The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLV, No. 131

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLV NO. 131 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

EDITORIAL PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 6

Racism and hate speech have no place on this campus.

John Kerry told an audience at the IOP he is thinking about a 2020 run.

Two Harvard baseball players left for the minor leagues.

Harvard Wraps Up Investigation of Fryer Amid Allegations, Fryer Racks Up Second Award

By SHERA S. AVI-YONAH and ANGELA N. FU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Economics Professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr., pictured here in 2006, is facing allegations of sexual harassment.

CHRISTOPHER KWOK—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard Concludes Investigation Into Fryer, Admins Now Mulling Possible Punishment

By SHERA S. AVI-YONAH and ANGELA N. FU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Harvard has concluded its Title IX investigation into sexual harassment allegations brought against Economics professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr., who must now wait for administrators to

determine how — if at all — they will punish him.

As part of their probe, investigators compiled a final report that summarizes the charges against Fryer and makes recommendations about what sanctions administrators should level against him. These can range from reprimand to dismissal,

per University procedures.

Fryer’s spokesperson Harry W. Clark confirmed Harvard had concluded its investigation and is currently deciding whether to sanction the professor. Clark said it is his and Fryer’s understanding that the

SEE FRYER PAGE 3

Harvard Professor Roland G. Fryer, Jr. has been named a fellow of the Econometric Society, collecting a second prestigious award in as many months — while he faces University and state-level investigations into allegations he sexually harassed female subordinates.

Fryer is one of 22 newly minted fellows announced the Society announced Nov. 8, receiving a position that University of Michigan professor and 2004 Fellow John Bound dubbed “one of the top honors in economics” in an email to The Crimson. Honorees, who serve in the role for life, advise the Society’s Executive Committee on matters of governance.

Candidates for the fellowship must either be nominated by at least three current Fellows or chosen by the nominating committee to have their name appear on the ballot. The Society’s members then vote on candidates each fall.

The Econometric Society did not respond to a request for comment on the award. The Society also did not respond to a question asking whether they were aware of the allegations against the professor.

John Kerry Rebukes Trump at IOP

By ALEXANDRA M. CHAIDEZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Former Secretary of State John F. Kerry offered sharp criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies on climate change and diplomacy during his Tuesday visit to the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum — while also hinting at a possible campaign for president in 2020.

Kerry was joined by four Institute of Politics fellows — former CEO of the Democratic National Committee Amy Dacey, former Nevada congressman Joseph J. Heck, Bloomberg News’ senior White House correspondent Margaret Talev, and vice president of national community alliances and engagement at Teach for America Brittany Packnett — in a conversation moderated by IOP direc­

Former Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the Institute of Politics’ JFK Jr. forum. DELANO R. FRANKLIN —CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

tor Mark D. Gearan ’78.

Kerry emphasized at the beginning of the talk that it was a “privilege” to be with Gearan, the fellows, and the crowded forum packed with over 200 attendees.

“I’m delighted to see many of you here to think about our country and talk about where we really are today,” Kerry said.

“I’m not going to hold back and I hope you won’t.”

Kerry expanded upon his activist background as he discussed his involvement with the founding of Earth Day in 1970 and said current political “troubles” — including the “hostile takeover of the Republican Party by Donald Trump”— have energized him.

“I feel as invigorated and

SEE IOP PAGE 3

The Society — which was founded in 1930 “for the advancement of economic theory in its relation to statistics and mathematics,” according to its website — is not the only group to honor Fryer since the investigation into his behavior launched earlier this year.

In October, Fryer was elected to the 2019 Executive Committee of the American Economic Association. Days later, the current Committee wrote in a statement they were previously unaware of the allegations against a newly elected member.

Harvard’s Office for Dispute Resolution, which handles allegations of sexual and gender-based harassment in accordance with the University’s Title IX policy, and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination have launched separate investigations into Fryer based on complaints filed by at least two women. The Crimson first reported the existence of the allegations and investigations in May 2018.

Lawyers for one of the complainants alleged in a statement at the time that Fryer had “objectified and sexualized” female staffers in his lab. The attorneys also alleged that he

SEE AWARD PAGE 3

Groups Slam Title IX Changes

By SHERA S. AVI-YONAH, ALEXANDRA A. CHAIDEZ, and SIMONE C. CHU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

In the weeks since the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a long-awaited proposal to overhaul Title IX regulations for colleges, student groups across Harvard’s campus have launched an effort to oppose them.

The proposed regulations released Nov. 16 provide a new framework for interpreting Title IX, an anti-sex discrimination law that guides universities’ approach to handling sexual assault.

It could force Harvard to reshape its policies surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct. In a statement released alongside the proposal, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said the proposed rules will make Title IX proceedings at colleges nationwide fairer and more transparent.

Faced with this shift, some students at the College, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Law School say they ­

SEE TITLE IX PAGE 3

Polonsky ’19 Selected as Mitchell Scholar

By ELIZABETH X. GUO CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard senior Mitchell B. Polonsky ’19 has been named one of this year’s twelve George J. Mitchell Scholarship recipients, after being chosen from a record pool of 370 applicants.

Sponsored by the non-profit U.S.-Ireland Alliance, the Mitchell Scholarship gives twelve U.S. citizens the opportunity to complete one year of graduate study in Ireland.

The program identifies “future American leaders… on the basis of academic distinction, leadership, and service,” according to a Nov. 17 announcement on its website.

“I’m extremely, extreme­

ly, extremely grateful and surprised that I was selected,” Polonsky said. “I would encourage anyone interested in studying in Ireland to apply. They really, I think, are looking for good people, not just good students.”

Polonsky will use the scholarship to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Theater Directing at the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin starting next fall, according to a press release.

During his time at Harvard, Polonsky directed over a dozen “site-specific” productions, which are staged outside of traditional theater venues.

In an interview, Polonsky

SEE MITCHELL PAGE 3

Harvard Wins National ‘Bicycle Friendly’ Award

By ALEXIS K. BOLNER and PETER E. O’KEEFE CONTRIB UTING WRITERS ­

The League of American Bicyclists recently awarded Harvard a gold-level “Bicycle Friendly University” award in recognition of the University’s different initiatives focused on bicycle safety and access.

The annual awards, which the League announced earlier this month, are intended to commend institutions with “outstanding support of bicycling to ensure healthy, accessible and eco-friendly transportation and recreation for students and staff,” according to the League’s press release.

