The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 53
| CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
SPORTS PAGE 6
Double concentrations fill a gap in the Harvard Curriculum
Crew brings home victory to Cambridge in weekend events
Baseball swept by UPenn Quakers in rain-shortened series
Harvard to Continue Covid Testing, For Now Bill Lee Talks SSFA Lawsuit By CARA J. CHANG and ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Since the beginning of March, Harvard has gradually paired down its on-campus Covid-19 restrictions — a shift from the cautious approach the school took to managing the virus over the last two years. On March 1, faculty began removing their masks in lecture halls. Thirteen days later, the school’s mask mandate was lifted in most indoor spaces. Two weeks after that, social gatherings were allowed to resume in undergraduate residence halls. But one key requirement remains: testing. When Harvard announced in February that it would allow professors to begin teaching unmasked, University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen wrote that “regular surveillance testing will remain an important part of our campus protocols.” “It will continue to help us understand the presence of COVID-19 in our community and inform any subsequent steps we may take in response
to the data,” he wrote. But some experts say testing requirements, too, could soon be on the way out. Undergraduates are currently required to take a Covid test once per week. But some public health experts say phasing out asymptomatic Covid testing requirements is reasonable for schools that require full vaccination, like Harvard. In an interview last week, Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow said the University will eventually stop requiring asymptomatic affiliates to test for Covid — but he stopped short of specifying when. A total of 430 Harvard affiliates tested positive for Covid-19 last week as the school saw a large uptick in cases among graduate students and staff, according to the University’s Covid-19 Testing Dashboard. While recent case counts remain lower than those in January, when the Omicron variant first emerged, the school has seen a surge over the past week. Boston University medical school professor Elissa M.
SEE TESTING PAGE 3
Lee discussed the suit at the first-ever Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum. By YUSUF S. MIAN and CHARLOTTE P. RITZ-JACK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Across the Ivy League, prospective student-athletes may receive likely letters as part of their recruitment process. “An admissions office may issue probabilistic communications, in writing, to recruited student-athlete applicants who have submitted all required application materials,” Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote in an email. Per Ivy League regulations,
Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow William F. Lee ’72 discussed the lawsuit challenging Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies during an event at the University’s first-ever Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum on Wednesday. The University’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Sherri Ann Charleston, joined Lee, who served as Harvard’s lead counsel in the trial challenging its race-conscious admissions system. The suit, which seeks to overturn affirmative action in higher education, is set to be taken up by the Supreme Court in the fall alongside a similar case against the University of North Carolina. The three-day virtual EDIB forum, themed “Reimagine Our Community,” kicked off on Tuesday. It features speakers such as actress Lauren Ridloff and Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown, along with interactive activities and breakout room discussions. During the final day of programming on Thursday, the event will include panel discussions with Brown, Harvard University Police Department Chief Victor A. Clay, and Harvard Human Resources Vice President Manuel Cuevas-Trisán. On Wednesday, Lee discussed the admissions lawsuits brought by the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions, which charge that Harvard College and UNC discriminate against Asian American applicants and violate civil rights law by considering race in their admissions processes. Lower courts have ruled in
SEE LETTERS PAGE 3
SEE LEE PAGE 3
Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow, pictured in his office during an interview with The Crimson last Friday. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Who Receives Likely Letters from Harvard College? By NIA L. ORAKWUE and RAHEM D. HAMID CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Galdino Guzman-Navarro ’23 was bundling up to go feed his horses on a March day in Nebraska when he got a call from Cambridge, Mass. An admissions officer was on the phone and informed Guzman-Navarro that he would be admitted to Harvard. “The guy on the phone with me was like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to admit you,’” Navarro said. “I think the whole thing was just pitching Harvard.” Colleges send likely letters — or, in some cases, make likely phone calls — to prospective students to notify them they are likely to be admitted on the official decision release date. To receive one is rare: Harvard College doesn’t release how many likely letters it sends out, but in the past, the school has sent roughly 200 to recruited athletes and 100 to non-athletes. Harvard College Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 said in an interview last month the College uses likely letters to tar
The Harvard College Office of Admissions and Financial Aid is located at 86 Brattle Street near Radcliffe Yard. MEIMEI XU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Harvard Campus Covid Cases Rise By LUCAS J. WALSH CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Covid-19 cases on Harvard’s campus have risen steadily in the last week-and-a-half, driven in large part by a spike among graduate students and faculty and staff. The on-campus Covid-19 positivity rate sat at 1.54 percent as of Wednesday evening, according to Harvard’s Covid-19 Dashboard. Last week, 430 Harvard affiliates tested positive — up from 279 from the week prior. Just over half of the positive cases on campus last week were graduate students. The spike comes one month after Harvard lifted its on-campus mask requirement during Spring Break. Case counts, though rising, have not matched the peak of the Omicron spike in January, when the school reported 976 positives in a single week. Undergraduate case counts rose last week, but not to preSpring Break levels. During the INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
first week of March, 342 College students tested positive — the highest single-week sum since the beginning of the pandemic. “While we have seen recent increases in cases, they are not as high as what we saw in January,” Harvard University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen wrote to University affiliates on Wednesday. “Increases are consistent with virus levels that the state of Massachusetts is reporting through its tracking of sewer wastewater.” The State of Massachusetts reported a 2.93 percent seven-day positivity rate as of April 7. The city of Cambridge reported a 2.3 percent 14-day positivity rate as of the same day. Harvard also updated its travel guidance on Wednesday to remove a requirement that unvaccinated affiliates submit travel petitions for University-related travel. Affiliates who are fully vaccinated and boosted are no longer required to
SEE COVID PAGE 3
News 3
Editorial 4
get students from rural areas or otherwise underrepresented backgrounds. “If you’re, say, the first in your family to go to college and come from a very rural part of America, having a little longer period of time might help you start to get your family ready for the idea that maybe you’re going to be going off a long way away,” Fitzsimmons said. “You try out a way for people who might be outside that sort of normal, mainstream of applicants to send a signal,” he added. Recruited Athletes
Rep. Raskin Discusses Jan. 6 Committee at IOP By DANISH BAJWA, KATE DELVAL GONZALEZ, and ANDREW M. LU CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
United States Representative Jamie B. Raskin ’83 (D-Md.) discussed the state of American democracy and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a Harvard Institute of Politics forum on Wednesday evening. Raskin, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, serves on the U.S. House’s January 6 Select Committee, which is tasked with investigating the attack on the Capitol that took place that day. “Our January 6 Select Committee has made tremendous progress towards defining exactly the character of the events on January 6, and the causes behind them,” Raskin said during the forum. “So I think that we’re making progress, but we’re obviously in a very polarized condition in the country,” he added, placing blame on the Republican Party.
