proximity of a possible headquarters in Boston or Somerville, the two sites under consideration, could boost employment prospects for Harvard undergraduate and graduate students. “Any company of that size bringing a headquarters to this location is going to be amazing for us from an economic development standpoint because they offer a range of different opportunities career-wise throughout the entire organization,” said Monica G. Tibbitts-Nutt, a freshman proctor who sits on the board of the MBTA. “The opportunities especially for undergraduates are going to be pretty amazing, from an internship standpoint all the way to that first job.”
However, some faculty remain concerned that the consequences of such a move might not be purely beneficial for the Boston area. James G. Stockard Jr., a lecturer at the Graduate School of Design, said the boost to the economy and employment opportunities may have unforeseen consequences. Stockard said that young start-ups may be discouraged from establishing themselves in Boston because of Amazon driving up housing prices. “The idea that a company like Amazon might keep more of those bright young minds in our area is a good thing, but unless there’s a change in the housing market, those people will continue to bid up housing prices and prices will get higher and higher,” he said. “It’s a double-edged sword for Amazon to be here in the long term, unless we can cope with the housing issues.”
Politics of DOJ Probe DOJ From Page 1
acting assistant attorney general under the Obama administration, said last week he believes the probe is likely “ideologically driven.” Yeomans, who served the Justice Department in various roles for 26 years, said he thinks the political underpinnings of the probe into Harvard’s admissions are “pretty clear.” He pointed to the Obama administration’s decision not to take up similar complaints filed several years ago by a group of Asian-American student advocacy associations. “I think it’s very interesting and somewhat telling that the Civil Rights Division under President Trump has taken this up,” Yeomans said. Yeomans also said he thinks the department’s handling of this case is telling, calling it “procedurally irregular.” “They have recruited people directly for the front office, which is the political portion of the Civil Rights Division,” Yeomans said. Recently released internal emails show that a top official in the department likely requested attorneys to investigate admissions at Harvard. Yeomans said he thinks the investigation may be an effort to start a fresh round of litigation over affirmative action. In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Justice Department wrote that the department “is committed to protecting all Americans from all forms of illegal race-based discrimination.” Other analysts took the opposite stance. Roger Clegg, a former deputy assistant attorney general who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, called the idea the department is conducting the investigation for political reasons “laughable” in an interview Monday. Clegg, who worked in the department from 1982 to 1993, rejected the notion that the Trump administration is behaving differently than the Obama administration. He said actions taken by the current Justice Department are very similar to those taken in previous years. “In my view, the Department was never more politicized under any administration than under the Obama administration,” Clegg said. Clegg said he thinks the shifts in the Justice Department’s activities between the current and the previous administration reflect only “differences of opinions.” He said the fact these differences exist does not make them “small-p political.” He added the department’s motivations most likely lie in the fact that Harvard is a high-profile university, making concerns over discrimination at the school a high-profile case. “Harvard University has been sued for discriminating against Asian-Americans,” Clegg said. “It would be shocking if the Justice Department were not interested in this.” Still other experts offered varying assessments of the situation. Peter F. Lake ’81, a Stetson University College of Law professor, said he sees “many objective reasons” apart from political motivation that would explain the investigation. He speculated the investigation may be motivated in part by practical considerations. For example, the Justice Department might want to obtain documents explaining Harvard’s admissions policies, he said. The College has historically released little data about its admissions process. Matthew Cregor, a staff attorney at the Boston-based Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, said he is concerned the department’s investigation may be inappropriate in light of the ongoing lawsuit introduced by Students for Fair Admissions, an Asian-American advocacy group. The lawyer’s committee recently filed an amicus brief in support of affirmative action at Harvard. “What’s disconcerting is the degree of federal effort that’s being expended to disrupt an ongoing, important case inside the federal district court,” Cregor said. The lawsuit is currently in the late stages of its discovery phase. Expert discovery and depositions are scheduled to complete on May 1, 2018. —Staff writer Samuel W. Zwickel can be reached at samuel.zwickel@thecrimson.com. —Staff writer Delano R. Franklin can be reached at delano.franklin@thecrimson.com.