The League evaluates universities along the categories of “engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation and planning,” said Amelia Neptune, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America Program at the League of AmerINSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

ican Bicyclists.

Among programs that stood out to the League was Harvard’s Bling-Your-Bike event, for which the University provided lights and reflectors for bikes. Neptune said the event was even featured on the League’s blog.

The League also considers universities’ accessibility to cyclists in terms of resources such as bike parking and storage, bike lanes, and bike safety education, Neptune said.

Ben A. Hammer, Associate Director of Harvard’s CommuterChoice program, said CommuterChoice is among these resources. The program offers a number of services designed to promote bike access and safety, including a unique reimbursement system called the Bike Benefit Program.

“We offer reimbursement to benefit eligible faculty and staff for eligible bike expenses, including repairs, storage, main-

News 3

Editorial 4

tenance, and, there’s a fourth one in there, basically bike expenses that will allow you to commute safely to campus,” Hammer said.

Neptune said she was particularly impressed with this initiative when evaluating Harvard’s efforts to encourage biking.

“That’s something Harvard has done for years,” Neptune said of Harvard’s reimbursement of bike expenses. “We were really impressed to see that they continued that incentive.”

Hammer also mentioned that the CommuterChoice program distributes about three hundred discounted bike helmets every year at Harvard’s Campus Service Center.

Commenting on Harvard’s accessibility as a student cyclist, Jack W. Deschler ’19 said, “I think that Harvard is about as

SEE BIKES PAGE 3

Sports 6

Student bikes saturate the bike racks outside Weld. RYAN N. GAJARAWALA—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

TODAY’S FORECAST

RAINY High: 55 Low: 51

VISIT THECRIMSON.COM. FOLLOW @THECRIMSON ON TWITTER.

cheesy bread

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Popcorn Chicken Pork Sausage Sub Margarita Pizza

For Dinner Chicken Marsala Red’s Best Fish w/ Parsley Tempeh with Mushroom Sauce

TODAY’S EVENTS

IN THE REAL WORLD

Lecture Barker Center, 4:00 p.m.

Manafort Reportedly Lied After Plea Deal

Sponsored by the Hutchins Center, NYU Professor Michael A. Gomez will be discussing the impact of gender in West Africa and the impact that the countries’ imperial past had on gender dynamics.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller alleges that President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort lied to prosecutors and his team of agents investigating Russian connections to the Trump campaign. In violating his plea deal, Manafort may be facing stiffer penalties when sentence in February. Trump has reportedly been considering pardoning Manafort.

Theater Talk Houghton Library, 5:30 p.m.

Listen to New York Times writer Wesley Morris discuss the recent controversies over non-traditional casting in movies and theater. Taking place in Houghton Library, the talk ties into their ongoing exhibit on immigration in American theater.

Musical Signet Society, 8:00 p.m.

Get’cha head in the game and head down to the Signet Society (at the corner of Dunster and Mt Auburn St.) to bond over your love for the entire HSM franchise. As finals approach, hearing your classmates bust out “we’re all in this together” only seems fitting.

GM to Close Five Factories, Layoff 15,000

Models of rotten apples made from wax and glass are intended, according to their creator, to showcase the beauty that a supposedly spoiled object can hold.

ANYA X. ZHANG—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING Harvard has concluded its investigation into sexual harassment allegations brought against Economics Professor Roland G. Fryer Jr. Investigators have prepared a final report detailing their findings and recommending a course of action — and administrators are now mulling whether to punish Fryer.

Meanwhile, Fryer has received his second prestigious award in as many months: an Econometric Society fellowship. In other news, students are mobilizing to oppose U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s new proposed Title IX regulations, and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience at the IOP that he is mulling a presidential run.

In a sign that economic growth may be cooling, General Motors announced the closure of five factories that employ nearly 15,000 workers. The move directly contradicts President Trump’s claim during the 2016 campaign that Michigan — one of the states affected by the announcement — “won’t lose one plant.”

Stephen Hillenburg, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Creator, Dies at 57

Honorary residents of Bikini Bottom everywhere mourned the death of Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine biology teacher and creator of “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Hillenburg passed away yesterday due to complications resulting from ALS.

AROUND THE IVIES YALE More than 20 student groups and upwards of 1,330 students, alumni and faculty members signed a petition that urged Yale President Peter Salovey to join the “We Are Still In” coalition, which is a promise to fulfill the Paris Agreement and reduce emissions, the Yale Daily News reported. After President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement this past June, Salovey and Presidents of 11 other elite universities, including former University President Drew G. Faust, signed a coalition pledging to meet the US’s past obligations from the Paris Agreement. The new letter, however, calls for Yale to do more.

COLUMBIA Columbia University’s recently-formed graduate and postdoctoral unions have voted to ratify Columbia’s bargaining framework, marking the start of negotiations between unions and the university after decades of back-and-forth, the Columbia Spectator reported. In agreeing to this framework, the unions agreed to forfeit striking until April 2020. Union organizers had threatened a second strike starting Dec. 4 in response to the university’s refusal to bargain with them.

CORNELL According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the Cornell Council for the Arts will curate an exhibit featuring the shoes U.S. Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wore while campaigning, as well as judicial collars worn by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The arts council says they are aiming to feature articles of clothing related to women’s empowerment.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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

Associate Managing Editors Mia C. Karr ’19 Claire E. Parker ’19 Associate Business Managers Dahlia S. Huh ’19 Max W. Sosland ’19 Digital Strategists Jamie D. Halper ’20 Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20 Editorial Chairs Cristian D. Pleters ’19 Emmanuel R. R. D’Agostino ’19

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Arts Chairs Mila Gauvini II ’19 Grace Z. Li ’19

Design Chairs Morgan J. Spaulding ’19 Simon S. Sun ’19

Night Editors Sonia Kim ’20 Phelan Yu ’19

Design Editors Diana C. Perez ‘19 Katie E. Wang ’20

FM Chairs Marella A. Gayla ’19 Leah S. Yared ’19

Multimedia Chairs Amy Y. Li ’20 Ellis J. Yeo ’20

Assistant Night Editors Lucy Wang ’20 Ahab Chopra ’21

Photo Editors Megan M. Ross ’18

Blog Chairs Lydia L. Cawley ’20 Stuti Telidevara ’20

Technology Chairs Nenya A. Edjah ’20 Theodore T. Liu ’20

Story Editors Hannah Natanson ’19 Mia C. Karr ’19 Kenton K. Shimozaki ’19 Brittany N. Ellis ‘19 Jordan E. Virtue ‘20

Sports Chairs Cade S. Palmer ’20 Jack R. Stockless ’19

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.

