The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLV, No. 126

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLV, NO. 126 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018

EDITORIAL PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 6

Despite some concerns, we remain excited for the Game this Saturday.

Pundits sounded off on the midterm elections in an IOP panel.

Men’s squash began their season, sweeping Northeastern 9-0.

Palaniappan, Huesa to Lead Student Body Duo To Take Helm of UC At Year’s Beginning

BPD Domain Includes Fenway

By JONAH S. BERGER

By ALEXANDRA A. CHAIDEZ

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 and Julia M. Huesa ’20 will lead the student body as Undergraduate Council president and vice president in 2019, the UC Election Commission announced Thursday evening.

The duo garnered roughly 41.5 percent of the vote total, easily beating out second-place finishers Nadine M. Khoury ’20 and Arnav Agrawal ’20, who received 26.6 percent of the vote, according to an email sent by the commission to College students. Daniel K. Ragheb ’20 and Samyra C. Miller ’21 finished in third with 20.6 percent of the vote, followed by John T. Ball ’20 and Sabrina Wu ’20, who dropped out of the race last week but remained on the ballot.

“It’s so surreal,” Palaniappan said in an interview Thursday evening, surrounded by fellow students who worked on her campaign.

Huesa said the results left her unable to fully articulate her feelings.

“I still feel like I haven’t registered it,” she said. “I still feel pretty normal, but it’s one of those things where you don’t realize that it’s happened until later.”

Palaniappan and Huesa, who will take over the reins in

SEE COUNCIL PAGE 3

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

SEE SPIRIT PAGE 3

SEE SAFETY PAGE 3

Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 (right) and Julia M. Huesa ’20 (left) collapse onto a couch after hearing they won . AMANDA Y. SU—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

DSO Steps in to Monitor UC Voting Procedures

By JONAH S. BERGER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

A fter many students received an anonymous email Thursday accusing the Undergraduate Council’s election commission of being “biased,” the Dean of Students Office emailed students to state that they had independently confirmed the results of the UC’s presidential election. ­

SEE ELECTION PAGE 3

Daniel K. Ragheb ‘20 chats with friends at a UC election party. SHERA S. AVI-YONAH—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Samyra C. Miller ’21 waits for UC election results.

SHERA S. AVI-YONAH—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Undergrads Gear Up for Yale Game

SEE PAGE 6

By JULIET E. ISSELBACHER and BRIE K. BUCHANAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Students got into the competitive spirit at Harvard-Yale Spirit Week, a series of events meant to generate pre-match excitement ahead of this year’s iteration of the Harvard-Yale football game Saturday.

Spirit Week, an annual tradition hosted by the College Events Board, kicked off with a Chili Cook-Off in the Science Center Plaza and will close out with the dance party, “HYsteria,” open to all Harvard and Yale undergraduates Friday ­

HARVARD VS. PENN

night.

The Crimson Traditions Committee of the CEB is in charge of organizing Spirit Week events in order to rally school spirit in preparation for The Game, according to Joseph H. Zuckerman ’19, a member of the committee.

“We really tried to have a diverse range of events this week to just kind of get the whole student body involved,” Zuckerman said.

One such event, the “Bulldog Roast,” took place in the Smith Campus Center on Thursday

Harvard University Police Chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley emphasized in an email to College affiliates Wednesday that the Boston Police Department will have ultimate jurisdiction at the upcoming Harvard-Yale football game — and told students to stay safe at this year’s Boston-based iteration of the Game.

The 135th rendition of the Game will be played Nov. 17 at Fenway Park instead of its usual location at Harvard Stadium.

Boston Police will have primary jurisdiction in the areas surrounding Fenway Park — the home of the Boston Red Sox — while Harvard Police will be stationed on the University’s campuses. In Riley’s email, he wrote that HUPD is “fully committed” to providing a “safe and secure campus” in Cambridge and in the Allston and Longwood neighborhoods of Boston on Friday and Saturday.

Riley said HUPD and Boston Police have a “strong working relationship” and engaged in “numerous discussions” leading up to the Game. He said Boston Police requested attendees respect the rules of the park, abstain from consuming alcohol underage, and take public transportation or Harvard-run shuttles to the event.

“Any violations of Park rules or laws will come under the jurisdiction of Fenway Park Security or the Boston Police Department,” Riley wrote.

Riley said attendees who violate Fenway Park’s rules or Massachusetts laws will be ejected from the park or arrested.

The College’s amnesty policy — which grants intoxicated students under 21 exemption from University punishment in certain cases — will remain in place during the football game, according to Athletics Director Robert L. Scalise.

The policy dictates that students who approach Harvard employees to seek medical assistance for themselves or for intoxicated friends will not be punished for underage drinking. Employees include Harvard University Health Services professionals and College residential life staff. The policy does not cover inappropriate or illegal actions students commit

In the Crimson’s contest with Penn, sophomore running back Devin D. Darrington ’21 evades a tackle. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

IOP Panelists Critique Midterms

By PETER E. O’KEEFE and EMA R. SCHUMER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Conservative and liberal pundits took to the stage at the Institute of Politics’ JFK Forum Wednesday night, hosting a lively panel discussion of last week’s national midterm elections.

The “Post Midterms: Looking Ahead” panel featured high-profile political figures, including Michael Glassner, executive director for President Donald J. Trump’s re-election campaign; Beth Myers, former presidential campaign manager to Mitt Romney; and Stephanie Schriock, president of feminist political action committee EMILY’s List. ­

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

IOP Residential Fellow Amy K. Dacey, former CEO of the Democratic National Committee, also contributed to the panel. Maria Teresa Kumar, founding president of Voto Latino, joined in a Skype call. The event was moderated by ABC News Political Director Rick Klein.

The panelists advanced dueling analyses of the recent election cycle, in which Republicans extended their majority in the Senate and Democrats won the House of Representatives, along with key gubernatorial seats.

On the Republican side, Glassner downplayed Democratic gains in the House, placing the midterms within a broader political and historical

SEE MIDTERMS PAGE 3

News 3

Editorial 4

Student Orgs. Talk Prison Reform

By JAMES S. BIKALES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Five student organizations convened a panel discussion on mass incarceration in Emerson Hall Thursday that emphasized why students, regardless of their background, should join efforts for prison reform.

