The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUME CXLIX NO. 17 |
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
| TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 8
SPORTS PAGE 10
NEWS PAGE 9
By supporting Comaroff, 38 professors signed away their credibility
Men’s hockey played to a 3-3 draw in the Beanpot Consolation
Harvard Art Museums and Jefferson Park get architecture award
Hundreds Attend Rally in Support of Survivors By MAYESHA R. SOSHI and NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Hundreds of students rallied in support of sexual harassment survivors at Harvard on Monday in one of the biggest demonstrations on the school’s campus in years. At promptly 12:15 p.m., students and some faculty members walked out of classes to gather on Harvard’s Science Center Plaza in protest of the University’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against professor John L. Comaroff.
The rally came just shy of one week after a federal lawsuit against Harvard detailed a decade of sexual harassment and professional misconduct allegations against Comaroff. The walkout demonstrated support for the three graduate students who filed the suit — Margaret G. Czerwienski, Lilia M. Kilburn, and Amulya Mandava. The complaint charged that Harvard enabled Comaroff’s alleged misconduct by ignoring years of harassment claims. “This case is not about three of us. This case is about all of us,” Kilburn said at the ral-
ly Monday. “This case is about Harvard’s failure to provide the prompt and equitable process for dealing with claims of harassment and discrimination that’s required by law.” Harvard placed Comaroff on unpaid leave last month after University investigations found he violated sexual harassment and professional conduct policies. Harvard denies the claims in the suit. In a statement last week, Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote that the allegations “are in no way a fair or
SEE RALLY PAGE 7
The walkout lasted about an hour, as many gathered to show their support for the students who filed the lawsuit. PEI CHAO ZHUO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
The HGSU-UAW has been outspoken about the lawsuit filed against Harvard alleging the university ignored complaints about professor John L. Comaroff. PEI CHAO ZHUO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
The walkout featured demonstrators who created homemade signs to indicate their thoughts on the lawsuit. PEI CHAO ZHUO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Ardern to Speak at Commencement Racist Message By CARA J. CHANG and ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will speak at Harvard’s 369th Commencement ceremony this spring. Ardern is set to address Harvard’s Class of 2022 at the first of two Commencement ceremonies the school will hold in May. She will speak to graduates on May 26 — three days before the school will hold a second ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, which graduated online due to the pandemic. The University confirmed that Ardern will speak on Monday after Stuff, the largest news website in New Zealand, first reported the pick on Sunday. University President Lawrence S. Bacow lauded Ardern in a press release Monday.
“From climate change and gender equality to COVID-19, she has modeled compassionate leadership that has brought together empathy and science-based solutions to address the most challenging issues of our time,” he said. “I very much look forward to her address.” The speaker for the May 29 ceremony has not yet been announced. Ardern announced earlier this month she would travel to the United States to lead a trade delegation in the spring. Ardern became leader of the New Zealand Labour Party in August 2017. Two months later, at age 37, she became the country’s youngest prime minister in more than a century. Outside of New Zealand, Ardern has received numerous honors: She has been named
SEE ARDERN PAGE 9
Targets UC Pres. By MERT GEYIKTEPE and J. SELLERS HILL CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
T wo paper signs bearing racist slurs were posted on the door of Undergraduate Council President Michael Y. Cheng ’22 on Monday morning, sparking condemnation from Quincy House faculty and students. Cheng said he first became aware of the flyers — which called him an anti-Asian slur and included the phrase “SAVE THE UC” — when he left his dorm in Quincy House on Monday morning. Another Quincy resident reported the flyers to House administrators shortly after, according to Cheng. Cheng called the act disheartening but “not that surprising” and linked the incident
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, pictured in 2020. PHOTO COURTESY THE OFFICE OF THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNOR-GENERAL / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
to previous criticism of his political platform. “It’s disappointing that I feel desensitized to all this noise, even though this is just objectively racist,” he said. “It’s right after the UC midterm elections.” “There are some people that are frustrated by decisions we’ve made,” Cheng added. Cheng was elected UC president in November after pledging during his campaign to “defund” the body and rewrite its constitution. His inauguration was marred by hostility between his administration and other general members of the UC. In an email to Quincy residents on Monday, Cheng requested an apology from the
SEE RACISM PAGE 9
Students Confront Datamatch 2022: The Cupids Strike Once More Accessibility Issues By DARLEY A. C. BOIT and EDONA COSOVIC CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
By VIVI E. LU and LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
When Nina M. S. Jensen ’25 arrived on campus last fall, she was most worried about keeping up with her classes after taking two gap years. But after returning home on a medical leave just days into the spring semester, she wrote in an email that navigating Harvard’s rigid rules around receiving medical accommodations — not her course load — has been the biggest challenge. “Their policies are completely arbitrary and baseless, and that is extremely frustrating,” Jensen wrote. Harvard’s Accessible Education Office provides accommodations to ensure equity in education for students with disabil
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