SEE RASKIN PAGE 3
Sports 6
U.S. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin ’83 (D-Md.) discussed the state of American democracy and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a Harvard IOP forum on Wednesday evening. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
APRIL 14, 2022
PAGE 2
HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Grilled 3 Cheese Sandwich Honey Mustard Chicken Falafel Sandwich
For Dinner Crispy Pierogies Fried Chicken Drumsticks Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
TODAY’S EVENTS HES: Learn How Others Perceive You and Gain YOUR Edge in the Workplace 1 p.m. - 2 p.m., Virtual
IN THE REAL WORLD Finland to Launch Debate on Joining NATO Amid War in Ukraine
If you’re interested in meeting Dr. Laura Huang, a professor at the Harvard Business School and author of the book “Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage,” then this webinar is one to note! Huang will help you understand exactly what to leverage during job applications and get the experiences you want. Reimagine Our Community: EDIB Forum 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Virtual The Equity, Diversion, Inclusion and Belonging Forum takes place over the course of a few days and will engage in critical topics. This year’s theme focuses on the need to build a campus environment that allows everyone to find success. The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., Taubman Building, 5th Floor
Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, said a decision about the country joining NATO will be made in the coming weeks. Her remarks came as she spoke alongside Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson, who claimed that Sweden was also reconsidering its position with NATO.
23 Injured in Texas Storms: More Tornadoes Forecast in US
Cherry blossoms bloom outside the Science Center and throughout Harvard Yard, marking the arrival of spring. TRUONG L. NGUYEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
AROUND THE IVIES YALE: Yale Quizbowl Team Wins Back-to-Back National Championships —THE YALE DAILY NEWS
CORNELL: Cornell Tennis Beats Dartmouth, Falls to Harvard in First Ivy Matchups
Storms in Salado, Texas, caused widespread damage, injuring 23 people and uprooting large trees, and ruining many buildings. More tornadoes are forecast for parts of the Mid-South and the Mississippi River Valley.
Mask Mandates on Planes, Trains Extended 15 Days, CDC Announces
Travelers must continue to wear masks on airplanes, trains and other transit systems into May. Although the mask mandate was set to end on April 18, the Transportation Security Administration has now extended the requirement.
—THE CORNELL DAILY SUN
PRINCETON: Flo Milli to Headline Lawnparties on April 24; Julien Chang and the Deep Green Will Open —THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN PENN: Penn Tells Students With COVID-19 to Isolate in Place as it Nears Capacity in Isolation Housing —THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
Juliette Kayyem and Deval Partick lead a conversation at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public leadership about handling disasters. The event is open to Harvard ID holders and is located at the Taubman Bulilding’s fifth floor.
COVID UPDATES
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CAMPUS
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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Applied Math Will Become College Field
Harvard College declared that applied mathematics will be a concentration starting with the Class of 1967. The Committee on Applied Mathematics announced that this new concentration will allow students to apply math to various fields, such as linguistics and economics. April 14, 1964
Five Frosh Spend Night in Yard
Five first-years camped out in front of the John Harvard Statue. They protested because as Union dorm residents, they felt isolated from the Yard. Half of them left before the morning. April 14, 1987
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
The Harvard Crimson Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22-’23 Associate Managing Editors Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 President Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24 Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Associate Business Managers Managing Editor Taia M.Y. Cheng ’23-’24 Isabelle L. Guillaume ’24 Amy X. Zhou ’23 Business Manager Editorial Chairs Guillermo S. Hava ’23-24 Orlee G.S. Marini-Rapoport ’23-24
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Copyright 2022, 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.