Panelists included activists and academics who examine the conditions of many U.S. prisons. Douglas Rogers, founder of Black and Pink — an organization representing BGLTQ oners that advocates for an end ­

FIRST SNOWFALL

Sports 6

The first snow of the season falls over Cambridge Thursday night. CALEB D. SCHWARTZ—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

TODAY’S FORECAST

RAINY High: 42 Low: 34

SEE PRISON PAGE 3

VISIT THECRIMSON.COM. FOLLOW @THECRIMSON ON TWITTER.

the “aloof”

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Dan Dan Noodles Battered Fresh Local Fish Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

For Dinner Pepper and Sausage Pizza Tofu Curry Noodle Stirfry Italian Style Lentils

TODAY’S EVENTS

IN THE REAL WORLD

H-Y Merch Sale Smith Campus Center, 10:30 a.m.

White House Aide Mira Ricardel Removed After Melania Trump Row

LAST CHANCE: Stop by the Smith Campus Center and get your Harvard gear in preparation for The Game tomorrow! And also come out to support the Crimson Dance Team.

In the latest episode of White House drama, Melania Trump shows she is not to be messed with when a feud with White House Deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel prompted Ricardel to leave her post. The quarrel supposedly stemmed from flight seating arrangements, so the next time you feel petty, don’t worry — you’re probably not being this petty.

The 119th H-Y Football Concert Sanders Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Looking for a Gleeful way to spend your evening? Come watch the epic showdown between Harvard and Yale Glee Clubs as they sing everything from modern compositions to classic fight songs!

Bowl For Ben Lucky Strike, 8:30 p.m.

Kick off Harvard-Yale weekend at Jillian’s Lucky Strike Social Boston for a night of bowling, music, drinks, food, prizes, networking, and more to benefit The Benson M. Abercrombie ‘21 Fund!

Mayor of Cambridge Marc C. McGovern speaks at a Community Supported Art event Thursday.

ANTHONY Y. TAO—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 and Julia M. Huesa ’20 won the Undergraduate Council presidential election Thursday night with 41.5 percent of the vote, easily beating out second-place finishers Nadine M. Khoury ’20 and Arnav Agrawal ’20, who received 26.6 percent of the vote. The Dean of Students Office sent a message to undergraduates verifying the results after an anonymous email sent to many students earlier in the day accused the UC Election Commission of bias. In other news, the heads of Harvard’s police department and health services implored students to stay safe during this year’s iteration of the Harvard-Yale football game Saturday, which will be held for the first time at Fenway Park.

Denmark Withholds Aid to Tanzania After Homophobic Comments When it comes to human rights, Denmark doesn’t play games. Upon hearing of “unacceptable homophobic comments” from a senior politician, Denmark, Tanzania’s second biggest aid donor, has decided to withhold 65 million DKK from Tanzania.

Monkey Kills Baby Boy in India’s Agra Monkeys may seem harmless, but in Agra, fear of monkeys is entirely rational due to the rise of monkey attacks. In a recent monkey attack, a 12-day-old baby boy died after being severely bitten.

AROUND THE IVIES YALE The Yale Daily News reported campus police are investigating reports that a masked pair posted flyers for a “white student’s union” around Yale’s campus Tuesday night. Soon after they were posted, students brought the flyers to the police department’s attention. They also replaced them with signs intended to support students of color. Yale administrators condemned the incident, writing to students they have reported it to the Southern Poverty Law Center and AntiDefamation League.

DARTMOUTH A group of women filed a class action lawsuit alleging Dartmouth systematically ignored instances of sexual misconduct on its campus, per the Dartmouth. The suit names three former professors, claiming they fostered a hostile environment to women over a period of 16 years.

All three faculty members left the College over the summer, following a Title IX investigation into their alleged behavior. Dartmouth President Philip J. Hanlon addressed the suit in an email to affiliates, saying the College “took unprecedented steps” by dismissing the professors.

COLUMBIA Columbia students boycotted Barnard dining locations Wednesday in an attempt to discourage the college from continuing its partnership with Aramark, its food service provider, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported. Over 1,000 students signed a petition condemning the company for past scandals and alleged misconduct, including maintaining ties to private prisons and feeding prisoners maggot-contaminated food. The protest, organized by a student group called Barnard No Aramark, comes as the college renegotiates its contract with Aramark, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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

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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.

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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 | NOVEMBER 16, 2018

COUNCIL FROM PAGE 1

ELECTION FROM PAGE 1

Palaniappan, Huesa Win UC Vote

In Email, Admins Certify UC Results

December from current UC President Catherine L. Zhang ’19 and Vice President Nicholas D. Boucher ’19, ran under the slogan “make Harvard home.”

The duo proposed offering funding for some undergraduate social events and called for the creation of cultural climate committees across all academic departments to bolster Harvard’s capacity to address sexual assault allegations. The Government department created a committee earlier this year to evaluate departmental culture in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against Government professor Jorge I. Dominguez.

This year’s election saw significantly increased turnout from the 2017 race, with 2,797 students casting ballots. That figure represents a roughly 35 percent increase from last year’s turnout.

Earlier this semester, the Council changed its voting method to a Borda vote count, a ranked-choice method in which each candidate receives a quantity of points corresponding to their ranking on the ballot — first-choice tickets received one point, second-choice tickets received 0.5 points, and thirdchoice tickets received 0.33 points.

Olivia K. Bryant ’21, a member of the Harvard Open Data Project, which polled students about the race last week, said in a Wednesday interview that the new voting method could potentially lead some undergraduates to vote in a more strategic manner.

But given the margin of victory for Palaniappan and Huesa, the voting system likely did not change the election’s outcome.

This year’s winners are both longtime members of the UC. Palaniappan, the Council’s education committee chair, has organized student town ­

halls about proposed changes to shopping week and spearheaded legislation to fund faculty-student dinners.

Huesa, who serves as vice chair of the Council’s Student Relations Committee, has participated in efforts to establish a multicultural center on campus.

Palaniappan said she and Huesa plan to work on improving the Council’s communication with the student body in their first days in office.

“I think from the onset, better structuring the way we communicate with students I think is something that we need to already set the tone and plan for,” she said. “I think we’re going to work on it before we even leave for break and just get off the ground running.”

Huesa said she hopes to increase the diversity of the UC, a push that she noted would need to begin shortly, given the Council’s spring elections occur in mid-February.

“I think recruitment for midterm elections will also be really important because there’s a lot of underrepresented communities on the Council so far and people just generally don’t know what they can do on the Council,” she said.

Huesa added that she would work to ensure that the Council’s identity caucuses are fully “instituted” by the beginning of next semester.

Zhang said in an interview Thursday that she is “excited” for Palaniappan and Huesa to begin their term.

“It’s going to be an amazing, challenging, and learning adventure,” she said. “And I have full confidence in them.”

Boucher agreed, saying he was eager to see what the duo would accomplish during their tenure.

