The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLV, No. 10 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018
The Harvard Crimson The presidential search committee should prioritize factors beyond financial acumen. Staff Editorial PAGE 4
Women’s Squash dominates Trinity College and Drexel University. Sports PAGE 7
Harvard Could Choose Outsider
Students, Admins Negotiate Voter List
By Caroline S. EngelMayer and Michael E. Xie
By Shera s. avi-yonah and molly c. mccafferty
Crimson Staff Writers
Crimson Staff Writers
Lawrence H. Summers was long gone from Harvard Yard when he got the call. Roger G. Stone Jr. ’45—chair of Harvard’s 2001 presidential search committee—phoned Summers to tell him he was the committee’s first choice to serve as the University’s 27th president. Stone later flew to make the offer in person, touching down in Washington, D.C., where Summers was working as Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. A week later, Summers accepted. After 10 years away from Cambridge, he would return. Stone’s foray beyond the gates of Harvard Yard marked a somewhat unusual move for a Universty
the consequences of public distrust in societal leaders. “Distrust leads to political polarization, widespread anxiety about the future, and uncertainty in domestic affairs and international relations. And these symptoms then reinforce the loss of trust, creating a vicious circle,” the two wrote. The deans then offered suggestions for business and government leaders to reverse the downward trend in public confidence and highlighted several core qualities of effective leadership. The best leaders, the deans argued, must value truth and evidence in decision-making. The authors cited billionaire Warren Buffett and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as individuals who showcased this truth and honesty. Elmendorf and Nohria also wrote about the importance of respect for individuals of all backgrounds, citing the work of Apple CEO Tim Cook as an example of a business leader effectively creating an inclusive organization. Another key quality, the deans wrote, is the ability of leaders to
Graduate student union organizers and University representatives are currently negotiating over the date when the University will generate the list of eligible voters for the upcoming second unionization election. The timing could influence the composition of the list, as graduate and undergraduate students’ teaching status may change depending on when the list is generated, according to Director of Labor and Employee Relations Paul R. Curran. In a letter to The Crimson, Curran wrote that the University aims to generate the voter list in mid-March, after most students have finalized their teaching and research appointments for the semester. “On the November 2016 election: the University learned a lot and has taken steps to modify our processes in preparation for a second election. A clear lesson is that sufficient time is required to create the best possible list,” Curran wrote in the letter, published Sunday. Andrew B. Donnelly, a Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers organizer, said the union wants the list to be generated in February in order to provide more time for HGSU-UAW to address any potential issues with the list. The voter list was a point of contention in the original Nov. 2016 unionization election, when HGSU-UAW claimed that the voter list the University provided was insufficient. The subsequent legal battle and administrative deadlock stalled the unionization process for over a year. In December, the federal National Labor Relations Board upheld a previous decision which found that the Nov. 2016 voter lists were inadequate, effectively mandating a second election. “In the November 2016 election, Harvard gave its incomplete list to us three weeks before the election, which meant we didn’t have time to discover the over 500 omissions,” Donnelly wrote in an emailed statement Monday. “An earlier list means more time to check its accuracy. If a February list doesn’t include all the eligible workers, Harvard can amend the list. Why wait an extra month, shortening the time for errors to be corrected?” he added.
See OPINE Page 3
See union Page 5
See external Page 3
ELENA M. RAMOS—Crimson Designer
Nohria, Elmendorf Pen Piece on Good Leaders By ANDREW J. PARK Crimson Staff Writer
The public lacks confidence in both government and business leaders, Business School Dean Nitin Nohria and Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf wrote in an editorial for the non-profit media website “Project Syndicate” Monday. Using examples of effective leadership from across the public and private sectors, Nohria and Elmendorf argued that leaders must demonstrate certain traits in order to regain the trust of their constituents. Their editorial on leadership comes as Harvard searches for its 29th president—a role faculty and alumni say could be filled by Nohria himself. The deans opened their op-ed with two statistics from the Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures public trust in governments, businesses, NGOs, and media organizations around the world. According to their 2017 poll, 63 percent of people globally consider CEOs not credible or only somewhat credible. This percentage rises to 71 percent for government officials. Elmendorf and Nohria warned of
Trade policy at the iop
Michael B. Froman fields questions at Tuesday night’s event at the IOP. Kai r. Mcnamee—Crimson photographer
After Gen Ed Delay, Confusion Remains
Allstonians Divided Over West Station Plan
By Angela n. fu
By TRUELIAN LEE and JACQUELINE P. PATEL
Crimson Staff Writer
Crimson Staff Writers
As administrators postpone the rollout of the long-awaited new Program in General Education, students continue to express confusion over how they will fulfill their requirements. Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced last Monday that the revamped General Education requirements will take full effect in fall 2019, a year later than originally scheduled. Affected students—current freshmen and sophomores—have met his announcement with uncertainty as they struggle to determine what the changes will mean for them. The overhauled system of General Education requirements will replace one that is “failing on a variety of fronts,” according to a report compiled in 2015. While administrators have yet to iron out all the details of the program, they have determined that
Harvard’s recent pledge to spend $50 million to construct a transit station in Allston left some locals hopeful for the future; others, though, say they wish the University would do more. In Oct. 2014, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed connecting Allston to Boston and the surrounding area through a new commuter rail station called West Station, slated to be built on Harvard-owned land near Beacon Park Yard. Harvard committed at the time to pay one third of the building costs. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation originally planned to complete West Station by 2025, but late last year announced it will instead begin construction nearly two decades later in 2040, in part due to financial concerns. After state politicians and citizens
See GEN ED Page 3
See WEST Page 5
Inside this issue
Harvard Today 2
News 3
Editorial 4
Construction is well underway on the Allston campus across the Charles River from the College. Harvard will contribute $50 million to a transit station in the area. Jacqueline S. chea—Crimson photographer
Sports 7
Today’s Forecast
mostly sunny High: 33 Low: 27
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The Little Green
HARVARD TODAY
WEDNESDAY | January 31, 2018
FOR Lunch
FOR DINNER
Red Spiced Chicken
Chicken Breast with Pico Da Gallo
Three-Cheese Rotini Bake with Sausage Sauce Green Garbanzo Falafel Sandwich
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
around the ivies Yale College Receives Record Number of Applications The Yale Daily News reported that with 35,305 applicants, Yale College received the largest number of applicants in its history. Applications rose from 32,891 last year, a 7.3 percent increase, making it the largest increase from year-toyear in at least five years. While 842 students have already received offers of admission under the early action program, many more students will hear back from the college on Wednesday, March 28. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jeremiah Quinlan said that the college is focusing on the “quality” of the applicants rather than the increase in number. “As always, we do not measure success simply by the number of applications we receive,” Quinlan said. “Quality matters much more to the admissions committee than quantity.”