Editorial Editor Jenna M. Wong ’20 Sports Editor Cade S. Palmer ’20

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.

PAGE 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | NOVEMBER 28, 2018

FRYER FROM PAGE 1

TITLE IX FROM PAGE 1

Harvard Finishes Probe into Prof. Students Critique Title IX Changes school will make its final decision within the next few weeks.

Clark said he believes it is “inappropriate” to comment further while Harvard decides whether to sanction Fryer.

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday on the status of the investigation into Fryer. The report is the result of a months-long Harvard-led inquiry into allegations Fryer verbally sexually harassed female staffers in the lab he heads. Fryer is facing at least two Title IX complaints that at least two separate women filed against the professor.

It is unclear whether this report covers more than one complaint.

The Crimson reported in May that Fryer is also facing a state-level investigation led by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Attorneys for one complainant wrote in a statement in May that Fryer had committed “egregious” acts of verbal sexu-

al harassment against their client, a charge Fryer denied in an interview with The Crimson.

The attorneys also said Fryer “objectified and sexualized” female staffers in his lab, which Fryer also denied.

Both Fryer and the complainant likely have copies of the final report, per publicly available Office for Dispute Resolution procedures. ODR is the University body that conducts investigations into allegations of sexual and gender-based harassment in accordance with Harvard’s Title IX policy.

The delivery of a final report to administrators means both Fryer and complainants have reviewed and responded to a draft report, according to a flowchart of the University’s investigative procedures. The procedures also require that the University offer the professor and the complainants the opportunity to appeal a final version of the report if they believe a procedural error occurred or

BIKES FROM PAGE 1

IOP FROM PAGE 1

Harvard Awarded For Bike Support

John Kerry Offers Sharp Rebuke of Trump at Harvard IOP — And Says He Isn’t Ruling Out a Presidential Run

­

it can be given the fact that it’s in a city like Cambridge.”

Deschler specifically pointed to Harvard’s infrastructure to support cyclists.

“Basically anywhere you need to go, there’s a place to lock your bike,” he said. “Which I think is probably the most important thing living in a city, so that’s really good.”

Deschler also said that biking in a city can be inherently challenging and dangerous, but safety is improving.

“I think Cambridge has gotten better even in the time that I’ve been here,” Deschler said.

“They put in a two-way bike lane on Brattle Street last year that’s separated by cars, which I think has made a lot of routes that I bike significantly safer.”

Harvard is among seven universities to receive the gold-level award this year. The University previously recieved the award in 2016.

energized as anytime in my life because of what it is happening and what is not happening in our country,” Kerry said.

This is not the first time Kerry has visited Harvard. As the keynote speaker for the Kennedy School commencement in 2017, Kerry urged graduate students to approach their careers with optimism and action. On this recent visit, however, he largely focused on the inaction he said was happening on both sides of the aisle.

“Our democracy right now is absolutely dysfunctional,” Kerry said. “It’s a disgrace. Both parties are not making it happen, folks.”

Kerry criticized the current administration for its controversial foreign policy decisions, such as pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and attacking NATO. “I believe if there were strong leadership that was active over half of the world and our country at the same time, we would be fighting to hold Europe together more than this in­

can produce new information “that was not available at the time of the investigation and may change the outcome of the decision.”

Because Fryer is a Faculty member, ODR has sent its report to either Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay or to a person she has designated to receive the report in her stead.

Gay will then make a decision as to whether disciplinary action is needed, consulting with FAS senior management and the Office of the General Counsel as needed.

Action taken by Gay or her designated appointee could range from a “verbal warning up to and including termination,” according to FAS’s Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment policies. Only the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — can vote to remove a professor’s tenure. During the course of the ODR investigation, Harvard implemented several in-

stead of attacking NATO,” Kerry said.

Kerry was pessimistic about the negative implications of political inaction surrounding climate change — an issue he said could be fixed by working energy policy. He said any decisions the president makes can “cost American lives” and “billions of dollars of property damage” — and the failure to make a decision could be deadly.

“We are currently living out, by omission or commission, a mutual suicide pact,” Kerry said.

Kerry also faced scrutiny from a member of the audience and Packnett when he described the current state of immigration in the United States and Europe — a factor that he said transformed the politics of these regions.

“We have illegal people in the country,” Kerry said. “Now, either the law does mean something to us or either sovereignty or nation state mean something to us. Borders are supposed to mean something.”

terim measures against Fryer. The University forbade him from entering EdLabs — the think tank he founded in 2008 to examine the economics of racial inequality — and appointed an interim executive director to take his place in the lab. Harvard also required that Fryer copy interim executive director Susan E. Cook on all emails sent to EdLabs staff.

Cook is currently listed as “Executive Director (FAS FCOR EdLabs Staff ) in an internal Harvard directory, though her listed address is not in the Massachusetts Avenue building that houses EdLabs.

Whether or not administrators decide to sanction Fryer, he will not be on campus next semester — he will instead be taking a spring semester leave, according to the Economics Department website. shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson. com angela.fu@thecrimson.com

Kerry later adjusted his statement after Packnett confronted the former secretary of state. He said the United States should be “a nation that is ready to receive people” and advocated for a “pathway to citizenship.”

Asked by Talev about his future aspirations, Kerry said he was “thinking” about the possibility of throwing his hat into the presidential race in 2020, but he would not commit to a definitive answer. In recent months, Kerry has consistently declined to rule out a second bid for the presidency. In 2004, he lost by a slim margin to President George W. Bush.

“I’m not going to take anything off the table. I haven’t been running around to the most obvious states, laying out the groundwork,” Kerry said.

Kerry added, “Am I going to think about it? Yeah, I’m going to think about.” alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson. com

Mitchell B. Polonsky ’19 Receives Prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholar said he looks forward to studying in Ireland and finding “new spaces to make come alive.”

“I’m really interested in looking at some of the growing political tensions in Ireland, especially post-Brexit,” Polonsky ­

I’m really interested in looking at some of the growing political tensions in Ireland, especially post-Brexit.