“I think they’re an exceptionally deserving ticket, and I cannot wait to see what

they will do over the coming months,” he said.

Before the results were released, Ragheb — the only presidential contender who had not previously served on the UC — said that campaigning for the student body’s highest office had been an “amazing experience.”

“All three tickets would do amazing things after being elected,” he said. “I think all three tickets, and we especially, generated a lot of enthusiasm on campus for something that people normally don’t turn out for.”

I think from the onset, better structuring the way we communicate with students I think is something that we need to already set the tone and plan for.

Sruthi Palaniappan ‘20

Ragheb and Miller’s loss represents the 22nd time in the past 23 UC elections that outsiders have fallen to tickets with previous UC experience.

Voters also weighed in on two referenda in this week’s election, after the Council decided to place them on the ballot at its meeting last Sunday. The first — which calls on Harvard to divest from the “fossil fuel industry” — won support from 71.5 percent of voters.

That figure is virtually unchanged from 2012, the last time students voted on the issue. In that election, 72 percent of students voted in favor of fossil fuel divestment.

James H. Coleman ’21, co-president of Harvard Undergraduates for Environmental Justice, which campaigned

in support of this year’s referendum, called the results “encouraging,” especially in light of the 2012 vote.

“That really shows that the student body still has a really strong sentiment for divesting from fossil fuels,” he said.

Responding to the referendum, University spokesperson Melodie Jackson wrote in an emailed statement to The Crimson last week that Harvard would not change its investment strategy with respect to fossil fuels, but remained “committed” to tackling climate change in other ways.

“The commitments made in Harvard’s Climate Action Plan explicitly recognize what the science has made clear: the world must move quickly to end its use of fossil fuels,” she wrote.

“While we agree on the urgency of this global challenge, we respectfully disagree with divestment activists on the means by which a university should confront it.”

The second referendum on the ballot, which urged the University to divest from the “prison-industrial complex,” garnered 77.2 percent of the vote.

Asked in October whether Harvard would consider divesting from prisons, University President Lawrence S. Bacow reiterated what his predecessor, Drew G. Faust, repeatedly stated throughout her tenure: the endowment is not the appropriate mechanism to effect social change.

“The University should not use the endowment….to achieve political ends or particular policy ends,” he said. “There are other ways that the University tries to influence public policy through our scholarship, through our research, but we don’t think that the endowment is an appropriate way to do that.” jonah.berger@thecrimson.com

The DSO sent its email to students roughly a minute after the election commission announced the vote tallies for the election.

The email affirmed that Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 and Julia M. Huesa ’20 had won the election, adding that students could “reach out” with any questions about the Council’s “voting platform.”

Kate Colleran, senior director for Student Organizations and Resources at the College, could not be reached for comment late Thursday about why the DSO decided to send the email — a step the office has not taken in recent presidential elections.

The anonymous email accusing the commission of bias questioned the election commission’s decision to not penalize a campaign for allegedly violating a Council rule about meetings with club members.

According to the rule, candidates are allowed to meet with board members of student groups, but cannot share their intention to run with the general membership of the club until campaigning officially begins.

In a 5-0 ruling issued on October 27, the commission decided that the accused campaign’s actions did not warrant a penalty, because they did not “intend” for non-board members to learn about their plans to run for Council leadership.

“It is our opinion that, while this is concerning and that the rule banning the release of campaign information was broken, we believe that this is not grounds for removing this possible ticket from the campaign or the ballot,” they wrote.

The commission did, however, urge the ticket to be “more ­

careful” in their future meetings with student organizations.

“We do, however, warn and admonish X and Y about their conduct,” the commission added.

“They should be more careful about their interactions with student groups and be more cognizant of the distinction between interviews about issues and campaign meetings.”

The election commission did not appear to take a handsoff approach throughout the entire campaign, though — the commission imposed at least four penalties on at least two tickets.

Penalties included a $15 deduction from campaign funds for an infraction relating to campaign posters, and a mandate that a ticket take down its website temporarily after it published the website prior to the campaigning period.

Boucher the anonymous emailer’s accusations of bias Thursday, adding that the election commission’s members had been elected to their positions by a unanimous vote of the entire Council earlier this fall.

“I categorically believe that there is no bias inside of the election commission,” Boucher said.

“I think that there was a pretty good vetting process for getting people onto this commission, and I have no reason to believe that they deviated from the rules whatsoever.”

“In fact, I actually think they followed the rules much more closely than previous election commissions,” he added. jonah.berger@thecrimson.com

PRISON FROM PAGE 1

MIDTERMS FROM PAGE 1

Panelists Discuss Prison Reform

IOP Panel Assesses CEB Hosts HarvardImpact of Midterms Yale Spirit Week

to the prison industrial complex — and Arthur Bembury, executive director of The Partakers — a mentorship program for prisoners pursuing college degrees — spoke from the perspective of former prisoners now working towards reform. Christine M. Mitchell, a Harvard School of Public Health student, spoke about her work with DeeperThanWater, an environmental justice coalition that works to improve living conditions in prisons. The three panelists and History and Literature Lecturer Emily K. Pope-Obeda spoke to more than 50 students and prison reform activists about their research and advocacy on issues related to the prison system.

Co-sponsored by Harvard College Project for Justice, Harvard College Act on a Dream, Harvard Black Students Association, Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee, and

If Harvard divests from prisons, that is national news. We need to make that happen.

Christine M. Mitchell DeeperThanWater Organizer

Harvard Organization for Prison Education and Reform, the discussion — called “America in Chains: A Panel Discussion on Mass Incarceration” — aimed to bring issues of mass incarceration to campus conversation.

“Mass incarceration is an issue that’s easy to become disconnected from, but it’s one of the most pressing issues of our generation,” Leonardo A. Garcia ’21 said. Garcia, who helped organize the event, is the intersectionality co-chair of Act on a Dream. He said he hoped the talk would “catalyze energy to work towards reform.”

Organizers intentionally invited a diverse set of groups to the event, Garcia said.

“This campus has a lot of organizations that work towards similar goals, yet there’s not enough coalition building a lot of the time,” he said. “This event is really showcasing intersectionality and the power of coalition building.”

Diversity featured prominently in the panel discussion. Panelists said the effects of mass incarceration are felt by a wide range of communities, which is why all students should get involved in reform efforts. Bembury called prison reform the “new Civil Rights Movement.”

Two of the panelists, Rogers and Bembury, were formerly incarcerated, and Garcia said “destigmatizing” incarceration was another goal of the event.

“I want students to see them for who they are: incredible assets to their community in ways that prisoners are not frequently viewed,” he said of Rogers and Bembury.