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Why I Don’t Support Identity Politics By MICHELLE I. GAO
president
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The Harvard Crimson | January 24, 2018 | page 6
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I
used to believe in identity politics because it told me: You and your experience matter. Your identity gives you authority. Your beliefs can’t be invalidated because your identity can’t be invalidated. This logical leap was empowering to take. In the case of race, non-white people decided that their non-whiteness enabled them to speak with authority on topics of race. White people could only participate when they admitted that they were less worthy of speaking. This kind of identity politics failed me when I went home. At the dinner table, I was ready to proselytize why we Asians, as people of color, needed to fight institutionalized racism and support minority movements like Black Lives Matter. I was armed with my experiences and the rhetoric of how America was built on a history of racism and white superiority. But it was like I ran into a brick wall. The problem wasn’t that my parents didn’t know these things. They simply didn’t care much about them. They emphasized their own lived experiences as Asians instead—immigrating to America in the 1980s and creating new lives in a time of arguably more open racism than that of today. They didn’t have any reason to oppose whiteness and support black-led movements. White people weren’t any more racist to them than black people. The trajectories that other immigrants led proved that America was a land of opportunity, even for minorities. Under the rules of identity politics, arguing with my parents about race became essentially impossible. I could never make progress if I kept staking my correctness on being Asian and my experiences living with that identity. My parents, who had the same marginalized identity, could do the same thing. We’d be at a standstill. Admitting that our beliefs were wrong would mean essentially yielding our identity, and nobody was willing to give that up. I realized that I had lowered the standard of conversation by opening with appeals to our race. I was not giving reasons why we should act; I was merely arguing that external factors obligated us to act. But arguments following the logic of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” make for halfhearted allyship at best. The best solution was to deemphasize identity altogether. Appealing to my parents on the basis of race was unnecessary to the discussions I wanted to have. I wanted to make them care about what I saw as unjust killings of innocent people and unjust verdicts freeing culpable cops. But police brutality, at its core, is not about race. Why is it wrong for a police officer to shoot a man reaching for his wallet in his own car and then go free, for example? As Columbia professor Mark Lilla argues in his book “The Once and Future Liberal,” those acts are wrong because the victim is another citizen, another human. Humans do not deserve to be deprived of the benefit of the doubt and killed for ordinary acts. Similarly, humans deserve to be held accountable for their misdoings and wronging of others. This kind of rhetoric would be a much more effective strategy for groups like Black Lives Matter, which need widespread support to effect change. It’s tragic that, though the statement “black lives matter” is so obviously valid, after several years, most Americans still don’t support the movement. But that’s because its most vocal members have made everything about race—citing their race as the reason why everyone must listen to them, instead of trying to convince people why they must be listened to.They make as many sweeping generalizations about race—who can speak, who can ask questions, who can understand, who must try to understand but will never understand anyway—as they accuse others of making. So, they shouldn’t be surprised when, instead of effecting change, they are now mired in cultural wars—the product of dissenters turning identity politics against them. Identity politics makes people feel better about themselves at the expense of productive discourse. A person’s lived experience should never be invalidated. But no identity makes the beliefs that someone derives from their lived experience automatically more correct. This is not just a logical fallacy that should be avoided on principle. In practice, it is actually a hindrance to persuading others. In a time of such polarization, identity politics makes us close ranks with the like-minded when we need to reach out.