ities. But some students have voiced their exasperation over the College’s accessibility policies, lambasting them as inflexible and unreasonable. Jensen, who began a leave of absence this semester following medical complications, wrote that there was “no flexibility whatsoever” in the College’s approach to her accommodations. According to Jensen, she proposed possible alternatives to a leave of absence that would enable her to continue taking classes this semester — including having her mom stay with her on campus or taking a reduced course load virtually from her home in Denmark — but the Administrative Board denied these requests. “My suggestions were
SEE ACCESS PAGE 7
News 7
Editorial 8
Just under 4,500 Harvard undergraduates woke up on Valentine’s Day morning to a potentially fateful e-mail: their Datamatch results. Datamatch, founded in 1994 by the Harvard Computer Society, is a digital matchmaking algorithm. This year’s survey asked students questions on everything from their roommates’ romantic lives to their first Wordle guesses in an attempt to match them with their soulmates, platonic or otherwise. Katherine Y. Zhu ’22-23 and Melissa Kwan ’22 led the team of Datamatch’s administrators — known as Cupids — who have been working on the project since last spring. Zhu said that the algorithm used to match undergraduates who take the survey is a wellkept secret among Datamatch’s
Sports 10
team. “The one thing that I can tell you is it is not random,” she said. “Other than that, we will leave it a mystery and for the algo team to know.” She added that Datamatch is an opportunity for students to meet other people on campus and that she enjoyed hearing about successful matches from the survey. We really do bring people together and help people meet others that they never would have had an opportunity to otherwise,” Zhu said. “That reminds me every year that all the work that we do in the end is worth it, when we get to hear about all of the success stories that we get told.” Under Kwan and Zhu, Datamatch developers created new design improvements, added the ability to report inappropriate users, and created a feature allowing students to list their “red flags” in dating and rela-
TODAY’S FORECAST
This semester’s Datamatch, a quiz that provides you with matches based on the answers you provide to 15 multiple choice questions, has released all its results to its participants. TRUONG L. NGUYEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
tionships. “We’ve seen how people really buy into the idea of having these red flags, and they are sharing with their friends about it. That part is really both fun
MOSTLY SUNNY High: 29 Low: 12
and rewarding for us to see,” Jared Hu ’25, a Datamatch team member who worked on the red flag feature said.
SEE DATAMATCH PAGE 7
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Cod with Lemon Sauce Chicken Parmasean Sandwhich Mindful Chicken Sandwhich
For Dinner Spicy Chicken with Chilies Vegetable Lo Mein with Tofu Japanese Oven Braised Pork
TODAY’S EVENTS Wood Firing Workshop with Suzana Lisanti Ceramics Studio, 2 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
IN THE REAL WORLD
Do you want to light things on fire? This event will teach you how to do it the right way! Learn about wood firing in a historical scope, explore design, then use your newly acquired skills.
Kodak Black Shot in LA
Shots fired, but in the typical social media feud way you’re thinking of. Kodak Black took a bullet to the leg on Saturday night, but he’s due to make a full recovery. The circumstances around the shooting are somewhat unclear as of now.
Startup “Ask Me Anything” with Harvard Alumni Founders Harvard Innovation Lab, 5 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Calling all finance bros! Check out this event if you want to learn about everything under the sun relating to starting a business. This may be the closest you’re going to get to knowing the keys to success, so don’t miss your shot!
Investigators Solve 58-Year-Old Murder Case
The wild turkeys have begun to return to campus and look for food among all the fluctating weather. AIYANA G. WHITE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
AROUND THE IVIES Dartmouth: Eight Big Green Athletes Compete in 2022 Winter Olympics —THE
Benin Bronzes in Context Virtual, 6 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
DARTMOUTH
Come learn about the history of the Kingdom of Benin! Harvard has various objects that tell the story of culture and development of this civilization in Nigeria.
Cornell: Campus Dining Halls Make Much-Anticipated Return to In-Person Operations —THE CORNELL DAILY SUN
After 58 years, investigators finally figured out what happened to nine-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella in 1964. With the help of a teenage genealogist who volunteered to help examine DNA evidence, authorities found a neighbor, who was 22 at the time and is since deceased, was responsible for Chiverella’s death.
Avocados held up at the U.S. Border
Savor your guac and avocado toast! The day before the most awaited football game of the season, the United States has blocked off the shipment of a certain beloved guacamole ingredient from Mexico. It is unfortunately due to fears of drug-related activities, so maybe ration your avocados until it gets resolved.
Yale: Intramural Sports Remove Gender Quota in Face of Inclusivity Concerns —THE YALE DAILY NEWS
Brown: 361 Students Test Positive for Covid-19—THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
COVID UPDATES
LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY
CAMPUS
66
In Isolation
119 0.37% Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
LAST 7 DAYS
CAMBRIDGE
190 1.73% 75%
Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
Fully Vaccinated
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY UC Pens Letter Criticizing Datamatch Gender Choices
Twenty-six members of the Undergraduate Council signed a letter criticizing the Datamatch’s restrictive gender choices. The Datamatch algorithm forced students to choose between “male” and “female” and did not offer options for genderqueer and gender non-conforming students. February 15, 2017
Yale Bests Harvard, For Once, in Blood Donations Yale was declared the winner of a competition between the country’s oldest rivals to see which school could donate more blood to the American Red Cross.
