The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLV, No. 6 by The Harvard Crimson

The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLV, No. 6 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Thursday, Janruay 25, 2018

The Harvard Crimson The administration neglected to transparently communicate General Education updates. Editorial PAGE 6

Harvard Funds West Station

Men’s basketball gears up for first Ivy weekend road slate. sports PAGE 7 October 1, 2014

BU considers funding the remaining one-third of West Station costs, but the deal is never finalized.

March 23, 2015

November 16, 2017

By Truelian Lee and Jacqueline P. Patel Crimson Staff Writers

Harvard has pledged $50 million to fund West Station and promised up to $8 million to help construct another, interim transportation station in Allston. Harvard Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp announced the University’s new funding commitments in a letter sent to MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack Wednesday morning. The $50 million number—roughly half the projected cost of the station— marks a significant increase from Harvard’s previous commitment to fund a third of the construction of West Station, a commuter rail station slated to be built on University-owned land in Allston. “Together, these contributions will enhance the significant public-private partnership between Harvard and the Commonwealth,” Lapp wrote in the letter. “These investments also

Five Massachusetts politicians called on Harvard to cover “almost the entire cost” of West Station.

January 18, 2018

The MBTA announced plans to build a commuter rail station in Allston called West Station and Harvard pledged to cover a third of the cost. Allston residents expressed frustration over MassDOT’s decision to delay construction of West Station for an indeterminate period of time.

January 24, 2018 Harvard increased its funding for West Station to $50 million, covering around half the cost of West Station.

See station Page 5

Student Group Updates Searchers By Caroline S. EnglemAyer Crimson Staff Writer

Members of a student committee helping guide Harvard’s search for its 29th president met “in person” with the official search committee last semester to discuss their findings, though the committee has yet to produce a final report. The main task of the committee, formed in Sept. 2017, is to “provide advice to the presidential search committee” and “assist in ensuring broad outreach to the wider Harvard community,” according to the University. The student committee spent all of last semester gathering student input on the search before presenting the findings of its research to the search committee, which comprises all twelve members of the Harvard Corporation as well as three members of the Board of Overseers. The search committee has been seeking the successor to University President Drew G. Faust since she announced over the summer she plans

See Search Page 5

diana c. perez—Crimson Designer

Protestors Ask Harvard To Divest From PR Debt By William L. Wang Crimson Staff Writer

Hundreds of protesters marched across campus Wednesday to urge Harvard to divest from the Boston-based Baupost Group unless the hedge fund cancels its holdings of Puerto Rican debt. The protest, organized by Harvard affiliates and local activist organizations, ispart of a series of protests calling for higher education institutions to divest from financial groups with significant Puerto Rico debt holdings. Rallies at Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Phoenix are slated to take place within the next week. Armed with signs reading “Drop the Debt” and “Harvard Divest from Baupost,” protesters marched through Johnston Gate, walked past the School of Education, and concluded the march at Harvard Business School. Protesters called for the University to divest $2 billion from Baupost Group, which holds nearly $1 billion of Puerto Rico’s $70 billion debt. Cassandra Fradera, a former extension school student who spoke at the protest, told the gathered crowd that

Admins Say Gen Ed Needs More Time

Harvard needed to divest the University’s endowment in order to “align with its values.” “We are asking Harvard’s endowment, which has been undergoing changes in the recent years, to divest from Baupost unless it cancels its Puerto Rico holdings,” she said. “We need to restructure this debt to get the release that we need, and we need to start talking about Puerto Rico.” Last September, Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria slammed into Puerto Rico within the span of two weeks, shutting off water and electricity on the island and cutting off students’ hopes of contacting their families. Much of the protesters’ ire targeted Baupost CEO Seth A. Klarman, who graduated from the Business School in 1982 and founded Baupost Group with then-Business School professor William J. Poorvu soon after graduation. The Business School is currently constructing a new 1,000-seat convention center to be named for Klarman. Klarman previously drew condemnation from protesters at Baupost

See Divest Page 5

A protestor waves the Syrian national flag while carrying a sign for the “Stand With Puerto Rico” protest Wednesday afternoon. Krystal K. Phu — Crimson photographer

UC Pushes For MultiCultural Center

SEE PAGE 5

By Lucy Wang

By Jonah S. Berger

Crimson Staff Writer

The delayed debut of the General Education program—announced Monday—is meant to give faculty more time to design new courses and take student feedback into account, director of the General Education program Stephanie Kenen said Wednesday. Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced in an email to undergraduates that the new system of requirements will be implemented in 2019 instead of 2018, as was originally planned. Kenen said designing the types of courses that achieve the goals of the new program is difficult and is taking the College longer than expected. “In order to design courses that really stand out, and make the intellectual

See Gen Ed Page 5 Inside this issue

Harvard Today 2

News 3

The Undergraduate Council and other student organizations have redoubled their efforts to create a multicultural center, reaching out to College administrators and scheduling a town hall about the issue this week. The increased push for the center follows a UC referendum last fall in which students voted in favor of the idea. Council President Catherine L. Zhang ’19 said in a Sunday interview that she has already begun working with administrators to lay the groundwork for a future multicultural center. “In our conversations with Dean Khurana, in our meeting with the OSL, even before the campaign happened and before we were elected, we were already having these conversations,”

Harvard Medical School

Editorial 6

The Gordon Hall of Medicine stands at the center of the Harvard Medical School’s quadrangle. Justin F. Gonzalez—Crimson photographer

Sports 7

Today’s Forecast

partly cloudy High: 28 Low: 16

Visit thecrimson.com. Follow @TheCrimson on Twitter.

See UC Page 5

back skin

HARVARD TODAY

THURSday | January 25, 2018

FOR Lunch

FOR DINNER

Dan Dan Noodles

Baked Salmon with Dill

Roasted Honey Lime Chicken

Roast Beef with Peppercorn Sauce

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Portobello Lentil Patty with Tomato Basil Salsa

around the ivies Brown University Faces Lawsuit for Potential Title IX Violations Chief Judge William Smith of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island upheld claims that Brown University violated Title IX policy in the latest development from a 2016 sexual assault lawsuit, the Brown Daily Herald reported. While the judge dismissed claims of negligence against Brown, he upheld the plaintiff’s claims that it engaged in discriminatory and retaliatory behavior. If a trial occurs, it is expected to take place in 2019.

