THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLV NO. 28 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
The Harvard Crimson Admissions officers should not penalize students who participate in gun control protests. EDITORIAL PAGE 10
Men’s squash falls 3-6 to Trinity in the National Championships. SPORTS PAGE 11
Students Criticize Parkland Response
SEAS Student Groups Expand
By DELANO R. FRANKLIN and SAMUEL W. ZWICKEL
By LUKE W. XU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
A s the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences plans a long-awaited move to its new Allston campus, it’s contending at home with a different kind of change: an increasingly diverse student body that requires new infrastructure and support. In the past year alone, SEAS has helped three affinity groups, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), establish chapters at Harvard. The move is part of a larger array of initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion at SEAS including surveys that collect data on minority student experiences, coffee chats with professors, and matching prospective freshman from underrepresented backgrounds with faculty advisors.
Some students, faculty, and alumni are criticizing the Harvard College admissions office for its public response to concerns applicants will be penalized for participating in protests related to the recent shooting in Parkland, Fla. On Feb. 14, a gunman killed 17 people in a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland. In the aftermath of the massacre, high school students across the nation coordinated walk-outs to speak out against gun violence—stirring up fears that universities may disadvantage demonstrators when making admissions decisions. After high schools in Texas and Washington threatened to punish students for joining demonstrations, more than 150 schools across the country—including Yale and MIT—
SEE PARKLAND PAGE 9
UC Proposes, Approves Multicultural Center By JONAH S. BERGER and RUTH A. HAILU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
The Undergraduate Council approved a proposal of action for a multicultural center on campus at its Sunday meeting, sending the plan to the desk of Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana. The proposal calls for administrators to organize a group of paid staff, College faculty, and undergraduates to research the history of minority communities at Harvard, and to examine multicultural centers at other universities. The research would then be given to a separate body, tasked with deducing whether a physical space would be the most suitable course of action for the College. Finally, if the space is deemed necessary, a task force would be organized to formulate the specifics of what the center would look like, according to the UC’s plan. The proposal comes as a result of a November UC referendum, which asked students whether the College should establish a “physical space for students” to “promote diversity, belonging, and inclusion on campus.” Because the referendum passed—with
SEE PAGE 8
1,402 of 2,074 undergraduate voters supporting it—the Council was required to draft and present a policy proposal to administrators. Khurana’s endorsement is needed to move forward with the efforts to establish the center, which has long been a dream for some Harvard students. In addition to student support for the center, a September draft report from the University-wide task force for diversity and inclusion recommended the creation of centers for “Identity, Politics, and Culture” as well as “Inclusion and Belonging.” Leverett House representative Salma Abdelrahman ’20, who co-leads the Multicultural Center Coalition— the group spearheading efforts to establish a physical space on campus— said in an interview Monday that the proposal was a culmination of months of discussion. “It’s been a very long process of meetings with student groups, administrators, student cultural [organizations], interns with the [Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations], and other offices on campus,” Abdelrahman said.
SEE UC PAGE 9
FORMER SPIES
Sir R. John Sawers (left), former Chief of MI6, Ashton B. Carter (center), former US Secretary of Defense, and Professor R. Nicholas Burns discuss national security. LU SHAO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Workers Discuss TPS Effect on Unions
Koch Donations Spur Controversy at HKS By ALEXANDRA A. CHAIDEZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
A round fifty students, employees, and activists congregated in Emerson Hall Monday afternoon to hear a panel of three Harvard workers discuss the impact changes to Temporary Protected Status will have on individual workers and union power. TPS is a program started by Congress in 1990 to offer temporary humanitarian relief in the United States to individuals whose home countries are affected by armed conflict and natural disasters. The Trump administration has recently scaled back TPS protections for immigrants from a number of countries,including El Salvador, Sudan, Haiti and Nicaragua.
SEE TPS PAGE 9
Harvard Today 2
News 7
A foundation overseen by controversial libertarian billionaire Charles Koch has made several millions-dollar donations to the Harvard Kennedy School in recent years, prompting some debate within the school about the organization’s role and influence on campus. In Dec. 2015, the Koch Foundation donated $2.9 million to the Kennedy School’s Taubman Center to support an initiative meant to boost education-related entrepreneurship. And in Nov. 2017, the Koch Foundation gave the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs a $1.8 million grant to launch “The Project on Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft,” a collaborative international studies program between the Kennedy School and MIT. These grants follow about $10 million given to other institutions of higher education including Tufts University and the University of California at San Diego—both meant to foster research into foreign policy.
By EDITH M. HERWITZ and MOLLY C. MCCAFFERTY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SEE SEAS PAGE 7
DIANA C. PEREZ—CRIMSON DESIGNER
THE BLOCK
Sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm blocks a Penn player’s shot during Friday night’s game in the Ivy League Basketball Championship Tournament. KATHRYN S. KUHAR—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Editorial 10
Sports 11
TODAY’S FORECAST
SUNNY High: 52 Low: 39
Given these recent donations, some Kennedy School students and outside observers have raised concerns about the clout they say the Koch foundation may wield at the school. “They have a very clear libertarian, ideological, free-market fundamentalism agenda that they are pushing not only in the United States but also across the world,” Kennedy School student Jeff Rousset said. “When the dean says he is interested in bringing more conservatives voices to the Kennedy School, we have to ask, what are the voices in his head influencing those decisions?” Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf recently said he is interested in bringing more conservative voices to campus. Kennedy School spokesperson Doug Gavel wrote in an emailed statement Monday that the school does not follow rules established by donors. “We accept funding from external sources, but those sources do not dictate or unduly influence the results of
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SEE KOCH PAGE 9
cheese this time
HARVARD TODAY
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 27, 2018
FOR LUNCH
FOR DINNER
Chicken Breast with Tomato Basil Salsa
Chicken with Green Curry Sauce
Philly Cheese Steak Sub
Avocado Asparagus Creamy Pasta
Fried Parmesan Cauliflower Roasted Parsnips
Coconut Basmati Rice
AROUND THE IVIES
A THRONE OF KNOWLEDGE A suited individual sits atop the stairs of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library. KAI R. MCNAMEE —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Penn Sees Record Number of Applicants The University of Pennsylvania received a recordbreaking number of applicants, totaling more than 44,482 applications for the Class of 2022, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. 37,409 of the applications were submitted to the Regular Decision pool. The total was a dramatic increase from 40,413 applications last year, which was also the highest ever at the time. Applications to Penn have nearly doubled in the last ten years, according to the Pennsylvanian.
Hillary Clinton to Speak at Yale’s Class Day Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president, will be Yale’s Class Day Speaker this year, according to the Yale Daily News. Clinton follows three other Obama-era politicians who have spoken at Class Day within the past five years — former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Vice President Joe Biden, and former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. The Class Day co-chairs announced the decision in an email to the senior class on Monday morning, the News reported.
Yale’s Most Popular Class Now Online
HAPPY TUESDAY, HARVARD!
EVENTS
Happy Tuesday, Harvard. I mean, is it even a Harvard midterm if you actually know the material?
Are you a millennial? Like to talk about yourself? Well, the IOP wants to talk about your voting and polling habits, so join them in Room L166 to add your voice. 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
In the Atmosphere… Tomorrow’s weather: Nice and sunny and 53 degrees. Enjoy the sun while it lasts.
Let’s Talk About Millennials
From Polar Bears to People Come to the Kennedy School to talk about the arctic climate change story, and hear straight from Alaska-based journalists on the topic! 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Yale’s most popular course “Psychology and the Good Life” will now be revamped as “The Science of Well-Being” and offered through the online platform Coursera, according to the Yale Daily News. Taught by psychology professor Laurie Santos, the class already has 1,200 students enrolled, representing a quarter of the undergraduate population, and more than 11,000 users have already registered online. The updated version will launch in March and is expected to see an even more dramatic increase in participation, according to the News.
Trula J. Rael STAFF WRITER
IN THE REAL WORLD Sports: Real Life vs. Virtual Reality The MIT Analytics Conference last weekend brought people from many countries together to talk sports analytics and explore the idea of virtual reality sports. Who knows...maybe sports-based concussions will soon be a thing of the past! Supreme Court Turns Down Trump’s Dreamer Appeal The Supreme Court turned down a request from the White House asking for an immediate decision on whether or not the Trump Administration could immediately shut down DACA. Trump Talks Mental Health and Gun Laws Trump criticized the law enforcement officers at the scene of the Parkland shooting, adding that if he were there, he would have run into the school even without a weapon. He also said that we need to start discussions on mental institutions and expressed skepticism over the closure of many mental institutions.
WAITING AT THE DOT
BIKE BY NIGHT A cyclist speeds down Massachusetts Avenue by the Harvard Station T stop at night. CALEB D. SCHWARTZ—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
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.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “If it doesn’t, I plan to resign my professorship in protest.” Law Professor Laurence H. Tribe ’62
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.
STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Night Editor Phelan Yu ‘19
Design Editor Elena M. Ramos ’20
Assistant Night Editors Editorial Editor Grace A. Greason ’21 Jenna M. Wong ‘20 Jordan E. Virtue ‘20 Photo Editors Story Editors Justin F. Gonzalez ‘21 Joshua J. Florence ‘19 Kathryn S. Kuhar ‘20 Hannah Natanson ’19 Claire E. Parker ‘19 Sports Editors Alison W. Steinbach ‘19 Spencer R. Morris ‘20 Brian P. Yu ‘19 Bryan Hu ‘19
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 3
ARTS
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Coming of Age with Jill Scott:
KAI R. MCNAMEE / CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
the week in arts
Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Fame
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TUESDAY
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wednesday
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NATALIE GALE CRIMSON STAFF WRITER “See the color of what you’re saying,” Jill Scott’s voice rang sweet and low as she leaned over the piano. “You have to see it and sing it, or it’s not real to anybody but you.” On the piano stool sat Arlesia G. McGowan ’19, listening intently to Scott’s feedback on her performance of “Unenduring,” an original song. The opportunity to perform for such an accomplished artist is rare—Scott is a celebrated cultural icon and a recipient of three Grammy Awards. McGowan was the first performer at the Feb. 20 masterclass with Scott and Esperanza Spalding, music Professor and three-time Grammy winner, who together formed the kickoff to this year’s Black Arts Festival. This iteration of the festival, produced annually by the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, centered around the idea of coming of age—“a retrospective on the experiences that shape Black collective and individual identity,” according to Kuumba. After opening remarks from Kuumba President Marcus K. Granderson ’18 and Black Arts Festival Co-Chair Olutoyin Demuren ’18, the musical portion of the event began with an a capella rendition of Scott’s 2004 hit “Golden” performed by eight members of Kuumba. “It was a lot of stress to plan and rehearse for, but to have her here and to see my friends go up there and share, it was an amazing experience,” said performer Mirielle E. Wright ’21. A masterclass followed the event. Typically, a masterclass consists of a pupil delivering a performance and an expert in the craft at hand giving feedback. Scott is undeniably an expert when it comes to vocal performance, and the structure was very similar to a traditional masterclass—however, it felt more like a conversation between friends than an instructive session. wScott sat in the first row of the audience, and after each performance ended, her musical voice rang out through the lecture hall as the audience snapped, hollered, and cheered along with the music and commentary. Occasionally, she would stand and move around to interface more directly with the performer. The first performance was McGowan’s, and Scott received it with joy. Praising the political and emotional potency of the McGowan’s lyrics and tone, she urged the singer
and pianist to relax her tempo, to slow it down, and to “let your face speak” as the lyrics hit home for the audience. Next, Roderick Mullen ’19 performed a cover of “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush and “Latch” by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith, accompanied on guitar by Alexander S. Graff ’17. Scott immediately commended Mullen’s mastery through multiple registers. Standing up, she said, “Walk like you’re giving a gift […] Strut in something you like, walk with authority, and look people in the eye.” Third came Eden H. Girma ’18, singing an original composition, “Untitled,” accompanied by Graff. Scott appeared profoundly moved by Girma’s performance, offering little advice for musical improvement. “You don’t need to sing anybody else’s songs anymore […] I would pay to see you,” Scott said. Girma then performed another original piece, and the only guidance that Scott offered centered on how to process fame. Finally, Michael A. Wingate ’18 covered Moses Sumney’s “Plastic.” Scott gushed over Wingate’s voice, remarking, “When you started it felt like somebody putting a hot water bottle in your sheets.” Above all, she emphasized the importance of vulnerability onstage, and of allowing the audience to feel your pain. This formed a consistent thread throughout the evening, and nowhere was it more evident than in the conversation that concluded the night: a discussion on artistic roots and staying grounded with Esperanza Spalding. Scott shared stories of her musical inspiration, of the complex women who allowed her to grow up in a world of love and art and honesty. She spoke of the importance of staying grounded and being able to say no to opportunities, and she gave words to the emotional experience of performing. “You can taste it: joy, pain. This is the human experience,” Scott said. “And this is what we do— we share the human experience. This is the work. And I think you can do it.”