The event took place the same day students at the College voted on an Undergraduate Council ballot referendum asking whether the University should divest its “holdings in the Prison-Industrial Complex.” In the final tally, 1,984 students voted for the measure, with 584 voting against.

In an October interview ahead of the student vote, University President Lawrence S. Bacow reiterated administrators’ long-standing stance against using the endowment as tool for activism.

“The University should not use the endowment... to achieve political ends or particular policy ends,” he said.

Christie A. Jackson ’21, one of the event organizers and a member of Harvard Project for Justice, said that while the event was not deliberately timed to coincide with the UC election, she was happy it was held while the issue was at the forefront of campus discourse.

Two of the panelists mentioned Harvard’s divestment as an important step towards wider reform.

“If Harvard divests from prisons, that is national news.

We need to make that happen,” Mitchell said.

Members of the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign were present at the panel, and said they felt the discussion was important in raising awareness for their cause.

“If we push Harvard to divest, that is one way to fight this fight,” Salma Abdelrahman ’20, the organization’s co-president, said.

context.

“The number of seats lost by a party that controls the executive branch was more or less in line with what has happened historically,” he said.

In contrast, Dacey argued that Democrats did not expect to win the Senate, but that the House victory marked a significant change in the political landscape surrounding the Trump administration. She also emphasized the impact Democratic political success will have on the state level, fundamentally altering the electoral map for the 2020 presidential election.

“One of the untold stories too is all of the significant chambers we were able to flip in the state legislatures,” Dacey said.

“That will have a significant impact on building a national campaign.”

“I don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to run against Donald Trump, but I think these victories and winning in some of these places will have an impact on the map in 2020.

It’s a different map,” she added.

Fellow Democrat Teresa Kumar cited high voter turnout as predictive of future Democrat­

I don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to run against Donald Trump, but I think these victories and winning in some of these places will have an impact on the map in 2020. It’s a different map.

Amy K. Dacey IOP Residential Fellow

ic success, especially among young voters. She expects to see similarly high turnout in 2020.

“One in six voters...were first time voters,” she said. “This was the highest midterm participation in over a hundred years.”

Republicans, on the other hand, rejected the idea that Democrats’ gains in the mid-

SPIRIT FROM PAGE 1

terms were a barometer for the 2020 election, pointing to notable differences between mid-

We have to figure out a way to tell every woman — white, brown, black, young, old — that they have a place in the Republican party.

Beth Myers Romney Campaign Manager

term and presidential elections.

“The Trump phenomenon in 2016, I think, was due to Trump himself being on the ticket, which wasn’t the case this time,” Glassner said.

“Midterm elections are much more about tactics,” Myers said. “Presidential elections are all about storytelling…

[Trump] knows how to deliver a message. He knows how to tell a story, and he will, by the way, use the Democrat House as his foil.”

Though Myers is Republican, she said her party has a problem when it comes to women.

“We have to figure out a way to tell every woman — white, brown, black, young, old — that they have a place in the Republican party,” she said. “I think that is a place that perhaps the Trump administration has not done as well as they could have done.”

Democrats on the panel said they were heartened by their party’s embrace of female candidates. Schriock, who arrived late, said she believes the first female president will be elected within her lifetime. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen in 2020 or ‘24 or ‘28, but it is coming in our lifetimes, we’re going to see it,” she said.

Gabrielle Y. Schultz ’21 said she was impressed by the quality of the discussion.

“I really appreciated how civil they were when they were addressing each other,” she said. “I think it’s because they’re mature adults.”

night. It featured performances from on-campus comedy groups Stand Up Comics Society and On Harvard Time..

Andrew J. Berry, a lecturer in the Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Department, gave a lecture entitled, “Why Harvard is Better Than Yale.”

In his lecture, Berry called Yale’s mascot, a bulldog, “an anatomical disaster” with “physical deformities.” Berry also joked about The Game’s controversial move to Fenway Park.

“Sorry folks, that’s where you’re going to be,” he said.

“That’s if you make it out” of the Science Center tailgate, he added.

Last fall, Fenway Sports Management announced that The Game would take place at the Red Sox’s home field in 2018.

This will mark the first time since 1912 that the match has been played at a location other than the Harvard Stadium or the Yale Bowl.

Some students have voiced their disappointment with the move and have drawn rebukes from College Deans for attempting to sell their tickets.

According to Zuckerman, The Game’s move to Fenway Park influenced CEB’s approach to planning this year’s Spirit Week.

“I think we definitely want­

ed to give the students something special this week because people are a little bit upset about Fenway,” Zuckerman said. “So it’s definitely gone into the thought process of trying to get peoples’ spirit back up and give them something fun going on the week before The Game.”

Other comedy groups at the “Bulldog Roast” also poked fun at the move to Fenway. On Harvard Time presented a video in which Yale students mistakenly assume that they will be playing Harvard in baseball.

“So you’re telling me we learned an entire new game for nothing?” one “Yalie” asks in the video.

Despite the jokes, some students said they were excited to attend The Game at Fenway.

Rachel L. Ma ’21 said she preferred travelling to Fenway over travelling to New Haven.

“I think last year being that it was at Yale, it was a lot more difficult to go first thing in the morning,” she said. “I’m actually excited for it to be at Fenway and in Boston this year.”

Apurva Kanneganti ’20 said she hoped Harvard would gain the edge over Yale in the Ivy League Football Conference.

“The fact that we’re actually tied in the conference with Yale right now gives me some hope for Saturday,” she said.

SAFETY FROM PAGE 1

HUPD Urges H-Y Safety cannot prevent local or state authorities from arresting students for other crimes.

HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote in an email last week that one “HUPD command-level supervisor” will be stationed at Fenway to liaise with both Boston Police and Fenway security officers. Riley wrote that information about a student who “comes to the attention of Boston Police or Fenway Security” will be passed to this liaison.“ It is my hope that those who travel to Fenway, representing Harvard College, have a safe and enjoyable time at The Game,” Riley added.