February 15, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
The Harvard Crimson Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22-’23 Associate Managing Editors President Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24 Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Managing Editor Associate Business Managers Amy X. Zhou ’23 Taia M.Y. Cheng ’23-’24 Business Manager Isabelle L. Guillaume ’24
STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Arts Chairs Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23
Design Chairs Yuen Ting Chow ’23 Madison A. Shirazi ’23-’24
Magazine Chairs Maliya V. Ellis ’23-’24 Sophia S. Liang ’23
Multimedia Chairs Aiyana G. White ’23 Pei Chao Zhuo ’23
Blog Chairs Ellen S. Deng ’23-’24 Janani Sekar ’23-’24
Technology Chairs Ziyong Cui ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24
Editorial Chairs Guillermo S. Hava ’23-24 Orlee G.S. Marini-Rapoport ’23-24 Sports Chairs Alexandra N. Wilson ’23-’24 Griffin H. Wong ’24
Copyright 2022, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.
Night Editor Hannah J. Martinez ’23 Assistant Night Editors Omar Abdel Haq ’24 Yusuf S. Mian ’25 Story Editors Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Natalie L. Kahn ’23 Kevin A. Simauchi ’21-22 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24
Design Editors Camille G. Caldera ’22 Toby R. Ma ’24 Photo Editor Cory K. Gorczycki ’24 Editorial Editor Christina M. Xiao ’24 Sports Editor Caroline G. Gage ’25
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.
THE HARVARD CRIMSON
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FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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ARTS CULTURE
LIST: BEST DATE SPOTS IN HARVARD SQUARE
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CULTURE
Instead of El Jefe’s burritos and twin XL date nights, check out our list for some special Valentine’s Day spots in and around Harvard Square!
List: Best Date Spots in Harvard Square
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED: BEREAL APP SWEEPS COLLEGE CAMPUSES
4
CULTURE
‘Casual Instagram’ had officially gone too far once the President of the United States posted a photo dump.
‘THE CANDY HOUSE’ REVIEW: A BRILLIANT TALE EXPLORING THE HUMAN SIDE OF TECHNOLOGY
4
BOOKS
“The Candy House” is a sensational novel that depicts the human struggle to find your place in a technologically evolving world. With intricately written prose and nuanced characters, “The Candy House” is an exhilarating and enjoyable read.
NOSTALGIC TIMELESSNESS: HOW NELLY’S “DILEMMA” TIMELESSLY CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF THE 2000S
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MUSIC
When something is called a “timeless classic,” the implication is that it’s a work so universally good that it could’ve been made at any time, a work that isn’t just good in the context of it’s era but in some truer sense.
‘DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?’ REVIEW: BARBIE AND BABY BRING THE HEAT
5
MUSIC
This head-bopping hit owes its appeal to its relative simplicity: a trap beat, heavy 808s on the downbeats, and a driving triplet synth melody.
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HASTY PUDDING HONORS JENNIFER GARNER AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR
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PLEASE DON’T JUDGE ME: MY LETTERBOXD TOP FOUR EXPOSÉ
CAMPUS
FILM
ANN NGUYEN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER The Valentine’s Day spirit is in the air, and that means a chance to celebrate all things love! Whether you plan to celebrate with your significant other, best friends, or Datamatch date, treat them to one of the best date spots in Harvard Square. Instead of 4:00 a.m. El Jefe’s meals and date nights in your twin XL bed, check out the list below for some extra special Valentine’s Day spots in or around Harvard Square!
Best Coffee Date: L.A. Burdick It may be the most expensive cup of coffee you’ll ever purchase in Harvard Square, but L.A. Burdick makes the most undeniably creamy, decadent hot drinks inside a beautiful gourmet coffee shop. Indulge in a delicious mocha, or pick up some spicy drinking chocolate for an at-home treat. For those who prefer non-caffeinated beverages, L.A. Burdick’s famous hot chocolate is a must-try.
Best Budget-Friendly Date: Takeout on the Widener Steps To the untrained eye, the Widener steps may not seem like a prime date stop. However, Harvardians know that grabbing a meal and people watching on the steps is the perfect combination — basically dinner and a show! Plus, the chilly winter air is the perfect excuse to cuddle up to your date.
Best Study Date: The Cabot Library Couches Did your date night get ruined by a surprise PSET? Is your essay overdue? No need to worry — study dates are here to save the day! Invite your classroom crush to the Cabot Library couches to study, and get to know each other over Clover coffees.
Best Dinner Date: Alden and Harlow Alden and Harlow is indulgent, romantic, and serves delectable New American cuisine. Get to know your date over amazing grilled rosemary focaccia and addictive fried brussel sprouts! The classic Harvard Square establishment is also attached to the Longfellow Bar, a one-stop shop for drinks and a bite. Pro-tip: The Longfellow Bar has great cocktails and mocktails for a late night drink. Best Late-Night Date: The Weld Solarium and the Harvard College Observatory What’s more romantic than an evening under the stars? Bring your date to the Weld Solarium (or the observatory, with access passes) and spend the night in deep conversation while gazing at the cosmos. The observatory is also home to a collection of some 500,000 historical astronomical plates that delve into the history of HCO!
Best Galentine’s Date: Henrietta’s Table Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the love between friends and family. Show your appreciation for loved ones by treating them to brunch at Henrietta’s Table. Their menu highlights delicious farm-to-table meals, which rotate daily based on the availability of local farmers and artisans. Make sure to check out Henrietta’s pie of the day for a locally-inspired sweet treat! These six romantic date spots will ensure the perfect night, regardless of the occasion. This Valentine’s Day, try going out in Harvard Square — you’ll make your date happy and support a local business, too. Writer Ann Nguyen can be reached at anguyen@college.harvard.edu.