I would love to do some site-specific performance piece near or relating to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mitchell B. Polonsky ’19

said.

“I would love to do some site-specific performance piece near or relating to the border

between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There are so many incredible historical architectural sites in Dublin that I would love to create theater in and around.”

Polonsky is currently pursuing a joint concentration in English and Theater, Dance, and Media at the College. His first site-specific production — which he directed during his sophomore year — was a rendition of “The Room” by Harold Pinter in the basement of Adams House.

“At first, it was difficult to get spaces to direct, which is how I started doing site-specific work,” Polonsky said. “But for me, it’s always been about finding ways that performance can create or alter a sense of community.”

Driven by a newfound passion for site-specific work, Polonsky continued to push the boundaries of theatrical spaces.

In 2016, he helped found The Goat Exchange, an experimental Harvard ensemble centered on the idea that “theater is a fundamental social service.”

Working with the Exchange, Polonsky directed “Cabaret” in the Queen’s Head Pub in 2017

and “Antigone” in Harvard Stadium for an audience of 6,000 in April 2018.

For Polonsky, staging theater performances in non-traditional locations is one way of making arts culture less exclusive and more approachable for the general public.

“We were really interested in creating theatrical experiences that felt not only accessible but truly welcoming to the broader Harvard and even Cambridge and Allston communities be-

In general, I think the Mitchell Scholarship process is a bit more casual than some of the other fellowships.

They try to make an effort to make it a personal experience.

Mitchell B. Polonsky ’19

yond,” Polonsky said.

“It was really an attempt to create theater that brings to-

gether a full cross-section of our community.”

A resident of Quincy House, Polonsky said he first learned about the Mitchell Scholarship from Lowell A. Brower, a Quincy fellowship tutor. Written applications were due in September.

After a round of semi-finalist Skype interviews in October, Polonsky traveled to Washington D.C. with other finalists for in-person candidate interviews on Nov. 16 and 17.

Polonsky found out about his status as a scholarship recipient while waiting in the airport, just a few hours after his interview. “In general, I think the Mitchell Scholarship process is a little bit more casual than some of the other fellowships,” he said. “They really try to make an effort to make it a personal experience.”

After his year of study in Dublin, Polonsky said he hopes to pursue a career as an international theater director.

“Ideally, I’d love to continue The Goat Exchange and make it an international touring ensemble that develops new work and site-specific work and brings it around the world,” he said.

Be a Crimson Cartoonist!

The Crimson @thecrimson

a re determined to make their criticisms heard by the Department of Education before the proposals become federal regulations.

Organizers from groups at these schools have called the new measures “harmful” and say they “contradict” their intended purpose.

If they are adopted in their current form, the new rules would represent a significant change from the status quo.

They mandate schools allow complainants and respondents in Title IX proceedings to question each other in a live hearing, narrow the standard for sexual harassment, and exclude behavior occurring outside a school “program or activity” — a change some experts say may shield off-campus behavior from investigators’ consideration.

The draft text released earlier this month is not yet binding, though. Before federal regulations are officially changed to reflect the DeVos policies, the Department of Education will field public comments for 60 days.

After that period comes to a close, federal officials must wait roughly three months before changing regulations. In the meantime, student advocacy groups have picked up their pens to seize the opportunity presented by the notice-and-comment period.

College anti-sexual assault advocacy organization Our Harvard Can Do Better began soliciting signatures on an open letter to the Department of Education almost immediately after the new proposed regulations were publicly released.

The letter, written in concert with national anti-sexual violence organization Know Your IX, charges that the “proposed changes to Title IX would deter survivors from initiating Title IX processes, leaving them without recourse in a hostile environment.”

“We are very concerned that Secretary DeVos and the administration systematically ignored the input of survivors while developing the proposed rules,” the group’s letter reads.

As of Tuesday evening, the open letter had garnered over 375 signatures from Harvard affiliates, as well as affiliates of dozens of other institutions across the nation.

“One thing that we’re still waiting on is a response from Harvard. A number of our peer institutions have issued some kind of response to the rules and regulations,” Amelia Y. Goldberg ’19, an organizer with Our Harvard Can Do Better, said.

“It’s important for Harvard students to know how the administration plans to respond, whether it plans to submit a comment — as many other schools have already commit­

ted to doing — and how it plans to handle cases that may be ongoing when the proposed rules are finalized,” she added.

Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain wrote in an email the University is still reviewing the 144-page federal release.

“Harvard’s top priority remains ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every member of our community, supported through thoughtful and fair policies and procedures,” he wrote.

“We are reviewing the proposed Title IX regulations from the U.S. Department of Education, and are in the process of understanding how, if they were to be adopted, they may affect our current policies and practices.”

Goldberg said Our Harvard Can Do Better plans to deliver its open letter next week, and the group will organize comment writing opportunities on campus over the course of the 60-day notice-and-comment period.

Students from the Kennedy School and Law School have circulated the letter and say they plan to hold comment writing sessions as well.

Emily M. Ausubel, a co-chair of the Gender Policy Union at the Kennedy School, said these sessions will be a fitting time to utilize skills HKS students develop in their classes.

“It’s actually a really great opportunity for Kennedy School students to get involved in giving feedback to our government and using the skills that we’ve learned in our courses and outside of courses to present concise and compelling and well-researched, evidence-informed arguments about why these changes are harmful and what we would like to see instead,” Ausubel said.

Ausubel emphasized that the negative effects of these policy changes would be disproportionately felt by graduate students who live outside campus boundaries. With the Title IX changes, any inappropriate behavior outside of a school “program or activity” will be excluded from consideration by investigators.

“The majority of scenarios in which Kennedy school students and other graduate students are experiencing harassment and cases of assault are off-campus,” Ausubel said.

“But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect our lives on campus and that the school shouldn’t have a responsibility of supporting students who are being harassed or assaulted.”

shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson. com alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson. com simone.chu@thecrimson.com

AWARD FROM PAGE 1

While Accused of Harassment, Fryer Receives Second Award had committed “egregious” acts of verbal sexual harassment targeting their client.

In a May interview with The ­

Election is surely one of the the top honors in economics (though the Clark prize which Fryer also won would [beat] being elected a fellow), though the election is tilted towards econometricians and theorists.