Harvard University Health ­

Services administrators also sent an email to College students Thursday reminding them to hydrate and eat throughout the weekend. Paul J. Barreira, director of Harvard University Health Services, and Garrett O. Fitzgerald, director of the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services, encouraged students to practice safe alcohol consumption by pacing themselves while drinking and alternating alcoholic beverages with water. They also urged students not to mix alcohol with substances such as marijuana, alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson. com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | November 16, 2018

Page 4

Editorial The Crimson Editorial board

op-ed

Putting the ‘L’ in Yale

The Destitution of Liberal Arts at Harvard

W

e here at The Crimson Editorial Board have often opined on the problems with The Game this year. We had trouble finding a time to go get tickets at the Smith Campus Center with our blockmates, we’re still not entirely sure why the Game was moved to Fen-

We remain concerned that this year’s Game faces logistical difficulties that might ruin the festivities — and it pains us to admit that we might be letting down our Connecticut counterparts this year, though perhaps not as much as they let down their families by not going to Harvard. way in the first place, and it sure seems that 10,000 men of Harvard wanted tailgates that day. We remain concerned that this year’s Game faces logistical difficulties that might ruin the festivities — and it pains us to admit that we might be letting down our Connecticut counterparts this year, though perhaps not as much as they let down their families by not going to Harvard.

Not to dwell on it, but imagine: Early Saturday morning, Harvard and Yale students will awake to the sound of the Harvard Band pounding up JFK St. Something, however, will not be the same. Instead of heading merrily across the bridge to Cumnock Field, they will trudge over to the Science Center Plaza (hopefully, per Dr. Paul J. Barreira’s advice, stopping at Annenberg for breakfast) to linger around Tanner Fountain.

Clambering onto the shuttle buses, they will endure the long journey over to Fenway. Given the recent wintry weather’s likely effect on travel conditions, who knows how many will wipe out on the way to the stadium, like Yale linemen against the Crimson wall? Who knows how many Saybrookians will risk hypothermia in the third quarter? Who knows if the body heat we will store from being crammed in the Ipswich Lot will last the duration of the Game?

Despite our concerns, we remain excited about the Game and all the promise it holds in store. We find it exceptionally deplorable that the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 have yet to see a Yale drubbing at Harvard’s hands. We hope that the Crimson’s victory will add light to our school’s superiority, much as Yalies added light to our motto instead of coming up with its own.

We’re holding out for an especially triumphant Harvard win this year, and we’re looking forward to celebrating in

the stands (and not storming the field) when they do. We’re hoping the Crimson can channel Fenway’s other red-clad team to strike a win against the Bulldogs.

If they do, attending the Game will have been more than worth it, and we at The Crimson have much faith in the Crimson’s ability to pull it off.

We hope the Crimson’s victory will add light to our school’s superiority, much as Yalies added light to our motto intsead of coming up with its own.

Ultimately, the Game is a chance to unwind and make merry before we all go off to celebrate that other great New England-based tradition, Thanksgiving. In that spirit, we urge our fellow students at Fenway to stay safe and have fun.

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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In a World Without Prisons

Activating collective imagination to develop alternatives to incarceration.

Salma Abdelrahman Searching for mentors in memories

I

n my sophomore year, the Women’s Center was always a space of comfort and healing. Despite being in the basement of a building, surrounded on all sides by brown-red earth and its darkness, I found beams of light there in hot tea, a collection of books, welcoming smiles, and couches where I could sit and unwind. Take down my guards. Breathe easily. The ground around its walls seem to hug me in rougher moments.

Last semester, the Women’s Center chose to honor Judge Rosemarie E. Aquilina as part of their #WomanCrushWednesday series. Aquilina had presided over the case against Larry G. Nassar, the doctor who committed acts of sexual violence against 160 survivors on the USA Gymnastics team. When the guilty verdict came in, Aquilina called his sentence of 40-175 years in prison a “death warrant” and later made comments implying that, if cruel and unusual punishment were constitutionally permissible, she would have him experience the same sexual violence that he had committed against the survivors.

When I saw the picture of Aquilina on the Women’s Center’s wall — soft smile, hair tied high into a slightly messy bun, white lace collar peeking out from under her robes of authority — this didn’t sit right with me. Why was the bondage of a human being for the rest of his life being celebrated? Why were they endorsing the retributive spirit behind Aquilina’s sentence? Why was the Women’s Center, a space of uplifting and healing, reinforcing and honoring systems and structures that subjugate and oppress the communities I am a part of? The underground walls suddenly felt constricting.

Aquilina’s decision fits into a broader justice system that uses prisons to solve society’s social issues. I don’t need to inundate you with the horrors of life in prison, or trace the historical lineage from slavery to prisons, or give you the statistics of how the prison-industrial complex is built to subjugate people of color, specifically black people; these arguments have been well researched and well articulated. I hear testimonies from those who have experienced the prison first hand — experienced the

injustice, trauma, torture, hopelessness — and it becomes increasingly clear to me: The existence of the prison is a moral failure. We know that we were not meant to put people in chains. We know that torture as a form of punishment reveals our darkest parts. We know that people are people no matter their worst actions. And still the social landscapes that we have helped to construct and uphold reveal a cognitive dissonance.

On top of that, people who are imprisoned for violent crimes like rape and murder are often victims of violence themselves, and by using the prison — hotbeds of physical, psychological and sexual brutality — as punishment, we complete and strengthen a cycle of violence that is self-reinforcing. When Aquilana made the claim that she would allow “someone or many people to do to [Nassar] what he did to others,” she must have known that by sentencing him to a life in prison this might happen to him. And who does this cycle of violence help? What issues does it solve?

The existence of the prison is a failure. We know that we were not meant to put people in chains. We know that torture as a form of punishment reveals our darkest parts. We know that people are people no matter their worst actions.

And still the social landscapes that we have helped to construct and uphold reveal a cognitive dissonance.

The solutions we have in place are not only morally bankrupt, they serve to worsen the problems they claim to remedy.

So how do we move forward? Liberal ideology espouses the idea that prisons can be made better, that these institutions can be “fixed” in some way to be more humane and tolerable. However, the act of reforming still normalizes bondage, makes dehumanization easier to swallow, and serves to absolve us of our collective guilt around imprisonment. Working within the confines of this social landscape, we forget that the existence of the prison is in fact not inevitable, and that we, through our actions — for example, honoring the retributive spirit around Aquilina’s decision — legitimize its existence every day. We can and must challenge ourselves to think more creatively: How can we work towards a vision for a bet-

ter world — a world without prisons?

Angela Davis was one of the first people to ask me this question. In her book “Are Prisons Obsolete?”, Davis calls into question the apparent permanence of the prison as a fixture in our social landscapes. The existence of the prison, she argues, is a shortcoming of our imagination and represents our willingness to disappear the problems that plague our world into buildings we never see or have to think about, rather than work collectively to fix them. Davis writes: “The most difficult and urgent challenge today is that of creatively exploring new terrains of justice, where the prison no longer serves as our major anchor.”