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Harvard is Not New Balance
C
ash-strapped, passed over for other transportation projects, and with a completion date decades away, West Station, the MBTA’s new commuter rail station in Allston, faces many challenges. Politicians have now asked Harvard to pay the entire cost of the station—covering a bill of roughly $100 million. In 2014, Harvard pledged to pay one-third of the cost to build West Station. Recently, several Massachusetts politicians signed a letter requesting the University foot the entire bill. One state representative, Michael J. Moran, went so far as to make an example of the company New Balance, which financed the entire $20 million cost of the Boston Landing commuter rail station in Brighton. The comparison is grossly inappropriate and wholly unfair. New Balance is a private corporation focused on maximizing its revenue. Harvard is a nonprofit university whose goal is to educate its students and society. New Balance had a compelling business interest in building Boston Landing, which was a part of the company’s dramatic transformation of Brighton. And it paid only a fifth of what Harvard is now being asked to pay. Yes, as we have opined, the University has previously had difficult towngown relations. It could do more to help sustain and support the community whose home it shares, particularly by actively publicizing and sharing the results of its continuing construction projects with Allstonians. Harvard would do well to contribute to the West Station project; the benefits of a new transit stop cannot be understated, especially for AllHarvard does stonians, who have historically lacked access to the same transit systems that not have infinite commuter rail stations provide to other resources, and is a parts of the Boston area. Indeed, other have helped their communities nonprofit, educational schools in similar ways. Princeton, for example, institution. developed an entirely new train station complex in an initiative to help improve public infrastructure and promote the arts. Following this example, Harvard should contribute to the development of West Station in some capacity. However, the request for Harvard to defray the entire $100 million cost of constructing West Station is inappropriate, especially given the state of the University’s finances over the past couple of years. Yes, Harvard may have an endowment of nearly $38 billion. Yet not all of this wealth is readily at hand—and poor returns like those Harvard Management Company, the group in charge of Harvard’s endowment, has seen in recent years have prompted concern that University budgets could be “significantly constrained” for years to come. In 2017, Harvard’s endowment returns were outpaced by all other Ivy League schools, and HMC is undergoing a dramatic internal restructuring. Now is the time for the University to be as conservative as possible with its finances. Additionally, the new tax bill passed in December under the Republican-led Congress imposes an excise tax of 1.4 percent on returns for certain large endowments, which Harvard must now pay. This tax further limits the University’s financial flexibility. Given these factors, Harvard is being as generous as it can with its proposed contribution of approximately $33 million to build West Station. What these lawmakers fail to understand is that Harvard does not have infinite resources, and is a nonprofit, educational institution rather than a company. Especially given the current state of its investment portfolio, the University should not be asked to pay more. Harvard, after all, is not New Balance.
Associate Blog Editor ellis j. yeo ’20
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This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting
Sports
The Harvard Crimson | January 24, 2018 | page 7
Harvard Downs Dartmouth, Stays Unbeaten at Home WOMEN’S BASKETBALL By joseph w. minatel Crimson Staff Writer
n explosive start, bolstered by sophA omore guard Katie Benzan’s 17 firsthalf points, anchored Harvard women’s basketball in its 76-65 victory over Dartmouth Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion. The win splits the season series 1-1 with the Big Green in the Crimson’s first home Ivy League game of the season, making Harvard 6-0 at home this season. “I think today was our first good game of 40 solid, good minutes,” Benzan said. “[We had] good intensity, good defense, patience on offense, so it was good to have a solid full 40 minutes tonight.” An early offensive burst allowed the Crimson (9-6, 1-1 Ivy) to take the lead only 7:22 into the match, a lead Harvard would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The run began 20 seconds into the contest when junior co-captain Madeline Raster drilled a three from the corner. The Crimson then proceeded to snag five offensive rebounds in the first four minutes, dominating the glass. Dartmouth (9-6, 1-1) wasn’t done yet. The team compensated and reversed course, earning the early 9-5 lead for the Big Green. Benzan answered with a layup and three-pointer. Dartmouth refused to be overpowered and jumped back on top 16-13. Harvard answered with an 11-0 run. Sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm struck first, returning the Crimson to within one with a layup. From that point, Harvard nailed three-straight shots from beyond the arc. Benzan hit first, this time from the left wing. On the ensuing possession following a steal by sophomore Jeannie Boehm, Benzan nailed her fourth three-pointer of the first quarter. She would finish the first half going 5-6 from beyond the arc. “We made major adjustments to what we did offensively in the first game against Dartmouth,” coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “We shared the ball and we weren’t as impatient, and when we make decisions a little more slowly when we have the ball we can find all kinds of scorers, because we have scorers on this team.” Raster capped off the offensive quarter with a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Crimson a 24-16 lead, ending the quarter on an 11-0 run.