“I guarantee my day was better than yours,” said Garner after receiving the Pudding Pot, giving it a kiss.
As any Letterboxd loyalist will tell you, there are few things as telling as someone’s top four films.
Courtesy of Henry Dixon on Unsplash WA
15 February 2022 | Vol CXLIX, ISSUE 17 Arts Chairs Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23
Editors-at-Large Clara V. Nguyen ’23-’24 Sara Komatsu ’23 Chibuike K. Uwakwe ’23
Editor Associates Hannah T. Chew ’23 Isabella B. Cho ’24 Daniel S. de Castro ’24 Nina M. Foster ’23 Anya L. Henry ’24 Ryan S. Kim ’23
Zachary J. Lech ’24 Charles W. McCormick ’24 Jamila R. O’Hara ’23 Harper R. Oreck ’23 Alisa S. Regassa ’24
Executive Designer Nayeli Cardozo ’25
Design Associates Ashley E. Bryant ’23 Isabel W. Brown ’24
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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CULTURE What The Hell Happened: BeReal App Sweeps College Campuses MARIAH M. NORMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Courtesy of Anya Henry
“Casual Instagram” had officially gone too far once the President of the United States posted a photo dump. The photo dump era was once intended to be a bold rejection of the highly curated, aesthetically pleasing Instagram feeds of today — nostalgically embracing the earlier days when people proudly snapped a picture of their homemade breakfast, slapped on a sepia filter, and called it a day.Now, the pressure to engage in casual Instagram comes with a certain level of theatrical performance. You don’t just have to try to look good anymore — scouring for the ideal pose and background. It’s all about capturing that perfect, fake off-guard picture or an aesthetic assortment of trash littered on Mass Ave. It’s a curated, un-curated look. No app rejects this plastic notion more than BeReal, a new social media app developed in France by Alexis Barreyat in 2020 and now sweeping its way across college campuses in the United States. The mission is evident in their digital campaign, boldly asking: “What if social media could be different?” The concept of the app is simple and, in the developers’ words, “uncontrollable.” A notification is sent out to all users at a random time each day, prompting them to take a photo of themselves and their surroundings within the next two minutes and upload it to the app. The time limit coupled with the sporadic timing of the notification forces users to, quite literally, be real. Because there’s no time to find that perfect pose or background, the content you engage with on the app is charmingly mundane yet extraordinarily authentic and creative. BeReal is unlike all other social media apps popular today. There are no filters, likes, or followers: Just close friends who must request to follow you and the ability to comment and leave “RealMoji” reaction pictures below your friends’ posts. The app also recently added a feature to turn your friends’
RealMojis into widgets to keep on your home screen. The app’s goal is not to amass thousands of followers or massive influence. In fact, their description on the iTunes App Store warns potential users, “if you want to become an influencer, you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.” Indeed, BeReal is a uniquely intimate social media experience that fosters true authenticity. While some people might be hesitant to share themselves sleep-deprived and hunched over a pset with thousands of vague acquaintances on Instagram, it’s much easier to share with your closest friends on BeReal. Even if it’s after the allotted two minutes, you are unable to view other’s posts unless you upload your own, which makes lurking virtually impossible. You must be real to see real. Plus, since everyone posts once a day at the same time, you can’t really get sucked into scrolling mindlessly for hours. After gaining immense popularity among French university students, BeReal is now taking American college campuses by storm — and Harvard is no exception. On Friday, Feb. 4, the app sponsored a party in the infamous Tasty burger basement and offered free admission to attendees that downloaded the app and added five friends. Be on the lookout for people stopping to BeReal in d-halls, during a meeting, or while online shopping in a lecture. Perhaps photodumping a collection of contrived casualness isn’t the answer to achieving authenticity online. Bridging the glamour of social media and the mundane truth of real life, BeReal accomplishes what casual Instagrammers set out to do. Being real, at any time of the day — even if only for two minutes. But this time, please no one tell Joe Biden.
BOOKS
‘The Candy House’ Review: A Brilliant Tale Exploring the Human Side of Technology ANNA MOISEIEVA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Jennifer Egan’s “The Candy House” tells the story of tech tycoon Bix Bouton and his most revolutionary innovation, “Own Your Unconscious,” which allows one to access every memory they’ve ever had. More than just a cautionary tale about the impact of advancing technology, “The Candy House” is an examination of humanity’s desire for connection, love, and family. An intellectually dazzling puzzle, “The Candy House” is a worthy successor to Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel,“A Visit from the Goon Squad.” The novel jumps through several decades and multiple families, taking the reader through all of the events leading up to and after the creation of “Own Your Unconscious.” Tying together the cultural revolution of the 1960s to cultural turmoil in the 2020s and 2030s, Egan creates a sense of the repetition of history. She skillfully explores a wide variety of narrative styles, not just switching between narrative perspectives, but also structuring chapters in ways as diverse as a series of emails or a set of instructions in the second person. The interlocking stories show how complex humanity’s relationship with technology can really be. Egan’s message shines through in this storytelling format, contrasting human connection with the background of technological innovation. Egan uses the destruction of familial relationships to portray the unsavory role technology can play. “Own Your Unconscious” is painted in a decidedly negative light as it creates ideological rifts between father and son and drives a mother to the extremes of paranoia. “The Candy House” is a critique not only of rapidly changing technology, but also of the culture that inevitably arises as we get accustomed to technology’s advancements. A lack of privacy and data monetization as well as authenticity are key themes explored in “The Candy House.” In much the same way that companies harvest data about us from Google searches or Netflix streams, Egan’s “counters” gather information about people’s personalities and feelings through surveillance. The creation of this profession represents how capitalistic greed can invade neutral technology — along with people’s privacy — and monetize it, expertly mirroring the world we live in today. The search for authenticity is depicted with references to “word casings,” or over-used words that have lost their meaning, and the hunt for “the thing itself.” The variety of narrative styles and narrating characters in “The Candy House” leaves the reader curious and maybe even a little disoriented at the start of every chapter. The uncertainty as to which character will appear next, and how they will fit into Egan’s world, is enthralling. As the book progresses, Egan masterfully unfolds the details to orient the reader, and the puzzle quickly starts to come together. Overall, “The Candy House” is a sensational novel that depicts the human struggle to find your place in a technologically evolving world. With intricately written prose and nuanced characters, “The Candy House” is an exhilarating and enjoyable read. Staff writer Anna Moiseieva can be reached at anna.moiseieva@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AMoiseieva.