So what does this world without prisons look like? For me, this world is one that is committed to healing and rehabilitation based on the recognition of the full humanity of every individual. Rather than locking people up in response to criminality, a practice that destroys individuals, communities, and the moral spirit of those who do the incarceration, we can use restorative practices to heal what has been broken and to come to the best possible outcome for all. A world without prisons restores power in communities, building up, rather than tearing away, their members. A world without prisons works to ensure universal basic income, housing, and healthcare, recognizing that crime is inextricably linked to structures of poverty. A world without prisons builds upon social welfare systems to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

Obsoleting the prison is then an inherently positive project. This past summer in Chicago, I worked as a community organizer to mobilize three neighborhoods to invest in developing a community mental health center which would provide free mental health services to residents in the area. Chicago is a city that habitually locks up its residents suffering with mental illnesses in jails and prisons, which made the development of this center vital in envisioning a future without prisons. While the work I was doing had very little to do with the structure of the prison itself, it was still grounded in a vision of a social landscape that prioritized alternatives to human bondage. Through rooted actions like these, we can begin to provide salient, practical, and moral alternatives.

Beyond the confines of our imagination, a world without prisons is possible.

I see it and the walls around us all expand.

—Salma Abdelrahman ’20 is a Sociology concentrator in Eliot House. Her column appears on alternate Fridays.

By Noah D. Dasanaike

W

ith the concentration declaration period for sophomores now over, two major trends acting in opposition stand to change the face of Harvard. Concurrent with a decline in the humanities comes a rapid expansion of applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, arguably detrimental to higher education, learning, and more broadly, the world.

Often lovingly referred to as a “small liberal arts college in Boston,” Harvard has historically dominated the social sciences and the humanities, even as peer institutions have emphasized computer science and engineering.

Meanwhile, courses such as Computer Science 50: “Introduction to Computer Science I” have in recent years experienced drastic increases in en-

Concurrent with a decline in the humanities comes a rapid expansion of applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, arguably detrimental to higher education, learning, and more broadly, the world. rollment. Reporting by The Crimson last year revealed that from 2008 to last year, Computer Science rose from 86 concentrators in 2008 to 363 last year, and Applied Mathematics more than doubled in its count.

Additionally, English and Comparative Literature concentrator numbers have decreased significantly in their counts. Undergraduates might today be hard-pressed to find peers concentrating in these heavily humanities-centric fields.

Therein lies the troubling issue: The foundation of study which has historically made Harvard what it is is dying. And that is an issue which needs to be addressed.

Certainly, this isn’t an isolated incident. According to The Atlantic, humanities fields across the country, increasing history and English, have decreased in major counts in recent years.

And yet, as the single most prominent institution of higher education, it remains up to Harvard to determine the future. If the percentage of humanities and social science concentrators continues to decline, that trend will undoubtedly be reflected across the nation. If Harvard doesn’t take initiative in promoting these fields, it can be expected that no one else will, either.

To claim that the University is the most important institution in promoting education reform would be presumptuous. However, should Harvard, now under University President Lawrence S. Bacow, enact proper action promoting those studies which have experienced a marked decline, we may very well encourage other institutions to follow suit. Bacow’s recent listening tour was carried out with the intent of reaching out to peer univer-

The benefits of promoting the humanities and social sciences are numerous. Creativity, logical thinking, and reasoning are all necessary life skills, and proper communication is imperative to excel in professional environments. sities, looking to establish mutual pathways of development. Traveling to his birthplace of Detroit, he met community members and argued for the importance of higher education.

The benefits of promoting the humanities and social sciences are numerous. Creativity, logical thinking, and reasoning are all necessary life skills, and proper communication is imperative to excel in professional environments. And, after all, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Without scholars understanding economics, government, and sociology, the foundations of our society have no basis.

It’s undeniably great that Harvard has an updated curriculum providing students with important knowledge in computer science and engineering, but to ignore other fields is to ignore the very foundations of our culture, our society, and our existence.

There’s a frequently-used joke about the uselessness of non-science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Engineering is commonly touted as the end-all be-all for a successful career, and the liberal arts are seemingly only useful for research and scholarly purposes. Economics is for “snakes,” English is for secondary school teachers, and gender studies is totally and utterly useless.

Maybe they’re all right. Maybe science fields ensures the highest chance of a stable, post-undergraduate career, and maybe the humanities are ultimately useless. But life is about more than that — it’s about financial stability and economic portfolios, of postmodern traditionalism and normality.

To current freshmen: Don’t give in to the pressure. Don’t think that you need to take CS50 to be successful, don’t think you need to concentrate in economics to make money, and don’t think that everyone can (or should) try to follow the same path to success. Because in the end, we only have one life to live — live it as you desire.

—Noah D. Dasanaike ’20, a Crimson Editorial comper, lives in Canaday Hall.

ARTS

The Harvard Crimson | NOVEMBER 16, 2018 | page 5

FILM

‘wIDOWS’ is the dEFINITIVE hEIST fILM of 2018 DERRICK OCHIAGHA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Courtesy of Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The heist film genre is often one defined by wish fulfilment.

Films like “Now You See Me,” “Inception,” and “Ocean’s 11” have helped set the standard for the contemporary caper: The overly charismatic, smarter-than-you-could-everhope-to-be protagonist anchors an action-heavy thrill ride with a notable set piece, humor, and a persistently adventurous tone. It would appear that one of the main goals for director Steve McQueen with “Widows” is to deconstruct the heist film, from the expected narrative conventions to the degree of social relevance such films can maintain.

The film’s initial premise is sellable and engaging: It sees the widows of four high-level burglars forced to finish off their husbands’ final job after they’re murdered in action.

It’s in the development of the titular widows, though, that the movie truly shines. Viola Davis stars as Veronica Rawlins, the widow who comes up with the idea to carry out her husband’s five million dollar heist and becomes the de facto head of the group of women who work to pull it off.

As is often the case, Davis delivers a beguiling, nuanced performance: She expertly exhibits the pain of a woman left financially and emotionally compromised by the loss of her husband, and the unimaginable toll of carrying out her late partner’s plans. And this is not to deemphasize the work of the film’s other leading women, including a stoic yet layered performance by Michelle Rodriguez as

Linda Perelli, and a realistic look at battered womanhood through Elizabeth Debicki’s Alice Gunner. The first-rate work from the all-star cast enrichens the film from its outset.

“Widows” is not just a heist film — it is a heist film made distinctly for modern day audiences. While this statement might seem obvious, it is still an important distinction to make. “Widows” holds a light up to problems currently facing American citizens: Racial tension, police brutality, and sexism are subtly highlighted and expertly portrayed.