John Bound University of Michian Professor

Crimson, Fryer repeatedly denied any misconduct. He declined to comment for this story through his spokesperson Harry W. Clark, who said he believes it is “inappropriate” to comment on the investigation while the University is still de-

termining whether it will sanction Fryer.

Harvard’s Economics department posted individual announcements Nov. 8 congratulating Fryer and Gita Gopinath — the other University professor elected as a fellow this year — on their election. Department of Economics Chair Jeremy C. Stein did not respond to a request for comment on the announcement.

In his email, Bound noted that Fryer has already won the second-highest honor in the field of economics: the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded by the American Economics Association each year to an American economist under the age of 40.

“Election is surely one of the top honors in economics (though the Clark prize which Fryer also won would [beat] being elected a fellow), though the election is tilted toward econometricians and theorists,” Bound wrote in an emailed statement. shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson. com angela.fu@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | November 28, 2018

Page 4

Editorial The Crimson Editorial board

column

Condemning the Racist Drawings in Leverett House

There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays?

The Dean of Students Office and Leverett House administrators are investigating “deeply disturbing and offensive images” that were found drawn on a whiteboard in McKinlock Hall. The drawings included racist comments as well as depictions of two faces, one of which was labeled “Black” and the other of which was labeled “Other blacks, Mexicans, Muslims, Jews.” They also included terms such as “caravan,” “globalists,” and “Soros” — a reference to billionaire George Soros, who has recently been the object of a far-right conspiracy theory alleging that he funded the caravan of Central Americans immigrants heading towards the United States.

We unequivocally condemn the drawings and comments made on the Leverett white board. They are clear examples of racist and hateful speech that should not occur on this campus. Furthermore, we admonish the individuals responsible for these drawings who acted with horrifying disregard for their peers.

In response to the Leverett drawings, House staff brought the matter to the attention of HUPD and offered support to the residents of Leverett House.

We applaud this, and we call on Leverett and other House administrators to continue offering support to students in

this and other incidents of blatant hate speech on campus. Furthermore, we expect that HUPD will investigate this incident thoroughly and finish its investigation promptly.

Yet, these drawings and their consequences cannot be considered in isolation.The drawings in Leverett seem to be part of a pattern plaguing university campuses.

We unequivocally condemn the drawings and comments made on the Leverett white board. They are clear examples of racist and hateful speech that should not occur on this campus.

In 2015, pieces of black tape were placed over the portraits of black professors at Harvard Law School in an act of vandalism that the Harvard University Police Department investigated as a hate crime. Recently, at Yale, flyers appeared with a symbol for a “White Student’s [sic] Union of Yale”; they also quoted slavery advocate John Calhoun when he said “In

looking back, I see nothing to regret, and little to correct.” Last month, some Dartmouth students found racial slurs written on their doors.

The prevalence of these acts demonstrates an underlying problem that must be addressed. Harvard students must work to identify the aspects of our culture that allow such acts to occur and collectively work to correct and overcome them. In particular, Harvard students and University administrators should work towards achieving a campus-wide understanding of how such comments may affect students on campus, particularly those from marginalized groups.

Simultaneously, students must work to prevent such behavior from arising in the future. Racism and hate speech have no place on this campus.

It’s time for Harvard students and administration to take action to show that.

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.

amy y. li—Crimson photographer

Op-ed

Party Algebra 101

By Linda Lee

W

e may not all be math concentrators, but many of us have probably encountered this problem at least once: If a group of men attempt to enter a party and get denied entry, how many women must be added to their group in order to be let in? Please round your answer to the nearest tenth.

In layman’s term, this disconcerting phenomenon is referred to as the “ratio,” or the ratio of guys to girls at any given party. I remember my first time learning about the ratio. My friends and I were sitting on the brick steps outside of a frat house, dejected from failing to enter yet another MIT party. We were quite a large group of mostly males with a few lone females.

“I knew this was going to happen,” sighed one of my friends.

“If we want to get in, we need to either bring fewer people or bring more girls to compensate.” I was puzzled. “We do have girls in our group. What does the number have to do with anything?”

“Well, they want to keep their ratio,” my friend explained. “They can’t just have a bunch of guys in there.”

At the time, I accepted this as basic party logic that my 18 years of sheltered living had failed to teach me. However, the more I thought about it, the more I grew to realize that the need to maintain a ratio actually reveals an underlying motive for many partygoers: namely, hooking up. \Of course, hooking up is certainly not a crime, and parties are a perfect place for a one-night fling that you can regret in the morning and stash away in your memories. The issue lies in the fact

that not every person wants to hook up, but everyone has to play into the culture if they want to be included. Women are seen not as individuals wanting to have a good time but as potential equalizers for male-dominated spaces in order for straight men to find people to take home.

As for boys, they have to endure the irrational logic of women entering parties or getting drinks for free while they have to pay up. As a female, I theoretically benefit from this socially constructed system; I enjoy easier entry to crowded frat parties and free benefits, right? In reality, the only thing I’m left with is a sickening realization of why my gender

Why is it that the presence of alcohol and deafening pop music makes people assume that the world is their oyster for satisfying their drunken urges? grants me these privileges.

In fact, the notion behind guy/girl ratios inadvertently fuels an even larger issue. With 31.2 percent of Harvard female seniors reporting graduating as sexual assault survivors in 2015, there is undoubtedly a toxic undertone to party activity and social life on campus that is not nearly as discussed as it should be. Why is it that the presence of alcohol and deafening pop music makes people assume that the world is their oyster for satisfying their drunken urges? Rather than a misguided perspective that shames victims for getting intoxicated, my criticism

toward party culture is against the entitlement it brings unto assaulters who view substances as an opportunity to coerce victims. To put it simply, no one should be afraid to go out at night within

For one night, consider letting in any group, regardless of their gender ratio. The night probably won’t go that differently. It’s time we stopped regarding women as hookup currency. their own campus.

Although it can be argued that a gender ratio is maintained to ensure everyone is comfortable in a new setting, I find it quite antiquated that party hosts assume that people can only get along with members of their own gender. As we approach the end of 2018, let us leave behind the restrictions that gender norms unnecessarily enforce. Gender ratios aren’t fair to anyone: Boys are not happy with having to pay for entry, and girls don’t enjoy a role in maintaining a misogynistic system.