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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MUSIC This June, Nelly’s sophomore album “Nellyville” will turn 20 — along with the album’s most iconic single, “Dilemma.” In July of last year, the music video for the single officially reached 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming one of three hip-hop songs released before the site was created to reach that milestone, a testament to its lasting appeal. Go down to the comments section at any time and there will surely be at least one comment as recent as an hour ago. It’s easy to see why. Its beat, sampling Patti LaBelle’s ballad “Love, Want and Need You,” is incredibly catchy, while maintaining the sweet, romantic feeling evoked by LaBelle’s original. The song starts with a couple repetitions of the schmaltzy, nostalgic beat, before Kelly Rowland’s lovely voice kicks in, singing, “I love you / and I need you,” letting us know that this is indeed a love song. Then, after a beat another phrase follows with the iconic chorus: “No matter what I do / all I think about is you / even when I’m with my boo / you know I’m crazy over you.” The story of the song is swiftly established: Kelly Rowland’s character is already in a relationship but deeply in love with Nelly, who then narrates the full story, as he struggles with this “dilemma.” The lyrics bring power to the chorus, conveying the depth of love between Kelly and Nelly. Using the melody of one of the great ballads from one of the most soulful singers of her generation as a base enhances this effect: and the result is one of the greatest love songs of all time. All the elements of a timeless song are seemingly here — a sample of an older classic, a simple theme of love expertly conveyed, and a fantastic hook. Yet from my own experience, and looking through the YouTube comments, the appeal of the song lies not so much in a theme and melody that transcend time, but rather how it’s especially evocative of its period. When something is called a “timeless classic,” the implication is that it’s a work so universally beloved that it could’ve been made at any time, a work that isn’t just good in the context of its era but in some transcendent sense as well. The opposite of timeless music, then, is “dated music,” music that may be super popular in the time it comes out but is quickly forgotten as its era ends. While no song can be divorced from the context that created it, the timeless ones rise above it, and time rewards those songs with longevity. “Dilemma,” however, only makes sense in the context of its era — and yet it has achieved this longevity. It has done so through a different kind of timelessness, what I want to call “nostalgic timelessness.” Whereas traditionally timeless works are continually drawn upon for inspiration, nostalgically timeless works have characteristics that are generally agreed upon to be better left in their time, unless the intention is to evoke that specific time. But in exchange, they gain a startlingly powerful ability to transport audiences back to a specific time and place — or perhaps an idealized version of it. “Dilemma” is a song that has become timeless through being of its time. It breathes 2000s hip-hop and R&B; when I think about the sound of this era, “Dilemma” is the song that pops in my mind. The obvious question then is, what is the sound of 2000s hip-hop and R&B? It’s the sound of my childhood, of driving to the park to play hoops. It’s 50 Cent “In Da Club,” Keyshia Cole painfully in “Love,” and of course Nelly being “Hot in Herre.” 2000s hip-hop and R&B took the aesthetics and culture of ‘90s Gangsta rap — the “hard” additude, the oversized baggy clothes, the street cred — and removed its violence, its edge, and its nuanced critique of life in the street. The hood became an aesthetic more than a reality. On the flip side, it took the suit-and-tie R&B ballads of the ‘90s — think Boyz II Men, Mint Condition — and brought it to the street,
giving it the beats, sound, and aesthetic of hip-hop. This was the era of the silly, mindless party jam. The music of this time was not challenging or especially complex — it was fun, dumb, and made you feel good. “Dilemma” and its music video are emblematic of this sound and culture. The song takes the pure soul of R&B and gives it a hip-hop beat and flavor. The verses take the sound and feeling of Gangsta rap and distills it into an aesthetic of the “street.” The iconic music video doubles down on this, with Nelly and his entourage in baggy clothes, wearing at various points a backwards cap, chains, shades, jerseys, Gucci hat, and basketball shoes. It’s ostensibly “the hood,” but sanitized, with garish and tacky colors where people are just chilling and having fun all day. It’s coated with early 2000s technology — we see Kelly Rowland texting (using Excel?) on her Nokia 9210. It’s a song and music video that celebrates the era it’s from while giving us the best parts of that era — the catchy beats, the feel good vibes, the sensation of a simpler time. “Dilemma” is a song immersed in nostalgia. It creates an idealized form of the aesthetics, the sound, and the culture of 2000s hip-hop. In doing so, it accomplishes perfectly the primary goal of nostalgic media, to take audiences back to a simpler time. In 2022, the 2000s certainly seem like a simpler time, when the music was fun, when we didn’t think about things, when the world didn’t seem like it was constantly falling apart. Of course, none of that is true — there’s never been a “simpler time,” — we’ve just grown up. But for a little under five minutes, Kelly Rowland and Nelly let us imagine that easier time, when life was a block party, all you did was chill with your friends, and all you thought about was your boo.