GALLERY TALK: BIG PRINTS IN THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV. Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Associate Curator of Prints, Elizabeth Rudy will be giving a gallery talk on big prints in the age of French King, Louis XIV. Gallery talks focus mainly on aspects of the installation process of an art collection, exploring both the practical and intellectual considerations. Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street. 12:30 p.m. Free with museums admission.
STEVEN PINKER PRESENTS ENLIGHTENMENT NOW: THE CASE FOR REASON, SCIENCE, HUMANISM, AND PROGRESS Steven Pinker will conducting a book-signing for his new work, “Enlightenment Now: The Case For Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress,” a follow-up to his groundbreaking “The Better Angels of Our Nature.” This book explores the conviction that reason and science can enhance human advancement. First Parish Church, 1446 Mass Ave. 7 p.m. $34.75 (book included).
Thursday
THE ARTIST’S VOICE: TREVOR PAGLEN AND JIMENA CANALES Recent MacArthur “Genius” award recipient Trevor Paglen will share his thoughts on surveillance mechanism with Jimena Canales, historian and author of “The Physicist and the Philosopher.” Paglen will also be introducing his ambitious artmaking processes, including photographing drones in the sky. Institute of Contemporary Art. 7 p.m. Free.
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friday
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saturday
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monday
MOLLY MCCLOSKEY PRESENTS: STRAYING Irish writer Molly McCloskey will discuss “Straying,” her first novel to be published in the United States, in conversation with award-winning poet and novelist Ha Jin. “Straying” tells the story of a young American woman who moves to Ireland, marries an Irishman, and has an extramarital affair. Harvard Book Store. 7 p.m. Free.
MFA LATE NITES The MFA will be open late for visitors to view exhibitions like “Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics,” “Mark Rothko: Reflection,” and “M. C. Escher: Infinite Dimensions.” Visitors will also have opportunities to eat street food, create art, dance, listen to live music, and more. Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. $20 at the door.
—Staff Writer Natalie Gale can be reached at natalie.gale@ thecrimson.com.
“You have to see it and sing it, or it’s not real to anybody but you.”
ICA DEEP DIVES: WIKIPEDIA EDIT-A-THON Guests of all gender identities and and expressions are welcome to visit the Institute of Contemporary Art this International Women’s Day to help create or revise Wikipedia pages about female artists featured in the ICA collection and exhibitions. Materials and training will be provided. Institute of Contemporary Art. 11 a.m to 4 p.m. RSVP in advance for free museum admission.
YASCHA MOUNK PRESENTS: THE PEOPLE VS DEMOCRACY Harvard University Lecturer and New America Senior Fellow Yascha Mounk will be discussing his latest book, “The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It.” Mounk’s book outlines the rise of authoritarian populism and proposes reforms that could save democracy. Alley Cambridge. 7 p.m. Free.
28 february 2018 | VOL CXLv, ISSUE 4 Arts Chairs Mila Gauvin II ’19 Grace Z. Li ’19
EDITOR Associates Kaylee S. Kim ’20 Caroline A. Tsai ’20 Aline G. Damas ’20 Noah F. Houghton ’20 Edward M. Litwin ’19 Petra Laura Oreskovic ’20 Ethan B. Reichsman ’19 Yael M. Saiger ’19
Caroline E. Tew ’20 Jonathan P. Trang ’19 Lucy Wang ’20
Executive Designer Hanna Kim ‘21
Design Associates Mireya C. Arango ‘20 Emily H. Hong ‘21 Julianna C. Kardish ‘20 Jessica N. Morandi ‘21
Executive PhotographerS Kathryn S. Kuhar ‘20 Zennie L. Wey ’20
ARTS
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 4
books
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: ALUMNA ADEYEMI’S OWN ‘BLACK PANTHER’ WITH MAGIC
Tomi J. Adeyemi ’15 is a Nigerian American YA fantasy author living in San Diego, California. Her first book, “Children of Blood and Bone” comes out March 6. On March 13, Adeyemi will speak in Brookline, Massachusetts at Brookline Booksmith about her debut novel. The Harvard Crimson sat down with her to discuss how her novel tackles real-world racial issues within the context of fantasy.
IRIS M. LEWIS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Harvard Crimson: Let’s get the most important question out of the way. Thoughts on “Black Panther?”
is what the book is for—to show that, and to make it very clear. Every obstacle in the book is tied to a real obstacle that black people face now, or have faced as recently as a few years ago.
Tomi J. Adeyemi: Oh, amazing. I’ve seen it twice. I love it so much. It’s funny, I think I loved it even more the second time, because there’s just so much in it. It was like watching the same movie but from a different perspective. I wanted to see it again, but I’m trying to write a sequel [for “Children of Blood and Bone”] right now. I loved it, though. I’m just so happy. Months ago, I said, “‘Black Panther’’s going to come out, and it’s going to be a smash, and I think it’s going to blow open the door for diversity in Hollywood”—but this is way better than anything I could imagine.
THC: That’s such a huge, political mission! Can you talk about why you chose fantasy to express your message? TJA: Fantasy is my first love, as it is with a lot of people. There’s a reason we freak out in a special way about “Black Panther,” or “Game of Thrones,” or “Harry Potter”—because we love fantasy! We love magic. We love seeing these big, epic battles. I’ve always loved reading them. That is what I love to spend time with, and what I love to write. As for the underlying purpose of the book, I think that with fantasy, you get to take a step back [from the real world]. It’s an incredible tool for putting out a message like this, because it’s creating a distance that forces people to see inside situations as opposed to being warped by prejudices and racism.
THC: Moving on to your book, will you talk a little about what “Children of Blood and Bone” is about? What is its purpose in the world? TJA: Honestly, it’s funny that you started with “Black Panther,” because the book is just “Black Panther” with magic. Without ruining the movie, it has a take on the real world and the real-world issues that affect black people, and that’s what my book is about. It’s this epic fantasy that puts black people at the forefront. On the one hand, it’s for kids like me—and kids who look like me, and even kids who don’t look like me but also aren’t white—to see that wow, we can do this. We can ride giant lions and fight the bad guy and have these great adventures. And after seeing John Boyega as a black stormtrooper, or diversity in general in “Pacific Rim”—it’s not to say that we had nothing, but we’ve never had anything like this, anything that took us seriously. We never had anything that said, “You are the star. You are Harry Potter. You are Katniss Everdeen.” So that’s one of my book’s purposes. But as for its other purpose: It’s an allegory for the modern black experience, for people who aren’t black to understand what it’s like to walk in our shoes. I personally believe that books are the closest you can ever get to being inside someone else’s head. So that
THC: Do you have any other favorite books that do this same job? TJA: Read “An Ember in the Ashes,” by Sabaa Tahir. I read that book and immediately thought, “I have to write.” Once, when I was talking to a librarian at a book event, she said, “This is going to sound really stupid, but I didn’t realize how truly terrifying slavery was until I read this book.” THC: What’s next for you? TJA: I’m working on a sequel. The YA world is kind of on a book-a-year schedule. It’s hectic, but I’m excited with where I’ve been this past year and with where I’m going! Staff Writer Iris M. Lewis can be reached at iris.lewis@thecrimson.com GRAPHIC BY EMILY H. HONG / CRIMSON DESIGNER
campus
NEA Grants $1 million for Massachusetts Arts Programs GRACE Z. LI CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 7 , the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced it was giving $1,097,500 in grants to 41 Massachusetts-based nonprofit arts organizations. This is part of the NEA’s annual tradition of distributing grant money to support arts programs across the United States. In its first of two rounds of grant distributions, the NEA is allocating over $25 million for more than 4,500 communities across all 50 states. “It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States,” NEA Chairman Jane Chu said in the press release. “These NEA-supported projects are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives.” Massachusetts’ seven-figure grant is the fifth highest in the nation after grants allocated to New York, California, Illinois, and Texas. When asked if the sum was surprising, Steve S. Slowinski, the National Inclusion Manager of Partners for Youth with Disabilities, one of the nonprofits benefiting from the NEA grants, said it wasn’t. “Especially here in the Boston area, there is a huge number of really strong arts programming,” Slowinski said. “Just the sheer amount of organizations that are doing such great work in the field. It’s always been impressive seeing them and all the opportunities out there.” PYD plans on using their $25,000 grant for their summer theater camp, Access to Theatre, which is open to those with or without disabilities. The program involves acting, set design, and directing, all of which culminate in an original show. “The reason why we do theater arts programming is because they have the capacity to really unlock talent and skills that many don’t realize they have,” Slowinski
said. “In my experience, I’ve seen many youth just blossom and come out of their shells, and become more independent and vocal and confident, and are self-advocates for themselves as a result of this theater training.” Other organizations receiving grants include nationally recognized names like the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Ballet . Educational institutions like the Berklee College of Music and Boston University are included in the list of 41 grantees as well. But small- and middle-sized nonprofits organizations also frequent the list, like Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, a South End-based nonprofit that holds arts education work-
shops for children and runs La Galería, a year-round art gallery featuring work from artists from the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean . The non profit’s arts programs director, Elsa Mosquera Sterenberg , said it was important to talk about funding smaller organizations. “There is a lot of artistic activity happening in smaller middle-sized organizations, especially in community-based organizations,” Mosquera Sterenberg said. “We’re touching people everyday directly and changing their lives.” This year, IBA plans on using their grant money to fund concerts and to focus on the effects of Hurricane Maria. “We are celebrating our Puerto Rican roots [and helping] our artists that were really touched and affected by the Hurricane Maria,” she said. IBA will also be putting on “La Cucarachita Martina,” a theatrical retelling of a Puerto Rican children’s tale. The NEA’s grant news comes in light of the Trump administration’s budget proposal for 2019 revealed just five days after the NEA’s own announcement. The budget proposal plans to reduce the NEA’s budget by $121 million, leaving them with $29 million—just $4 million shy the grant money they doled out earlier in February. “We are disappointed because we see our funding actively making a difference with individuals in thousands of communities and in every Congressional District in the nation,” Chu said in a statement. Mosquera Sterenberg shares a similar sentiment. “Can you imagine?” Mosquera Sterenberg said. “That is absolutely absurd.”