Grad Students at Penn Petition to Change Sexual Harassment Policies, Attempt Unionization

Sunny Randolph Randolph Courtyard of Adams House is sunny on Wednesday afternoon. AMY Y. LI — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Happy THURSday, harvard!

Forecast is partly cloudy.

Today is the day you realize, “Oh crap, why did I come back and stop doing nothing for a living?”

Conceptions of International Order during the Cold War The weather’s not the only thing that’s cold in Cambridge—take a glance back at the Cold War, but this time from the Russian and Chinese perspectives. Also, coffee and tea will be provided, so stop by 1 Brattle Square, Room 350.

In the Atmosphere… Sitting at a lovely 28º, today should be slightly warmer than your freezedried soul as it starts to remember how much work you do here.

EVENTS

IOP Freshman Ice Cream Reception Freshmen! If the sub-freezing temperature outside isn’t quite enough for you, feel free to chill out with some cookies and ice cream at Ticknor Lounge and learn more about getting involved with the IOP. The reception will be from 8-9:30 p.m. Lorenzo F. Manuali Crimson Staff Writer

Four months after Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania published a petition for better procedures for students in the Graduate School of Education to report sexual harassment, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported that the GET-UP petition has received criticism for merging its cause with unionization efforts. Penn’s current university-wide policy requires that all reports of sexual harassment be reported to the dean of the student’s school. GET-UP organizers say they have yet to see any major efforts to change this policy from the administration.

Cornell Launches Diversity Website, Student Leaders Not Informed Cornell’s newly launched diversity website lists resources concerning diversity, but does not list any student organizations devoted to diversity and inclusion, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. Some student leaders involved in promoting diversity on campus claim they were not informed of this development, and hope that Cornell will seek student input in the future. Nonetheless, students are optimistic that the website will be a helpful resource. “I hope that it will serve as a means of holding the University and ourselves accountable to diversity and inclusion and our founding mission,” Mayra Valadez, vice president of diversity and inclusion for the Student Assembly, said.

in the real world Trump Agrees to Talk The question of whether Trump will answer Bob Mueller’s questions has finally been answered. Trump said that not only is he willing to speak under oath to Mueller, but that he’s looking forward to it. He’s not the only one—we’re also looking forward to see what he’ll say.

U.S. Gymnastics Doctor Sentenced The #MeToo movement, which has brought a mass of allegations of sexual assault, has reached the U.S. national gymnastics team. Long-time doctor Larry Nassar received a sentence of 175 years for abusing over a hundred girls. The president of Michigan State University, where Nassar worked, has also resigned.

Philippine Volcano Erupts The Philippines’ most active volcano, Mount Mayon, has erupted at least six times since Monday afternoon. It created a column of debris and volcanic gas that reached three miles into the sky. The blasts have led to two earthquakes, forcing over 55,000 people to flee.

Korean Hockey Team Crosses Boundaries (Literally) Twelve North Korean female hockey players crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea today to form the North and South’s unified Olympic team during next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Games. South Korean officials are hopeful that the Olympic spirit can lead to the discussions of slowing down the North’s nuclear advancement.

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.

Sunset on the dot charles WAIting at the

The sun sets on the River Houses Wednesday evening. KRYSTAL K. PHU — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Staff for This Issue

“Teaching is not just the transference of knowledge, but very much about the production of knowledge.”

Night Editor Brian P. Yu ’19

Mark Lee, Architect

CORRECTIONS The Jan. 24 news article “Tickets More For HPT Man of the Year” incorrectly indicated that the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year honoree receives a parade through Cambridge. 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 Diana C. Perez ’19 Elena M. Ramos ’20 Assistant Night Editors Katherine E. Wang ’20 Simone C. Chu ’21 Editorial Editor Angela N. Fu ’20 Robert Miranda ’20 Story Editors Photo Editors Brittany N. Ellis ’19 Justin F. Gonzalez ‘21 Mia C. Karr ’19 Caleb D. Schwartz ’20 Hannah Natanson ’19 Claire E. Parker ’19 Kenton K. Shimozaki ’19 Alison W. Steinbach ’19

Sports Editor Jack R. Stockless ’19

The Harvard Crimson | january 25, 2018 | page 3

Students Unruffled Faculty Talk Advanced Standing by Virus Outbreaks By ANGELA N. FU

Crimson Staff Writer

By AHAB CHOPRA AND ASHLEY M. COOPER Crimson Staff WriterS

In the past year, Harvard students have had to fend off a string of uncommon viruses—mumps, tuberculosis, and Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, to name a few. Nonetheless, experts and students say they do not find the run of illnesses too concerning. Saim Raza ’19, a Cabot House resident, said he is “not too worried”—though he added he was surprised by the large number of mumps cases his freshman year. “I don’t know too much about it and I just think that it’s weird,” Raza said. “I’ve seen memes, as everyone has.” Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, a virus generally found among children and characterized by mouth sores and body rashes, hit campus in September 2017. Harvard University Health Services spokesperson Michael Perry confirmed cases of the virus in Currier House last fall. Resident Dean Amanda S. Lobell ’99 told students in the House to be vigilant of the viral illness by taking extra hygiene precautions. Mumps and tuberculosis also have a recent history of visiting Harvard’s campus. In the spring of 2016, HUHS quarantined 66 students with confirmed cases of mumps, a highly infectious virus. One year later, HUHS Director Paul J. Barreira found cases of tuberculosis among Mather House residents. In June, Barreira returned to announce two additional cases of mumps, informing students that health officials planned to carefully “track and monitor the situation.” Dr. Robert W. Frenck Jr., an infectious disease expert, said that, though the majority of children receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are around one year old, the mumps portion of the vaccine is less effective than the measles and rubella components. “Measles is 95 percent effective and rubella is about the same. Mumps is about 70 percent,” Frenck said. Given the lower efficacy of the vaccine, Frenck said mumps outbreaks have struck several college campuses in recent years. “What people are thinking about

is giving another dose of mumps to everyone on campus if there is a big enough outbreak to try to break the transmission,” Frenck said. “It’s not common but it happens.” Emma Y. Lin ’21 said she was also not worried about Harvard’s series of viruses. “At least the Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is confined to specific dorms and probably spreads through bathrooms,” Lin said. Frenck said that while mumps can seem daunting, it is generally not too worrisome. “It comes in big waves,” Frenck said. “There’s no treatment—it just has to run its course. You can have fevers with it but the rash is pretty promi-

It’s not going to affect me longterm. Even if I do get it, it’ll be a week or something. Saim Raza ’19

Harvard College Student nent, and it can be scary.” Tuberculosis is the most common infectious disease in the world, though it does not typically cause death unless one is at high risk, according to National Public Radio. While the disease’s prominence in the U.S. has declined, Frenck said suspects that, when people return to Harvard from their homes abroad, they may be carrying strains of the virus. “If rare diseases were to show up anywhere, it would probably be on a college campus,” Lin said. “Some place that has a lot of international students.” “It’s not going to affect me longterm,” Raza said. “Even if I do get it, it’ll be a week or something.” Staff writer Ahab Chopra can be reached at ahab.chopra@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @ahab_chopra. Staff writer Ashley M. Cooper can be reached at ashley.cooper@thecrimson.com.