To all “exclusive” parties out there, I have a proposition for you. For one night, consider letting in any group, regardless of their gender ratio. The night probably won’t go that differently. It’s time we stopped regarding women as hookup currency.

—Linda Lee ’21, a Crimson Blog editor and Crimson Editorial comper, is a Computer Science concentrator in Eliot House.

Becina J. Ganther The Feminist closet

W

e’re often told that home is meant to be a safe, warm, comforting place that we can always return to for unconditional love. Quotes like “There’s no place like home” or “Home is where the heart is” reinforce this notion. Mix in the idea of holiday joy and you get the popular conception of going home for the holidays being an accepting, cheerful experience filled with unconditional love from family and others close to your heart.

Now, the holidays may not be ideal for most people, and I’m sure most of us have had our fair share of drama with extended family, cramped living situations, hectic travel schedules, and awkward dinner table politics. But the holidays can be an especially complicated time for BGLTQ people: for those who aren’t welcome home; for those who are just tolerated at home; for those who are physically welcome home but not emotionally or spiritually; for those who feel distant from their support systems when they’re home; for those who feel distant from their home communities even when they’re home; and for those whose holiday traditions intersect with religions or belief systems that do not affirm them.

The holidays can be incredibly isolating when you don’t feel the unconditional love and warmth that you’re expected to feel, particularly from those who are supposed to love you most in the world.

For me, the holidays are a season of mixed messages. I’ll receive gifts in the mail from relatives who love me dearly but shudder at the thought of two women kissing. I’ll spend Christmas Eve at church, surrounded by people who’ve known me and helped raise me since I was in preschool, yet are convinced that all homosexuals are destined for hell if they don’t turn away from their sinful lifestyle.

I’ll enjoy my favorite meal with my family that hasn’t dined together in over a year, but hear concerned commentary at the dinner table about our society’s downfall due to the “gay agenda” and its destruction of “family values.” Years of living at home and coming home for the holidays still have not fully prepared me for the cognitive dissonance of “I love you, but….” It still shocks and hurts me every time.

The problem with this conditional love lies in the difference between tolerance and acceptance.

Tolerance is for the things we don’t love or like but choose to put up with. We might tolerate having to get up early for morning classes. We might tolerate strangers’ rude behavior. But we don’t just tolerate those we love; we accept them completely, including all that makes them who they are. Family and close friends must go beyond the bare minimum of tolerance; they must fully accept us in order to love us.

My sexuality is a beautiful, integral part of me: If you only tolerate my sexuality, then you only tolerate me. My sexuality is not a hurdle that must be overcome. It is not an undesirable add-on that others can begrudgingly tolerate to get to the parts of me they actually like. You cannot love me without also loving my whole being, including my sexuality. “I love you” is hollow if I must change myself to be worthy of that love.

To any BGLTQ person who’s struggling with a complicated or unaccepting home this holiday season, I want to reaffirm that you matter and that you’re deserving of unconditional love. I’m sorry if you’re not getting that love from your family and home communities, but that doesn’t make you any less deserving of it.

While your holiday experience may not be ideal, there are some adjustments you can make that can hopefully make it go more smoothly.

When interacting with people who aren’t actively trying to hurt you but still hold unaccepting views, try setting expectations from the get-go of what you need and make it clear that certain behaviors are detrimental to you.

For example, I’ve requested in advance that certain harmful phrases — such as framing my sexual orientation as a choice — not be said in front of me.

Even if I haven’t changed anyone’s mind on the issue, at the very least I won’t have to be reminded that they hold these opinions or be forced to address them.

Pick your battles. There will be plenty of moments where I’ll hold my tongue and set aside the more “controversial” parts of me to keep the peace.

It’s not fair and not how it should be, but reopening the wound by voicing concerns and getting into arguments might be more painful. You have not failed or conceded your values if you choose to stay silent.

When possible, look for or build support systems.

Have a friend, even if they’re virtual, that you can vent to when someone says something hurtful. Set aside time to hang out with affirming people so that you have a space to decompress and feel fully seen and welcomed. If you don’t have these support systems available to you, plan alone time away from your family doing something relaxing and affirming.

Above all, do whatever you need to do to affirm your self-worth. These next few months may be difficult, through no fault of your own. Whatever happens, remember that you are valid, you are whole, and you are deserving of unconditional love, even if it doesn’t feel that way in the moment.

I’m wishing you the very best this holiday season, and I hope you experience unconditional love and warmth in some aspect of your life.

—Becina J. Ganther ’20, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a History and Science concentrator in LeverettHouse. Her column appears on alternate Wednesdays.

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Everybody gets free, daily coverage of Harvard!

Online 24/7 and in your dining hall five days a week.

The Crimson thecrimson.com

SPORTS

WEEKLY

SCORES & SCHEDULE

MEN’S HOCKEY @ CORNELL W, 4-1 ___________________________________________________________

M/W SWIMMING @ HALL OF FAME INVIT. WED ALL DAY ___________________________________________________________

MEN’S BASKETBALL @ ST. MARY’S W, 74-68 ___________________________________________________________

MEN’S SQUASH VS. TUFTS WED, 6 PM (ESPN+) ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY @ NO. 1/1 WISCONSIN T, 1-1 (OT) ___________________________________________________________

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. HOLY CROSS WED, 7 PM (ESPN+) ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL @CSUN

W, 75-55 __________________________ ________________________________

BASEBALL

Rosenblum-Larson and Zavolas Head to the Minors

By JACKSON DELGADO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A fter dominant performances in their junior and senior seasons, respectively, both Simon Rosenblum-Larson and Noah Zavolas left the Harvard baseball team to pursue professional ball in the minor leagues this past summer.

“There’s two good kids who just came through our program,” said Bill Decker, Harvard’s baseball coach. “Everybody’s happy for the two. It’s a really nice story.”

Simon Rosenblum-Larson, a Madison, Wi. native, was a member of the Crimson baseball team since his freshman year at Harvard. Over the course of his three years playing college ball, the thing that stood out was personal growth, both in terms of his strength and conditioning progress and his mental presence on the mound, according to Decker.

Simon was mostly a relief pitcher during his freshman year. Though he had found great success pitching at Madison West High School, the adjustment to college-level baseball was not easy.

“As a freshman, I was not very good,” Simon matter-of-factly commented. “I had a lot of trouble with command, I had a lot of trouble with my mechanics, and I really was not comfortable on the mound at all. I just wasn’t prepared to pitch in college.”