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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 |
TESTING FROM PAGE 1
APRIL 14, 2022
LEE FROM PAGE 1
Harvard to Continue Covid Testing Bill Lee Discusses Affirmative Action Schechter-Perkins said “now is a very reasonable time” to stop required asymptomatic surveillance testing, as long as schools have high vaccination rates. “We really have developed so many tools to fight this illness that it makes sense that we are starting, at this point, to peel back some of our mitigation layers — and asymptomatic screening is one of them,” she said. Around 98 percent of Harvard students and 97 percent of school employees are vaccinated. Thomas N. Denny, chief operating officer of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, said asymptomatic surveillance tests have become less useful with the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which has a significantly shorter incubation period compared to previous variants. “With Omicron, the numbers just don’t work,” he said. “You can’t get the swab, get the test result, and implement an isolation period, for the majority of the cases, in the timeline that matters.” Philip J. Landrigan, a Boston College public health professor and epidemiologist, said a school’s decision to end surveillance testing should depend on case rates in the surrounding area. In Cambridge, where 76 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, the positivity rate over
the past two weeks was 2.3 percent. Cases have risen in recent weeks — but nowhere near the city’s peak in January. Boston College and Northeastern University have both ended testing mandates for vaccinated affiliates. Bacow said Harvard will rely
COVID FROM PAGE 1
LETTERS FROM PAGE 1
Harvard undergraduates are required to test once per week, though most other University Coronavirus protocols and restrictions have been pared down. AIYANA G. WHITE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
on the University Coronavirus Advisory Group — which includes medicine, public health, and public policy experts — to make a decision on when to end mandatory asymptomatic testing. “They are advisory, but I have never rejected their ad-
vice,” he said. “The day will come, I’m certain, when they will say, ‘We should no longer test,’ and I probably will accept their advice when that day comes. It hasn’t come yet.” cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com
favor of both schools, which deny the allegations. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the cases earlier this year, setting the stage for a decision that could determine the future of affirmative action in higher education. At the forum, Lee defended Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies. “No one’s getting admitted that isn’t in that group of 15,000 fully qualified people,” he said. “I think it’s unfair to assume that people who are of a certain demographic are somehow unqualified, because they’re all qualified. Every single one of them,” he added. Lee rejected the allegation that Harvard’s admissions policies are discriminatory. “If I thought there was affirmative discrimination against Asian Americans, I would not be the lead trial lawyer,” he said. Charleston also defended Harvard’s admissions policies, emphasizing the importance of diversity in education. “When we make our community universally designed and accessible, it’s actually not just benefiting some people, but benefiting all of us,” Charleston said. Lee said there were few students of color on campus during his time at Harvard. “Almost everybody that arrives on the Harvard campus,
and it was certainly true of me, has the imposter syndrome,” Lee said. “The more diverse the community, the more sensitive we need to be to the fact that people will have those concerns.” Lee also discussed the potential impact of the case beyond Harvard’s campus. “I think the issues that the court will consider, as I said earlier, have implications well beyond Harvard, well beyond all universities, well beyond all universities and colleges, but for society more broadly,” he said. “Harvard being Harvard, in some sense, the public almost reads too much into everything we do, both positively and negatively,” he added. Concluding the discussion, Lee reiterated his belief that fostering diversity and inclusion complements the mission of higher education. “There are some people who believe that our efforts to assemble a diverse community, and promote the interest of diversity and inclusion and equity, are somehow in conflict with free speech and free thought, which have driven universities and their success for many years,” he said. “I want you to know that, at least I believe, that’s just not true.” charlotte.ritz-jack@thecrimson.com yusuf.mian@thecrimson.com
Campus Who Recieves Likely Letters from Harvard College? Covid Cases Rise submit a form attesting their vaccination status. Nguyen wrote that most cases have been mild due to the high vaccination rate across the University. He also wrote that University affiliates should take safety precautions if they intend to travel in the near future. “Each of us controls what steps we can take to protect ourselves,” he wrote. “Use the knowledge about local disease prevalence to inform your own behavior, especially if you or a household member is at high risk due to age, lack of immunization, or medical issues. If you are concerned about potential exposures, you can reduce your own risk by wearing a high-quality mask that fits securely without air gaps.” lucas.walsh@thecrimson.com
colleges can send likely letters to recruited athletes between Oct. 1 and March 15. Despite their early notification, likely letter recipients, including recruited athletes, are subject to the same review process as all other applicants. Prior to receiving a likely letter, the athlete must undergo a vote from Harvard’s 40-person admissions committee, according to Dane. The committee meets periodically between October and March to consider candidates. Student-athlete applicants may only receive a likely letter after having submitted their application in its entirety, per Dane. Amira Singh ’25, a member of Harvard Women’s Squash, was recruited by Harvard Athletics in April 2020, before formally applying to the College in August. “It was more of a written confirmation from them that I got the offer [from the coach] and I accepted and then that they would support me throughout the admissions process,” Singh
said of her recruitment letter. Shortly after officially applying, Singh received a likely letter, followed by a formal acceptance in December. ‘Few People that are Going to Do Better’
Athletes aren’t the only ones who might receive the coveted likely letter. Sasha Agarwal ’24-25, an international student from India, received a likely letter that cited her academic, extracurricular, and personal accomplishments. Zakaree “Zak” Harris, a college counselor at InGenius Prep and a former admissions officer at Bowdoin College, said likely letter recipients are “hitting the mark, literally in every single area.” “It’s a clear admit because of their academics, and what they’ve done in the classroom, and what they’re doing extracurricularly, what their essays were about, what a recommender is saying about them,” he said. “There’s few people that are going to be better.”