Members of the Faculty Council met Wednesday afternoon to discuss changes to the Advanced Standing program and the search for a new Dean of Undergraduate Education in a “happily routine meeting,” according to Council member David L. Howell. The Council—the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ highest governing body—continued the discussion started during a December meeting concerning a proposal to revise Advanced Standing, a program that allows students to graduate in three years or receive a Master’s degree in four years. The proposal, introduced by outgoing Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris, would make all College students eligible for the Advanced Standing program if passed. Previously, students had to enter the College with Advanced Placement credit to qualify. After several faculty members said they were concerned by Harris’s proposal at the meeting, the committee

just in general what we are thinking about the undergraduate curriculum and things of that sort.” Howell said he hoped the next dean will be able to address existing “structural problems” by allowing faculty members to focus on pedagogy and teaching instead of worrying about logistical issues like section size and finding sections for their graduate students. “I thought that it would be important, as not just part of the search but in general, to try to figure out some way to review or change graduate school funding to make it easier for faculty to put the pedagogical mission first,” Howell said. The Council also discussed a potential new concentration in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The proposal, which Howell said garnered “a lot of support,” suggested changing an environmental science engineering track within the engineering sciences program to a formal concentration.The Council also briefly discussed a proposal to create a Ph.D. program on bioinformatics integrated genomics.

HSPH Hosts Surgeon General By LUKE W. VROTSOS Crimson Staff Writer

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams called for individually tailored approaches to the opioid epidemic at a School of Public Health event on Wednesday. Adams called for a multifaceted approach to the epidemic that tailors treatment to the specific needs of every patient, which he said is one of the most important features patients should look for in a treatment center. “You need to find a program that is going to evaluate, diagnose, and treat you based on your individual story, and not try to throw a one-size-fits-all approach at you,” Adams said. Robert J. Blendon, a professor of public health and healthy policy, moderated the discussion as part of the school’s “Voices in Leadership” series. During the talk, which was attended by roughly 50 people, Adams also advocated for widespread access to Naloxone, a medication designed to treat opioid overdoses in emergency situations. Naloxone use has increased across the nation in response

From the Law School to Longwood,

The Crimson @crimsonflyby

tasked with creating the new plan added amendments to make the proposal more “modest,” according to Howell. Though the Council voted to pass Harris’s proposal last semester, they chose to discuss the plan again with the added amendments. The Council did not vote on it again, though, given the amendments did not constitute “a major substantive change.” Howell said the Council also discussed the ongoing search for a new Dean of Undergraduate Education “in general terms.” Harris announced he would step down at the end of the academic year in December, after holding the position since 2008. Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana and Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning Nina Zipser are overseeing the search and are currently in the process of soliciting opinions from the Faculty and other Harvard affiliates, Howell said. “They want to think about the qualities in the new dean before actually narrowing it down to any specific candidates,” he added. “So we didn’t talk about any potential candidates,

to the opioid epidemic, creating shortages and high prices, according to the Washington Post. Monica Bharel, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, also spoke at the event, underscoring the severity of the state’s opioid epidemic. Bharel, a graduate of the School of Public Health herself, said that nearly six people die per day from opioid overdoses in Massachusetts. “For the last several years in our administration, it’s been our primary public health priority to respond to this opioid epidemic,” she said. Her agency’s response has included education about the risks of opioids, enhanced training for healthcare professionals, and monitoring of painkiller prescriptions. Adams asserted the broader importance of public health to American national security and economic vitality. He said that roughly seven in 10 American youths are ineligible for military service, often for health reasons. “We are a less safe country right now because we are a less health country than what we know we could be and should be,” he said.

Adams, an anesthesiologist by training, served as the State Health Commissioner of Indiana from 2014 to 2017 before President Donald Trump nominated him to be surgeon general last June. During his time in Indiana, he worked to address the state’s HIV epidemic, to decrease infant mortality, and to fashion an alternative to Medicare expansion. The Voices in Leadership program brings figures from government, academia, and international affairs to the School of Public Health to give talks on policy and public affairs. Eric R. Andersen, deputy director of Voices in Leadership, said the program forms part of the School of Public Health’s leadership studio, and helps students transition into public health affairs after they graduate. Andersen said Adam’s remarks helped clarify the role that the surgeon general plays in the federal government and provided information about the opioid epidemic. Last year’s program speakers, whom Andersen describes as “leaders in the space of public health,” included Senator Elizabeth Warren and former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Page 4 | JANUARY 25, 2018 | The Harvard Crimson

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Keep the old sheet flying.

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The Harvard Crimson | January 25, 2018 | page 5

Harvard Funds West Station station From Page 1 represent Harvard’s deep commitment to the Commonwealth’s longterm economic growth.” The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority first proposed building West Station in Oct. 2014, calling for a commuter rail station to connect Allston to Boston and the surrounding