Nostalgic Timelessness: How Nelly’s “Dilemma” Timelessly Captures the Spirit of the 2000s JORDAN WOODS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Courtesy of Nelly Universal Fo’Reel
MUSIC ‘Do We Have a Problem?’ Review: Barbie and Baby Bring the Heat
Courtesy of Republic
A.J. VENEZIANO CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The queen of rap has returned. Following a threeyear hiatus, Nicki Minaj released her single “Do We Have a Problem?” on Feb. 4. Minaj was joined by the prominent Atlanta rapper Lil Baby and Miami-native Papi Yerr, known primarily for his work with Tory Lanez. Although fairly conventional, Papi Yerr’s production is undeniably catchy and made to top the charts. This head-bopping hit owes its appeal to its relative simplicity: a trap beat, heavy 808s on the downbeats, and a driving triplet synth melody. This formulaic approach is used in other Papi Yerr songs, notably “Bentayga,” showing that the production is nothing out of the ordinary. The real magic of the single, however, comes with the impeccable flow of both Minaj and Lil Baby. From her opening lines “Tell ‘em my niña, my bitch, she a rider,” it is evident Minaj’s style has not been lacking as a result of her break. It’s as if she released her previous studio album “Queen” just yesterday, what with her verses resembling past works like “Chun-Li” and “Chun Swae.”
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Furthermore, “Do We Have a Problem?” shows Minaj can truly thrive in any genre. Topping the charts in dance pop (“Starships”), drill (“Chi-raq”), and even K-Pop (“Idol”), her new single proves she is ready to take her place in the new wave of trapheavy hip-hop, epitomized by rappers such as Lil Baby, Playboi Carti, and Lil Durk. Despite his incredible flow, Lil Baby’s feature on the song falls short of spectacular. Partially because his verse only lasts 45 seconds, Minaj’s performance greatly outshines his. Regardless, he complements Minaj’s energy well, and the pair’s chemistry takes the song to another level. We are not seeing the last of Minaj in “Do We Have a Problem?” Indeed, her next single, “Bussin,” is set to release on Feb. 11, again with a Lil Baby feature. Both songs are previews of her fifth studio album, “NM5,” which she is aiming to release this year. Until then, Barbz can rejoice in Minaj’s two new singles and the queen’s return. Staff writer A.J. Veneziano can be reached at aj.veneziano@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @aj_veneziano.
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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CAMPUS Hasty Pudding Honors Jennifer Garner as Woman of the Year NINA M. FOSTER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
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rowds began to form on Massachusetts Avenue around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5, drawn to the sound of the Harvard University Band warming up for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 72nd Woman of the Year Parade. Cheers arose when members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals came running in a sea of baby bonnets, wigs, and frills galore — a sign that Jennifer Garner was near. Hasty Pudding Theatricals has awarded the annual title of Woman of the Year to performers since 1951, recognizing those who have made significant contributions to the world of entertainment. Garner was selected this year for her talents as an actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Garner’s “Juno” co-star Jason Bateman was named Hasty Pudding’s 2022 Man of the Year to celebrate his impact in television and film. For the first time in Hasty Pudding history, the 2022 Woman of the Year celebrations coincided with opening night of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ new production, “Ship Happens.” This was also the first Woman of the Year Parade to be held since the onset of the pandemic; Viola Davis, the 71st recipient, was honored with a short virtual roast in 2021. Among the hundreds that braved the 23-degree weather to watch, the anticipation was palpable. “I’ve seen pictures of past parades, but I’m so excited to see it in person,” said observer Emily Parke ‘24. What followed was described by Boston resident Cyrus H. Miceli as both “chaotic and entertaining.” Garner rode in a red Bentley convertible, accompanied by a feather-clad and bonnet-donning Pudding cast member on either side. Onlookers in the street scrambled over snow banks to get better views and photo angles of the star. Lucky residents of Fairfax Hall caught Garner’s attention with a plush figure that they threw from their dorm room window. Fans shouted “We love you!” and “Jennifer, you’re so beautiful!” from the sidelines. Another held a “13 Going on 30”-inspired poster. The crowd joined the flow of the parade, walking and dancing with members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals from the Inn at Harvard to the end of the 40-minute route at Farkas Hall.