Columbia to Challenge Graduate Student Union in Federal Courts
Rob riemen at the Book STORE Rob Riemen discusses his new book “To Fight Against This Age: On Facism and Humanism” at the Harvard Book Store Tuesday night. ALLISON G. LEE — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Happy Wednesday, harvard! Happy Wednesday, Harvard. It’s hump day, and we couldn’t be happier to have the weekend in sight. In the Atmosphere… Things are looking up: Get ready for mostly sunny skies and temperatures peaking at a scorching 34 degrees.
EVENTS Crimson Open House In case you missed it on Monday, now is your chance to come check out the Crimson building and hear about why you should COMP FLYBY! We will have SNACKS! 14 Plympton St., 7-8:30 p.m.
book talk is for you. He will be speaking on his new book How Democracies Die at the Cambridge Public Library at 7 p.m. Sophie G. Garrett Crimson Staff Writer
According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, University Provost John H. Coatsworth has announced that Columbia will not bargain with graduate students, instead choosing to move the issue to federal court. Last spring, graduate students voted to unionize, a decision that triggered the university to file multiple injunctions. Coatsworth has stated that Columbia has refused to bargain with the student union “until the legal process has been allowed to run its course.”
Dean of the Cornell Business School Abruptly Resigns The Cornell Daily Sun reported that Dean Soumitra Dutta of the Business School resigned yesterday without any warning. Dutta had only been dean for less than two years. Spokesperson John Carberry refused to speak about the resignation, stating that the University had not yet commented on Dutta’s sudden departure. L. Joseph Thomas, former Dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, will take over on an interim basis.
Levitsky Gives Book Talk If you miss the glory days of Levitsky’s lectures in Gov 20, this
in the real world Rest in Peace, Puck from Glee Don’t lie, we know you wasted plenty of middle school nights singing along to Glee. In all seriousness, rest in peace Mark Salling, more commonly known as “Puck” to Glee fans.
STAYING WARM AT WINTERFEST The Science Center Plaza hosts its annual Plaza WinterFest featuring food trucks and outdoor activities including a fire pit. GRIFFIN R. ANDRES — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Apple is Getting Investigated Both the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into Apple after the company released a software update that slowed down older iPhones. Is this a security violation? Looks like Apple has some explaining to do.
The SOTU Happened President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address last night. We heard a lot of celebrations of the new tax plan, and optimism over the booming economy. Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III delivered the Democratic response from Fall River, Mass.
Free Food Watch Again, Comp Flyby at the Crimson Open House We promise that we’ll have snacks. We’re talking chips, Oreos, all that is good in the world. Roll through from 7-8:30 p.m. .
The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 Derek G. Xiao, President Hannah Natanson, Managing Editor Nathan Y. Lee, Business Manager Copyright 2018, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.
WAIting at the dot
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Staff for This Issue
“I never fully understood the system in the first place, so moving forward, it’s [the delay] just going to make it even more unsure and confusing.” - J. Caleb Stickney ’21 on the Gen Ed RollOut Delay
Night Editor Joshua J. Florence ’19
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.
Brian P. Yu ’19 Phelan Yu ’19
Assistant Night Editors Design Editor Elena M. Ramos ’20 Aidan F. Ryan ’21 Lucas Ward ‘20 Editorial Editor Caleb J. Esrig ’20 Story Editors Brittany N. Ellis ’19 Photo Editors Joshua J. Florence ’19 Ellis J. Yeo ’20 Mia C. Karr ’19 Hannah Natanson ’19 Margaret F. Ross ’19 Claire E. Parker ’19 Alison W. Steinbach ’19
Sports Editor Cade Palmer ’19
The Harvard Crimson | January 31, 2018 | page 3
Harvard Could Select Outsider President HLS Profs Ranked as Most Cited External From Page 1
presidential searcher. Past Harvard search committees have often stayed close to home, pulling the University’s next leader directly from the ranks of current employees. Four of Harvard’s last seven presidents were already on the University’s payroll when past committees handed them the keys to Massachusetts Hall. Nonetheless, some experts say this year’s search committee should consider candidates external to the University, those who work far from campus. These analysts say Harvard might benefit from an infusion of new talent. The committee—which began searching for the successor to University President Drew G. Faust over the summer—may be following that advice. In December, The Crimson reported the committee had whittled its candidate pool to under 20 finalists; at least three individuals external to the University may be on that shortlist. Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley ’82 said in a Dec. 2017 interview that he “expects” to see World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, University of Michigan President Mark S. Schlissel, and Broad Institute President Eric S. Lander on the under-20 list. Kim in particular appears to have caught the committee’s eye—sources close to the World Bank leader say he has been in touch with the committee and is debating the pros and cons of the University’s top job with friends and advisors. Some analysts say an external choice like Kim affords two major advantages: A candidate with top credentials in a non-Harvard role would bring a novel point of view and might be better able to navigate federal scrutiny while also wielding global clout. The search committee likely looked at external candidates from the beginning, according to John W. Etchemendy, a former Stanford provost who has advised past Harvard searchers. Etchemendy—a candidate in Harvard’s 2007 presidential search—said he thinks one of the group’s first steps involved compiling a list of provosts and presidents at other universities and combing through the document for hours.