This project, with all of its associated benefits, may not have been possible absent Harvard’s significant investments. Katherine N. Lapp Harvard Executive Vice President area. Harvard committed at the time to pay one third of the building costs, which would amount to $30-35 million per current estimates of the construction price tag. MassDOT originally planned to complete West Station by 2025. Due in part to financial concerns, however, the department announced in an updated proposal in late 2017 that it will instead begin construction nearly two decades later in 2040. In response to that announcement, some Massachusetts politicians called

on Harvard to pay for “almost the entire cost” of West Station in a public letter released last week. Harvard also pledged Wednesday to contribute up to eight million dollars to help build an “early action” commuter rail station in Allston Landing South. In pushing for the construction of the temporary station, Lapp referenced what she called the significant “disruption and inconveniences” to local residents posed by construction in Allston over the past few years. “Harvard… hopes that as MassDOT considers taking advantage of the University’s financial commitment to an ‘early action’ station, it will consider the years of construction inconveniences endured by the local community,” Lapp wrote. Lapp also suggested relocating West Station—currently scheduled to be built in Beacon Park Yard—further north to benefit residents. She wrote the location change would create “a greater buffer” between the neighborhood and the construction area while also allowing for the construction of a new protected pedestrian and bicycle path. West Station comprises part of the larger Interstate 90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project, a state initiative meant to improve and expand transportation networks in Boston and the surrounding area. In the letter, Lapp wrote the University hopes MassDOT will reconsider the overall timing of the larger I-90 improvement project. The project is currently divided into three phases: in the first phase, set to end 2025, the state will work to realign the Massachusetts Turnpike and rebuild streets and bridges. The second phase, slated to take place between 2025 and 2040, in-

volves constructing tracks for train storage and providing various utilities like storage sheds. In the third and final phase, set to begin after 2040, MassDOT will focus on building West Station and connecting it to a bicycle and pedestrian network. Lapp wrote in the letter that she hopes Harvard’s new funding commitment to an interim station will speed MassDOT’s construction timeline. “It is University’s hope that by providing funding for an interim West Station facility, serious consideration can be given to an additional option for early phase 1 service even as the specific timing of the full West Station remains under review,” she wrote. Lapp also raised concerns with the planned ordering of construction projects during phase two. In particular, she wrote the University is troubled by the proposal that MassDOT build a permanent rail facility before they complete West Station. Lapp urged MassDOT to “reconsider.” Harvard’s decision to fund a larger portion of West Station comes after increased public attention to the issue. In addition to the politicians’ letter last week, the Boston Globe recently published several op-eds calling on the University to do more. In the letter to MassDOT sent Wednesday, Lapp devoted several paragraphs to summing up what she called Harvard’s “longstanding” commitment to advancing the public interest in Allston. “It is significant to note... that this project, with all of its associated benefits, may not have been possible absent Harvard’s significant investments over the past fifteen years in the area of the I-90 Interchange,” Lapp wrote, referring to the I-90 improvement project.

Students Update Pres. Searchers Search From Page 1 to step down in June 2018. “We had the opportunity to share our findings with the Search Committee last semester and are currently in the process of capturing those findings in a final report, which we also plan to share with the new president,” advisory committee chair Jyoti Jasrasaria ’12 wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday. “We’re incredibly grateful for all of the thoughtful engagement from our peers across the University.” Jasrasaria, a Harvard Law School student, previously said the committee plans to produce a report of its recommendations for the search committee—and that the committee hoped to prepare this report by the end of 2017. But in her email, Jyoti wrote the committee is still working on producing a final report. Jasraria wrote the student advisory committee plans to ultimately “share our findings with the new president” in an effort to “communicate the information that we’ve learned about students’ perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing Harvard today.”

More than 3,500 students weighed in on the search over the last few months, according to Jasrasaria. The student advisory committee— which includes at least one representative from each of Harvard’s 12 degree-granting schools—hosted an open forum for students to offer their opinions, as well as holding focus groups and office hours. It also asked for student responses to a survey about the search. The student committee’s involvement in the search marks the second time that students have formally weighed in on a Harvard presidential search. The 2006 search committee created the first student advisory group after undergraduates said they were outraged over their lack of involvement in the 2000 search. News of the student committee’s communication with the searchers comes as the search nears its final phase. In December, The Crimson reported that the committee had whittled down the list of candidates to under 20 finalists. Harvard affiliates have named a number of potential finalists likely on

that list. In October, several prominent donors and professors said there were four likely contenders from within the University: Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria, Government professor Danielle S. Allen, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith, and University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76. In an interview in January, Harvard Medical School dean George Q. Daley ’82 said he expected to see three external candidates on the shortlist: geneticist and Broad Institute President Eric S. Lander, physician and University of Michigan President Mark S. Schlissel, and World Bank President and former Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim. The committee has also begun meeting for long hours at a stretch in secret, a possible sign that searchers are interviewing finalists. On Jan. 13, the committee met privately in the home of searcher Tracy P. Palandjian ’93 and spent almost the whole day in private discussions. Staff writer Caroline S. Engelmayer can be reached at caroline.engelmayer@thecrimson. com. Follow her on Twitter @cengelmayer13

Admins Say Gen Ed Needs More Time Gen Ed From Page 1 experience of the students be really different than everything else they take, it takes time,” Kenen said. “And it’s taking longer than we thought it might.” The current General Education program was deemed to be “failing on a variety of fronts” in a 2015 report, raising the stakes for its replacement. Kenen pointed out that one of the critiques of the current program has been a lack of “distinctive identity in the minds of students.” Kenen also said that one of the options for rolling out the new program was to do it in phases, proceeding as new courses are finalized. Ultimately, though, the College decided not to go forward with that plan in order to prevent further confusion for students. “We thought, that’s not a great experience for students, and probably more importantly, it’s already confusing how the requirements are working, that to partially constitute things, that’s just not clear and clean,” Kenen said.

Psychology Professor James P. Mitchell, faculty director of General Education, said that another reason to push back the launch date is to gather more student feedback. He said the Program in General Education is currently working on developing a student advisory board. “This is, I think another reason, for changing the launch date,” Mitchell said. “It gives us time for incorporating those student voices, and actually talk about the program.” Mitchell and Kenen both said that, under the new program, they expect to offer around 65 courses in General Education each year. Mitchell said they chose that number so that, with 6,500 students taking classes each semester, the average General Education class size would be 100 students. For current students in the College, the new program affects each graduating class differently. As Harvard announced before pushing back the rollout date, current juniors and seniors will still graduate under the old requirements, while the classes of 2020 and 2021 will graduate with the new

program. Kenen added, though, that upperclassmen have more flexibility in fulfilling their requirements. “We didn’t want students to be constrained by requirements we no longer thought were valid,” she said. “So therefore, we’re allowing students to fill old requirements with the spirit of new ones.” Furthermore, as courses in the new program are not yet created, Kenen said that underclassmen who are taking classes that currently fulfill the old general education requirements will still receive credit. Mitchell said that, though the pushback may cause more work for advisors, it will ultimately be worth it. “We recognize that there’s going to be another year where there is a lot of additional moving parts for people to keep track of,” he said. “If we could’ve avoided that, we would’ve, but in the long run, it’s okay to have another year of that kind of uncertainty because the payoff is going to be the program that we really think serves our students well.”