COURTESY OF MARK HUNT OF DISABILITYIMAGES.COM
Staff writer Grace Z. Li can be reached at grace.li@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @gracezhali.
ARTS
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 5
film
‘Red Sparrow’ Complicates the Politics of Sex and Consent CAROLINE A. TSAI CRIMSON STAFF WRITER Gutsy female athlete making risky—if questionable—life decisions to maintain power over her life seems to be the recurring theme of this season’s awards show darlings, from “I, Tonya” to “Molly’s Game.” For the #MeToo era, which has sparked a national dialogue on power and consent, the plot is fitting: A woman dares to exist in the world of men. Now, “Red Sparrow,” a Russian spy thriller, joins that list. Director Francis Lawrence creates the trust-nobody paranoia synonymous with the lore of the Russian intelligence network, particularly topical amid real-life reports of Russian intervention in the U.S. presidential election. Here, the gutsy female athlete is Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence, with a somewhat believable Slavic accent), a Russian prima ballerina who suffers a career-ending injury. Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts), her unnervingly affectionate uncle and the head of the SVR, pressures her to protect her ailing mother. Dominika trains as a Sparrow, a professional femme fatale who uses sex and psychological manipulation to procure information for the government. But when Dominika falls in love with Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton), an American target, she complicates her political allegiance and risks her own life. “Red Sparrow” boasts a dynamic female lead with acting prowess, but it’s not enough to keep it aloft. A convoluted plot and botched love story force the film to crash-land. While initially simple, the film’s plot quickly devolves into an incomprehensible mesh of geopolitical turmoil. After the death of a U.S. senator, the chronology of events spirals into confusion, and it becomes unclear who’s on whose side and who’s spying on whom. There’s betrayal, deception, subterfuge—but why? And for whom? Perhaps it was too ambitious to convey all the details of the source material, Jason Matthews’s 2013 novel of the same name. At any rate, Justin Haythe’s screenplay leaves room for gratuitous gore, including several attempted rapes, brutal torture methods, and a particularly harrowing scene involving a skin-grafting blade. While Dominika’s depth of emotion
sometimes flattens into a hard stare, it’s heartening to see Lawrence play a more dimensional character than the one she played last September, in “mother!”—Darren Aronofsky’s pseudo-intellectual global warming allegory. For an actress whose private photos were cruelly leaked four years ago, playing a seductress wielding her sexuality as a tool of power and manipulation represents a particularly brave (and symbolic) choice: a reclamation of bodily autonomy. From the moment that Dominika attacks the saboteurs responsible for her injury, to the film’s genuinely surprising, albeit torturously delayed twist ending, it’s increasingly obvious that Lawrence’s character calls all the shots. Dominika’s power spans the range of brute force (a ferocious retaliation with a broken shower faucet against an attempted rapist, a bloody knife fight to the death) to deception and strategizing as a double, then triple, then quadruple agent. And Lawrence, in an array of different cocktail dresses and cut-out swimsuits, masks Dominika’s ingenuity under ingenuousness, sometimes with frightening facility. In one scene, Dominika takes a picture with a predatory benefactor, the camera flash illuminating the vacancy of her glazed eyes: a blank canvas onto which men project their own desires and fantasies. “Every human being is a puzzle of need,” Matron (Charlotte Rampling), a teacher at Sparrow School, tells her. “You must become the missing piece, and they will tell you everything.” Still, as the story unfolds, the sexual politics of Dominika’s career enter murky territory. It’s difficult to view uncritically as a feminist narrative, when a substantial portion of Dominika’s screen-time is spent on her
COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
torture and near-rape. It’s unclear whether her nudity implies objectification or selfownership, whether she initiates sex because she desires it or because she needs it to achieve objectives that her uncle has effectively forced on her. Even the film’s title implies a fraught dichotomy: “red” signals violence, blood, and passion, but “sparrow” suggests meekness, flightiness. It’s too bad that Edgerton can’t quite match her pace. Lawrence’s solo performance demotes the love story, supposedly central to the story, to a mere subplot—if that. The scenes between Edgerton and Lawrence lack chemistry, much less romance. As U.S. intelligence agent Nate
Nash, Edgerton dodges a few bullets and fights a few bad guys, but his main storyline consists of swimming at the Hungarian YMCA and sitting in a hotel room waiting for Dominika to finish her mission. When he promises Dominika he’ll do “everything in [his] power” to protect her, it feels like not just an empty promise, but a pointless one. After all, what is his power next to hers? Staff writer Caroline A. Tsai can be reached at caroline.tsai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @carolinetsai3.
Where Rap Meets Race: Alleviating the Effects of Misogyny in Rap and Hip Hop Music
columns
UZOCHI P. NWOKO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In 2017, for the first time in history, hip-hop/R&B officially became the most consumed music genre in America. Consumption of rap music increased by 25 percent from 2016, recording the second-largest growth of any music category. In fact, the past few years have marked groundbreaking success for the rap and hip-hop industries, as the genre has progressed from taboo to widely accepted. Moreover, the average age of hip hop listeners is the lowest of all major music genres in the United States. Because of this impressionable demographic, the content of hip hop and rap
music has particular potential for impact. Hip hop and rap music effectively convey significant and powerful messages, from expressing grievances in the black community to illustrating the vision that even the poorest black Americans from the most dangerous neighborhoods can achieve wealth and fame—a potent image for young black people in those very situations. But, along with these positive messages have come more insidious connotations. One such example is the saturation of rap and hip hop music with misogynistic lyrics that hypersexualize and give little to no respect to women. On Feb. 24, 18 out of 25 of Billboard’s top rap songs—most of which are also classified as hip hop—had lyrics referring to women as “bitches,” “hoes,” or “whores.” While the core message of most songs do not line up with such belittling rhetoric, these words saturate the songs with misogynistic undertones, and their presence in so many top songs indicates how pervasive said undertones are. The overt lionization of infidelity is similarly prevalent and problematic. One doesn’t have to venture far to find an example of this glorification. In “Gummo,” number 12 on Billboard’s Top 25 as of Feb. 24, 6ix9ine says, “Your girl on my phone / she wanna fuck… I only want the jaw / that’s really all I use her for as I kick her out the door.” The next song on the chart, A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane,” contains equally demeaning lyrics: Towards the middle of the song, he says, “I fuck yo bitch for the irony.” These misogynistic lyrics run contrary to the progression of gender equality. At a time when some of the nation’s most power leaders have undercut the social strides we have made as a country, it is important to be vigilant in denouncing misogyny and to be careful to not take these aspects of rap and hip-hop to heart. This is especially important in the black community, both because black Americans represent the largest percentage of consumers of hip-hop and because the creators of the genre’s music are predominantly black. If lyrics are ever going to pos-
itively evolve, it is important that young, aspiring rappers do not internalize these messages. In addition, trends in family composition, like single-parent households, are more prevalent in the black community than in any other American racial group. According to a study in “Demographic Research,” a journal on population sciences, children born or raised outside of families with married parents may experience diminished wellbeing. These relationship trends are due to a conglomeration of factors, including the current disproportionately high incarceration and poverty rates in the black community. It is difficult to directly measure the impact that misogynistic music lyrics have on the black community, but by taking care to internalize the positive messages in rap and hip hop, and disregard the negative undertones, listeners can better promote a culture of respect for women. This, however, does not mean that censorship is the answer— though a reevaluation is certainly warranted, and not just for rap. Misogyny manifests itself widely and across genres from rock and roll to country music. Instead of censorship, consumers of rap and hip hop who will ultimately become the genre’s creators should be cognizant of the messages that they subconsciously integrate into their thoughts, actions, and vocabulary. Words are powerful, and consistent auditory exposure to an ideal can have concrete effects on people’s mentality. This principle is indicated by the “mere exposure effect,” which states that people develop preferences for stimuli to which they are repeatedly exposed. Verbal influence can yield positive or negative effects on behavior. In a bid to make America a more socially equitable place, rap and hip-hop consumers should try to optimize the positive effects, and minimize the misogyny in the music they listen to. Contributing writer Uzochi P. Nwoko’s column, “Where Rap Meets Race,” explores how predominant motifs in rap impact the black community.