He said he thinks seeking an outsider is a smart move. “There’s always an advantage of bringing new perspectives, and that is a genuine advantage,” Etchemendy said. “I don’t think it swamps the disadvantage of not knowing the institution or not knowing the people.” Some Medical School professors said they also think an external candidate would be a boon to the University. They pointed in particular to the fresh viewpoint Kim would bring to the job, if the committee selects him. “He would create some new programs that the rest of us haven’t thought of yet,” said Marshall A. Wolf, who worked with Kim at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. John G. Meara, a professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, wrote in an email in January that he thinks Kim would likely have the “courage” to take a hard look at Harvard and make the difficult changes and decisions any large university might need. Judging by their backgrounds and past interviews, some of the University’s 15 searchers might also prefer a president hailing from outside Harvard Yard. Some members of the search committee themselves lack educational or professional ties to the University. For example, former Princeton president Shirley M. Tilghman and recent Corporation appointee and private equity mogul David M. Rubenstein joined Harvard’s highest governing body without attending or working at the University beforehand. “I think if you’re as important to the country as Harvard is you probably need to take a look at whether you should only have Harvard graduates doing certain things,” Rubenstein said in a May 2017 interview. “Harvard has had a number of presidents, for example, who did not go to Harvard.” “I’m not a Harvard graduate and I hope that they’ll think there’s a plus in that because I can bring to the table the perspective of somebody who didn’t go to Harvard,” he added. Havard’s next president will inherit a bouquet of federal and legislative challenges, ranging from a Department of Justice probe into Harvard’s admissions practices to Republican legislation that could prevent the Universi-
ty from enforcing its penalties on single-gender social groups. Faust spent considerable time during final year of her presidency in the role of congressional lobbyist, traveling to D.C. to meet with lawmakers like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. It seems likely Faust’s successor will need to do the same. Some experts say the national political climate means Harvard’s next president must be politically savvy and experienced at navigating the legislative process. An external candidate with government chops could better serve this role, some said. “A lot of folks in the elite liberal circles just don’t understand how we can be in this situation and I don’t claim to fully understand why we are—I’m amazed by it as well,” said Rudy N. Brioché, a former director of the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Organization. “Being able to engage it and navigate it requires someone who has a certain level of comfort with the government, with the policy-making process, and to be very much a part of that.” While familiarity with the government might be helpful, the University’s next leader also has to be somebody whose understanding and reputation extend beyond the borders of the United States, some professors and alumni said. These criteria, too, may be more likely met by an external candidate, according to analysts. Brioché said he wants a “globalist,” someone who has spent a lot of time in far-flung locales around the world. “You need someone who is a globalist because that is just the reality of the world,” he said. “Beyond whether we can retrench into our corners, it has to be someone who is willing to engage—not just with the federal government but someone who is truly a globalist and is able to engage the world.” Arthur M. Kleinman, a professor at the Medical School, agreed. Kleinman said he wants a candidate who will “globalize” Harvard. The next president should be “committed to taking on the major issues in the world,” he said. The line between internal and external candidates is not always clear-cut.
Often, external contenders for the Harvard presidency—those employed outside the school during the search process—previously worked at or received degrees from their potential employer. Harvard’s 26th president, Neil L. Rudenstine—a top executive at the Mellon Foundation when he got the nod for the University’s premier job—taught at Harvard in his thirties. Nathan M. Pusey ’28, who preceded Rudenstine, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University, though he was working as president of Lawrence University when he decamped for Massachusetts Hall. Etchemendy said he thinks presidential candidates who can bring both Harvard and non-Harvard experience are most likely to fill the role well. “Sometimes you do get cases where the person… went to Harvard, or spent half of his or her career on the Harvard faculty but then went someplace else and is coming back,” Etchemendy said. “Then you do get a little bit of the best of both worlds because the person knows the institution—maybe not current players—but at least knows the institution and also brings outside perspective.” To others, the issue of internal or external is unimportant. Some search experts and professors said Harvard’s searchers should place little importance on the extent of candidates’ prior experience with the University. Isaac Stein, who chaired the search committee that selected Stanford’s current president, wrote in an email that he thinks the Harvard search committee should take a broad view. “I do not believe that internal vs external is the big issue. It is just one factor in the analysis,” Stein wrote. “Even with a great internal candidate, you would still go through the full search process.” Jonathan M. Hansen, a senior lecturer in social studies, agreed. “I always think fresh blood is nice in all institutions, but it doesn’t matter,” Hansen said. “We could get someone from outside who’s a disaster, we could get someone from inside who’s a disaster.” Harvard’s presidential search is now approaching its eighth month.
Nohria and Students Confused After Gen Ed Delay Elmendorf Opine on Leadership gen ed From Page 1
OPINE From Page 1 balance and learn from a variety of different and conflicting viewpoints in a civil manner. In the fall, Elmendorf led the Kennedy School through several controversies surrounding contentious speakers, with protests at a speech by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and after the school withdrew Chelsea Manning’s fellowship following backlash from within and beyond the University. Nohria and Elmendorf emphasized one final quality essential to effective leadership: the best leaders seek to improve the lives of their citizens or customers.
students must take three courses in the Science and Engineering, Arts and Humanities, and Social Science divisions in addition to four General Education classes across a variety of fields. Current freshmen and sophomores will graduate under the new requirements, though they may use current General Education courses to fulfill their requirements. Many students—freshmen in particular—claimed they do not fully understand how the program works, and they said the delay has only exacerbated their confusion. “I never fully understood the system in the first place, so moving forward, it’s [the delay] just going to make it even more unsure and confusing,” J. Caleb Stickney ’21 said. Andrew D. Crawford ’21 said the timing of the announcement resulted in “a lot of stress” as he had to contend with a change in his initial concentration plans.
“I thought it was pretty weird, especially as I was coming into this new semester,” Crawford said. “I thought I knew what major I wanted coming in here, but last semester I found that wasn’t what I wanted to do. So I took a Gen Ed course, and it’s just confusing trying to figure out what transferred.” In an interview last week, director of the General Education program Stephanie H. Kenen said that designing courses that will fit into the new system is taking longer than initially expected, and a delay will ultimately result in a stronger program. Ava M. Hampton ’21 said she thought the new policies were “unclear.” She said she planned to continue taking old General Education classes due to a familiarity with the old system. “I’m probably going to end up fulfilling the old requirements just because I understand what they are more clearly,” Hampton said. Still, others remained unconcerned and even welcomed the delay. John Schaefer ’21 said he felt “com-
fortable” with the transition and praised the flexibility in the requirements. “To be perfectly honest, I’ve been taking classes under the impression that I’ll fulfill the requirements eventually,” Schaeffer said. Brandyn H. Ulrich ’21 also said he was not overly concerned about fulfilling his requirements even though he found the transition to be an “inconvenience.” “I think enough of it is similar to where I have a good enough wunderstanding now, so I’m not too worried about what classes count for what Gen Eds,” Ulrich said. Hampton said she recognized the importance of postponing the new system, which she called “a good first step.” “Advisers will be able to give better advice because I feel like a lot of them weren’t exactly sure what the new program required either,” Hampton said. “I feel like once there’s more time to familiarize everyone with the new requirements, it’ll be a much better system.”