SKINNER TIME Junior Sydney Skinner picked up a season high of 20 points in women’s basketball’s defeat of Dartmouth at home on Saturday. timothy R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer
Harvard hit six three-pointers in the opening frame, accounting for 75 percent of its points. The Crimson extended its run into the second quarter, with junior guard Sydney Skinner hitting a layup and three-pointer, capping off the 16-0 run for Harvard. On the next trip down the court, Skinner knocked down her second straight three. “We just shared the ball really well and found the open person no matter who it was,” Benzan said. “That’s how we got great shots every possession.” Things got dicey for the Crimson in the second quarter when the Big Green posted a quick 5-0 run of their own. The momentum was short-lived, however, following yet another three-pointer from Skinner. Benzan would follow up
with a three to stretch the lead to 4226, Harvard’s biggest lead of the half. Prior to the break, Dartmouth chipped away at the Crimson’s lead, making it 46-36 by the end of the first half. The match was shooting-heavy for both Benzan and Skinner, both of whom eclipsed 20 points on the game. For Benzan, it was the second time this season that she reached the 20-point mark in a matchup. Boehm achieved her third triple double on the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds. It was on rebounds that the Crimson outpaced the Big Green the most. Harvard managed 41 to Dartmouth’s 26. From that, the team dominated in second chance points, with one more than double Dartmouth’s 13, and fast
break points, 6-0. While the Crimson dominated from beyond the arc in the first quarter, the halftime break allowed the Big Green to adjust its defense. Throughout the third quarter, Benzan was scoreless and Harvard did not manage to net a single three-point shot. Despite this embargo on the longrange buckets, the Crimson managed to win the points battle in the third quarter. The team hit first with quick baskets from Boehm and senior co-captain Kirby Porter. “The team was so unselfish and it was all the blue-collar work that I’m looking for,” Delaney-Smith said. Dartmouth would answer with a pair of threes to cut the lead to single digits, the score 52-44 Harvard.
The defense finally got itself together in the final stanza of play, with neither team earning a point for a full one minute and 57 seconds. The Big Green broke the drought with a jump shot from Isalys Quinones. Skinner added a layup before Benzan netted her first points of the second half on her sixth three-pointer of the night to give Harvard an 11 point lead. Skinner would steal the ball at the top of the key and finish the layup herself on the other end to extend the Crimson’s lead to 13, 71-58. The two teams netted 12 points apiece in the final quarter of play, leaving Harvard with 11-point victory. Staff writer Joseph W. Minatel can be reached at joseph.minatel@thecrimson.com.
Crimson Men Perfect at Competitive St. John’s Invitational extremely close matches. I think it’s a testament to our coaches, our captains, and the entire team that we were able to win at St. John’s this year.”