ARTS
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 6
theater
‘Waitress’: Jovial But Generic MASON P. SANDS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COURTESY OF JOAN MARCUS
If you’re hoping for a revolutionary and original Broadway production, don’t waste your money on “Waitress.” While Tony-winning director Diane Paulus leads an entertaining show, “Waitress” is not incredibly impressive and falls short of the expectations popular buzz has given it. Playing at the Boston Opera House until March 4, “Waitress” centers on Jenna (Desi Oakley), a Southern waitress and pie chef extraordinaire who lives in the American South and unexpectedly becomes pregnant. To escape her abusive husband Earl (Nick Bailey) and provide a better life for her child, she enters a pie-making contest. Along the way, she builds relationships with the customers and employees of Joe’s Dinner. Though the play is comedic and a technical marvel, it fails to create any real depth, leaving the audience laughing but emotionally unfulfilled. The production takes full advantage of the unique features of the Boston Opera House during set transition, elevating the show’s technical aspects. Not only are these transitions smooth, but they also contribute to the storytelling as they change in accordance to the emotional shifts in the play. Rather than minimizing conspicuousness, the movement of set pieces and backdrops surprisingly draws the audience into the story. Lighting and costuming are equally a delight. The combination of the two aspects creates a vibrant production that conveys the joviality and sparky personalities of Jenna and her friends at Joe’s Diner. Though Grammy-nominated singer Sara Bareilles pens the lyrics, the music is neither unprecedented nor
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extraordinary. With the exception of the song “She Used to Be Mine,” Sara Bareilles’ work is formulaic, relying on the style and sound of traditional musical theater with a mix of pop in the upper registry. Lorin Latarro’s choreography is far more exciting. Though it seems gimmicky early on, filled with unnecessary synchronised movement that detracts from the music, it eventually contributes to the power of scenes like the birth of Jenna’s child. Working in conjunction with superb set transitions, movement captures emotional dynamics that the acting fails to portray. The overall production is light and humorous, but it loses its emotional gravity in its comedy. The love story between the two eccentric young nerds, Dawn (Lenne Klingaman) and Ogie (Jeremy Morse), along with Nurse Norma’s (Maiesha McQueen) perfectly timed snarky commentary incites, lots of laughter. Yet “Waitress” also has a more serious side, to which the acting fails to do justice. Oakley’s Jenna is static and passive. Experiences evoke emotion because of the inherent tragedy of the situation rather than the emotional empathy the audience should feel towards her character. Oakley’s inability to portray any emotion other than shallow optimism prevents the audience from truly understanding her world. Though she has friends and support, her life is full of domestic trauma, deceit, and desperation, none of which are fully explored. Other characters also lack emotional depth. The cast generally struggles to deliver serious moments and compensates by leaning heavily on their characters’
comedic sides. The one notable exception is Bailey’s Earl. Because his character is steeped in darkness, Bailey delivers a a gripping performance and delves into the multi-faceted mind of Jenna’s abuser, which helps audiences understand why Jenna feels bound to him. Baily’s acting highlights Earl’s anger, manipulation, and eventual vulnerability in such a way that he delivers the most authentic performance of the entire show. Acting issues ultimately stem from deficiencies in the writing and plot issues. In the earlier parts, “Waitress” raises a lot of serious questions: When do we leave those who need us? Can extramarital affairs ever be moral? What responsibilities do we owe to others and what do we owe to ourselves? The most popular song, “She Used to Be Mine,” a ballad which focuses on Jenna’s view of herself, effectively encapsulates these musings. Besides this song, “Waitress” isn’t fulfilling. Characters react indifferently instead of making changes. Their arcs stretch over hours, only to be hastily resolved at the end. This problem affects even the main character—the birth of her baby, her relationship with Earl, and her affair run through half of their arc in the final 10 minutes of the production, such that the major questions are only half-heartedly answered. In the end, “Waitress” is your average feel-good Broadway play. For what it does set out to accomplish, it accomplishes well, managing to marvel with its technical aspects and its comedic wit. It is a musical that is heartwarming for the whole family. Yet it is unquestionably surface-level and therefore a superfluous addition to the Broadway collection.
‘Alto’s Odyssey’ J. THOMAS WESTBROOK STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF TEAM ALTO
“Alto’s Odyssey” is an endless runner mobile game about sandboarding, which—after a brief interlude of Googling—I can assure you is a real sport. But that’s a bit like saying “The Starry Night” is a painting of a village. It’s true, I guess, but not really what you notice. What “Alto’s Odyssey” is really about is guiding a sandboarding avatar through a gorgeous two-dimensional desert, using a few touches of the screen to jump over obstacles and onto surfaces, and maybe doing a few midair flips and tricks along the way. It is difficult to overstate how visually striking the game is: Temples and mountains weave into canyons and dunes, which weave into jungles and waterfalls. The little sandboarder makes his or her way through villages, across vines, bridges, and balloons. Leave the music on if you can to help guide your mood from quiet appreciation to glee as you slide through one landscape and launch yourself across another. The basic gameplay is very simple. You touch the screen to jump, holding on to perform backflips and other tricks. The game is divided into levels, with different goals suggested to progress to the next level—but you can explore the endless variety of “Odyssey” without ever accomplishing any of the goals, if you like. Collecting coins along the way allows you to purchase upgrades (some of which, like the single-use “Helmet,” seem to be a bit of a waste of money), while completing levels unlocks different playable characters with slightly different skillsets (for example, the second character, Maya, is slower but flips faster).
Endless runners can be stressful. Like many games, they require split-second decisionmaking. Something is almost always chasing the player, be it a monster, a natural disaster, or something a little more whimsical. And sooner or later, as certain as death or taxes, you will lose. Endless runners have no victory conditions, only longer runs before failure. Oftentimes, this can make a game get old pretty quickly (Sure, it was exciting the first few times, but before long the game is reduced to endless repetitions of the same level, hard to look away from but also no longer any fun). “Alto’s Odyssey” avoids this pitfall of the genre. The terrain of the level changes slightly across each playthrough, even if one stays in the same biome. The game moves on a day/ night cycle that persists across levels, so that if it was night when the last run ended, it will still be night when the next begins. Sandstorms and rainfall appear, last for a run or two, and disappear again. The gameplay and the world have a sedate, unhurried feel that makes ending a run feel less like a failure and more like a brief delay before getting to play some more. That being said, I would strongly caution against playing for more than an hour or two at a time. If overplayed, “Odyssey” begins to lose its charm. Its level goals become frustratingly difficult objectives. Instead of a storm or nightfall being an interesting change to the world’s aesthetic, they become irritating impediments to one’s vision. The game remains as difficult to put down as ever—perhaps even more so—but one starts to wonder if this is really a valuable use of one’s time. At that point, you should put it down and come back to it later. Another way to alleviate the frustrations of endless runners is to activate the game’s “Zen Mode,” which turns off the coins and trick scores the game uses to track your performance and allows your little sandboarders to get back up each time they fall down instead of starting a new run. With a slower, more contemplative soundtrack, and more opportunities to appreciate the beautiful background and foreground art, Zen Mode is arguably the best way to enjoy “Odyssey.” It also allows you to move from biome to biome if you find yourself getting stuck in a rut. A quick look at “Alto’s Odyssey” and the game which inspired it, “Journey,” will be enough to determine that the one owes a lot to the other. The art styles are very similar, and both games flow through a beautiful desert landscape, hauntingly empty at first look, but brimming with life on closer inspection. Both sport cloaked player avatars with trailing scarves who hang in the air for just a little longer than we can in the everyday world. The bird of paradise companions that you can acquire on your sandboarding runs even seem to echo the cloth creatures of “Journey.” Of course, the two games are also very different, and not just because they are in different genres. With its coins, run scores, equipment, and alternate avatars, “Alto’s Odyssey” does not have the same strict commitment to minimalism “Journey” did. “Journey” wanted to make statements about life, loneliness, and experience; “Alto’s Odyssey” wants you to have fun in five-minute bursts. But even though “Odyssey” is fun to play, to write it off like that would be underselling it. “Alto’s Odyssey” succeeds with such beauty and grace, one forgets that what one is playing is “just” an endless runner, “just” a game for a phone or tablet. “Alto’s Odyssey” isn’t just the best of its genre—it’s better than its genre. Staff writer J. Thomas Westbrook can be reached at thomas.westbrook@thecrimson.com.
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 7
SEAS Groups Develop Amid Diversity Increase “Other organizations already exist that tailor to different spaces such as Women in Computer science, which is a really well established group on campus, and there is Women in Math, as well. So I just really saw that need to fill that void or that space for women engineers,” said Allison Tsay ’19, President of SWE. Eweje added that national conventions held by the umbrella organizations provide meaningful opportunities for group members to engage with the larger scientific community. “That’s really an opportunity for networking, just learning more about your field, just learning more about the people in your field, but also finding jobs and internship opportunities. That’s part of what really motivated us to start this chapter to begin with,” he said.
Christina Zaldana, SEAS Administrator for Advising Programs and Diversity Outreach, discusses affinity groups for minority SEAS concentrators. AWNIT S. MARTA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Despite the pace at which it has grown, SEAS has historically struggled to increase its diversity relative to other divisions of FAS, in both concentrator enrollment and in its faculty. “We’re doing better, but in my mind, not good enough,” Francis J. Doyle III, Dean of SEAS, said during the school’s annual sophomore convocation earlier this month. “We need to be more reflective of the total college student body here, and that needs to be more reflective of society.” There are currently 1,013 undergraduates enrolled in SEAS; of that number, 34 percent are women, and 20 percent are students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. 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 have an overarching engineering society but I think it’s also important that we have specific affinity groups so students can see themselves in a lot of different ways that they can get involved at SEAS,” said Christina Zaldana, SEAS’s administrator for advising programs and diversity outreach. CREATING AFFINITY Affiliates of NSBE, SWE, and SHPE said that the official establishment of their groups was especially important in an environment like SEAS, where intense coursework and a lack of representation can often be discouraging. “There were not a lot of groups that were oriented onto engineering other than like HCS or project-based clubs,” said Leticia Ortega ’19, secretary of SHPE. “I wanted something that would provide me a network where I could meet other student engineers, so we could discuss what it’s like to be an engineering or STEM student at Har-
vard.” Sayo R. Eweje ’19, president of NSBE, said he thinks affinity groups play a particularly important role in providing guidance to new students from underrepresented backgrounds. “Students who don’t necessarily identify with whatever the majority is in a certain place can become stressed out of the social dynamic or even the academic atmosphere of a community like SEAS if you don’t have this sort of club or organization that fits you into the larger community to begin with,” he said. NSBE, SWE, and SHPE are not the first SEAS-related affinity groups to form in recent years at the College. Women in Computer Science, for example, has had a strong campus presence, as has the Harvard Society of Black Students and Engineers (HSBSE). But members of the new groups say that their organizations offer two additional draws: specificity, and a relationship with a national umbrella organization.
The latest on student life.
“OPEN TO CHANGE” According to Zaldana, the near carte-blanche support SEAS has given to NSBE, SWE, and SHPE is part of a renewed effort at SEAS to show that it values its students’ ideas, especially regarding diversity and inclusion. “If students say they want a SWE, a HSBSE, and a SHPE, for whatever reason, because it’s going to make them more a part of the community, SEAS takes that seriously and we put funding and administrative support in place so they can move these groups forward,” she said. “If students are saying that having this in place will make their overall educational experience better, then we try to make it as administratively easy as possible.” Zaldana said she also hopes helping affinity groups increase their visibility will allow students from underrepresented backgrounds who feel intimidated at SEAS “to see this network, because we want them to know if they’re struggling, if they’re alone, than they can see other groups that have gone through similar situations.” She said, though, that the groups have not been around long enough to significantly impact enrollment rates for women and underrepresented minorities. Zaldana said she remained hopeful that the establishment of affinity groups will generate the impetus for a SEAS culture more comfortable with making strides toward greater diversity. “We hope that it signals to students that they have another idea that would make things more inclusive, that they should feel free to speak to the Dean about it, or go to our office and let us know,” she said. “We hope that it lets students know that we’re open to change and we’re very open to student ideas about how to improve the community here.”