By aidan f. ryan Crimson Staff Writer
Twelve of the top 100 most-cited law professors of all time teach at Harvard Law School, according to the Social Science Research Network. Professors Lucian A. Bebchuk and Steven Shavell took the first two spots. An electronic service that aims to make research papers and scholarly articles easily accessible, the SSRN contains over 650,000 documents by more than 360,000 authors. The service calculates the number of citations each author receives in other papers in the SSRN’s e-library. These citations only count for public, full-text papers. The rankings are updated every year, and Bebchuk retained his spot at number one. “The rankings reflect the significant impact that the Harvard Law School faculty has on policy research and the legal academy,” Bebchuk wrote in an email. Law Professor Cass R. Sunstein ’75, who ranks in fourth place with 1,484 citations, said he thinks there is a significant benefit to publishing work on SSRN.
“The rankings reflect the significant impact that the Harvard Law School faculty has.” Lucian A. Bebchuk “I think it’s a good thing if you have a paper that’s published and that could benefit from the comments and criticisms of others,” Sunstein said. “You can send it to the Social Science Research Network and you’ll often get some very helpful reactions.” The list also includes Law professors Louis Kaplow, Reinier H. Kraakman ’71, Mark J. Roe, Jesse M. Fried ’86, Alma Cohen, Allen Ferrell, John Coates IV, Oren Bar-Gill, and J. Mark Ramseyer. Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82 wrote in a statement he was impressed with the rankings. “This extraordinarily strong showing attests to the Harvard Law School faculty’s deep commitment to research and the scholarly enterprise,” Manning wrote. Sunstein previously placed high in a 2016 study by professors at the University of St. Thomas Law School examining the frequency of law review article citations nationwide. That study highlighted gender disparities in citations. Of the 12 Harvard Law School professors who ranked in the SSRN top 100, only one—Alma Cohen—is a woman. —Staff writer Aidan F. Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @AidanRyanNH.
Grad Student Rent to Increase by 1% On Avg. By Shera S. Avi-Yonah Crimson Staff Writer
R ent for Universit y-owned apartments will increase bet ween zero and three percent for leases beg inning in the 2018-2019 academic year, Har vard Universit y Housing announced earlier this month. Next yea r ’s prices, which include utilities, will ra nge from $1,332 to $5,106 per month. Last year, g raduate students saw a 2.5 percent increase in rent for existing tenants and three percent for new tenants. At the same time, stipends for g raduate st udents increased by only 1.5 percent in response to poor ret urns on Harvard’s endowment. To determine the rents for the approximately 3,000 Universit y-owned apartments, an external contractor analyzes sources such as of f-ca mpus renta ls prov ided by HUH and non-Har vard rental websites in order to gauge prices at competing apartment complexes in Cambridge, Boston, and Somer ville. Changes in rent are determined on a unit-by-unit basis, so not all tenants will see an increase. The rents, which will take effect this fall, were endorsed by the Facult y Advisor y Committee on Har vard Universit y Housing. The Universit y ’s policy on set
ting rents has been in place since 1983. In order to avoid potential conf licts with f inancial aid policies, HUH sets rents at market prices rather than at reduced rates for students, according to the an-
“A situation where your boss is also your landlord should be avoided.” Abigail Weil nouncement of the changes in the Ha r va rd Ga zet te, a publication run by Har vard Public Affairs and Communications. Slavic La ng uages a nd Literatures Ph.D. student Abigail Weil criticized the change in an email. “In general I think a situation where your boss is also your landlord should be avoided whenever possible,” she wrote. In the past, a ny cha nges to g raduate st udent stipend rates have been announced later in the spring. —Staff writer Shera S. Avi-Yonah can be reached at shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @saviyonah
Child Hall is one of the four dorms in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. karina g. gonzalez-espinoza—Crimson photographer
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SEAS Hosts Convocation for Sophomores Larry By Luke w. xu Crimson Staff Writer
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences held its second ever sophomore convocation Tuesday evening to welcome new concentrators and introduce them to career and extracurricular opportunities in their fields. There are 378 SEAS concentrators in the Class of 2020, making up 37 percent of all SEAS concentrators at the College. SEAS spokesperson Paul Karoff said that over 200 students RSVP’d, most of whom attended the event, held in Science Center D. The number of sophomore concentrators and the total number SEAS concentrators are both record-highs for the school, according to Karoff. Karoff said the convocation began as an initiative to generate a “sense of community” among SEAS concentrators, who are not usually brought together until graduation. “One of the ways that SEAS as a school is structured is that we have these five concentrations, but they really overlap a lot,” he said. “We see that in lots of different ways in terms of how the faculty work together in research, you see that in terms of the graduate students and the work that they do, but at the undergraduate level, it’s just as true.” In his opening remarks at the convocation, Dean of SEAS Francis J. Doyle III said that though women make up one-third of the sophomore SEAS class, and 21 percent are underrepresented minority students, diversity remains a core area of focus for SEAS.Comparatively, according to The Crimson’s annual freshman survey, 49.3 percent of respondents from the class of 2020 identify as female and 26.4 percent of respondents identify as underrepresented minorities.
“We’re doing better, but in my mind, not good enough,”Doyle said. “We need to be more reflective of the total college student body here, and that needs to be more reflective of society. But we’re moving the needle in the right direction.” Doyle then introduced three current SEAS undergraduates, Neel Mehta ’18, Jacob C. Scherba ’18, and Akshaya Annapragada ’20, who briefly shared some of their experiences with internships and research. “We have the ability to help millions of Americans and millions of students around the world with the things we’ve learned in lecture halls like these,” Mehta said. After the student presentations, Doyle moderated an alumni panel of five speakers: Nathan U. Blecharczyk ’05, a co-founder of Airbnb, Danielle A. Feinberg ’96, Director of Photography for Lighting at Pixar, Stephanie M. Kladakis ’96, a vice president at Carmell Therapeutics, Daniel H. Nevius ’11, a co-founder of Analytical Space, and Julia C. Winn ’12, a product manager at Google.Panelists reflected on their experiences at SEAS and Harvard, covering a variety of topics including things they wish they had done differently, the most valuable parts of their college experience, and the challenges of being a woman in a STEM field.Kladakis said interacting with a diverse range of people at Harvard, such as roommates who were pursuing creative art projects or discussing novels, proved valuable to her in the business world. “Things like that give you a broader experience than just being an engineer and as you become a leader in these companies, being able to relate to many folks, not just the engineers, is so important,” she said. Nevius said that he regretted not taking more risks as an undergraduate.