SWORD PLAY The men’s fencing team went 5-0 at the St. John’s Invitational against some of the nation’s best, including the No. 1 and No. 2 squads. ELIZA S. HALE—Crimson photographer
FENCING By cade palmer Crimson Staff Writer
It had been 46 days since either of the two fencing teams had stepped on a mat competitively prior to Saturday’s competition. Taking to the strips once again for the first time in a month and a half, Harvard traveled to Queens, N.Y., for the St. John’s Invitational, squaring off against some of the top ranked programs in the nation. “Having been to the Invitational last year, I knew that it was going to be one of our more competitive tournaments this season, but I knew that the team was up for the challenge and excited to compete,” junior co-captain Sharon Ra said. “This meet is great
preparation for Ivies, and allows us to compete at a very high level.” The men’s squad (9-1) broke the long winter layoff in a dominating fashion, sweeping its opponents at the highly competitive meet. The women’s side (8-4), the second-lowest ranked team in attendance, won two matches and dropped three. For the men’s side, the 5-0 performance shows a marked improvement from this point in the 2017 season, at which time the group was victorious in only a single matchup. The women matched their 2017 performance. MEN’S FENCING Junior co-captain, and 2016 United States Olympic team member, Eli Dershwitz headlined for the Crimson on Saturday. The junior tallied a 14-1 re-
cord on the afternoon, on top of a plus38 touch differential. Against all five opponents, the only match in which Dershwitz did not defeat his opponent 3-0 was against No. 4 Penn State, in which he triumphed 2-1. With Dershwitz, sabre won every match. Against all opponents, No. 5 Harvard pulled the close matches, winning 14-13 against No. 8 St John’s, No. 2 Columbia, No. 2 Ohio State, and Penn State. It was only against the No. 1 squad in the country that the Crimson did better, pulling out the 15-12 victory against Notre Dame. Boasting an 11-4 record on the day, sophomore Duncan Rheingans-Yoo lead the foil fencers to four victories and a single loss. The Columbia, Md., native pulled a plus-nine touch differ-
ential, and 2-1 wins against all team excluding St. John’s. In his match against the host school, Rheingans-Yoo claimed a 3-0 win. The epee trio proved most volatile on the afternoon, giving up four losses, and claiming their lone win against Notre Dame. Sophomore George Haglund highlighted the squad, taking a team second-best touch differential of plus-23, and registering a 9-3 record across the five matches. “Last year our team faced many heartbreaking defeats at St. John’s and Ivy League championships,” sophomore sabre Philippe Guy said. “These hardships made us work much harder in practice this year. I feel that the hard work and practice throughout the season truly paid off at this tournament where we were able to prevail in five
WOMEN’S FENCING With No. 6 Harvard exactly replicating its 2017 performance, the opponents at the St. John’s Invitational proved as tough as they looked on paper. The Crimson women’s squad first dismembered No. 10 St. John’s. That 16-11 win was highlighted by a perfect performance on the part of the foil trio—junior Liana Henderson-Semel, co-captain MacKenzie Lawrence, and sophomore Natalie Yang. The group went 2-2 the rest of the afternoon. “I was really proud of the intense energy we brought to each and every school we faced throughout the entirety of the Invitational,” Yang said. “The competitive atmosphere drove our resolve to fight for every touch every second of each bout” Both No. 2 Columbia and No. 1 Notre Dame handed the team 9-18 losses, with sabre claiming a victory against the former, and epee against the latter. That two-game slide was halted by a near perfect performance on the part of the epee trio against their No. 5 Ohio State competitors. Taking the match 7-2 in the epee division, and 5-4 finish in foil earned Harvard its second, and final victory of the Invitational, 14-13. “Everyone was fighting hard for every touch,” Lawrence said. “That fighting spirit goes a long way and really speaks to the character and determination of each and every woman on this team.” No. 3 Penn State finished the Crimson off, handing the group a 12-15 defeat. Foil earned a 5-4 victory, but the efforts of the rest of the team would prove not enough to carry the squad to another win. Now, the two teams turn an anticipatory eye toward the Feb. 10 Ivy League Championships. “We have very talented fencers on the team, many of whom have competed and are still competing within the national and international circuit,” Ra said. “We are a small and close-knit team, and our supportive framework gives us an extra edge towards success, and hopefully helps us claim the Ivy League Championship title.” Staff writer Cade Palmer can be reached at cade.palmer@thecrimson.com.
Page 8 | January 24, 2018 | The Harvard Crimson