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SEAS FROM PAGE 1
ROAD TO RECOGNITION That very connection to a national organization, however, led to friction when each of the groups attempted to gain recognition from the college. The College’s policy, according to the Harvard College student Handbook, requires that recognized independent student organizations “make all policy decisions without obligation to any parent organization, national chapter, or charter, and without direction, interference or pressure from any such entity.” The three affinity groups were forced to search for another approach—at which point SEAS stepped in. For nationally affiliated organizations, the College allows a University department or school to assume a sponsorship role and administrative supervision over the group. According to Zaldana, SEAS opted to sponsor the groups. “Because they were affiliated with national chapters, they had to do this process through SEAS,” she said. As a “Sponsored Student Organization,” the affinity groups operate on behalf of SEAS, receive SEAS funding and select members with SEAS oversight. Despite this sponsorship, the groups still faced a long wait for official recognition. NSBE and SHPE received recognition from the OSL in May 2017. SWE, on the other hand, received recognition only last week, according to Tsay. “We only registered on the Hub as of two days ago, despite being an organization sponsored by SEAS for at least
two years,” Tsay said. At the same time, SEAS sponsorship has conveyed a host of benefits, including advising, funding, and office space. “They did a lot of meetings, they got us a lot of funding, they did a lot of the heavy lifting that us as student groups didn’t really have access to do,” Ortega said.
—Staff writer Luke W. Xu can be reached at luke.xu@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @duke_of_luke_
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PAGE 8 |FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | THE HARVARD CRIMSON
Panel Speaks On #MeToo Moment Former MI6 Chief By SARAH J. HONG CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
A group of Harvard professors from across disciplines discussed the challenges, impacts, and implications of the #MeToo movement at a panel Monday at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study’s Schlesinger Library. The event focused on the #MeToo movement, an anti-sexual harassment campaign that has swept the world in recent months and brought down dozens of powerful men. Women have taken to social media to share their stories of sexual harassment with the hashtag #MeToo, prompting a national conversation about harassment in the workplace. Monday’s panel was moderated by Ann Marie Lipinski, the curator for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, and featured Harvard faculty members David I. Laibson, Evelynn M. Hammonds, Jill Lepore, and Jeannie S. Gersen. The event began with presentations from each panelist, and closed with questions from Lipinski and the audience.
“Where do you go when you don’t feel comfortable with the Title IX office’s ability to enforce accountability?” Evelynn M. Hammonds
History of Science Professor Laibson, an economics professor specializing in behavioral economics, presented first, summarizing the sexual assault climate survey he helped design and administer in 2015. That survey revealed that 31 per-
cent of senior undergraduate women at the College that year had experienced some form of sexual assault while at Harvard. Laibson pointed out that the survey revealed numerous obstacles to reporting sexual assault that he said still hinder many students at Harvard. “Our community may worry about the consequences of reporting sexual misconduct. How will this affect my friendships? How will this affect my relationship with the broader university community? Will my doctoral advisor ruin my career?” Laibson said. Hammonds, a History of Science and African and African American Studies professor, focused on the specific challenges women of color at Harvard might face when weighing whether to report sexual harassment. “We have to ask on this campus, what does accountability look like for black women students on this campus? Where do you go when you don’t feel comfortable with the Title IX office’s ability to enforce accountability?” Hammonds said. Hammonds added that black students often have difficulty trusting law enforcement officers, which may further limit avenues for reporting assault. Lepore, a professor of American History, pointed to the shortcomings of feminist movements in the 1920s and 1960s, cautioning attendees that the #MeToo movement could have adverse effects as well. “This movement might lead to great, long-lasting social justice, but history might also suggest it will lead to something quite, itself, terrible,” Lepore said. Gersen, a law professor, spoke about the role of due process in adjudicating sexual assault cases, pointing to the need for clarity in definition and accountability for sexual assault charges. “Due process is for innocent and guilty alike,” Gersen said. “I am so heartened that the conversation has included actual real discussion about what we mean when we say sexual harassment, and what that behavior en-
tails.” The panel marked the 75th anniversary of Schlesinger Library, which houses a collection centered around the history of women in the United States.
Speaks at HKS
By MEENA VENKATARAMANAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Sir John Sawers, the former chief of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, discussed intelligence and national security at a Kennedy School event Monday afternoon. Sawers is one of the Kennedy School’s Fisher Family Fellows, experts who have worked in government and reside on campus for a period of time to speak with Harvard affiliates and the greater public about their expertise and experiences . Monday’s talk was part of the ongoing “Future of Diplomacy Project,” an initiative at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of international politics. The event was moderated by former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter, who now works at the Kennedy School, and Professor R. Nicholas Burns. Sawers began his talk with a discussion of geopolitics and the merits of the Western model, moving on to argue that the U.S. and the U.K. are no longer the only dominant nations. “We live in a world in which the West has been the dominant player. But the preponderance of the Western world has now passed,” Sawers said. “The Western model is now challenged because the performance of autocratic societies is tilted against our interests.” According to Sawers, China has edged its way up in international relations, posing a threat to Western hegemony. “China doesn’t rely on stealing our secrets. They are as innovative an economy and society as our own,” Sawers said. “We have to come to terms with their economic power, their technological innovation, and the reality that they are already an economy that surpasses the United States, and their investment in military capabilities will follow that path,” he added.
“Harvard as a community of intellectuals and experts can help turn viral intensity into meaningful change.” Jane Kamensky Schlesinger Director
Library Director Jane Kamensky said the aim of the panel was to provide a forum for discussing pressing issues the #MeToo movement has raised. “I think one of the goals of trying to seize a moment is for dialogue that interrogates how Harvard as a community of intellectuals and experts can help turn viral intensity into meaningful change so that students today, in 45 years, won’t have to say, ‘why are we still having this discussion?’” Kamensky said. Kamensky said Schlesinger Library is going to pursue several projects to document the #MeToo movement. “We’re in the early stages of a digital archiving project which we hope will give a permanent home to a group of digital assets related to this moment so that when people want to study it in a hundred years, there’s a central place to do it,” she said. —Staff writer Sarah J. Hong can be reached at sarah.hong@thecrimson.com
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Sawers highlighted examples from the U.S. and the U.K.—specifically, the election of President Donald Trump and the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union—to back his claim that Western dominance and political stability are facing a variety of new threats. “The Conservative and Labour parties are going out and embracing populist policies on the right and left, just as the Democrats and Republicans are doing in the U.S.,” he said. “What has for generations been a source of pride and stability in the U.S. and U.K.—the two-party system—has now become a vulnerability.” Despite these global threats, Sawers said it is most important to focus first on domestic challenges. “We must solve the problems at home before we can take on the greater problems facing the world. If you’re running an organization as big as the U.S. Army or as modest in size as MI6, keeping your institutions fresh and open to the world is important,” Sawers said. The second half of the event winvolved a question and answer period, during which Sawers, Carter, and Burns fielded queries from among the roughly 100 audience members. In response to a question about his decision-making process, Burns emphasized the value of complying with legal and regulatory frameworks to maintain trust as a leader and retain the ability to make future decisions. Sydney V. McDonald ’21 said she attended the event to supplement her classroom experiences. McDonald asked Sawers a question about contemporary value-oriented terrorism. “Hearing his views on that, and getting to consolidate my preconceived notions with his perspective was cool,” she said. “I also enjoyed hearing how his opinions compare to those of some of my professors, and how different interpretations of foreign policy can come about through dialogue.”
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | PAGE 9
Students Criticize Panelists Discuss TPS Impact Parkland Response TPS FROM PAGE 1
ADMISSIONS FROM PAGE 1 —issued statements assuring applicants activism-related discipline would not affect their admissions prospects. Many of these statements, often advertised on social media websites like Twitter or Facebook, specifically referenced the violence in Parkland. The College joined its peers Friday, posting a “Statement from Harvard College Admissions”—since updated— on its website. “The mission of Harvard College is to provide a deeply transformative liberal arts and sciences education that will prepare our students for a life of citizenship and leadership,” the original statement read. “As always, those who engage responsibly in exercising their rights and freedoms would not have their chances of admission compromised.” Over the weekend, multiple alumni and prospective students contacted the admissions office to seek clarification on the College’s stance regarding protests, according to an email sent to some alumni by admissions office staff. “Many applicants have contacted our office concerned with the effect such disciplinary action might have on their candidacy for admission,” admissions officer Bryce J. Gilfillian ’12 wrote in the email. The College’s statement did not mention Parkland, and Harvard has yet to publicize its comments on the Twitter or Facebook accounts associated with the admissions office. Over the weekend, some students and faculty members criticized Harvard for these actions, alleging the College needed to do more. “I’m sure Harvard will join these other colleges in defending the rights of high school students who are suspend-
ed for protesting gun policies,” Law School professor Laurence H. Tribe ’62 tweeted Sunday. “If it doesn’t, I plan to resign my professorship in protest.” Juliet A. Lewis ’18, unaware the College had posted a statement online, circulated emails, documents, and a virtual petition Saturday—since closed— urging Harvard to explicitly assure applicants that participation in protests related to Parkland would not affect their admissions decisions. “You don’t have to believe in gun control reform to agree that the first amendment rights of high school students should be protected,” Lewis wrote in an email Saturday. After learning Harvard had posted remarks, Lewis circulated an updated document asserting she was “disappointed” by what she called the College’s “lackluster reply.” Harvard updated its original statement Monday evening to include explicit mention of peaceful protest. “Fundamental to our mission is our belief that students have the right to protest peacefully about issues of concern to them,” the new statement reads. The comments also include new reassurances that the College will not penalize applicants or admitted students for “engaging responsibly” in demonstrations that result in disciplinary action.Critics of the original statement have yet to comment publicly on the changes. Some, though, say Harvard’s new statement is less personal than those published by other universities. Lewis declined further comment on her emails and petition. The online petition is now closed, though she wrote she plans to send it to the admissions office this coming Wednesday. In response to a request for comment, University spokesperson Rachael Dane referred to the statement posted on the College’s website.
Monday’s panel was a joint effort between the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, UNITE HERE Local 26, and the 32BJ chapter of the Service Employees International Union—a unified effort of three unions representing Harvard workers that moderator Genevieve LeChat, a HUCTW member, said was uncommon. Panelists included Harvard University Dining Services employee Martha I. Bonilla, and Harvard custodians and 32BJ SEIU members Doris Reina-Landaverde and Julio A. Perez. Perez, who is also a member of the Massachusetts TPS Committee, emphasized his concern that the loss of TPS protections
could mean a decline in union membership. “Probably 70 percent of SEIU members are immigrants like me, with TPS, or with different problems,” Perez said. “The termination of the TPS—I don’t have to say, we all know—is going to ruin the unions. They will be broken down, because they will have very few members.” Others agreed, mentioning that a union gains organizing strength from its membership.“I think it’s a huge number [of TPS recipients], and they know if the unions lose these members, this will break the workers,” Reina-Landaverde said.“The union is not the building or the organization. We are the union.” Some panel attendees said they be-
lieve the changes to TPS are one component of an effort by the Trump administration to weaken unions. “This is the first opening salvo in an attack on unions. They’re led by immigrants; they’re rapidly growing. They are being dismantled by the administration because they give workers a chance to organize,” Ander P. Pierce, a Tufts student and panel attendee, said. Members of the panel said they have been working to increase public awareness of TPS in the months before it is scheduled to expire. For Perez, this included driving four hours for a six-minute interview on a local television channel about TPS last week. “We are working against the clock. It has been set against us,” Perez said. “We are moving forward.”