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Summers Discusses U.S. Trade By alexandra a. chaidez Crimson Staff Writer
An alumni panel consisting of Nathan Blecharczyk ‘05, Danielle Feinberg ‘96. and Stephanie Kladakis ‘96 discussed their post-graduate experiences at Sophomore SEAS Convocation on Tuesday evening. awnit s. marta—Crimson photographer
“I guarantee you will learn more by failing at something no one’s ever done before and trying it than succeeding at something people succeed at everyday,” he said.
After the panel, the convocation broke out into a reception, at which representatives of SEAS-focused student groups met with the new concentrators.
Mixed Feelings Over Funding for West Station WEST From Page 1 raised an outcry over the delay, Harvard increased its funding pledge to $50 million, a significant increase. The University also offered to allot up to $8 million to help build an interim, “early action” transit station prior to the completion of West Station. In the wake of the University’s pledge, announced last week, some Allston and Brighton residents said they were thrilled by the promised influx of Harvard money.Daniel J. Daly, who lives in Brighton, said Harvard’s new funding commitment amounts to “saving that project that was disappearing.” “I believe with Harvard’s increased pledge, the station will be complete before 2040,” he said. Others were less optimistic. Allstonian Max Rome said he believes Harvard has the capacity to pledge even more money to West Station.In a public letter sent in late January, state politicians called on Harvard to pay nearly the entire cost of West Station. Were the University to do so, it would have to fork over almost $100 million, according to the most recent estimates. “I think that it’s their [Harvard’s] responsibility to help with projects like this especially given how much they’ve been able to take from this city,” Tony Arias, another Allston resident, said. In a statement responding to the state politicians’ letter, University spokesperson Brigid O’Rourke reaf-
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firmed Harvard’s commitment to footing part of the bill. “The University...remains committed to working with the Commonwealth, the City, MassDOT and all stakeholders towards a comprehensive vision that will contribute to the entire region,” O’Rourke wrote. Apart from his financial concerns, Rome also said he has reservations about West Station more generally, calling the plans “mediocre.” Specifically, he said he thinks the proposed commuter rail station lacks “connectivity,” meaning it provides service to an inadequate number of locations. “I would say that West Station is not the holy grail of doing a transit-oriented development. West Station is like the pathetic minimum that we should absolutely be locking in,” he said. Rome pointed to what he called a lack of adequate public transportation in Seaport District, a recently developed neighborhood in South Boston, as a “mistake” to avoid in Allston. He particularly stressed the importance of incorporating transportation into Allston developmental plans more broadly. “I think the point is that it would be totally crazy to move ahead with this project without building the transit into this project,” Rome said. “If you build the transit now, then people who are getting jobs can build their lives around knowing that they can take the train to the job.”
Former University President Lawrence H. Summers joined two former U.S. diplomats in discussing the Trump administration’s trade policies at an Institute of Politics panel event Tuesday. Speakers included Michael B. Froman, who was the U.S. Trade Representative during the Obama administration, and Kennedy School Professor R. Nicholas Burns. Burns previously served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2005 to 2008. A recurring theme at the event—entitled “The Revolution in American Trade Policy”—was President Donald Trump’s frequently stated interest in renegotiating and leaving international trade agreements. “We are going to learn a lot from this administration in terms of confronting some of the assumptions we had about the international system,” Froman said. “As the Trump administration withdraws from agreements, withdraws from leadership in various areas, I think we will see political leaders in various areas saying this isn’t necessarily the right way to go.” Froman also discussed the effects the Trump administration’s foreign policy might have on the reputation of the U.S. government overseas. “I think we’ve gone from what Madeleine Albright used to call the indispensable nation to being relatively isolated as a nation, and I worry we are on our way to becoming an irrelevant nation where other parties say ‘we’re just going to wait this administration out,” Froman said. “We can wait three years, maybe seven years, but at least three years, and see what the next administration’s policies are before we really engage.”w Summers, who gave the opening remarks, specifically mentioned the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trump’s criticism of the agreement when introducing Forman. “[Forman] was the leading champion of perhaps most notably, the Trans Pacific Partnership, an agreement that I believed had enormous potential to advance US economic interests, but it must be said, an agreement that was repudiated by the last four standing for President of the United States: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, and Ted Cruz and Donald Trump on the Republican side,” Summers said. TPP is a trade deal negotiated by the Obama Administration which included the United States, Japan, Mexico and various other countries. During his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order removing the U.S. from the agreement. Froman—who helped negotiate TPP—expressed optimism, however, over the long-term future of U.S. trade policy. “I don’t think damage is permanent. Damage to our reputation about being a reliable partner is hard to recover from, and I think it’s going to take several administrations to try and recover from that,” Froman said. Attendees said that they thought the event was informative and “detailed.” Lillka Cuttaree, a graduate student at the Kennedy School who attended the event, said she was interested in the subject because of her international origins. “I had a specific interest in that because I come from a very small country in Africa—Mauritius—so I’m a bit worried by the way the trade policy is shaped by the current administration,” Cuttraee said.
Univ., Union Debate Voter List NAME From Page 1 In his letter, Curran wrote that the union’s proposed February deadline for the list would be “just after the add/ drop deadline, when enrollments and teaching assignments are still in flux.” Per NLRB procedure, Harvard and HGSU-UAW may negotiate over the terms of an second election to determine whether graduate students have the right to collectively bargain with the University. The two parties will present the product of their negotiations, an election agreement, to the NLRB’s regional officials.Though the NLRB will ultimately set the terms of the new election, including its date, the Board will take into consideration any agreement made between the two parties. The second election will likely take place in the coming months.
EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
Beyond University Finance We hope the presidential search committee prioritizes factors beyond financial acumen when making its choice
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n Sunday, The Crimson reported that World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has been in contact with Harvard’s presidential search committee and is considering whether to accept the University’s top job, were he offered it. Kim’s prestigious track record demonstrates that he has valuable experience in many areas. In particular, his current work at the World Bank has prepared him well for the financial and political responsibilities of the University president, specifically as the role pertains to fundraising and overseeing Harvard’s financials. In the past few months, The Crimson has additionally connected Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria, another likely candidate with demonstrable financial acumen, to Harvard’s presidential search. Kim and Nohria’s resumes suggest the search committee may be taking closer looks at candidates with significant financial experience. And while this background is important, especially given the current state of the University’s finances, we hope that the searchers prioritize other factors and skills. We have previously opined that we believe Harvard’s next leader should be someone who has internal experience and a resulting understanding of the current problems the University confronts. In particular, given
the pressing issues facing the College specifically, we would like to see a University president who has had past interaction with undergraduates, whether as a professor or administrator. Although Kim served as Dartmouth’s president from 2009 to 2012, he faced strong criticism from undergraduates in Hanover concerning his inability to adequately address some of the most pressing problems that they faced, including sexual assault, hazing, and student mental health. We hope that Harvard’s next president will prioritize these issues. Additionally, we believe that the next University president should have experience heading other international initiatives, as Harvard looks to take on an increasingly global role. Furthermore, the next President will likely need an established background in STEM to properly manage Harvard’s impending expansion into Allston and to ensure that the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences flourishes. Finally, we believe diversity must be an essential consideration for the search committee. Kim’s likely candidacy leaves open the possibility that unlike Harvard’s previous 28 presidents, the University’s next president could be its first ever non-white one. We believe it is important to consider diversity in candidates as a matter of representation, but we also hope the
search committee will select a candidate who will prioritize issues of diversity on campus while in office. Indeed, Harvard’s ability to commit to diversity is currently under attack from Washington. In coming years, it may become more difficult to offer an education to students regardless of their citizenship status, and financial aid resources may become increasingly strained due to the recently-passed endowment tax. As a result, we further believe candidates’ lobbying abilities and capability to communicate effectively with lawmakers should be considered vital for their fitness for the job. We commend the search committee on their work thus far and appreciate their efforts to bring a candidate to Harvard who has the necessary experience to help improve the University’s financial situation. We hope, however, that the presidential search committee will also consider other factors—diversity, political acumen, international experience, and knowledge of STEM in particular. This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.
BE A CRIMSON CARTOONIST Submit a sample cartoon or any questions to Associate Editorial Editor Wonik Son ‘19 (wonik.son@thecrimson.com).
The IOP Presents: Fear-Mongering for Dummies By RUBEN E. REYES JR.
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d Gillespie ran for governor of Virginia. Ed Gillespie partook in racist fear-mongering. Ed Gillespie lost. Ed Gillespie was given a fellowship at the Institute of Politics. During the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election, Gillespie’s campaign ran a television advertisement that blasted his opponent, Ralph Northam, for being the deciding vote “in favor of sanctuary cities.” Next to a picture of Northam were three tattooed Latino men. The men, the ad claims, are members of MS-13, a Salvadoran gang that has been responsible for a number of high-profile homicides in Virginia. Northam is to blame for the rise of the terrifying gang members shown in the ad. A minor problem: the men pictured were not members of MS-13 at all. They were not even in the United States. The picture was taken in a prison in El Salvador, and the gang members belonged to Barrio 18, a completely separate gang. The advertisement prioritized shock-value over accuracy. Research shows that sanctuary status does not increase crime rates, making Gillespie’s campaign strategy nothing more than a disingenuous appeal to the fear of Virginia voters. Instead of appealing to voters with solutions, he catered to their innermost anxieties. Immigrants in Virginia were caught in the crossfire. Instead of being acknowledged as the soul of their communities, immigrants were smeared as gang members and criminals. On the surface, a failed gubernatorial candidate who peddles in xenophobia does not seem like a productive person to teach Harvard students, in his IOP study group, about “[t]he processes through which ideas become public policy.” Undoubtedly, his tactics do not deserve the sense of honor that comes with a Harvard fellowship. But, for today’s GOP, nativist rhetoric that scapegoats immigrants is just another part of the party’s playbook. Ed Gilles-
pie was just following the lead of his party’s leadership. In July, President Donald Trump gave a speech to Long Island law enforcement, in a region that has been dealing with a very real problem with MS-13. Instead of focusing on the specific issue of gang violence, he used a sensationalized version of the problem to justify his broad immigration policy. Trump claimed that MS-13 had “transformed peaceful parks and beautiful, quiet neighborhoods into bloodstained killing fields.” He argued that his wall, restrictions on immigration, and a harsher immigration policy than Obama (who deported more than 5.2 million people) would solve the MS-13 issue.
Undoubtedly, his tactics do not deserve the sense of honor that comes with a Harvard fellowship. In fact, his immigration policy has done a lot to terrorize immigrant communities and little to eradicate MS13. In 2017, ICE arrested 68,346 individuals for non-DUI traffic violations and 62,517 others for immigration related reasons. 1,886 individuals were arrested for homicide, only a percentage of whom could be linked to MS-13. More than ten percent of arrests were of individuals with no known criminal charges or convictions. ICE has also arrested multiple American citizens and is attempting to destroy records documenting the abuse immigrants experienced while in custody, including instances of sexual assault and death. In short, enforcement policies target a much broader net than just gang members. They rip apart families, foster mistrust between law enforcement and the people they serve, and do not adequately fix the problems they claim to. Ideas do become policy, and politicians’ baseless ideas about MS-13’s relationship to other undocumented im-
migrants has led to inhumane immigration policy. Ed Gillespie and the rest of the Republican Party must defend the way their campaigns have mixed fear and racism to garner votes, especially since their rhetoric’s damage outweighs its benefits. Gillespie—with the help of Trump, Senator Tom Cotton ‘98, Stephen Miller, and company—has tried making resentment against immigrants an acceptable way of winning elections. A discussion of whether or not he is culpable of perpetrating white supremacy, fear-mongering, or xenophobia is beside the point now. It is not likely that the Institute of Politics will rescind his fellowship. After all, they tolerated Sean Spicer’s blatant dishonesty and Corey Lewandowski’s constant misogyny. It’s even less likely that a rogue question during a Q&A; session will force Gillespie to atone for his sins. That makes it too easy for him to offer a politically calculated answer that sounds good but says nothing substantial. Instead, Gillespie’s liaisons should push him on the more unsavory moments of his campaign and organize a session dedicated to criticisms of his campaign. They should dedicate time to exploring the way politicians think and talk about undocumented immigrants, especially during election season. Racist fear-mongering is not a fringe issue—it has become embedded in the fabric of the GOP’s political strategy. It’s critical that, short of rescinding their offer, the Institute of Politics push Gillespie to seriously address the way fictions about immigrants are being used to further political goals. The issue must be treated as the main affair, rather than a peripheral side-show. Immigrants are the ones that pay for political recklessness. Asking that politicians, who constantly play with their fates, explain themselves is the bare minimum. Ruben E. Reyes Jr. ’19, a former Crimson Editorial Chair, is a History & Literature concentrator in Leverett House.