FILM
Please Don’t Judge Me: My Letterboxd Top Four Exposé BRADY M. CONNOLY CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
For some, the event was a pleasant surprise. “We stumbled across this one,” said Sierra M. Chiao, a Wellesley student. “We weren’t expecting to see Jennifer Garner — but what a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon! ‘13 Going on 30’ is a cultural masterpiece.” Later that evening, Garner received her Pudding Pot at a celebratory roast held at Farkas Hall. The roast was written by Maureen C. Meosky ‘24 and former Arts Chair Kalos K. Chu ‘22-23 and delivered by Molly Chiang ‘23 and Lucy Goldfarb ‘23. Meosky and Chu, however, were presented with a challenge: How could anyone ridicule this award-winning actress, Save the Children Trustee, and co-founder of Once Upon a Farm, an organic food company intent on providing children with nutritious and sustainable snacks? The solution? Don’t roast her. While Garner sat beaming in a plush white chair, Chiang and Goldfarb voiced their frustrations about not being able to come up with hard-hitting insults. The two joked that the worst they could think of was to say that the Instagram videos of Garner’s dogs are “only mildly entertaining.” As an alternative, Chiang and Goldfarb asked Garner to play a game with rules inspired by her recent film “Yes Day” — she had to say yes to everything they asked, starting with a request for the story of her first kiss. Garner proceeded to enjoy the shenanigans, pretending to play “Sally the Sexy Saxophone” while an orchestra member produced sounds from the pit. Isabella E. Peña ‘23-24 made an appearance as Lucifer Garner, Garner’s evil twin who claims to be the reason she’s as “wholesome as she is.” Garner was told to banish Peña from the stage by dumping packets of Once Upon a Farm’s baby food over her head, resulting in uproarious laughter from the crowd. Her final onstage encounter was with “13 Going on 30” mean girl Tom-Tom, played by Kyra Siegal ‘25. Siegal threw glitter at Garner, turning her into a thirteen-year-old and disqualifying her from receiving the Pudding Pot. Only after performing her classic dance to “Thriller” from the film was
As any Letterboxd loyalist will tell you, there are few things as telling as someone’s top four films. These selections can make or break a friendship. Seriously, do you really want to get to know a person who has “The Emoji Movie” in their top four? I will now unabashedly profess my Letterboxd top four to the world. If you find yourself in strong agreement with my selections, I congratulate you for having immaculate taste in film. And if you find yourself deeply offended, please keep any and all complaints to yourself, as I am very fragile. 1. “La La Land” — dir. Damien Chazelle There is no film more sublime than Damien Chazelle ’07’s 2016 masterpiece “La La Land.” Beginning with one of film’s most artfully choreographed opening numbers, this movie lets viewers know that they are about to witness a pure old Hollywood spectacle. The bright costumes, sprawling Los Angeles scenery, and picturesque cinematography all make this modern love story a pleasure to watch. The iconic dancing among the stars at the Griffith Observatory will forever be one of my favorite moments in cinema, a whimsical blend of story and artistry. As for the acting, Emma Stone is superb as Mia, a struggling actress trying to achieve her dream while pursuing a relationship with the equally ambitious Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). Stone plays her role in the couple’s star-crossed tale with extremely nuanced and genuine emotions, most notably in her Oscar-securing audition scene near the film’s close. Mia and Sebastian’s longing expressions in the film’s final montage, which brutally details the joyous life the two could have led, sets this complex love story apart within an often cliché genre. It would be remiss not to include praise for the film’s soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz ’08. Rarely do I find myself going back to listen to a movie’s score and soundtrack, but “La La Land” is the wonderful exception. Gems such as “Someone in the Crowd” and “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme” will assure viewers that this work is not only a cinematic achievement, but a musical one as well. Plus, Damain Chazelle is a 2007 graduate of Harvard College. Show some school spirit and watch. 2. “Toy Story 3” — dir. John Lasseter Although my love for this film is mainly rooted in feelings of nostalgia, that is not to say it is lacking in any aspect. Easily the most emotionally rich film in the “Toy Story” franchise, the story follows Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the gang as they try to grapple with Andy’s departure for college and their ensuing feelings of worthlessness. The film is Pixar’s finest tear-jerker. The final scene when Andy gives his toys away to bring happiness to another child is both soul-crushing and hopeful, a potent mix that transcends any gripes about this being just another “kids’ movie.” Beyond its emotional heft, the animation in this film is gorgeous. One scene that stands out in particular is the introduction of Andy’s toys to Sunnyside Daycare, which is accompanied by an eye-catching, multi-color spectacle of all kinds of new toys. And the plot contains one of cinema’s most shocking twists to date. No first time viewer can claim to have predicted that Lots-o’-Huggin Bear, the jolly old leader of Sunnyside, is secretly a diabolical mastermind with no intention of let-
Garner able to return to adulthood and receive her award. “I guarantee my day was better than yours,” said Garner after receiving the Pudding Pot, giving it a kiss. At a press conference after the roast, Garner reflected on a day well spent with members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. “The day has been one surprise and one total delight after another. I got a tour this morning, I was serenaded by the Krokodiloes, which I loved,” said Garner. “I just have grown very attached to this group of kids in one day, and so that was really special.” Garner also had a message for future honorees. “Get ready to have a blast. I mean, what could I tell them? Stay home and send me instead,” she said. Staff Writer Nina M Foster can be reached at nina.foster@ thecrimson.com
Courtesy of Julian J Giordano