McQueen refuses to indulge in the escapist fantasies promoted by previous theatrical heists. The “Ocean”’s franchise might be the most egregious such example, itself delivering an all-female led caper earlier this year. “Ocean’s 8,” starring the likes of Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway, opened last June to a sizable box office (nearly $300 million worldwide) but middling reviews from critics, many critiquing its lack of stakes, incongruous tone, and generally unrealistic narrative.

“Widows,” despite coming out the same year, works as a sort of reaction piece: McQueen adds greater depth to his film by presenting it as an affecting character study first, and a heist thriller second.

McQueen’s inventive directorial hand, too, effortlessly elevates the picture, delivering shot after shot that heighten otherwise mundane scenes. One such instance occurs after Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell), a sleazy local politician on the campaign trail who is the target of the heist, angrily rants to his secretary after being grilled by a reporter during a stop at a low-income community. As he raves ceaselessly about the reporter and state of the neighborhood while

being driven back home, McQueen chooses not to depict the actual conversation. Instead, McQueen takes his shot outside of the car and focuses on the neighborhood in question, presenting a slow, consistent shot of the district and its gradual gentrification as they arrive to Mulligan’s house. This transgressive directorial choice immediately provides two ways of interpreting the scene: the present conversation and the neighborhood as it actually exists.

The film’s variety of twists and turns similarly maintain consistent audience engagement. The screenplay, copenned by McQueen and “Gone Girl” scribe Gillian Flynn, is relentless in its efforts to subvert audience expectations.

The film’s marketing, for example, leads viewers to assume the four widows taking on the job to be Davis, Rodriguez, Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo, the movie’s top-billed actresses. It’s made clear early on that this is the film’s first subversion, with the fourth widow actually being played

by Carrie Coon. Erivo’s Belle character is actually a single mother working as the babysitter to Linda’s children, and not a titular widow. So what is the role of the fourth widow? And how does Erivo fit into the broader narrative?

You’d have to check out the film to find out.

Steve McQueen’s “Widows” is an exercise in denial in all the best ways. He denies audiences the escapist fantasy they’ve come to expect from heist films. He denies viewers their preconceived notions for his film specifically through various twists. Essentially, he denies the fact that there is a conventional path for heist movies by charting a new one entirely. With strong performances, innovative direction, and unflinching social commentary, “Widows” positions itself as the definitive heist film of 2018.

THEATER

Second Harvard Black Playwrights Festival Comes to Farkas Hall ZORANDA Y. MONTEMAYOR LOPEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER Last weekend marked the second Black Playwrights Festival at Harvard, during which both renowned black playwrights and black students at the College showcased their works over the course of several days. Their opening night featured performance excerpts from “Pass Over” by Antoinette C. Nwandu ’02 and Phillip Howze’s “Frontieres san Frontieres,” each followed by conversations between the two playwrights about their works as well as a Q&A session with the audience.

Nwandu, a playwright, currently lives in Brooklyn and writes for theater and television. Her piece, “Pass Over,” portrays a blend of modern settings and biblical allusions, detailing a conversation between a man named Moses and his friend as they speak casually about their desires to rise socioeconomically and the issue of police brutality.

“The reason I wrote this play was because I was and am still very angry about the state-sanctioned killings of young, black men, and so I just want audience members to be able to embrace and contemplate the humanity of these young characters,” Nwandu said.

Nwandu also had some thoughts about the power of theater and expression. “I think playwriting is a space of empathy,” Nwandu said. “If I can receive a story about someone who is different from me, but sense their humanity and our shared humanity, then I am a better person.”

Phillip Howze was the second playwright to have his excerpt showcased that night,

his piece “Frontieres san Frontieres” depicting what he calls “a play of clowns.” Howze is a newly appointed playwriting lecturer in the Theater, Dance, and Media department.

“I’m really interested in what it means for characters to express a sense of deep embarrassment or humiliation that shows us their soul,” Howze said. “I really embrace that kind of primal sense of recreation and play and creativity which is kind of childlike.”

Both 10 minute excerpts were performed by current students at the College, including Julius Z. R. Wade ’20 and Ruva Chigwedere ’21.

“It’s just all in my mind of matter really, channeling different versions and aspects of yourself, twisting and bending them to the people that you’re playing, that you’re representing and bringing to life,” Wade said about performing and embodying the characters in “Pass Over.”

Chigwedere is an actress and one of the students taking initiative to maintain the vitality of the festival, subbing in last minute to play a role in Howze’s “Frontieres san Frontieres.”

“I found it so moving tonight that we are in Farkas Hall, where a lot of people have performed at Harvard University, and there were two black creatives who had complete authority over the room at Harvard University,” Chigwedere said. “I thought that was one of the most spectacular, moving things that I’ve been a part of in my entire time at Harvard.”

SPORTS

WEEKEND EVENT

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY ______________________________________

SATURDAY ______________________________________

SUNDAY ______________________________________

Men’s and Women’s Swimming vs. Columbia Blodgett Pool

The Game 12 pm, Fenway Park

Wrestling Keystone Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Notebook: Harvard Bests UMass in First Road Game

By AMIR MAMDANI CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

A week into the 2018-2019 campaign, Harvard traveled to Amherst for its first road game of the season - it proved to be a test that made the 90 mile trip down Mass Pike well worthwhile for the Crimson. Harvard clung on to secure a 74-71 win over UMass, a result that Coach Tommy Amaker will hope to be the first of several solid road wins.

As road-trips to URI, the University of San Francisco, and Saint Mary’s over Thanksgiving looms large, the Crimson will look to continue searching for consistency. An impressive victory on the road was an encouraging result for a young Harvard team that is without junior stalwarts Bryce Aiken and Seth Towns. ­

BENCH AND BALANCE Without Towns and with Chris Lewis coming up gimpy several times Tuesday night, players like Henry Welsh, Robert Baker, and Noah Kirkwood all saw extended court time. Their performances, coupled with solid efforts from starters Lewis, Djuricic, Juzang, Haskett, and Bassey, resulted in a team victory over the Minutemen.

While UMass’ Luwane Pipkins exploded for 36 of the team’s 71 points, the Crimson’s victory demonstrated the archetypal “bench and balance” mentality that Coach Amaker has frequently extolled.

“Yeah I mean we talk a lot about our bench and our balance,” Amaker said. “Those two B-words will be critical for our team, they have been in the past for certain teams and I think this is going to ring true for our team as we go down the stretch on the road.”

With seven players scoring six or more points apiece, it took a complete team effort to knock off the Minutemen. While no player scored more than Lewis’ 16 points, different players had crucial offensive moments throughout the game.