After receiving her formal acceptance, Agarwal received another letter from her regional admissions officer who referenced her nonprofit work in menstrual equity and her supplemental essay on behavioral economics. “She also just spoke to how my personal story, behind why I’m passionate about neuroscience, was something that stood out to them,” she said. Dan Lee, founder of Solomon Admissions Consulting, said Ivy League and peer institutions rate applicants in a series of categories. Likely letter recipients are typically those who achieve the highest marks in each category, he said. “At Stanford, it’s ‘one to five’ for academics, intellectual vitality, extracurriculars, personal, and other metrics as well,” Lee said. “A student who’s a ‘one’ across the board would be exceedingly rare and that’s the type of student who would most likely get a likely letter.” Harvard, too, ranks applicants on a scale of ‘one’ to ‘six’ in areas like academics, extracur-
riculars, personal qualities, and athletic ability. “In terms of maxing out your chances of getting a likely letter, you have to max out the metrics that they’re looking at,” he said. ‘A Signal’
“It comes down to yield and also recruiting,” Lee said. “These universities have different institutional goals, whether it be recruited athletes or recruiting a certain number of underrepresented minorities.” “The likely letters are given at the intersection of whatever the school’s institutional goals are — where that meets students,” he said. Lee sees likely letters as a tool schools use to encourage top students to enroll at their institution. “It’s for the purpose of getting the student to come to campus because, obviously, elite universities are competing with each other for these very top students,” Lee said. “They want to signal to these students that ‘Hey, you know, we really want
you at Harvard.’” Fitzsimmons said in the March interview that Harvard uses likely letters as a “recruiting device” to attract “very, very good applicants.” “They’re also usually likely to be people who are receiving admissions as they go along from other places, or versions of likely letters,” Fitzsimmons said. “A lot of places, public and private, have so-called merit awards that they give special incentives.” “Our feeling is we don’t do merit scholarships, and we don’t have those kinds of incentives, where we see somebody like that we can send the likely as a signal,” he added. Still, Grant A. Meiners ’22’23, a likely letter recipient from Iowa, said his early notification did not impact his decision to attend Harvard. “Ultimately, where I went to college came down to financial aid,” he said. “Harvard’s just better in that department.” nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com
RASKIN FROM PAGE 1
Rep. Jamie Raskin Discusses Jan. 6 Committee Progress at IOP Forum Raskin, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, served as the House’s lead impeachment manager during former president Donald J. Trump’s second impeachment in January. Trump was impeached by the House, but later acquitted by the U.S. Senate by a 5743 vote that fell 10 votes short of the required two-thirds threshold. Asked in an interview prior to the event if the January impeachment proceedings and the Select Committee have done enough to hold Trump accountable, Raskin said, “We convicted him in the court of public opinion.” “I think we convicted him in the eyes of history, and we certainly convicted him in the eyes of the world,” he said. The IOP handed out free pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution to every attendee at the forum, which was moderated by undergraduates Tarina K. Ahuja ’24 and Lauren A. Perl ’25. “In a democracy, healing comes from truth; it doesn’t come from everybody holding hands,” Raskin said at the beginning of the event. “In fact, my dad used to say that democracy needs a ground to stand on, and that ground is the truth.”
Raskin, who was elected to Congress in 2016, has served a majority of his tenure with Trump in office. On Wednesday, he criticized the Trump administration for its “rampage against people’s civil rights, civil liberties, and democracy across the country.”
In a democracy, healing comes from truth; it doesn’t come from everybody holding hands. Jamie Raskin ’83 U.S. Representative (D-Md.)
“I think we have one party that is a party of democracy, and that is standing with democracy in America and in Ukraine and all over the world,” Raskin said. “And we have another political party which today much less resembles a modern political party and resembles much more an authoritarian cult of personality.” In the interview prior to the forum, Raskin said he sees the Republican Party as “a shrinking minority party” that uses “tricks” to gain power, pointing to tactics such as gerry-
mandering and voter suppression. During the forum, Raskin called on young people to get involved in activism and politics. “We need a young generation of Americans engaged in this fight for democracy and to my mind, it is not a partisan fight,” Raskin said. Raskin said young people should study history, calling them the “heirs to” the “civilizing movements of our time,” including the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the LGBTQ movement, and the human rights movement. “Young people are going to get involved in an explosive way and make much stronger demands on the governmental system to address climate change and health care,” Raskin said. “The things that are concerned to your generation.” Perl, one of the forum’s moderators, told Raskin his faith in young people “has instilled me with such hope and confidence that I hope everybody is walking away with.” “My dad always used to say, when everything looks hopeless, you’re the hope,” Raskin replied. Staff writer Miles J. Herszenhorn contributed reporting.
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APRIL 14, 2022
PAGE 4
EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
OP-ED
Double Concentrations Fill a Key Gap in the Harvard Curriculum
What If CAMHS Could Purr?
Almost every student at Harvard has multiple academic passions.