Though not a member of the starting rotation, Simon was able to adapt to his new environment. He cites former pitching coach, Mike Zandler, as the impetus for this development.

“He really worked with me, especially late in the season, on rebuilding my mechanics,” Simon said. “If you saw a video of me throwing now versus me throwing then, it would look like two different pitchers.”

“He really worked on his body and physical growth,” Decker commented. “He learned to pitch using both sides of the plate. He learned to attack you, and he could attack you with three pretty good pitches.”

After a year coming out of the bullpen, Rosenblum-Larson was ready to increase his presence on the mound. Coming into his sophomore season, he was a much better pitcher, and consistently threw each weekend.

Even so, he struggled a bit on the mound, and didn’t pitch quite as well as he would have liked to. He continued to constantly fine-tune his mechanics with pitching coach Ron Rakowski.

“We worked together constantly on fine-tuning mechanics and really rebuilding my body,” Simon said. “My com­

mand got a lot better and my feel for my offspeed got a lot better.”

Simon kept on improving, and late in that season he reached a turning point. In a pivotal game against Brown, his performance solidified his spot in the starting rotation and proved that he could compete on a high level.

“My arm slot dropped a bit, I was throwing harder, I was throwing a lot more strikes,” Simon said. “That was my second to last start my sophomore year.

Something clicked. I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a long time.”

“That was the game where I said, ‘That’s the guy,’” Decker added. “He was lights out, he was unhittable, and I think that was a turning point for him, where he finally says, ‘You know what, I can get this thing done.’”

Lights out he was. Simon pitched six innings with eleven strikeouts and just one earned run in the Crimson’s victory.

Along with the obvious physical comfort on the mound came a mental comfort that Rosenblum-Larson would carry with him going forward.

“I said to myself, ‘You know what, I have two starts left.

I’m going to have as much fun as I can on the mound, throw it as hard as I can and hope good things happen,’” Rosenblum-Larson said with a chuckle. “There was this looseness that I took into that start that flipped the switch for me. It was mental focus but it wasn’t intensity. It was this kind of relaxed focus.”

The mental presence on the mound was always Rosenblum-Larson’s biggest challenge, and a focal point of Decker’s role as Simon’s coach.

“He’s a competitive person,” Decker said. “My thing with Simon was just to calm him down sometimes. He learned not to get too upset when things weren’t going his way. I think he did a really good job working on his mindset, which is not an easy thing to do.”

Rosenblum-Larson carried this mentality through to his junior year, when he put up the best stats of his career (2.86 earned runs average and 82 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched), despite the added pressure of having scouts in the stands. He’d internalized the lessons he learned in seasons past and had a different approach to pitching. These lessons he would carry with him into the minor leagues.

“That’s something that I’ve taken into pro ball,” he said.

“Learning these lessons about how to handle these moments of pressure, these moments of frustration, and using them to relax yourself, relax your mind and compete at a high level.”

After his junior season, the right-hander faced a difficult decision.

He was selected with the 570th overall pick in the 19th round of the 2018 MLB draft, a day he described as the best day of his life, something he’d been thinking about every day since he first picked up a baseball. Even so, accepting the offer would mean leaving Harvard after just three years. Ultimately, he decided to follow his heart and pursue professional baseball with Tampa Bay Rays.

“He came in here last May and made his decision to move on and leave Harvard after his junior year, which is not an easy one,” Decker said. “Selfishly, for the program, I wish he had stayed, but what I did tell him is that, ‘If you’re going to go [this summer], don’t come back here in the fall.’ And I’m glad he took my advice.”

Simon felt confident and comfortable in Single-A ball, though he once again found himself coming out of the bullpen instead of starting. He liked the looser approach to the game, with minimal involvement from the manager and the coaching staff. Despite a definitive increase in talent in the hitters he faced, he was able to take the lessons he learned playing baseball in the Ancient Eight and apply them to elevate his game.

“Ivy League hitters are sometimes tougher to get out than pro hitters,” he commented. “They might not be as athletically talented, but they sure know how to work a count, take pitches, be selective, and really get in your head as a pitcher.

Some guys in pro ball may have more loose approaches where they’re more free-swinging or they’re willing to expand the zone at times, and I was able to take advantage of that.”

The major adjustment to his game he had to make regarded his new role on the pitching staff. Simon had to get used to a schedule during which he would pitch multiple times in a week for shorter durations, as opposed to once for an extended period. Even so, after building a sustainable routine, he was able to commit to the same lifting and body-care practices he utilized in college ball.

“The same things I learned in college I took with me to pro ball,” he said. “I can’t say enough how much developing at Harvard affected by ability to adjust to pro ball. All in all, it was a pretty easy adjustment period. It was a lot of fun, and it’s the kind of thing I thrive in.”

He cites one game against the Vermont Lake Monsters in the Short Single-A Penn League as his finest moment in the minor leagues so far. Simon came in for the seventh inning and

struck out the first two batters he faced. He ended up finishing the game with six strikeouts in 2.2 innings, and with those stats, added confidence akin to the boost he felt after his sophomore year game against Brown.

“It was this moment where I was like, ‘Yeah I can compete.

I can hang,’” he said. “You start to believe in your stuff and believe in your abilities. That was the moment where I grew into my new shoes.”

After continuing to pitch well in Short Single-A, Simon moved up to Full Single-A ball.

There, he got the opportunity to pitch in game three of the championship series. He struck out six batters and picked up the save, setting up the Bowling Green Hot Rods to win the championship the following day.

“That’s what we play for,” Simon excitedly said. “Getting a chance to be a part of that was just so cool.”

Simon finished the season with a 1.16 earned run average and 62 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched across two levels of Single-A ball. He looks to continue growing once next season begins, whether as a starter or as a reliever.

“I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m hoping that I can just keep my head to the grindstone and keep working,” he mused. “That’s what’s gotten me here and that’s what’s hopefully going to get me to the next level.”

Noah Zavolas traversed a different path through Harvard baseball. Due to his size, he started off with a fair share of doubters about his place in college baseball. For the majority of his time recruiting during high school, Harvard was not on his list. However, he put himself in the right place at the right time at the Crimson’s prospect camp, and the Harvard coaching staff saw potential in the way he attacked pitching.