@thecrimson on Twitter.

Protestors Ask Harvard to Divest divest From Page 1 headquarters in October after he said expunging Puerto Rico’s debt would be “impractical.” In an emailed statement Wednes-

Harvard is a large university with a big endowment, and it can set a tone for how higher education universities invest. It could make investments that are moral. Julio Lopez Verona Protest Organizer

day, Klarman reaffirmed his support for Puerto Rico. “The U.S. government should support the people in Puerto Rico as it does in other disaster relief efforts. In the meantime, Baupost plans to continue to be a constructive partner in seek-

ing a restructuring resolution that results in a fair outcome for all parties, including the people of Puerto Rico,” he wrote. “A full and sustainable financial recovery for Puerto Rico is in the best interest of all constituents, including creditors.” Apart from denouncing Klarman, protesters on Wednesday demanded that the University halt investments in Baupost. “We know that Harvard is a large university with a big endowment, and it can set a tone for how higher education universities invest,” protest organizer Julio Lopez Varona said. “It could make investments that are moral and not hurt anybody.” Patrick S. McKiernan, a Harvard Management Company spokesperson, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Baupost said the group has not purchased more bonds since the hurricanes last September. In the past, Harvard has been reluctant to change its investment strategy as a result of student activism. In response to calls for the University to divest its fossil fuel holdings in 2013, President Drew G. Faust wrote in an open letter that the University maintains “a strong presumption against divesting investment assets for reasons unrelated to the endowment’s financial strength and its ability to advance our academic goals.” Since then, student activists have continued to call for permanent divestment from fossil fuels and, more recently, from private prisons.

UC Begins Multicultural Center Talks UC From Page 1 The Multicultural Center Coalition — a student organization calling for College administrators to designate a space “dedicated to fostering diversity, belonging, and inclusion on campus”— will host a town hall on Friday to gather student input on the possible creation of a multicultural center. The coalition, led by UC representatives Salma Abdelrahman ’20 and Nicholas Whittaker ’19, initially helped galvanize support for the November referendum, which ultimately garnered support from more than half of voters last fall. Per UC policy, that result meant the referendum was considered binding, and the Council was tasked with drafting a policy proposal about its plans for such a center. The town hall will help the coalition gather student opinions before drafting the proposal, which will then be given to College administrators, according to Abdelrahman. “What we wanted to do was make sure that student input was central to the policy proposal that we were going to be putting on administrators’ desks,” Abdelrahman said. “This town hall is really for students to tell us how they’re feeling about the center, what their needs are for the center, what should staffing look like, what should amenities look like.” Attempts to erect a multicultural center on campus have gained considerable momentum in the last few

months in the wake of policy and demographic shifts both at Harvard and across the nation. Abdelrahman said the College’s finalized sanctions on single-gender social groups and the activities of the Trump administration in Washington—viewed by many as hostile to minorities—have helped drive campus support for a multicultural center. Abdelrahman added that as Harvard becomes more diverse, the student body has shown increased desire for such a space. Nonetheless, Zhang, who campaigned on a platform calling for a multicultural center, said getting administrators on board with the idea will likely be an uphill climb. Dreams of a centralized space available for use by students of all races, backgrounds, and ethnicities extend back decades. In 1995, 22 student groups submitted a proposal to former Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III urging the administration to designate space for an “inter-ethnic resource center.” Epps rejected the proposal out of fear that it would promote “racial separation.” “It’s definitely not going to be easy. I mean, they’ve been trying to advocate this for 30 years,” Zhang said. The Coalition’s town hall on the center will take place Friday in Fong Auditorium at 2 p.m. Staff writer Jonah S. Berger can be reached at jonah.berger@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonahberger98.

HMS Teaching Hospital Plans First Expansion in Decades By Luke W. Vrotsos Crimson Staff Writer

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Medical School teaching hospital, is planning a new building, the hospital’s first in two decades. The expansion, which will comprise ten floors and 345,000 square feet of space, is slated to be built along Brookline Avenue in the hospital’s West Campus. It will contain 158 new patient beds, including 30 intensive care unit rooms, representing a 23 percent expansion in the number of patients the hospital can accommodate. Plans released on the hospital’s website show the building will also have a medical helicopter landing pad, a rooftop garden, and single-bed rooms. Compared to other large Boston-area hospitals, Beth Israel experiences higher occupancy and does not have as many single-bed rooms, the Boston Herald reported. Jennifer L. Kritz, senior director of communications at Beth Israel, wrote in an emailed statement that the hospital is “committed to supporting our Harvard Medical School-affiliated faculty and training the next generation of physicians.” She also wrote that new conference spaces equipped with technology will foster “the sharing of innovative scientific and medical knowledge and

modern teaching methods.” Before builders can break ground on the new building, Beth Israel must obtain approval from multiple local and state agencies. The approval process includes a month-long public comment period that extends until Feb. 12. Last November, Walter Armstrong, a senior vice president at Beth Israel, started that process by sending a letter of intent to the Boston Planning and Development Agency. Documents that Beth Israel filed with the city earlier this month suggest that construction on the addition will begin in 2019, pending approval, and should be completed by the end of 2022. They also indicate that, when finished, the building will likely be Beth Israel’s second-largest facility by square footage. The construction plans come as Beth Israel is also seeking approval for a merger with Lahey Health and several other local hospitals, a deal that is currently under cost and market impact review from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. The state agency says the merger would “reshape the delivery of care for millions of patients” and predicts its review will last through July 2018. Staff writer Luke W. Vrotsos can be reached at luke.vrotsos@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @luke_vrotsos.

EDITORIAL The Crimson Editorial board

General Confusion The College has failed to transparently communicate recent developments in the General Education system

n 2016, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved the overhaul of the General Education program and instituted a new program of study that requires students to take four Gen Ed courses and three distribution requirements, as well as a course on “quantitative facility.” Though the new program was originally set to be rolled out in Fall 2018, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced Monday that the changes would be delayed until Fall 2019. While we understand the complexities of developing a new Gen Ed program, we believe its rollout and subsequent delay have been communicated with a fundamental lack of clarity by the College. This has in turn created undue stress and unnecessary obstacles for students, especially because this change was announced during shopping week. The Program in General Education has described the interim period when students are subject to hybrid requirements from the new and old system as flexible, but the extension of this period by another year has only prolonged the state of flux. The College has not sufficiently explained the impact of the changes, the prolonged transition period, and the new requirements to students. Khurana folded the Gen Ed delay announcement into an email welcoming students back to campus, which some students do not read, as opposed to sending out a separate email update

with a more specific subject and purpose. This made the announcement seem like an afterthought, reflecting a lack of prioritization on behalf of the administration.