By SIDNEE N. KLEIN
P
repare for trouble, and make it double! At a meeting last week, about 91 percent of faculty voted in favor of double concentrations, allowing students to pursue two majors simultaneously without having to write a joint thesis. The plan also allows for students to count a limited number of credits toward both concentrations. In addition to gaining another degree, the program allows students access to the advising systems of both departments significantly more than would be allowed if they were only pursuing a secondary. This policy change is a major win. The new plan allows students to pursue diverse interests in a much more coherent way than was available before. Many students have a diversity of interests — at a liberal arts college like Harvard, with its diverse distributional requirements and a wide variety of fields available for study, it would make sense that a large section of the population is interested in more than just one academic area. We understand that there are drawbacks to the new system. Dissenting faculty raised concerns about the possibility of the program incentivizing students to take harder courses than they otherwise would have due to pressure to excel, as well as the effect that pursuing a double concentration would have on their ability to take elective classes. We recognize the value of these arguments, and we ap-
preciate that professors care about our well-being and the quality of our education. But we are firmly in favor of this plan. Joint concentrations, while versatile, have a significant drawback: they force students to attempt to combine their two fields of interest rather than pursue both independently. Imagine a student studying, say, English and Computer Science. Harvard’s policy, up to this point, seemed to suggest that the best way to combine these clearly distinct interests would be to manufacture an intersection between the two, maybe a computer analysis of fiction. But such an artificial combination takes away from both subjects, which require very disparate kinds of thinking and analysis.
Interdisciplinarity is, of course, a worthwhile pursuit. Interdisciplinarity is, of course, a worthwhile pursuit. It’s the foundation of most real-world research, and the ability to combine seemingly disparate subjects into a cohesive solution to real issues is critical for many careers. However, it cannot be forced. As much as the ability to combine fields is critical to learn, students must first learn the foundations of both disciplines individually to fully grasp the power of an interdisciplin-
ary approach. Harvard’s joint-concentration-only strategy was too eager to teach the skill of combination without showing how that combination arises naturally from the work done in the academic sphere. The new double concentration program is a huge boon for academic options at Harvard, and fills a gap many believe was long overdue to be filled. Although it might increase pressure on students to pursue multiple degrees, ultimately the benefits of the policy change far outweigh the potential detractions. Joint concentrations, while worthy, encourage students to force together disparate interests and disciplines in ways that detract from both the quality of their work and their ability to meaningfully study multiple fields. Double concentrations fill this hole. Almost every student at Harvard has multiple academic passions. Thank you to everyone who voted for this plan for letting us follow them to the fullest extent we can. 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.
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I
think I should start by saying: If you saw me sobbing outside of Lamont Library the other day, no you didn’t. From there, I need to inform you all that the orange cat that wanders around campus has magical powers. The first time he approached me, as I sat unhappily on the steps of the church across from Pennypacker, I thought it was a strange but sweet and comforting coincidence. Between sniffles, I would scratch his small, warm head and watch him dart around looking for mice. A few weeks later, I was ranting to my dad over the phone about something incredibly inconsequential when I felt something bump against my shin. Who was there? It was none other than my tabby friend — a meeting that was once again odd, but soothing. A month after this, I found myself standing on the steps of Lamont Library at approximately 11:52 p.m. the night before my midterm paper was due. Feelings of inadequacy were consuming me; I felt like my control of the English language was gone and I just needed to talk to someone. I decided to call my sister. Not 10 minutes into my impromptu sibling therapy session, I heard a small purr. Walking straight toward me was none other than my good friend Remy. At this point, Remy the Harvard Cat is something of a niche microcelebrity, with nearly 12.3 thousand followers on Instagram and plenty of fans on campus. As it turns out, he’s more than an adventurous little feline who occasionally needs a break from his family — he’s also my on-call therapist. (Kidding. Mostly.) I’m sure Remy’s appearances at the scenes of my minor breakdowns had less to do with me and more to do with the fact that they all took place within a roughly 0.1 mile radius of his stomping grounds. Still, there is little room to deny the relief that his simple presence brought me in each of those instances. But Remy’s magical powers have implications that extend far beyond my own situation. His ability to comfort students — even at the most obscure hours of the day — demonstrates the way that animals may function as a valuable mental health resource at Harvard.
Remy’s ability to comfort students — even at the most obscure hours of the day — demonstrates the way that animals may function as a valuable mental health resource at Harvard.
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COLUMN
The Mystery of American Escapism in ‘Nancy Drew’ Nour L. Khachemoune NOSTALGIA: WHAT’S IT HIDING?