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | JANUARY 31, 2018 | PAGE 6
Building Bridges Between Harvard and Cambridge Will H. MACARTHUR THE ’BRIDGE
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n his inaugural address as the new Mayor of Cambridge in January 2018, Marc McGovern laid out a case for unity to a city that has struggled for years to achieve it: “[D] espite being surrounded by world-class universities, being the innovation capital of the world and our AAA bond rating, we have far too many in our community who are not accessing the prosperity that surrounds us.” Mayor McGovern is a life-long Cantabrigian, and his vision for the city’s future takes its name from his former youth soccer team: Cambridge United. We’re a city of dichotomies. Cambridge’s population include 450 millionaires and 517 people experiencing homelessness. The Massachusetts Department of Education recently downgraded Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Accountability and Assistance Level ranking to Level 2 for “[n]ot meeting gap narrowing goals.” This means that while the overall number of students scoring above proficient met state standards, gaps in the results on the basis of race and socioeconomic status were too great. Crimson columns highlight the juxtaposition of homelessness and extreme wealth in Harvard Square. We have three Whole Foods locations, each in a census tract adjoining one of our three food deserts. The division between Harvard affiliates and Cambridge residents is one of the most pronounced and entrenched. Former Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci once famously said, “When Harvard’s for something, I’m against it,” and proposed turning Harvard Yard into a parking lot. In my 19 years living in Cambridge—two of them as a Harvard student—I’ve found that this animosity can be personal as well. Frustration and anger at Harvard is common among many of my lifelong friends. People who are generally reasonable describe Harvard students from Cambridge as sellouts and shills, or say things like “Harvard is the worst institution in America.” The gap between these two mindsets is so stark that I frequently find myself talking to my local friends about being “away at school” or making plans to meet up “when I get home,” even if I’m meeting someone in Central Square, closer to Harvard than my home. My new home in the Quad feels separated from the Graham and Parks School, where I spent nine years, by a gap much wider than Walker Street. I frequently tell people on both sides of this divide that they should be more open-minded. Cambridge residents should meet a few Harvard students before writing them all off as irredeemable. Harvard students should say less problematic things about Cambridge and its residents. I still believe this, but I’ve also learned a lot about the issues that affect all of us. Harvard expansion and Cambridge zoning may have created the economics that drive gentrification, but its effects hurt lifelong Cambridge residents and Harvard graduate students alike. Many Cambridge businesses rely on both students and resident customers to stay afloat, so these customers rely on each other to protect their communities and lifestyles. Both the Phillips Brooks House Association and the many beneficiaries of its Cambridge programs want the organizations to provide their services as effectively and respectfully as possible. Even on issues that seem clearly oppositional, like PILOT, the amount that Harvard sends to the city each year as payment in lieu of taxes, building bridges of understanding enables Harvard to provide effective non-financial benefits to the city where they are needed. Many Cantabrigians refer to our city in passing as “the ‘Bridge.” While it’s not much shorter than just saying “Cambridge,” the moniker conveys a lot about our pride. We’re the Cambridge, with a unique history, proud culture, incredible people, and transcendent high school basketball team. But our city wasn’t built in a vacuum. Harvard has shaped Cambridge just as Cambridge has shaped Harvard, and both communities need to understand this in order to move forward. I hope that “the ‘Bridge” can take on another meaning. There are many issues that connect Harvard and Cambridge in their origins and their impacts, and each has concrete action items that both communities can take. To start the process, Harvard students should read at least two articles from the Metro section of the CRLS Register Forum and one from the humor section. In turn, Cambridge residents should read at least one article from the Issues section of Fifteen Minutes and one from Flyby. Harvard’s responses to five questions from the City in their annual Town Gown Report also offer some insight into both perspectives. Some town-gown tensions might be entrenched, but they aren’t all inherent. The gates of Harvard Yard are almost always open, and people from every neighborhood and every house cross its paths heading to work, class, school, libraries, restaurants, and more. People on the way to CRLS or the Main Library and those leaving Sever or Widener pass by wordlessly; while the communities that they navigate are distinct, we can do more to acknowledge where they overlap. Will H. MacArthur ’20 is a Social Studies concentrator living in Currier House. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays.
The Harvard Crimson President Derek G. Xiao ’19 Managing Editor Hannah Natanson ’19 Business Manager Nathan Y. Lee ’19
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
Associate Managing Editors Mia C. Karr ’19 Claire E. Parker ’19 Associate Business Managers Dahlia S. Huh ’19 Max W. Sosland ’19 Editorial Chairs Emmanuel R. R. D’Agostino ’19 Cristian D. Pleters ’19 Arts Chairs Mila Gauvini II ’19 Grace Z. Li ’19 Blog Chairs Lydia L. Cawley ’20 Stuti Telidevara ’20
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Sports
The Harvard Crimson | january 31, 2018 | page 7
Harvard Dominates No. 3 Trinity, Blanks No. 9 Drexel WOMEN’S SQUASH By William quan Crimson Staff Writer
I t’s not very often that Harvard women’s squash doesn’t come out on top. This week was no different in terms of the team’s outcome, sweeping games against No. 9 Drexel and No. 3 Trinity, but the entrance was new. Due to weaker strength of schedule, the Crimson (8-0, 3-0 Ivy) dropped from its No. 1 position atop the College Squash Association (CSA) rankings and ceded ground to newly top-ranked Princeton. This set Harvard up with a Monday afternoon away matchup at the Bantams home court, facing a team that had won three straight games the prior week against top-five teams in Stanford, Yale, and Penn. Circumstances did not favor the team from Cambridge carrying a 45-game win streak into the contest, with the Bantams (10-2) certainly angling to play the spoiler. “It’s always a little bit more pressure just going into a new environment, that you just don’t really know what to expect,” co-captain Alyssa Mehta said. “But I think we kind of prepped for that in and of itself.” HARVARD 8, TRINITY 1 Playing in an elongated fashion with only a couple of matches going on at a time, the Crimson quickly built up a 4-1 lead to put the Bantams in a deep hole. But as it went down, the Bantams could have looked to their own devastating loss earlier in the season to Princeton for inspiration. Trinity had built up its own 4-1 lead in that matchup, but the host Tigers swept the match’s third wave as part of its current undefeated campaign this season. That hope would soon fade away as Harvard went to sweep the back half of the matches en route to a resounding victory over the Bantams, which boast their own set of four All-Americans to match the Crimson’s. “Basically, I think what it came down to was mental preparation and just having a really hard-fighting attitude going into the match, and I think we covered the mental side of the game very well,” Mehta said. Harvard’s top three—including juniors Sabrina Sobhy and Kayley Leonard and sophomore Gina Kennedy— took care of business easily, as each swept their respective opponents in three games. This dominant top of the lineup will present a special challenge against top competition. All three have played as the No. 1 in matches this sea-