While we understand the complexities of developing a new Gen Ed program, we believe its rollout and subsequent delay have been communicated with a fundamental lack of clarity by the College. Moreover, the confusion surrounding the new Gen Ed program may unfairly impact the Class of 2021 and 2022 in particular. Freshmen and incoming freshmen already encounter enough difficulty as they navigate course selection and fulfilling requirements before they have a concentration and related plan of study. Clear communication to these students is necessary to ensure that they do not choose courses that they misunderstand to fulfill certain requirements. The administration should use this extra year before the new Gen Ed program takes effect to consider student feedback about the proposed changes and lack of clarity. We be-

lieve that the current provision that certain Gen Ed classes, such as Science of Living Systems 20: “Introduction to Psychological Science,” can also count for concentration credit should remain in place. This practice takes the stress out of exploring new fields of study. Further, the College must improve its communication with students regarding the Gen Ed program, as it is difficult for students to give feedback when they are not up-to-date with the transition. We appreciate the effort Harvard has made to improve the old, outdated Gen Ed system. However, the impact of these efforts has been stymied by the delay, and student uncertainty about requirements has overshadowed the future benefits the new program may produce. Ultimately, the College owes students and faculty a clear, transparent, and formal announcement updating the College on the state and structure of the Gen Ed program. This message should include specifics such as the date of the final implementation and advice for how to handle this interim period. 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 of articles on similar topics.

BE A CRIMSON CARTOONIST Submit a sample cartoon or any questions to Associate Editorial Editor Wonik Son ‘19 (wonik.son@thecrimson.com).

Three O’Clock in the Morning By ROMY DOLGIN

hree girls sit cross-legged on a towel, huddled together on the bathroom floor. It’s three o’clock in the morning, and only tentative whispers disrupt the silence. On the other side of the door, 11 girls and two counselors lie fast asleep. On this side, secrets and anxieties are released. The tornado in a bottle is finally uncapped. Three girls sit cross-legged on a bathroom floor, letting go of inhibitions and confiding in one another, letting expressed vulnerabilities cement budding connections into deep friendships. Growing up, I went to sleep-away summer camp. The constant contact and close living quarters of camp speed up the process of building trust, quickly creating deep bonds. Moments like the aforementioned scene of covert exchanges, moments of honest interpersonal connection, make camp a place where you can meet someone new and become best friends in a week. “Deep Meaningful Conversations,” which were frequent enough to warrant an acronym, were the foundation of all camp friendships. However, even if the circumstances are right and you find yourself wanting to befriend someone, you must be willing to take a risk. You must be willing to give a part of yourself to the other person, who may still be an unknown entity. Covert bathroom floor conversations are impossible without this willingness. You cannot build relationships without making yourself vulnerable. Vulnerability is terrifying. When we are vulnerable, we acknowledge parts of ourselves that scare us. We take things we want to hide and share them with another. It’s unburdening, but it forces us to acknowledge a reality we may want to avoid. We have to put ourselves in someone else’s hands.

They can choose to reject us, ignore us, invalidate us. Those 3 a.m. conversations were a risk. I didn’t know those girls. They could have gossiped about my secrets. But they didn’t. They supported me and became a source of strength. When preparing myself for the transition from high school to college, I expected a camp-like social experience. I anticipated sitting on a hallway floor and sharing my fears with that kid from calculus class. Maybe that’s a romanticized picture, colored by movies and young adult novels, but I did expect the insular environment to put friendships on hyper-speed. Thus far, that has not been my experience.

However, even if the circumstances are right and you find yourself wanting to befriend someone, you must be willing to take a risk. My friendships at Harvard have been slow-building. DMCs are few and far between. People are eager to talk about the hot political topics, but less willing to discuss their own emotions. I think the issue boils down to a fear of vulnerability. The Harvard culture of achievement infiltrates the social sphere. If we all want to be the best, do the most, and score the highest, we leave little room to admit our faults, our failures, and our fears. Vulnerability may mean confessing that we are struggling, and that, it seems, is no way to climb the ladder of success. It’s not uncommon to hear an overworked student exclaim, “I’m so stressed. I’m dying!” People do share their struggles, but often they pres-

ent a faux-vulnerability. We complain, but the underlying message is that we are capable and can handle all the difficulties we face. Shallow presentations of emotion keep relationships at surface-level and prevent people from recognizing true distress. We are comfortable expressing our superficial issues, but the deep struggles stay locked inside. So, the tornado stays in the bottle, and we spiral on our own. This refusal to acknowledge struggle is ultimately self-defeating because isolation only makes the hard times harder. The need for reliable support networks is not revolutionary, but it is often neglected. We all strive for success, and we want to achieve it on our own. But we’re not here just for the grades or the degree or the job. We also came here to be surrounded by diverse, interesting people. Simple as it may sound, we came here to make friends. I have felt how difficult it is to laugh about how much work I have when internally I am barely holding it together. I have felt how difficult it is to tough it alone. I know, however, that if I want to form meaningful relationships then I may just have to be the one to leap first. I am terrified of making myself vulnerable to people who may not care about me, but relationships that may form down the road override my fear in the moment. I’ll start and I hope you’ll join me. Here are my vulnerabilities for the world to see: I’m Romy. I struggle with anxiety, feel deeply lonely at least four times a week, and sometimes wonder how I will make it through the semester. If you want to talk about any of this, I’ll be sitting cross-legged on the bathroom floor at three o’clock in the morning. Bring a towel. Romy Dolgin ‘21, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Holworthy Hall.