Koch Donations Spur Debate HKS FROM PAGE 1 our research, our policy recommendations, what we teach, or whom we accept into our community,” Gavel wrote. The billionaire Koch Brothers have come under the national spotlight in recent years, with some criticizing them for their conservative views as well as a perceived lack of transparency regarding which Republican candidates the brothers fund. The Koch Foundation even inspired an app in 2013 which allowed shoppers to check if products are backed by the Koch brothers—thus letting consumers boycott those items. The Kennedy School should not advance the agenda of a foundation that is “one of the most undemocratic forces in the country,” Rousset said. “[The Koch Brothers] are pushing a pro-business agenda regardless of the impact on the poor, the shrinking middle class,
communities of color, and other vulnerable communities who get crushed by such policies.” The Koch Foundation did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Dave Levinthal, a journalist at the Center for Public Integrity—who has reported on the Koch Foundation in the past—said he thinks backlash is to be expected given what he called the Koch Brothers’ opaque financial support of conservative political candidates and organizations. “When Koch foundations give money to public policy schools, particularly ones with a generally left-leaning student body and faculty, expect an angry reaction,” Levinthal wrote in an email Monday. “Schools must weigh the benefits of Koch money—grants sometimes reach into the millions of dollars—against the potential blowback of taking it,” Levin-
thal added. “Most universities take it.” Professor Stephen Walt, the co-director of the “The Project on Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft,” said the grant given by the Koch Foundation will not impact their admissions decisions for the fellowship program. “Once the money has been provided to us, then we control the program and they don’t have a role in selecting the fellows or deciding what the fellows write, selecting who we bring in as outside speakers or anything like that,” Walt said. Nonetheless, some students at the Kennedy School say the donations are concerning. “I think we need to be careful about what we freak out about,” said Matthew B. Mcdole, who is pursuing a masters in public policy. “I’m highly concerned if this is something where it’s a widespread effort to corporatize the center.”
Comment Letters Critique I-90 Plan Cambridge Recognizes Black History Month By TRUELIAN LEE and JACQUELINE P. PATEL CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
In recent comment letters, several local residents and community groups criticized the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s “incomplete” draft environmental report on the proposed I-90 realignment, asking the agency to prepare a more extensive analysis. The realignment, known officially as the I-90 Interchange Improvement Project, will replace the aging Allston viaduct, simplifying the ramps at the end of the Massachusetts Turnpike. MassDOT released a Draft Environmental Impact Report on the $270 million project at the end of 2017, opening a public comment period on the proposal which closed in early February. In her letter, Boston City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu ’07 wrote that MassDOT’s current plan “does not reflect the needs of the community or commitments that the Commonwealth and the City have made regarding climate change and transportation.” “The Commonwealth should prior
itize making public transit-oriented, climate-ready, and equitable decision to seize this tremendous opportunity,” wrote Wu, who is also the chair of the city council’s Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation. Nine community organizations and residents advising MassDOT on the I-90 project wrote a joint letter requesting that the agency further elaborate on the environmental impact of its plans in a supplemental DEIR.“Despite its exhaustive length, MassDOT’s DEIR is an incomplete document requiring further study to bring to light the full impact of this $1 billion infrastructure initiative,” the letter reads. “The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has been pleased to work closely with key stakeholders including Harvard University, area businesses, and members of the local community throughout the design process for the I-90 Allston Viaduct Project,” MassDOT spokesperson Patrick Marvin wrote in an emailed statement. He said that before publishing the DEIR in November 2017, “MassDOT held over 20 meetings with the I-90 Allston Task
Force, 7 public information meetings, and numerous stakeholder briefings.” Other letters sent to MassDOT also criticized delays to the construction of West Station, a proposed community rail station to connect Allston to downtown Boston. MassDOT originally scheduled a completion in 2025 for West Station, which will be built on land vacated by the I-90 realignment. Citing financial concerns, the department announced in late 2017 that it will instead begin construction in 2040. City Councilors from Newton wrote that they felt skeptical about MassDOT’s traffic predictions, which the organization used to justify delaying the construction of West Station. The traffic model “makes several assumptions about transit ridership which are hard to reconcile with reality, and the result will likely be an automobile-centered development which increases traffic volume and congestion on the Turnpike,” the councilors wrote. Marvin wrote that MassDOT is continuing to review public comments and “looks forward to considering all input that is related to this project.”
Two New Professors Join Sociology By CECILIA R. D’ARMS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
A ssistant professors Joscha Legewie from Yale and Ellis P. Monk Jr. from Princeton will join Harvard’s Sociology department as tenure-track professors in fall 2018, the department announced late last week. Department Chair Jason Beckfield emailed department colleagues to announce the new hires, calling the duo a “smashing team win.” “I’m really excited about both of them,” Beckfield said in an interview. “They’re two just fantastic new faculty members who are going to be joining us.” Legewie studies social inequality, education, and criminal justice and focuses on “big data.” Monk researches race and inequality in the United States and Brazil. The two said their research overlaps and they are excited about the possibility of collaborating while at Harvard, something they have discussed in the past. Legewie’s current research focus
es on the impacts of “zero-tolerance policing” on the educational success of minority male youth. He explores how aggressive policing can foster educational disparities and distrust towards state institutions among minority communities. Legewie said he hopes to teach undergraduate courses on the sociology of education, examining how education reduces or increases social inequality. He also hopes to teach a data and methods course on the growing field of big data in sociology. Monk’s current research contrasts racial inequality in the U.S. and Brazil. He focuses primarily on a sociological concept called “bodily capital,” which he described as the relationship between the physical body, social categories, identity, and inequality. Monk said he plans to teach a course on conceptions of race around the world. “The main idea behind the course is to understand how racial inequality works in the U.S.,” Monk said. “It’s important to put the U.S. in global comparative contexts, so then we can
understand what’s truly unique about the U.S.” Legewie and Monk both said they were drawn to Harvard by the size and intellectual diversity of the University’s research community, as well as the Sociology department. Monk also stressed the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration with graduate schools and the African and African-American Studies department, where he hopes to cross-list some of his courses. “There’s so many connections; it is such an exciting opportunity for me,” he added. Sociology Professor and chair of the faculty search committee Robert J. Sampson said the department chose Legewie and Monk from a pool of several hundred applicants. He said one of the committee’s priorities was selecting candidates who take teaching very seriously. “These are rising stars in the discipline in our opinion, so we’re really thrilled that they’ve accepted the job,” Sampson said. “Harvard students will be lucky.”
UC Advances Multicultural Center Proposal UC FROM PAGE 1 Last month, coalition leaders held a town hall to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposed center and provide advice to the coalition. Some of the feedback they received was incorporated into the final proposal, according to Abdelrahman. UC Student Relations Committee Chair Nicholas P. Whittaker ’19 urged
students to be patient with the long process outlined in the UC’s plan. The proposal sets a deadline of early 2020— pushed back from spring of 2019 in an earlier draft—for the task force to complete its work. “There is a new president happening, and that’s going to take at least a year of reshuffling the administration,” Whittaker said, adding that the delay is “important for this proposal to be suc-
cessful.” Abdelrahman agreed that rushing the process would endanger the success of the proposed space. “Any space that becomes a community space requires the input of an entire community and so that will necessarily require time and...the investment of key stakeholders from all areas of the College,” she said. “And that won’t happen overnight.”
By PATRICIA J. LIU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
This February, the City of Cambridge celebrated Black History Month through a series of initiatives and events that recognized the achievements of African Americans. During the first City Council meeting of the month, the council unanimously adopted a policy order encouraging Cambridge residents to learn more about the important contributions of African Americans to the city and to the country. The order was authored by Mayor Marc C. McGovern and—through an amendment—Councillor E. Denise Simmons. “Cambridge is home to one of the oldest African American communities in the nation, and has been home to groundbreaking leaders and history makers,” the order states. Among the black Cantabrigians highlighted in the order are Maria Louise Baldwin, the Northeast’s first African-American public school principal; Joshua Bowen Smith, an abolitionist and former state representative; and Clement G. Morgan, the first African American elected to the Cambridge Board of Alderman. McGovern said he wanted the order to be educational, rather than just a proclamation deeming February to be “Black History/African American History Month.” He also said he hopes Cambridge schools will continue to focus on teaching black history. “It’s something we have to consistently self-evaluate and look at to make sure we’re not just teaching an Anglo, white history that you find in most textbooks,” McGovern said. McGovern also emphasized the significance of the city speaking up for values including inclusion and repre-
sentation.“It’s important for a city and elected officials and leaders in a community to step out and say, ‘We’re highlighting this,’” McGovern said. This month, the city council also passed a policy order to create a permanent decal on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority buses to honor Rosa Parks. Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, who sponsored the order with Simmons, said she wants to acknowledge Parks’ role in the fight for equality. “We really feel that we have to honor the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, not just in February but all year long,” Siddiqui said at the city council meeting on Feb. 5. “It’s important to make this recognition part of the physical infrastructures in our community.” Last Thursday, the mayor’s office hosted an open mic night at City Hall to celebrate Black History Month. At the event, residents shared their poetry and artwork. Yet according to Deputy Chief of Staff Ana M. Barros ’16, the city’s commitment to people of color extends to policy as well. “We have events to bring people together for community building, but on the other end, we also have policy initiatives that will be rolling out this year to address racial disparities,” Barros said. “We know the black residents of Cambridge are affected disproportionately by things like affordable housing.” McGovern said the city has both short-term and long-term goals to address racial inequalities, including programs to address housing and homelessness. Simmons, who also spoke at the city council meeting , agreed. “African American history is not a month. It’s actually three hundred and sixty-five days of the year,” Simmons said.