Y
ou don’t need to be a sleuth to figure out that the details included in a mystery novel are everything. The color of a briefly mentioned shirt may reappear 60 pages later, incriminating a suspect after slipping under the reader’s radar. What, then, does it mean when a series focuses on certain details at the expense of others, having them pop out of otherwise spartan exposition? The Nancy Drew series, with its formulaic plotlines and iconic yellow covers, is a staple of the genre, captivating young girls for decades. The series was created when the publisher of the Hardy Boys series noticed that girls were taking an interest in the mysteries as well, and Nancy’s influence has been cited as inspirational by countless female public figures. While the presence of a relatively independent female heroine is surprisingly advanced for the year 1930, the creators of the series make sure to reveal their conceptions of women through their writing. Every character is introduced by their physical characteristics, even Nancy’s sidekicks “the pretty, slightly plump blonde” Bess Marvin and George Fayne, “an attractive tomboyish girl with short dark hair.” Villains are also noted to be physically unattractive in humorous contrast, with money-hungry Ada being “very thin and sallow” in spite of the expensive clothes she wears. Nancy’s outfits are also noted with every switch, often multiple times a day, to appeal to young female readers. Of course, Nancy’s independence as a woman must also be explained through the death of her mother at a young age, leaving her
free to explore instead of tending to the house or searching for a husband. Through the constant reference to physical appearances and clothing, the stereotypical interests of young girls are incessantly targeted. Other details are elaborated ad nauseam as well, revealing more about the author’s desires as opposed to the reader’s. Every day Nancy spends on a case is broken up with references to her meals, while her surroundings and other details are not developed. Sometimes, the effect is frankly jarring. Her housekeeper Hannah discusses a case with her, saying “Nancy, you’ve really made a big discovery,” but says no more as the text immediately continues with “she went into the kitchen but returned in a moment with a plate of crisp, golden waffles.” On another occasion, Hannah and Nancy prepare an ‘impromptu’ midnight snack of “a chicken sandwich, some cocoa, and Hannah cut a large slice of cinnamon cake over which she poured hot applesauce” In contrast, surroundings and emotions are not elaborated in such detail, with the locales Nancy visits often listed without much explanation. The mystery takes on a formulaic, clue-oriented tone through its lack of character development — an intentional effect potentially included to allow the reader to focus on the details of the case. But the food-related details that are present without fail in every installment create an atmosphere of yearning. The 1930s-backdrop of the Great Depression does not sharply influence the plot, as there are no references to general hard times. But the focus on lavish meals and the structuring of Nancy’s day around them suggests a subconscious fixation on the parts of the authors. As the series is ghostwritten by multiple people under the pen name Carolyn Keene, one might expect the style to dif-
fer from story to story, but the references to Nancy’s luxurious meals, always capped by dessert, suggest an underlying desire for a similar lifestyle. The series is an escapist avenue for the authors and readers. Nancy exhibits no concerns with the state of affairs at the time, and never misses a meal or cuts corners. During the Great Depression, the American Dream became regular, comfortable meals and fashionable clothing to be changed multiple times a day. Nancy has few responsibilities, instead adventuring of her own accord in the blue convertible her dad bought her and solving cases to satisfy her own hunches. Of course, Nancy’s fortunes did not materialize from thin air, and the series also takes the opportunity to stress how her father, a well-known lawyer, frequently works until the early hours of the morning, has many stressful meetings, and even requires Nancy’s help delivering urgent documents. Regretfully, the hidden desire is not a simple life where one is free to explore their passions without a constant pressure to work. The capitalism of American society idealizes a difficult working life in exchange for its fixation on the simple pleasures of meals and clothing. The minimalist descriptions of Nancy Drew create a caricature of what people wished life could be in the 1930s. What more is there to desire in life besides meals, clothing, and the arduous work it apparently takes to make them possible? I can think of a few things, but perhaps the children reading the Nancy Drew series 90 years later will begin to believe that’s all life is about. —Nour L. Khachemoune ’22-’23 is a joint concentrator in Chemistry and Anthropology in Dunster House. Her column “Nostalgia: What’s it Hiding?” appears on alternate Thursdays.
Students across campus experience higher rates of depression and anxiety than the national average. A 2020 report from the Task Force on Managing Student Mental Health described a widespread toxic culture at Harvard that prioritizes competition and busyness over wellness. And with the wait time for an initial appointment with the Counseling and Mental Health Services currently at around six weeks, it is clear that the resources Harvard currently provides cannot adequately address the mental well-being of students at the College. This is where CAMHS might learn a lesson from Remy the Harvard Cat. Over the last few years, animal therapy has become increasingly popular in nursing homes, hospitals, and college campuses, supported by a growing body of experimental evidence. In the short term, interactions with animals have been shown to relieve people’s stress by reducing cortisol levels. Over a longer period, continuous exposure to animal therapy has been shown to produce similar stress-relieving results that last up to six weeks after the program ends and to improve executive function in at-risk students. The value of pet therapy is also evident in its flexibility. Some students might view structured sessions with a counselor as another obligation, almost like a different class they have to attend. This can be counterproductive, as busy schedules and floor-length to-do lists are often the main causes of student anxiety and stress. For most people, playdates with pets don’t feel like an obligation. Simply put: Animals make people happy, and happy students are less likely to fail. Harvard Medical School’s Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, which is located in Boston, hosts weekly “Countway Cuddles” sessions on Mondays and Thursdays where students are welcome to visit with therapy dogs. As lovely as this program is, its location makes it difficult for undergraduates to access on a regular basis. CAMHS also used to offer a biweekly animal therapy program called PAWS, but it was minimally advertised, and since the start of the 20212022 school year, it has only been offered as a onetime event rather than as a recurring program. While recent efforts to address student well-being have been heartening, they are not enough. The University is more than aware of the mental health crisis within the student body, and more accessible methods of mental health care need to be made available on campus. If Harvard chose to develop a more robust animal therapy program, it could ameliorate student mental health concerns while simultaneously alleviating some of the load on an already-overburdened CAMHS. None of this is to say that we should have golden retrievers and calico cats constantly roaming the Yard – it would totally steal Remy’s spotlight. But maybe it’s time Harvard invested in a few more therapists with tails for the sake of student mental health campus-wide. —Sidnee N. Klein ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Pennypacker Hall.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
Proud to cover Harvard for 149 years and counting.
Keep the old sheet flying.