The Harvard Crimson | JANUARY 25, 2018 | page 6

Kunis and Rudd, Turn Down the Pudding’s Awards By LIZ P. KANTOR

n the coming weeks, actress Mila Kunis and actor Paul Rudd are slated to receive the Woman and Man of the Year awards from the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. In receiving this award, they will be joining the ranks of the amazing artists who won it before them, including Meryl Streep, Samuel L. Jackson, and Neil Patrick Harris. Their names will be etched on a plaque along with those of Octavia Spencer and Ryan Reynolds. They will be celebrated and lauded in joyous events. However, they should not accept these awards. When the Hasty Pudding Theatricals had its first show in 1844, Harvard was still all-white and all-male. Eventually, all-male Harvard merged with all-female Radcliffe, and in the same decade, the Pudding began allowing women into creative, musical, administrative, and technical aspects of the production. But today, the cast of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals remains all-male, standing as one of the most prominent vestiges of Harvard’s prior institutional discrimination. This is one of the Pudding’s many problems. Every year, the Pudding produces an extravagant production with professional staff. It runs like a Broadway show, with a crowded performance schedule for five weeks. Performers have access to the Pudding’s extensive alumni network, and the group has gone on week-long trips to New York City and Bermuda. No other organization on campus comes anywhere close to providing these benefits and opportunities for female performers. Opponents of opening the cast to all genders frequently tell us women to make our own club, but just as the formation of Radcliffe in addition to Harvard was insufficient, creating our own organization would also not be enough. The Pudding has the benefit of a 170-year head start in history, membership, and money that no new club could match. We are being denied tangible benefits and opportunities. We are also being, as Kunis so eloquently put it in her 2016 essay on gender inequity in the film industry, “sidelined, creatively ignored… and otherwise diminished based on [our] gender.” To entirely exclude a gender from even part of the organization is blatant discrimination. Some claim that men in drag are simply funnier than women in drag, but this argument ignores women’s capacity for comedy (see Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer or Kate McKinnon as Jeff Sessions). There is no plausible “real differences” argument on which to exclude us based on talent or ability. We are trained, skilled, and dedicated, and we would be major assets to the production. Even when we prove our abilities in auditions, the Pudding often counters our protests with the argument that having men in drag is their “artistic trademark.” This is another of the Pudding’s many problems. Performing in drag was once common because acting was not considered a career suitable for a lady. It was also common in American minstrel shows, in which white male performers atrociously mocked black women for laughs. Today, drag serves as an important form of gender and artistic expression for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. A bunch of college men in dresses using women as a punchline does not do so. Having men play stereotypical ditzy, damsel-in-distress characters for laughs is not gender expression but a farce. The drag itself that the Pudding champions as its trademark is misogynistic and transphobic, and it has no place in the artistic community. Some might claim that my language is too strong or that I should not care so much about such a small organization. But now is a time of reckoning. Perpetrators of gender violence are being exposed and discredited. Institutions that reinforce gender discrimination are being questioned and fractured. With the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements gaining momentum and popularity, we must not forget the little folks. Finally tearing down barriers in the Pudding will not solve gender discrimination in this country, but we cannot ignore its cumulative effects. If every explicitly all-male group welcomed women with open arms, then even the de facto all-male institutions—the United States presidency, for example—will eventually do the same. Then one day, we will have a culture that truly respects and values women for all their facets. Everyone has a role to play in this. To the undergraduate members: Be good allies. Fight for us. The fastest way to tear down unjust institutions is from the inside. To those who are keeping us out: This is not a phase. We are not whiny girls who will stop throwing a temper tantrum when we tire. There is an injustice, and we will not stop until it is fixed. We are in this for the long haul. We will not tire. To Kunis and Rudd: Heed the words you, Kunis, wrote in your essay. Do not “play by the rules” of all-male groups. Do not be “complicit.” Do not accept this award. Liz P. Kantor ‘18 is a Molecular and Cellular Biology concentrator in Dunster House.

The Harvard Crimson President Derek G. Xiao ’19 Managing Editor Hannah Natanson ’19 Business Manager Nathan Y. Lee ’19

The University Daily, Est. 1873

Associate Managing Editors Mia C. Karr ’19 Claire E. Parker’19 Associate Business Managers Dahlia S. Huh ’19 Max W. Sosland ’19 Editorial Chairs Emmanuel R. R. D’Agostino ’19 Cristian D. Pleters ’19 Arts Chairs Mila Gauvin II ’19 Grace Z. Li ’19 Blog Chairs Lydia L. Cawley ’20 Stuti Telidevara ’20

Design Chairs Morgan J. Spaulding ’19 Simon S. Sun ’19 Digital Strategist Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20 Jamie D. Halper ‘20 Dianne Lee ‘20 FM Chairs Marella A. Gayla ’19 Leah S. Yared ’19 Multimedia Chairs Amy Y. Li ’20 Ellis J. Yeo ’20 Sports Chairs Cade S. Palmer ’20 Jack R. Stockless ’19 Technology Chairs Nenya A. Edjah ’20 Theodore T. Liu ’20

Sports

The Harvard Crimson | january 25, 2017 | page 7

Harvard Gears up for First Ivy Weekend Road Slate MEN’S BASKETBALL By Henry zhu Crimson Staff Writer

The hearts of countless Harvard supporters were crushed the previous time the Crimson squared up against the Bulldogs. Playing at the Palestra in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament last March, Harvard men’s basketball suffered a season-ending 7371 defeat despite a dominant 28-point performance from then-freshman point guard Bryce Aiken. This weekend, the lingering taste of revenge will be in the air as the Crimson (7-10, 2-0 Ivy) treks down to New Haven, Conn. to face Yale (8-10, 1-1) on Friday night. Harvard will then finish its weekend road trip in Providence, R.I., against a surging Brown (8-7, 1-1) team, coming off an upset victory against the Bulldogs. Yale, which was chosen second in the Ivy League preseason media poll, has encountered several obstacles this season in its quest to head back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. Sophomore forward Jordan Bruner, a key contributor among coach James Jones’ reserves last season, suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in preseason; senior guard Makai Mason, the hero in the Bulldogs’ 2016 March Madness run, has missed the entire season healing a stress fracture in his foot. His return for the first time since that 2015-2016 season will reportedly be in the next few weeks. Despite these injuries, Yale remains a formidable and well-tested opponent. Three key contributors have on average elevated their offensive numbers compared to last season: sophomore guard Miye Oni leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, followed closely behind by junior guard Alex Copeland and forward Blake Reynolds, each averaging over 10 points per game. Oni, Copeland, and Reynolds were three of Bulldogs’ top four leading scorers last season, highlighting the consistency of Jones’ roster. Yale has also done a tremendous job in one surprising facet of the game— bringing down rebounds. The Bulldogs are currently sixteenth in total rebounds (590) out of 351 Division I teams, despite a season that saw them face-to-face with difficult non-conference opponents such as Wisconsin, Creighton, TCU, and Georgia Tech.