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EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
Gun Control Protests Shouldn’t Control Admissions
I
n the aftermath of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., high school students around the country have been protesting in support of stricter gun safety laws, in many cases staging walkouts to express their positions. On Friday, College spokesperson Rachael Dane offered a statement confirming, “Those who engage responsibly in exercising their rights and freedoms would not have their chances of admission compromised.” The College released the statement Monday, in slightly modified form, on its website. We commend Harvard for making a statement during this politically tense time that affirms the administration’s support for students choosing to exercise their constitutional rights. At the same time, the College could and should have taken the opportunity to explicitly praise the peaceful, constructive nature of the protests its would-be students are undertaking, as this kind of civic engagement reflects well on the applicants involved. As an admissions body, the role of the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid is to determine who will be most suited to life at the College and who will con-
tribute to the community in the most meaningful ways. When considering an individual’s history of protest as relevant to admissions, the manner in which applicants are civically engaged should be the issue at hand, not the ideological beliefs behind the protest. Applying to college can be a stressful process, during which applicants can feel scrutinized. Feeling a need to perform for picky observers can make people put aside their individuality and ideals in pursuit of an idealized image of perfection. In order to dispel this idea to make applicants understand that precisely what makes them most attractive to the College are their principles, their willingness to be engaged, and their individuality, the Harvard College Admissions office should have been more public about its position on this matter. It could have followed the lead of many other schools by using social media to share its stance, for instance. Nevertheless, the Admissions Office was right to not explicitly siding with the protests, unlike an officer in its Yale counterpart. By not endorsing a specific ideological stance, the Admissions Office successfully walked the line in condoning respectful pro-
test without ostracizing those prospective applicants who may not share a stance with those protesting. There are times when Harvard as an institution must take a stand on a political issue. However, the College’s Admissions Office rarely need do so. Almost always, if the administration were to take a stand on a political issue, it would be problematic to make admissions decisions based on students’ positions on the matter. For these reasons, we’re glad Harvard made a statement clarifying the College’s admissions policy concerning peaceful, civil protests of any ideological stripe. We hope that high school students will take the statement at its word and freely pursue civically engaged lives without fear of admissions consequences. 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 Hypocrisy of Anti-BGLTQ Black Christians The Bible as a weapon against BGLTQ and black people Becina GANTHER THE FEMINIST CLOSET
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lack History Month. Specifically black Christians. It’s been nearly two weeks, and I’m still disappointed and hurt by the hateful rhetoric that “ex-gay” speaker Jackie Hill-Perry spewed at Harvard College Faith and Action’s Doxa meeting. While I’ve heard plenty of pastors, church-goers, and even non-Christian people say that homosexuality is sinful, hearing that message from a black woman who looks like me made it hit a little closer to home. It hurt even more to know that we have similar interests: I was intrigued to learn that she’s also an advocate for racial justice, a cause that I’m extremely passionate about. Initially, I had the smallest glimmer of hope that she might talk about racism within the church instead of how I and the rest of my community are inherently broken. But alas, it was not to be. During her speech, I heard nothing about racial reconciliation and far too much about “loving,” “Biblical” ways to ostracize BGLTQ people. I can still hear the black women in the audience, sitting just a few feet away from me, shouting out “amen” throughout her speech. I wonder if they would’ve passionately shouted those same “amen”s if her message had been about the inherent inferiority of black people. This isn’t the first time that religion has been used as an excuse to discriminate against and dehumanize marginalized groups. For centuries now, white Christians have been using twisted Biblical interpretations to justify their own racism. In the 19th century, pro-slavery Christians frequently cited a Bible verse about Noah cursing the descendants of his son Ham to be “the lowest of slaves.” Though the color of Ham’s skin was never mentioned in the Bible, these Christians became convinced
that black people were the descendants of Ham and thus destined to be slaves. The Bible also features many verses in support of slavery. One of the more explicit ones is this: “Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves… You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.” Clearly, many white Christians obeyed that verse to the letter. They stole black people from their homes and then set up an international slave trade system to buy and sell said stolen black people. When slave owners died, they “bequeath[ed] them to [their] children.” They couldn’t “rule over [their] fellow” white people “ruthlessly” because white people were entitled to basic human rights. Interestingly, this verse comes from Leviticus, the book which also contains the well-known verse about how I and members of my BGLTQ community are “abominations” who deserve death. This Biblical racism didn’t end with abolition. In 1963, a few years before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was brutally murdered by a white man, he called out the racism in churches, saying, “I think it is one of the tragedies of our nation... that eleven o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian America… Any church that stands against integration and that has a segregated body is standing against the spirit and the teachings of Jesus Christ.” Another parallel between homophobia and racism is the fact that Bob Jones University, a well-known Christian college, didn’t drop its ban on interracial dating and marriage until the year 2000. Their reluctance came from their belief that God intentionally made different races after humans tried to reach heaven by building the Tower of Babel, and thus interracial couples having multiracial children would derail God’s plan. For centuries now, white Christians have used the Bible to “prove” that black people are inferior, justify discrimination on the basis of race,
and make black people unwelcome in predominantly white spaces. This is nothing new, and you can find plenty of black Christians and black people in general calling that racism out; Jackie Hill-Perry herself has spoken to the issues surrounding police brutality and the problems with claiming to not “see race.” But we must also recognize that, for centuries now as well, cisgender, heterosexual Christians have used the Bible to justify homophobic and transphobic worldviews. And too often, advocates for racial justice like Hill-Perry will either use the Bible to spew hateful rhetoric about BGLTQ people or simply leave us out of conversations altogether. It’s not enough to be “woke” on race if you’re also homophobic or transphobic. In fact, intersectionality demands that you cannot be “woke” on race and also homophobic or transphobic. Black queer and transgender people exist, and you cannot supportblack liberation unless you support the liberation of all black people. “Black Lives Matter” includes BGLTQ black people. You can’t pick and choose which members of the black community matter and then throw the rest under the bus, especially when those members you want to ignore have been trailblazers in the movement for black liberation. This Black History Month, let’s not forget the history of racist, white Christians using the Bible as a weapon against black people. But let’s also not forget the history of homophobic and transphobic Christians using the Bible as a weapon against BGLTQ people, and the ways in which many black Christians feel absolved from this because they’re “woke” on race. And most importantly, let’s not forget that all this seemingly historical bigotry is still present today. Without active change, these histories will continue to repeat themselves. This Black History Month, we must decide to do and be better, refusing to let injustice snake its way into our history books anymore. Becina J. Gather ’20, a Crimson editorial editor, is a History of Science concentrator in Leverett House. Her column appears on alternate Tuesdays.
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 27, 208 | PAGE 10
Christian Questions for Harvard
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n a different chapter of Harvard College Faith and Act ion’s history, I co-led a discussion group for queer Christians. The group, known as Ask, Seek, Knock, or ASK, met every other week from 2014 to 2016 with long breaks for school holidays. Unlike most Christian communities, we chose not to have any official stance on what Christians call the Side A/Side B debate. Side A Christians think that the passages in Leviticus 18 and the New Testament condemning homosexuality only apply to the same-sex relationships common at the time. They see modern marriage between two men or women as contributing to human flourishing. They believe these unions honor God, who designed some people to be attracted to members of the same sex. As such, they believe the Church should recognize and celebrate gay marriage. Side B Christians agree that ancient homosexual relationships differ widely from modern gay marriage but believe the Bible prohibits the latter as well. Citing Genesis 2, Matthew 19, and Ephesians 5, they believe that marriage between a man and a woman uniquely symbolizes the union between Christ and the Church. For Side B Christians, choosing to pursue a relationship with a member of the same sex is morally out-of-bounds, since it does not lead to a marriage between two members of the opposite sex. When the conversations in ASK were academic, we often discussed Side A and Side B. Most of us were still making up our minds on the matter. But for a group of queer Christians, this is not primarily an academic topic, and we quickly moved on to discussing our personal lives. In leading ASK, I glimpsed the depth and width of the wounds in this part of Christ’s body. Members often spoke of a pervasive loneliness, even among Christian friends. Several were terrified of coming out to their conservative parents. Many struggled with depression, and one lost his faith. As a bisexual woman, I am often anxious in the many gendered spaces the Church provides. I am afraid of being seen as a snake in the grass. In particular, I don’t want to be deemed too perverted to work with children. The Church has a passing awareness that queer people are more likely to be homeless, depressed, or suicidal, but ministries catering to us are few. The unsympathetic tone of Doxa two weeks ago is but one example of how out of touch the Church is with the anguish of queer Christians. To adapt, many drift to the fringes of religious community. Recently, HCFA had at least one queer assistant Bible course leader, but she was asked to step down after beginning a relationship with another woman. In public statements regarding this decision, HCFA implied that they asked the woman to step down because she had not been celibate. Based on the woman’s recent clarification, HCFA leadership seems to have confused celibacy (no sexual activity) with chastity (appropriate relations). To illustrate the difference, a married woman having sex with her husband is chaste but not celibate. Side B Christians believe that a woman dating another woman is celibate but not chaste. In using imprecise language, HCFA has maligned and misrepresented the woman, undoubtedly causing her additional distress. In addressing this conflict, Harvard demands that HCFA adopt the Side A view. A recent article in the Harvard Ichthus argued that the traditional Side B view is inherently hateful. I suspect a similar assumption underlies a recent Crimson editorial and the Office of Student Life’s choice to place HCFA on probation. As a Side B Christian, I disagree with the assertion that Christians must either be Side A or live in hate. Side B runs against the grain of most people’s intuitions, including my own at first. I believe God made each human unique, complex, and beautiful. It makes me happy when people find partners who make them happy. And yet when I read my Bible alongside arguments for Side A and Side B, this is where my conscience falls. Men and women are different, equal, and complementary, and their union produces life. (For a better articulation of Side B than I can give, consider reading the work of Richard Hays.) To be chaste, a queer Christian may either choose to marry a member of the opposite sex or remain single. I aim to live out my Side B view in love. Almost always that means through actions, not words. My views do not shape how I vote or advise non-Christian friends. Rather, I aspire to foster communities like ASK where queer Christians feel renewed, embraced, and honored as beloved children of God. The Church has so much damage to undo, but faithful Side B Christians are striving for restoration even as we maintain our theological view. In its defense of BGLTQ Christians, Harvard appears to be uninterested in the contours of Christian life. If Harvard wants to enforce its view of how Christian communities should operate, let it understand the debate it is entering. If you were a Side B Christian, how would you lead? How would you make students feel welcome without compromising their spiritual development? How would you show them Christ, die for them daily? How would you lavish them with love? Before calling on HCFA’s leaders to publicly repent, it is worth asking the questions that weigh on their hearts. Victoria S. Wickline ’16, is a former Crimson columnist and alumna of Harvard College Faith and Action.