Welsh’s first career three-pointer helped quell a UMass run, Kirkwood’s energy off the bench repeatedly galvanized Harvard, and crucial 2-for-2 efforts at the free-throw line from Juzang and Bassey in

DROP THE BASS-EY Junior guard Justin Bassey scans the court for a teammate against MIT. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

the last minute helped seal the victory.

DOWN TO THE WIRE Tuesday night’s game at the Mullins Center was, unsurprisingly, a nail-biter that came down to the final possession of the night. A Pipkins half-court effort rattled off of the rim, allowing the visitors to breathe a sigh of relief, as Harvard improved to 2-1 on the young season.

The Crimson win was another addition to the record of spectacular basketball games between the two programs, and represented the fifth consecutive matchup decided by 2 possessions or fewer. Last season’s game was settled in equally dramatic fashion, as Aiken drilled an overtime three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining to give Harvard the 70-67 win.

“I think it’s great for us, I think it’s great for Harvard,” Minutemen coach Matt McCall said of the budding rivalry between the Massachusetts programs. “You know it’s always going to be a battle, and it’s a really good game to prepare us going forward for A-10 play.”

The Crimson led for all 20 minutes of the first half, and well into the second frame, but a Pipkens-inspired run by UMass cut the deficit and brought the Mullins Center crowd to its feet.

Nevertheless, Harvard weathered each Minutemen run, as the hosts never led by more than one point. A combination of good free-throw shooting, rebounding, and crucial stops down the stretch helped the Crimson seal the game.

LEWIS’ LAYUPS Through three games this sea-

son, Lewis’ impact has been unmistakable as the team searches for scoring without Towns and Aiken. The junior from Alpharetta, Ga., has scored almost 18 points per game thus far, on a ridiculous 77.4 percent shooting from the field.

What’s more, the forward is only averaging 23 minutes a game, allowing him to stay fresh as Harvard eases into the season.

Lewis is the only scorer on the team averaging double-figures, and his presence on both the offensive and defensive end will be crucial if the Crimson hopes to make Ivy League, and NCAA Tournament runs.

“We play inside-out, we play through Lewis,” Amaker said.

“He’s our post presence, we went to him early… it changes things when you have a guy like that that you can throw it into.”

With a sky-high shooting percentage, and with his ability to attract extra defensive attention to help free-up teammates, Lewis can afford to be even more aggressive in kick-starting the Harvard offense. For as long as Towns and Aiken remain out, the forward will be the lynchpin on the offensive end.

LOOKING AHEAD With the road portion of the schedule underway, the Crimson will head to Kingston, R.I. this friday night for a matchup with another A-10 foe, URI. The Rams knocked off Oklahoma in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last season, before falling to Duke.

URI boasts a deep roster of talent, including junior forward Cyril Langevine. Langevine has averaged 14 points per game

through the Rams’ first three games, and was a high-school teammate of Aiken’s at the St. Patrick’s school, graduating in the same year as the injured Harvard guard.

As URI looms, the Crimson will hope to rekindle the team effort it put forth Tuesday, on Friday night and beyond.

“They weren’t going to beat themselves,” said coach McCall. “Every single mistake we made, they capitalized on, and that’s what really good teams do.”

Harvard will look to continue to be a good team, emphasizing fundamental basketball.

For the Crimson, if the turnovers, rebounding margin, and bench points are under control, the team can expect many more nights like Tuesday. amir.mamdani@thecrimson.com

MEN’S SQUASH

Crimson Routs Northeastern, 9-0 in Opening Match

MORE BARK THAN BITE The Northeastern Huskies were swept, 9-0, and lost all their individual matches by 3-0 decisions.. TIMOTHY R. O’ MEARA —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

By WILLIAM BOGGS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

No. 2 Harvard (1-0) lived up to its national ranking, opening up its 2018-2019 season with a resounding 9-0 sweep of Northeastern. Picking up on its 13-3 campaign in 2017-2018, the ­

Crimson showed dominance within each of the nine matches as well, winning by score of 3-0 in every one.

Headlining the effort was sophomore Samuel Scherl at the No. 1 position in the Harvard lineup. Providing backup, freshman George Crowne con-

trolled No. 2 en route to his first collegiate victory and sophomore Adam Corcoran cruised to a win at No. 3. Complementing the talent at the top, the depth of the Crimson lineup proved just as vital to Harvard’s thorough rout. In fact, senior Rana Bansal powered his way to the

most dominant performance of the day at the No.7 position. In the course of three games, Bansal surrendered just one single point, amassing an aggregate 33-1 advantage in points.

Achieving the lopsided margin, Bansal credited his game to executing the fundamentals with

precision.

“I tried to just focus on my length and my shots and stick to the basics of what I knew,” Bansal said.

In keeping it simple, Bansal prioritized finesse and placement over power, leading him to cool-headed, steady rallies and setting himself up for the chance for crafty shot-making after getting into a rhythm.

Strategically, as a team, the Crimson showed great shot-making prowess in its victory. Running opponents all over the court, alternating power and finesse, and playing shots off of the walls at sharp angles, Harvard seemed to have too great a repertoire for the Huskies to handle. When Northeastern did adjust, the Crimson responded immediately. In his triumph, senior Stephen Monrad alternated shot speed to keep his opponent on his toes.

“I started out with a lot of power. He began to get used to it. He moved back in the T, so I had to try to finish up with a little finesse,” Monrad explained.

With a win under its belt, the Crimson will look to use the complete performance as a jumping-off point to build momentum for the rest of the season. To Bansal, this match can have implications beyond just gameday.

“This is the first match — this sets the tone for the whole year,” the senior said.

Despite the hot start, Harvard is by no means satisfied.

While the squad considers the match a necessary first step to a successful campaign, team members say a lot of work is still to be done.

“It’s good to get a win, but we have a long way to go to where we want to be,” Monrad explained.

Shifting focus to the rest of the season, Bansal also echoed that, in the grand scheme of the season, this match is simply a starting point for future success.

“We have a lot of big matches coming up…. This was a way to kind of get the legs moving and for guys to get warmed up and ready to go,” Bansal said.

Looking to the future, the team has no trepidation about setting lofty goals.

“The expectation: we want to be national champions,” Monrad said. “This is just one step of the way there.”

In its quest for a national championship, the Crimson will encounter one of its toughest schedule stretches after Thanksgiving but before the semester break. Harvard returns to play on Nov. 28 against Tufts before squaring off with No. 22 MIT on Nov. 30 and then No.7 Dartmouth on Dec. 5.

In the quest for the national championship, the team will have to navigate its way through the difficult weeks to come.