Guard Christian Juzang drives to the basket against Dartmouth. The sophomore is averaging 8.1 points per game over his last seven contests. lu shao—Crimson photographer

Much like the Crimson, though, Yale has struggled mightily from three in recent weeks. The Bulldogs sit at the bottom half of the Ancient Eight in this department with a .336 three-point average, having shot a combined 13-of-41 in its recent Brown double-header. Harvard, which is dead last among the Ivies in this category with just a .295 three-point average, has preached patience to combat the ominous demons from deep range. “If we have good ones, we want our good shooters and three-point shooters for our team to take them,” said coach Tommy Amaker after last weekend’s Dartmouth victory. “That’s the only way we are going to continue to fight our way through these shooting woes we have had.” For the Crimson, a weekend sweep will likely require not only improved three-point shooting, but also a more

distributed and balanced attack. Sophomore forward Seth Towns, who recently earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors, carried a heavy load the past two games with over a third of the team’s total scoring. The team is averaging just 12.2 assists per game and has a 0.9 assist-to-turnover ratio, the lowest in the Ancient Eight in both categories. Towns, however, praised the team’s selflessness in last weekend’s win and an overall improvement in team morale. “This isn’t me at all, this is just our team collectively,” Towns said. “Our thing coming in was just to compete, fight, and [stick] together. I think we did that well.” The Saturday game against the Bears will be no simple task either. This Brown team is particularly tenacious on the defensive end, averag-

ing over six steals per game and allowing opponents to shoot just .328 from three-point range. The Bears are led offensively by freshman guard Desmond Cambridge, who has averaged 15.9 points per game, and sophomore guard Brandon Anderson, who leads the team with 18.7 points per game. In this category, Anderson is second only behind Cornell’s Matt Morgan among Ivy League teams. Despite the offensive output of these two primary ball-handlers, Harvard should be cautious not to ignore junior guard Obi Okolie. Okolie has re-emerged as a central figure in the Bears lineup after being sidelined early on in the season. Recently in both games against Yale, Okolie scored a combined 20 points off the bench and was Brown’s most efficient scorer, with a team-high 15.1 PER. One noticeable feature in Bears

coach Mike Martin’s nine-man rotation is an overall lack of interior strength. Brown’s roster is composed largely of long but lanky players, including 6’6”, 205-pound sophomore forward Joshua Howard and Okolie. Two of the Bears three players over 6’9” are out of Martin’s rotation entirely. It will be particularly intriguing to see how Amaker addresses this feature of the Browns lineup, especially on the second night of a back-toback. For Amaker, the challenge of winning on the road is formidable but unforeign, as the Crimson played much of its non-conference schedule away. In an Ivy League season already teeming with upsets, this weekend will certainly be the least bit predictable. Staff writer Henry Zhu can be reached at henry.zhu@thecrimson.com.

Crimson Squashes Pair of Ranked Teams in Home Bouts WOMEN’S SQUASH By william quan Crimson Staff Writer

Facing its toughest opponent so far this season in No. 4 Stanford on a Sunday matinee, women’s squash completed a weekend sweep against crosscoast colleges after winning the day before against No. 19 Tufts. No. 1 Harvard (6-0, 3-0 Ivy) has yet to drop an individual match this year, winning both contests 9-0 in dominant fashion. In the last five matchups,

Harvard has only dropped a total of two games across all the team’s individual matches. This weekend was supposed to mark the beginning to Harvard’s more challenging part of the schedule, facing two ranked teams, including one in the top five. While the play might have been tighter on the court, the results show unquestioned dominance. HARVARD 9, STANFORD 0 Last year women’s squash travelled to Palo Alto at the end of a four-game road trip against three teams ranked

in the top-five. Harvard got a reprieve this year, playing host to the Cardinal as it went on its own weekend jaunt across the country. The unfortunate reality of playing a sport almost exclusive to the East Coast while on the West Coast is the frequent weekend cross-country flights and single-day double-hitters. After playing at Williams College, against Williams and Cornell, the team faced a drive from Western Massachusetts and a date with Dartmouth and defending national champions, Harvard.

Despite the logistical disadvantages Stanford faced, Harvard was careful to not approach the match complacently, especially with top player and junior Sabrina Sobhy absent as she joined her sister Sabrina Sobhy ’15 in New York at the Tournament of Champions. “I think that most of the time the pressure is on us because we are seeded one,” said No. 5 senior and co-captain Sue Ann Yong. “So going into every single match with always these sorts of nerves—everyone’s out to get you.”

A focus on mental fortitude has long been a staple of Harvard squash. Visualization and other focus methods are used, and these tools will be more and more important as the team goes against tougher opponents. With focus in place, Harvard was able to run by its cross-country adversary in relatively easy fashion. “Stanford got a lot better this year and it’s our toughest match so far so I think that we were all preparing mentally, ready for a good battle,” said No. 6 sophomore Eleonore Evans. “I think we all handled it all pretty well, stayed pretty steady, and just stayed inside the court.” Harvard jumped up to a commanding start in the first round of games, denying even a game from Stanford. While most of Harvard’s players cruised through in three easy games, Evans fought through an early firstgame tiebreaker, 17-15, to continue the flawless afternoon. Eventually No. 9 sophomore Annika Engstrom fell in her first game to disrupt the streak of 3-0 victories, but soon rallied to win in four games. HARVARD 9, TUFTS 0 Harvard’s northern neighbor has never had a decent chance against its Cambridge host, and Saturday was no different. All games were decided in three games, and the Mehta sisters (senior Alyssa and junior Sophie) were each able to pick up a bagel in one of their games. Harvard’s results have been unsurprising so far this season. The easier competition gives the team the opportunity to ease into competition and prepare for the tougher matchups down the road. “The first half of the Ivy season has been good,” Evans said. “Our matches have been more spread out so we’ve had more recovery time and practice and prepare for our matches. Now we have a straight three weeks until nationals so it’s going to be a grind on the body and on our minds. But we just have to stay focused, keep up with the visualizing, keep up with the mental preparation.” The squash season moves quickly and the team will look to stay consistent, because it’s hard to do any better on the scorecard.

In its first homestand of the season, women’s squash continued its undefeated start and did not concede any individual matches in the process. mark kelsey—Crimson photographer

Staff writer William Quan can be reached at william.quan@thecrimson.com.

Page 8 | January 25, 2018 | The Harvard Crimson