The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLV, No. 106

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The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873  | Volume cxlv No. 106  | Cambridge, Massachusetts  |  Friday, october 19, 2018

editorial PAGE 6

sports PAGE 8

news PAGE 3

Harvard should be deliberate in its efforts to plan for the next recession.

Football seeks an upset win over undefeated no. 18/23 Princeton.

Ed School Dean Bridget Terry Long outlines a forward-looking vision.

By Caroline S. Engelmayer and michael e. xie Crimson Staff Writers

A federal bill that could jeopardize Harvard’s controversial social group policy will almost certainly not become law before the end of this congressional term, experts say. The bill — a suggested revision of the Higher Education Act called the PROSPER Act — contains a provision that would bar colleges and universities from penalizing students who join “recognized” single-gender social organizations. Though it is unclear whether that provision would apply to Harvard in its current form, opponents of the sanctions hope to change the wording to ensure that it does affect the University. If anti-sanctions advocates are successful and the bill passes, Harvard could be forced to choose between millions of dollars in federal research funding and its social group penalties. The bill — voted out of the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the United States House of Representatives in Dec. 2017 — has not yet been scheduled to be discussed on the House floor or to be voted on by the full House. The College’s sanctions —

which took effect with the Class of 2021 — bar members of unrecognized single-gender final clubs, fraternities, and sororities from holding leadership positions in recognized student groups, serving as the captains of varsity athletic teams, and from receiving College endorsements for certain prestigious fellowships like the Rhodes. For now, it seems as if Harvard’s policy is relatively safe. Political analysts say the chances the Higher Education Act passes under this Congress are slim. Republicans, who introduced the bill and might be more likely to favor it, currently control the House of Representatives — but political pundits predict Democrats will regain that chamber’s majority in November. Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, said he does not think there is “any chance” the bill — which contains far more than the social groups provision — passes before the end of this term. Supporting the bill would be “an act of political suicide,” according to Barmak Nassirian, director of federal relations and policy analysis for the Ameri

See PROSPER Page 3

Asian-American Applicants Saw Lowest Admit Rate of Any Race From 1995 to 2013, Asian-American applicants saw an average admit rate of 8.1 percent, court filings show

Harvard Admissions Trial Hits Day Four who and what:

Admission By Racial Group 25 African American

Percent of applicants admitted

Anti-Sanctions Law Is Unlikely

See trial Page 3

Hispanic American

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White Asian American

The College’s long-serving dean of admissions and financial aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 wrapped up his testimony Thursday morning.

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Admissions officer Christopher J. Looby then stepped to the witness stand, followed shortly by Harvard Director of Research for Admissions and Financial Aid Erica J. Bever.

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By Shera S. Avi-Yonah and molly c. mccafferty Crimson Staff Writers

Over a nearly two-decade period starting in 1995, Asian-American applicants to Harvard saw the

lowest acceptance rate of any racial group that applied to the school, according to data presented in court Thursday as part of the Harvard admissions trial. Data for that time peri-

Read more on thecrimson.com.

od — which begins with the admissions cycle for applicants to Harvard’s Class of 2000 and ends with the cycle for the Class of 2017 — show that Asian-American candidates on average saw an admission rate

Athletics Spike in H-Y Ticket Scalping Spurs Administrative Ire Debuts Cultural Training By Camille G. Caldera, Juliet E. Isselbacher, and Ema R. schumer contributing Writers

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Harvard’s Athletics Department launched 23 new workshops for students under its ‘Crimson360’ program By madeleine R. Nakada Crimson Staff Writer

Harvard’s Athletics Department has debuted 23 new initiatives for student athletes as part of a larger umbrella program titled “Crimson360” and meant to reflect the department’s revamped motto of “principled leadership, academic integration and competitive excellence.” Crimson360, which kicked off last month with a back-toschool barbecue, features a mix of new and existing trainings for student athletes along four broad themes: leadership, community building, life skills, and professional development. The department created three of the workshops included in Crimson360 in direct response to a months-long internal cultural review it undertook over the past year. The Athletics Department launched a cultural review in spring 2017 after a series of high-profile candals on the men’s soccer and cross country teams; members of both teams inappropriately rated their female counterparts for their looks and sexual appeal. Following the review, the department announced plans to implement mandatory sexual assault prevention and conflict resolution programs for athletes, unconscious bias trainings for Athletics staff and coaches, and “Diversity Dialogues” for the department as a whole. The “Diversity Dialogues” and sexual assault prevention programs — as well as a

See athletics Page 3 Inside this issue

Harvard Today 2

Fall 2018 has seen a spike in student attempts to sell their tickets to the Harvard-Yale football game, spurring an emailed rebuke from administrators. anthony Y. Tao—Crimson photographer

Classroom to Table Opens Registration By Sophia S. Armenakas and Isabel L. Isselbacher Contributing Writers

The popular “Classroom to Table” program — a College initiative that funds meals between undergraduates and faculty members around Harvard Square — re-opened its registration portal for the fall 2018 semester this past Monday. Program administrator Kara-Sue D. Sweeney said students and faculty can now submit advance requests via the sign-up form on the Classroom to Table website. Administrators will fund gatherings that take place on Oct. 26 or later, she said. Since its debut in 2015, Classroom to Table has exploded in popularity. Last semester, the program burned through its

News 3

Editorial 6

See tickets Page 5

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yearly budget by early April, forcing its premature cessation — even after officials set a cap of two dinners per student. At the time, Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote in an emailed statement that administrators planned to prioritize finding funding for the program going forward. In an email, Sweeney noted that “Classroom to Table” is constrained by finite resources. He did not specify this year’s budget. “Program funding will be limited and we may not be able to accommodate all requests,” Sweeney wrote. According to the program’s website, “Classroom to Table” will continue to provide up to

See meals Page 3

Sports 8

So many students have tried to sell their College-allotted tickets to the Harvard-Yale football game this year — a violation of Athletics Department policy that typically goes unnoticed and unpunished — that some resident deans have begun admonishing students over internal House email lists. The Harvard ticketing website states that “Undergraduates can claim one ticket for their personal use. No guest tickets will be available for sale. Students may not sell their claimed ticket to a member of the general public or other students.” “We take this [policy] seriously and expect our students to comply,” Athletics Director Robert L. Scalise wrote in an emailed statement. Despite the policy, at least a hundred students have attempted to sell their tickets for amounts ranging from $25

to over $200. Most advertised their tickets on House email lists or on a public Facebook event page. Maxwell K. Ho ’21 offered his ticket up for $115 “OBO” — slang for “or best offer” — over the Eliot House email list. He said he was unaware Harvard forbids resale. “In my one year of experience, the game was the least fun part of the entire fiasco,” Ho said. “The $50 plus is worth a lot more to me as someone who is strapped for cash. I’d rather use that money to go to a restaurant or something of the like with my friends.” Aside from financial motivations, students attributed the spike in ticket scalping to the fact that this year, in a break with tradition, the Game will be played not in Harvard Stadium but in Fenway Park. And, unlike in the Stadium, Harvard undergraduates will face strict ticketing rules in the famed Boston baseball shrine.

Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, spoke at the Institute Of Politics Thursday night. brendan j. chaupis—Crimson photographer

Today’s Forecast

mostly sunny High: 62 Low: 52

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