SHOOTING STRAIGHT Last year’s individual national champion, sophomore Gina Kennedy, is so far undefeated in this 2017-18 season. timothy r. o’meara—Crimson photographer
son, and they are a collective 21-0 in individual matches. But star power is only as good as the entire team. National finalists last year, Penn has languished to a 5-3 record this year even as two-time individual national finalist Reeham Salah has remained undefeated. The good news for the Crimson is that its depth has shown up consistently. Co-captain Sue Ann Yong was the only Harvard player to lose, falling to first-team All-American Vanessa Raj after winning the first two sets, while playing in the sixth slot on the ladder. No. 8 junior Sophie Mehta and No. 9 freshman Hannah Craig both swept their match-ups in three games. Three other matches went to four games, and
the Crimson players were able to stave off their opponents in all of them. But it’s no coincidence that Harvard did well in its tightly-contested matches. “So, we’ve been doing a lot of practice matches during our practice times to get us into competitive shape,” sophomore Eleonore Evans said. “It’s the best way to put us under the most pressure.” Evans said that winter training put a strong emphasis on cardio and strength conditioning to set up the competitive season. “We still have a lot of that work put in and so I think we are all in pretty good competitive shape,” Evans said. “This was the perfect opportunity to test it and I think we are all pretty
pleased with how we looked out there.” HARVARD 9, DREXEL 0 When a top-10 team comes into the building, you play attention. With a high-ranked team like the No. 2 Crimson, there is always the opportunity of an upset. Usually, at least. In the niche of collegiate squash, however, that is not the case. There was no upset, there were no matches, or even games that Drexel (5-7) came away with. In a Sunday matinee, Harvard swept the Philadelphia, Pa., team. The Dragons were no match, putting up no more than eight points in any single game. The Crimson has had a lot of the sort recently. The skill level is just simply higher for Harvard.
As the number two ranking indicates, the Crimson has relatively glided through the season with easier opponents. They had a whole month between the first and second games of the season. There is a legitimate question to be raised about falling behind as the others battle forward. But after beating the country’s third and fourth ranked teams in Trinity and Stanford while dropping just one match combined, that has turned into a nonstarter. Harvard has reaffirmed that it is in a league of its own. Next week, No. 1 Princeton looks to join that league as well. Staff writer William Quan can be reached at william.quan@thecrimson.com.
Assists, Long Ball Key for Crimson in Drumming of Yale a mammoth 64 percent for the game by the time the final horn had sounded. That mark far exceeded the previous season high of 48 percent registered in a road win at Northeastern. Raster and junior guard Sydney Skinner led the aerial assault, combining to knock down 8-11 three-pointers. Skinner’s performance was particularly impressive, as she came off the bench to hit four of five three pointers, finishing the game with 18 points in just 23 minutes. Rooks chipped in as well, converting both of her three-point efforts, a part of a 9-for-11 performance from the field. Despite her foul trouble, even Benzan got in on the act, knocking down three of her five attempts from downtown. The Crimson’s sharpshooting accuracy was impressive on a night when Yale’s three-point shooting started with promise, but culminated in a 23 percent mark, one of the key differences on a night when Harvard beat Yale by 24 points.
TONGUES OUT GUNS OUT Sophomore guard Katie Benzan driving in the lane against Brown, leads the team in points per game with an 13. callie e. rennyson—Crimson photographer WOMEN’S BASKETBALL By amir mamdani Crimson Staff Writer
The Harvard women’s basketball team moved into second place in the Ivy League, thanks to a two-win weekend anchored by Friday night’s season high 97-point performance against rival Yale. Senior guard Taylor Rooks and junior guard Madeline Raster were the offensive catalysts for the Crimson in a 97-73 win, scoring 22 and 18 points respectively, and converting on a combined 15 of 23 attempts from the field.
Although Harvard (11-6, 3-1 Ivy) will not play Princeton—undefeated in division play—and defending Ivy League champions Penn for two weekends, jumping out to a 3-1 conference record is crucial to the team’s hopes for a run in postseason play. Harvard is amidst a stretch of six consecutive home games, the final two coming next weekend against Columbia and Cornell, a trend that bodes well for a Crimson team that has not lost at Lavietes Pavilion since March of last year. DISHING AND SWISHING Effective passing was the key to the
team’s biggest win of the season. The squad dominated the Bulldogs in assists, tallying 28 on just 38 made shots. On the flip side, Harvard was able to limit Yale (9-8, 2-2) to just 24 baskets, of which only 13 of those were assisted. Quick ball movement and good transition play was integral to Friday night’s blowout win. The team’s 28 assists dwarfed the prior season high of 22, registered in a road loss at Temple. Raster’s fast-paced guard play was crucial to the Crimson’s high assist total, as the junior guard tallied an impressive nine assists, one shy of a double-double to go along with her 18 points. The nine assists were a career
high for Raster, surpassing her previous high seven assists against Eastern Michigan two years ago. Sophomore guard Katie Benzan also played a key role in Friday night’s ball movement, chipping in six assists, two more than her season average. Friday’s performance was even more impressive for the sophomore from Wellesley, Mass., considering the foul trouble that limited her to just 25 minutes, well shy of the 33 minutes she has averaged this season. LONG-DISTANCE CONNECTION Harvard shot nearly 50 percent from three-point range in the first half, and
BATTLING DOWN LOW Friday’s contest pitted sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm against the Bulldogs’ star junior forward, Jen Berkowitz. The Yale forward, a native of Wayland, Mass., leads the Ivy League in shooting at 57 percent, a distinction she also held last season. Although Berkowitz finished with a respectable 19 points in 30 minutes, the Crimson were able to limit her for most of the night, and many of her points came after the win was secure. Boehm, who scored 10 points in a 20-minute performance, was able to stymie Berkowitz on the defensive end. Harvard was able to frequently double-team and disrupt the star forward, forcing her to commit three turnovers, and holding her to no assists. Freshman Jadyn Bush also played a crucial role in limiting Berkowitz, coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes of tough, poised defense. Bush registered six rebounds in her limited spell, and she—along with Rooks who snared nine rebounds—were crucial in winning the rebound battle over the visitors by a 40-36 margin. Staff writer Amir Mamdani can be reached at amir.mamdani@thecrimson.com.
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