“Noah came into our prospect camp entering his senior year, and he was very good,” Coach Decker said. “It wasn’t like he was tipping 90 [miles per hour] or anything like that, but he showed some presence on the mound. He just got hitters out. You could see that he was a student of the game.”

Noah played on the Crimson baseball team since his freshman year. Also like Simon, Noah needed time to adjust to playing Division I baseball.

“My whole freshman and sophomore years were spent trying to figure out how to make myself a pitcher that could actually help a Division I pitching staff,” Zavolas said. “There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of frustration during my first two years here.”

The turning point for Noah

GOING PRO Right-hander Noah Zavolas ‘18, shown in action last year, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Fellow hurler Simon Rosenblum-Larson was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the very next round, leaving Harvard after 3 years. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

came when he played summer ball in the Yawkey League out of Boston. As a member of the Charlestown Townies, Noah was able to develop his game in a relaxed setting.

“That was a place where I could play the game, pitch every week, and work on the craft of pitching,” he commented. “I was able to become the pitcher I knew I could be.”

Noah returned to school a completely transformed pitcher. Much more confident in his abilities, he had a solid junior year and was able to earn himself a starting spot in the rotation, as well as a spot in the Cape Cod League the following summer. There, he continued to defy expectations, and described those nine weeks as “single greatest experience of [his] life.”

“Being down there, I was adopted into community where they eat, sleep, and breathe baseball. That was perfect for me,” he said. “I had some phenomenal coaches down there who saw what I could do and believed in me.”

An excited Zavolas came back to Harvard ready to embark upon a senior campaign and showcase the fruits of his effort. Unfortunately, he broke his left foot in the fall. He had to take a little time off school to have surgery, and came back during the offseason determined to take strength and conditioning seriously in order to not lose the gains he had made before his injury.

“It was an opportunity in terms of being really creative in the weight room and trying different strength and conditioning ideas, seeing what I could do to make myself better,” Noah said. “Fortunately, things worked out well enough that the foot healed a few days before the team came back to campus for spring practices.”

Coming off the injury, Zavolas was driven to prove that he could still compete at a high level and make a meaningful contribution to the pitching staff, that the injury had not derailed his career at Harvard.

And prove himself he did. Zavolas had a great senior season — bolstered by increased velocity and a better understanding of the art of pitching — that legitimized the summer ball he played in Cape Cod. The team started off hot during Noah’s senior campaign, winning the Beanpot in early April. As a senior, this win was especially meaningful to Zavolas. Though it did not contribute towards the Crimson’s Ivy League record, he felt that he had left his mark through that championship victory.

A few days later, in the star moment of both his senior year and his time as a member of the Crimson squad, Noah threw a no-hitter against Yale on April 13.

“That was absolutely a high point of the year,” he said. “The stars aligned in New Haven that Friday night. I think back to it and it just doesn’t seem real.”

“The way he focused, he was just a really locked-in guy,” Decker said. “My relationship with Noah on game day was just to leave him alone. Let him do his thing. There was a trust there that I had with Noah.”

Noah struck out twelve and allowed zero runs and zero hits in the nine inning win. He finished up his senior year with the best stats of his career: a 2.96 earned runs average with 77 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched.

He was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 538th overall pick in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, what he described as a “wild day.” Being drafted represented overcoming the doubts he had faced for years.

“In some ways, he’s been an inspiration to some of the other guys,” Decker offered. “If you keep working hard, you never know what can happen.”

Minor league ball was different from Ivy League ball. Even so, the adjustment was nothing that Zavolas couldn’t handle.

Like Simon, Noah actually preferred the professional schedule over the collegiate one.

“In pro ball, it’s every day, and in a lot of ways, I think that schedule is easier and more conducive to baseball even though it’s more constant and ubiquitous,” Zavolas said. “The ability to create and perpetuate a rhythm where you follow the same routine every day makes the game a little bit more relaxed.”

The improved competition of the minor leagues did pose a challenge to Zavolas. The average minor league hitter comes from a larger, more talented player pool than the Ivy League draws from, such as a large school with a strong baseball program or Latin America. All are eager to prove themselves, which leads to more high-risk, high-reward at-bats that Noah was able to exploit.

“Competition-wise, there was a relatively dramatic step up in terms of the talent that you’d face,” he said. “ I had to make some adjustments, especially in pitch selection and strategy. Guys are more aggressive in pro ball, but adjusting to that was about just learning how to read hitters’ swings. I had to do that in the Ivy League, but now I had to make different inferences based on what I saw.”

Noah’s team, the Everett AquaSox in the Short Single-A Northwest League, was very good. The minor league season is split up into two halves, and they outright won the first half.

This guaranteed them a spot in the playoffs at the end of the season, from which they also emerged victorious.

“They had sparkling cider, in the big bottles where everyone sprayed it on each other,” Noah said. “It was the minor league version of the clubhouse celebrations that you see on TV. And that was special just because I had never been a part of anything like that.”

The first playoff game in that series, on Sept. 5, was especially meaningful to Noah. Like Simon, he came out of the bullpen all year, so he had very little advance knowledge about if and when he would be pitching.

That game, however, he ended up coming in, and had a performance he’ll never forget.

“It was actually the first time my dad had been able to come out all the way to the other side of the country and see me pitch, so when I got the call to go into the game it was pretty cool to know that he was in the stands for it,” Noah said. “I wound up pitching about four innings, did very well, and at the end of the game it was pretty wild to lock eyes with him in the stands. We both shook our heads, [recognizing] how it’s tough to believe that baseball has brought us both out here and everywhere in between.”

Noah finished the season with a 3.03 earned run average and 41 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. He is back at Harvard right now, working as a research assistant in the English Department, and looks forward to heading to Arizona for spring training in March.

While Simon and Noah are two completely different pitchers who took two completely different paths to professional baseball, they are going through this journey together.

“Simon and I became really good friends as we moved up,” said Noah. “We’re always in constant contact, keeping each other updated but also shooting the breeze and talking about different aspects of pitching.”

The mutual respect they have for each other is evident.

“Noah is a stud,” Simon put it simply.

Decker certainly misses the two, but is thankful for the opportunity to coach them for those years.

“We arguably had two of the best guys in the league last year,” he said. “They were the leaders of our staff.” He jokingly added, “But I know that some of our competitors are happy that they’re gone.”