The Crimson thecrimson.com
APRIL 14, 2022
SPORTS
WEEKEND EVENT
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY ______________________________________
SATURDAY ______________________________________
SUNDAY ______________________________________
Track and Field at War Eagle Auburn, Ala.
Baseball at Columbia 11:30 a.m., New York, N.Y.
Softball at Cornell 12:30pm, Ithaca, N.Y.
Women’s Water Polo at Brown 1:00 p.m., Providence, R.I.
Men’s Tennis vs. Penn 1:00pm, at Beren Tennis Center
ROWING
Crimson Brings Home Victory in Weekend Rallies By MAIREAD B. BAKER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Crimson waters wafted with victory once more as Harvard crew teams secured medals and retained cups in Northeast rivers outside of the Charles this past weekend. While the women’s heavyweight rowing team was unable to outpace No. 14 Syracuse, the Radcliffe Lightweights took home two silver medals down in New Jersey. The men’s heavyweight team also picked up the Stein Cup in Seekonk River, defeating the No. 6 Brown Bears.
WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING The Knecht Cup Regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. was nothing short of an exhilarating race for the Black and White. In the grand final of the fours, the team placed first in the entire event. On the second day of the race, the No. 2 Radcliffe Lightweights pulled off two second-place finishes in the final race and petite final of the Varsity Eights. The first place finish came from one of the womens’ doubles boats, passing Beantown neighbors, the Boston University Terriers, by a swift 2.95 seconds. The other Radcliffe Fours boat was only 0.94 seconds behind the other boat of Terriers. These fast-recorded times earned both Varsity Four boats a spot in the grand finals for the second day of the regatta. The Varsity Eight boat pulled in only 3.11 seconds behind No. 3 Stanford to take the silver med-
al home to Cambridge. The Terriers only missed the second-place finish by 0.27 seconds, taking third place. The second boat of Varsity Eights competed in the petite final, but were outpaced by Delaware by 2.38 seconds. Next up for the lightweights is a race against hometown rivals Boston University and MIT for a friendly bout on the Charles River on April 16. WOMEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING The Radcliffe Heavyweights traveled down to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. for the Saratoga Invitational. The Black and White were not able to stop the Syracuse Varsity Eight boat, which outpaced the Crimson by an eighteen-second margin. In the first two races of the day, the Varsity Fours and Eights, both Crimson boats finished in third place. The Varsity Fours and Eights boats of heavyweights both came short of beating Princeton by just over 12 seconds in each race. The Crimson fell short again to Princeton in the third Varsity Eight race, but pulled off a nail-biting 3.2 victory to Cornell in the first flight. In the second boat of fours followed with a 3 second victory over Syracuse in the final race of the day. Unfortunately for the Crimson, these two victories were not enough to keep No. 14 Syracuse from retaining the Elizabeth H. O’Leary Cup, a trophy named after Radcliffe Coach Liz O’Leary. During the mid-afternoon, two Syracuse boats of
WELL, CREW YOU TOO! Harvard rowing competes in the 2021 Head of the Charles Regatta on Oct. 24, 2021. This past weekend, the Crimson turned in strong performances in unfamiliar waters. OWEN A. BERGER—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
varsity eights reeled into the finish line in under seven minutes. The Radcliffe Heavyweights will next travel down to Housatonic River in Connecticut for a regatta against Yale and Northeastern on April 23. MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING The No. 5 Harvard men’s heavyweight rowing team won
big over No. 6 Brown for the Stein Cup in Providence, R.I. this past weekend. There were five races on the Seekonk River, and Harvard was victorious in four out of the five. The Crimson outpaced the Bears by 4.3 seconds in the Varsity Eight race to win the cup. In the other four races, Harvard dominated Brown in varying second margins. The 3V and 4V boats each beat the Bears by 21.3 seconds, with the 4V boat
pulling in in under seven minutes. Though the heavyweight 2V boat lost to Brown by just 10.9 seconds, the fifth varsity boat called for a photo finish with Harvard finishing first by a fast 2.4 seconds. This marks yet another Stein Cup victory for Harvard. The Heavyweights will now turn their heads towards a rally on the Charles River with age-old rival Princeton this Saturday,
April 16. MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING Though the men’s lightweight rowing team did not compete this weekend, the crew will next hold the Biglin Bowl on home waters against Ivy rival Dartmouth and red line neighbor MIT this Saturday, April 16. mairead.baker@thecrimson.com
BASEBALL
Harvard Swept by Quakers in Rain-Shortened Series By JACK SILVERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The members of the Harvard baseball team knew going into last weekend that their series against Penn, the team with the most wins in the Ivy League, would likely be their toughest of the young season. “They’re probably one of the best teams in our conference,” said sophomore outfielder Ben Rounds before the series started. “They’re firing on all cylinders.” Rounds’ words proved to be prescient, as the Crimson (1313, 5-3 Ivy League) lost both games of the series against the Quakers (19-8, 6-2), who continued their torrid start to the season and put some extra space between them and Yale for the top record in the Ivy League. Harvard lost the first game, which was delayed in the top of the fifth inning due to heavy rain and resumed midday Sun-
day, by a score of 27-6. The same fate befell the squad in the second day of the Sunday doubleheader, this time with a score of 6-2. “The outcome didn’t go as we would have liked,” said sophomore outfielder Peter Messervy, “but I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a team, and we’re hoping to build and face them again later this year.” The Crimson also dropped a game against Northeastern (1615-1, 3-5 Northeast Conference) on Tuesday, meaning that the team has not picked up a victory since April 2 against Brown. The five-game skid has seen the Harvard pitching staff give up an average of over 11 runs per game, leaving the team’s home record at 2-5 after its first two series in Cambridge. HARVARD 6, PENN 27 For junior starting pitcher Tim Williamson, the start of the
first game on Saturday, April 9 matched the weather: when it rains, it pours. After a clean first inning in which Williamson struck out two Penn batters swinging, the Quakers got on the board in the top of the second with a two-run home run from shortstop Craig Larsen. In the top of the third, the onslaught began. After a oneout sacrifice fly by first baseman Ben Miller drove in a run, Penn racked up four consecutive extra base hits and a hit-by-pitch, and within the blink of an eye, the Quakers led 9-1. The long ball plagued Williamson on Saturday and contributed to his outing being cut short after just three innings, having given up nine earned runs. The righty will try to bounce back in his next start, having entered the Penn game with a solid earned-run average of 4.60 and coming off a strong start against Brown the weekend before.