The Harvard 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 Design Chairs Morgan J. Spaulding ’19 Simon S. Sun ’19
Digital Strategists Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20 Dianne Lee ’20 FM Chairs Marella A. Gayla ’19 Leah S. Yared ’19 Multimedia Chairs Amy Y. Li ’20 Ellis J. Yeo ’20 Sports Chairs Cade S. Palmer ’20 Jack R. Stockless ’19 Technology Chairs Nenya A. Edjah ’20 Theodore T. Liu ’20
Sports
The Harvard Crimson | FEbruary 27, 2018 | page 11
Men’s Squash Falls Short in National Championship lineup mirrored that of the matchup earlier in the season, the lower half of the team’s nine slots had been altered slightly. Junior Alexi Gosset was the first of those changes that paid off for the Crimson. The junior started things off in the No. 9 slot with a clean, threegame sweep of his opponent. Alexi’s younger brother, Julien, secured the fourth win of the afternoon after Hughes replicated his performance in the beginning of the semester, but more efficiently. Rather than the five games it took him in January, Hughes defeated Columbia’s Seif Attia in three games. In the No. 6 slot, Dhingra finished next, disposing of his opponent in three games. In the fifth slot, Scherl earned Harvard its fifth point of the afternoon, advancing the team to the championship match against an undefeated Bantam team for a shot at the Potter Cup. Ryan earned the sixth and final win of the match in quick three-game bout in the No. 4 slot. GOING DOWN SWINGING Sophomore Sean Hughes fell in two breakers in his championship match against Trinity, emblematic of Harvard’s close, but eventually losing effort against the Bantams, which were the top-ranked team in the nation going into the championship weekend. Timothy R O’Meara—Crimson photographer men’s SQUASH By Cade Palmer Crimson Staff Writer
It’s hard to win a national championship. It’s even harder when you’re playing at your opponent’s home court. Facing the raucous crowds of Trinity, No. 3 Harvard men’s squash squared off with the defending national champions for the Potter Cup in a home match, national championship for the Bantams. Taking to Hartford, Conn., the Crimson team took on familiar rivals en route to a second place finish at collegiate squash’s biggest stage—the College Squash Association (CSA) National Championships. The team defeated Penn and upset Columbia before falling to Trinity (200) in the final. The second place finish is the second consecutive year the team has fallen in the championship match and the second consecutive year that the defeat has come at the hands of the Trinity squad.
HARVARD 3, TRINITY 6 Deep in enemy territory, at the No. 1
Bantam’s home court, the Crimson (132, 6-1 Ivy) faced a team that handed it a loss 10 days prior. In a match that mirrored this Sunday’s, only with smaller stakes, Harvard fell to its Connecticut opponents 7-2. Things did not start out well. The Crimson dropped the first four matches and was only revived by a win from sophomore Timothy Brownell. The sophomore was matched up in the No. 2 slot against Thoboki Mohohlo—to whom he lost to in the last meeting in a five-game, marathon match. Out for blood, this time Brownell finished off Mohohlo in three clean sets, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4. With life from Brownell’s win, things picked up for Harvard. Though playing after the match had already been decided, co-captain David Ryan grabbed a victory in the No. 4 slot against Trinity’s Rick Penders. The senior’s win was his 15th of the season, representing a perfect individual record throughout every match. Ryan’s win was one of five matches to reach the five game mark before finally ending. The Crimson came out on top in two such matches, a big increase from the zero of four the team took home
against the Bantams two weekends ago. Freshman Adam Corcoran’s match also went the five-game distance in what became the last matchup of the tournament. In the back-and-forth affair, the freshman won, lost, won, lost and finally won to earn Harvard its point. Corcoran wasn’t the only member of the team in his first championship match, classmates Samuel Scherl and Julien Gosset also faced the noisy crowds of the Trinity Bantams. Julien pushed his match to five games at the No. 8 slot before dropping the last one. “Playing in a national final was an incredible experience, especially for all the freshmen,” Scherl said. “Even though we were in front of a very rowdy Trinity home crowd, everyone including the freshmen really kept calm and didn’t let the pressure get to them. I think we all got a lot of valuable experience playing under pressure that we will bring to the next season which will make us even stronger.” Co-captain Madhav Dhingra took his match to five games before dropping the last one in the No. 6 slot. “I wish it went my way, as a senior, it
was my last match ever,” Dhingra said. “But I did leave everything I had on the court so I have no regrets but I do wish it went the other way.” HARVARD 6, COLUMBIA 3 The Crimson entered the CSA National Championships with two losses. One to Trinity, but the other to division rival, and No. 2 ranked Columbia (16-2, 7-0), 5-4. The loss earlier in the season was the first time that Harvard had ever lost to the Lions. The rematch came in the the national championship semi-final match. “The mindset was just that everyone was training really hard, we had a lot of training in the bank, and we’ve given it our all in terms of preparation,” Dhingra said. “Then it was just going out and being our best selves. It’s not about winning or losing. We knew that if we played our best, we would win, but the idea is you just go out there, show incredible fight and manifest the best version of your game.” However, Harvard entered with a fire that caught the Lions off guard. Within the first five games, the match had been clinched for the Crimson. While the first four in Harvard’s
HARVARD 7, PENN 2 In the quarterfinal round of the national championship tournament, the Crimson took on the familiar rival of No. 6 Penn (11-7, 4-3). Though no guaranteed win, Harvard cleanly defeated the squad 7-2, a marked improvement from the team’s close 5-4 victory three weeks prior. The Crimson claimed four points on 3-0 victories, coming from Brownell, Ryan, Scherl, and Julien. In the No. 6 slot, Dhingra maintained his unbeaten streak at that spot in the lineup after defeating Derek Hsue in four games. Hughes and Alexi replicated the feat in the No. 3 and No. 9 spots, respectively. “I was really proud of the team across the board this weekend,” Brownell said. “The seniors have led us through the entire season, and the national championships were no different. The composure they have even in the most difficult moments really sets the standard for the rest of us to follow, and our younger players did just that. The guys showed a lot of toughness to get through to the final and complete the way that we did on Sunday, and I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of this team. Staff writer Cade Palmer can be reached at cade. palmer@thecrimson.com.
Marshall, Thomas Most Outstanding at Ivy Heptagonals track AND field By Cade Palmer Crimson Staff Writer
When Gabby Thomas took the baton, Harvard wasn’t even in contention for the top spot in the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Championships 4x400-meter relay. About two seconds behind the first place sprinter from Columbia, and still several paces behind the number two runner from Penn, the junior co-captain passed her divisional opponents in 200 meters, and maintained her lead through the finish line. With the 3:43.85 finish, the women’s 4x400-meter quartet of sophomores Zoe Hughes and Karina Joiner, freshman Olivia Okoli, and Thomas earned the third consecutive indoor gold for the Crimson in the event, and the second relay title for the program at the meet. On Saturday and Sunday, the Harvard track and field teams traveled to the Dartmouth Leverone Field House to compete in the Ancient Eights division championships. Over the course of the two-day affair, the Crimson left Hanover, N.H., with a second place and 105 point effort by the women’s team in addition to a sixth place finish by the men—who accumulated 51 points. “I just think that we are a young team with a lot of upswing in the next few years, and right now we are putting in the groundwork to make sure we can have a sustainable future,” co-captain Myles Marshall said. “I think the men performed at our potential this weekend but sometimes that’s just not enough. Moving forward, I think we are primed for a great outdoor season, adding events that are in our favor and consolidating ones that we are already strong in. We have work to do but the future is looking brighter than ever.” Both junior co-captains, Thomas and Marshall, earned Most Outstanding Track Performers as a result of their efforts during the meet. For Thomas, this was her second consecutive year to finish the day holding the certificate. “It means a lot to be Most Outstanding Performer because I put so much into this competition and we train all season for this one day,” Thomas said. “So having all of that hard work being recognized especially as an award is always really rewarding.” Marshall had to overcome a deficit of his own en route to claim a gold Sun
DOUBLE TROUBLE Myles Marshall headlined, with two 800-meter wins (relay and individual), along with fellow junior co-captain Gabby Douglas. Lu Shao—Crimson photographer
day afternoon. As the anchor leg of the men’s 4x800, Marshall grabbed the baton behind Columbia’s Alek Sauer. The junior from Harvard finally broke the lead on the final turn finishing first in 7:32.84, just .18 seconds ahead of light-blue clad anchor leg. “That’s just a chance to show off all the hard work you’ve been putting in the past several months,” Marshall said. “I was pretty surprised to see him jump ahead of me with 200 to go but knew that If i just stuck with him I would have a decent chance to pass him in the final stretch. I was just happy to be able to execute that strategy and get our team another 10 points.” The 4x800-meter relay of Marshall, sophomore Mike Kolor, and freshmen Ryan Thrush and John Fish was one of the two relay teams to top the podium. “It’s a huge honor to be an Ivy champ,” Fish said. “It’s so rare to get the opportunity to run with and learn from a runner as skilled as Myles, and that’s benefited all of us on the team tremendously—us freshmen especially. I’m so glad that the hard work of our group paid off and that we were able to leave it all out there and come away
with the win. It’s an experience that I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life.” That was Marshall’s second 800-meter victory of the weekend. Prior to the relays, the Texas native competed in solo event. In 1:52.19, the junior grabbed gold for the second straight year in the indoor event. Thomas was golden in more than just her relay as well. The junior co-captain grabbed the top spot in two other sprint events. On Saturday, Thomas won her 60-meter dash heat in 7.25 seconds—shattering a school, Ivy League, and meet record in the event. The next day, she went on to claim the gold in a 7.62 finish. The first place finish represented her third straight year to accomplish the feat. But Thomas wasn’t done. In the 200-meter dash, the senior crossed the finish in 23.26 seconds, another gold, and another three-year streak of top-spot medals—the first Ivy League sprinter to accomplish the hat-trick. On Saturday, Thomas earned her first medal of the championships, with a silver in long jump following a leap of 5.96 meters. Sophomore teammate Simi Fajemisin landed just behind her
at 5.91 meters and earned the bronze. Fajemisin returned on Sunday, and on Sunday, Fajemisin broke the school record in triple jump. Leaping 13.11 meters, the sophomore achieved an illustrious division title. The jump landed just four centimeters short of a qualifying jump for the national meet. While Marshall claimed the men’s 800-meter dash title, junior Kathryn Gillespie helped the Crimson sweep the event with a cool, 2:09.77 gold-medal finish in the event. The win was Harvard’s first in the women’s side of the event in five seasons. Sophomore Zoe Hughes, the 2017 indoor champion in the pentathlon, returned to defend her title. With first place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles and shot put, the second-year left the meet with a silver medal. In other team relays, silver was the medal of choice for the sprinters in Crimson. The men’s 4x400-meter relay team earned second place in a competitive race that had three schools finish within .04 seconds of each other. Cornell crossed the line first, followed closely by the group of senior Matt Hurst, and freshmen Rodney Agyare-May, Jovahn Williamson, and
Charles Lego. The women’s distance medley relay team also netted second in a 11:33.95 effort. For the quartet, Gillespie got things rolling, followed by sophomore Micah Meekins and freshmen Anna Juul and Abbe Goldstein. Next weekend, the team continues it’s indoor season with a short trip across the river to Boston University to compete the IC4A/ECAC Championships. The meet will serve as a last ditch effort to clock a qualifying time for the national meeting. Thomas has already punched her ticket to College Station in the 200-meter dash. “This year was tough,” Thomas said. “We had a lot of injuries, sickness, had some girls walk off the team when we needed them, so we had to work with what we had. There were a lot of good things done this weekend—so there’s a lot to be proud of. In order to win, everything would’ve had to go perfectly, and you can’t always expect that. But everybody did compete hard and battled through some mental hardships and we came out pretty well. Staff writer Cade Palmer can be reached at cade. palmer@thecrimson.com.
PAGE 12 | FEBRUARY 27, 2018 | THE HARVARD CRIMSON