In the top of the fourth, head coach Bill Decker elected to bring in junior reliever Pryor Thomas to try to keep the team’s deficit steady, but the Penn bats proved too difficult to stop. The Quakers posted an 8-spot in the half inning, featuring another home run, this time by Miller, and RBI knocks by left fielder Seth Werchan and center fielder Tommy Courtney. The rally was aided by a oneout throwing error by first year second baseman George Cooper, which allowed two runs to score. Cooper bounced back to record the final out of the inning on a fielder’s choice, but defense was another issue for the Crimson throughout the day: Rounds and junior catcher Zach Brown also committed errors in the field. “They’re a well-coached team, they’re talented, and they did a good job of capitalizing on our mistakes, whether it be pitches left up in the strike
zone or defensive miscues,” Messervy said. Brown, however, did give the Crimson a highlight on the day in the bottom of the 4th inning with a home run to left-center that also scored sophomore shortstop Jake Berger. The big fly was Brown’s second of the year and first since February, which fueled a strong 2-3 day at the plate for the catcher. Another encouraging performance for Harvard came from Messervy, who put together a season-high three hits, drove in a run, and scored a run hitting at the bottom of the order in the eighthole. Sophomore pitchers Adam Stone and Porter Jondheim and senior righties Jack Mahala and Joseph O’Connell combined to handle the relief work over the final four innings, which were played on Sunday after rain stopped play the day before. The Quakers finished with 27 runs on 21 hits, while the Crimson posted six runs on 10 hits. HARVARD 2, PENN 6
JESUS CHRIS Sophomore infielder Chris Snopek prepares to swing in a 17-7 victory over Brownon April 2. Over the weekend, Snopek and the Crimson fell twice to Penn in a rain-shortened series. DYLAN J. GOODMAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
The second game of the series, played on Sunday immediately following the end of the first rain-delayed game, featured less offensive fireworks but stifling pitching from the Quakers, who held Harvard to its lowest run total since the team’s 3-2 loss to UCLA in extra innings on March 20. The first five innings of the game became a tight pitcher’s duel between senior starting pitcher Jaren Zinn and Penn righty Kevin Ease. Zinn, coming off a strong start against Brown the weekend before, allowed a home run to Larsen in the second but otherwise froze the Quaker bats, holding them to just three hits in five innings. Zinn also mowed down eight Penn batters via the strikeout, bringing his season total to 49 K’s in just seven starts. Penn’s early 1-0 lead on Larsen’s homer was short-lived, as sophomore third baseman Will Jacobsen knotted the score with a solo shot to center field. For the next three innings, both
offenses went dormant as Zinn and Ease went to work, with Harvard only threatening to score in the bottom of the 4th on account of a throwing error by Penn catcher Jackson Appel. However, the Quaker offense broke through against the Crimson relief corps once Zinn left the game and was replaced by sophomore reliever Chris Clark. After a lead-off single, a flyout, and a runner caught stealing, Penn looked on its way to another scoreless half inning. However, three consecutive singles plus a walk netted two runs for the Quakers, with right fielder Carson Ozmer delivering the crucial blow with a tworun single to left field. Penn tacked on two more runs in the seventh and one in the ninth on a similar string of base hits, and Harvard wasn’t able to close the gap. A last-ditch rally in the bottom of the ninth brought Messervy around to score on a two-out RBI single by Cooper, but Rounds grounded out to second to clinch the game and series victory for Penn. In addition to Messervy’s strong performance in Game 1 and Zinn’s dominant start in Game 2, the Crimson can take solace in Cooper’s 4-for-8 showing at the plate across the two games as well as the continuation of four players’ streaks of reaching base safely in consecutive games: Berger (20), Rounds (16), junior first baseman Logan Bravo (14), and sophomore outfielder Chris Snopek (10). The team will try to break out of its rough patch with a weekend series against Columbia in New York, which is currently competing with Penn for the title of hottest team in the Ivy League. The Lions will host Harvard having won the past eight head-to-head games in what is sure to be a competitive Ivy League rivalry series. “It’s a big series coming up,” Messervy said. “All Ivy League games are must-win games.” The first game of the threegame set will begin on Saturday, April 16 at 11:30 am at Robertson Field in New York City.