ting the toys leave. It is no mistake that “Toy Story 3” is only one of three animated films to have ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. 3. “The Big Short” — dir. Adam McKay Ever since seeing this movie at far too young an age, I have been infatuated with the work of Adam McKay. A brilliant satirist best known for films such as “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” and “Step Brothers,” McKay’s foray into the world of historical films is equal parts disturbing, informative, and funny. With a stacked cast including Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell — who delivers his best dramatic performance ever — McKay’s film allows no room for boredom. The impeccable acting is paired with razor-sharp dialogue, surprising editing choices which intersperse various images to reinforce the film’s meaning, and memorable celebrity cameos. “The Big Short” challenges traditional modes of storytelling and satire at every turn, making it an entirely singular experience that will leave viewers satisfied, yet unsettled. Skip McKay’s newest Netflix film “Don’t Look Up” and opt for this much more clever satire instead. 4. “The Father” — dir. Florian Zeller Coming in at number four is the most obscure film of the bunch, Florian Zeller’s 2020 triumph “The Father,” which is based on a play of the same name. While this film seems at first glance to be nothing more than a predictable, sad tale of a man with dementia, viewers will quickly learn that this is not the case. The film recounts the daily happenings in a London flat through the eyes of Anthony Hopkins, who plays the titular father battling memory loss. As such, it is almost impossible for viewers to discern between reality and delusion for the entirety of this tragedy, which is disguised as a sort of psychological thriller. The result is a film which leaves viewers with more questions than answers, a frustrating feeling that poignantly mimics only a fraction of the pain Hopkins’ character must be enduring. And as always, Olivia Colman is fantastic. More than anything, this movie — particularly its concluding scene, in which Hopkins undoubtedly cements his status as the actor of a generation — will linger with viewers long after it ends. Whether or not those watching have a personal connection to someone with dementia, this film will enhance viewers’ compassion and understanding of the disease, a true testament to the power of films. Staff writer Brady M. Connolly can be reached at brady.connolly@thecrimson.com.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
ACCESS FROM PAGE 1
RALLY FROM PAGE 1
Students Grapple with Accessibility Issues
Hundreds Attend Rally in Support of Survivors
reasonable,” she wrote. “I even got approval and support from my professors.” Upon returning home, Jensen learned that the Ad Board had assigned her a University Health Services rider — a series of personal and medical requirements that are a condition to return to campus.A UHS rider requires students on leave for medical reasons to work fulltime for six months. The requirement is flexible in certain circumstances, according to a Harvard spokesperson. “I was very confused and angry, and I am far from the only victim of this ridiculous policy,” Jensen wrote. “They can’t expect someone who can’t even leave the house to get a full-time job.” “I am a grown adult,” she added. “My ability to return should only be up to me and my medical providers.”
accurate representation of the thoughtful steps taken by the University in response to concerns that were brought forward, the thorough reviews conducted, and the results of those reviews.” Czerwienski, a plaintiff on the suit who holds a leadership post in Harvard’s graduate student union, said the Comaroff case underscores the need for third-party arbitration of harassment and discrimination claims — a longstanding union demand. “We must make it clear to Harvard, to our faculty, and to everyone else who needs to hear it, that we aren’t going to tolerate this indifference to harm on our campuses any longer,”
Right now I am just another statistic. Nina M. S. Jensen ’25
Jensen’s accessibility concerns at the College extend back to the fall semester when she requested a move to a quieter dorm room due to her sensitivity to sound. It took over a month for the request to be granted, she wrote. Other undergraduates also cited difficulty in receiving academic accommodations from Harvard. Kinara Gasper ’24 was unable to take her Math 21a: “Multivariable Calculus” final after
being hospitalized for appendicitis in December. Her exam was postponed to the spring semester’s makeup period for fall exams — just two days after the date her appendectomy was scheduled last-minute. “I wasn’t allowed to stand up, let alone go and take a math exam,” she said. An Applied Math concentrator, Gasper said she is “at a loss” because after missing the spring makeup period, she is not permitted to take the exam until September. “I also don’t know how that’s going to impact what classes I can take next semester,” she said. “What classes can I take now that I have not technically completed 21a?” Christina L. Gavazzi ’22 said treatments for her medical condition sometimes cause soreness, making it difficult to take notes during her fast-paced General Education class. She asked a teaching fellow for access to lecture slides — a request which was denied. “It’s just frustrating that what seems like it should be a really simple solution is just not being considered,” Gavazzi said. Gavazzi said she thinks the AEO is “great” overall but due to high demand for appointments, she must wait two to three weeks to meet with an AEO staff member to formally request accommodations. Rachel C. Auslander ’22-’23 — co-founder of the Disability Justice Club, a student group that aims to address ableism and inaccessibility at Harvard — said the process of requesting accommodations from AEO takes “way too much time” and
“way too many resources.” Auslander also criticized a policy that students must be formally diagnosed to receive accommodations. “This is a problem because many students have symptoms, start falling behind, but don’t have an official diagnosis,” she said. She added it can be “incredibly intimidating and difficult” for students with symptoms to “speak up” for themselves. College spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote that the AEO evaluates each case on an individual basis and sometimes provides “temporary accommodations” when a formal diagnosis is unavailable. “The office regularly schedules consultation meetings with students who do not yet have formal diagnoses and want to talk through options,” she wrote. “The process does take time, and student meetings are scheduled out weeks in advance. Emergency situations and temporary injuries that need care immediately are prioritized.” Jensen wrote that she believes Harvard must do “a lot better” to ensure accessibility. “The first step is to work directly with the students, not just the UC, but the individuals,” she wrote. “Right now I am just another statistic. I am a faceless person whose fate is being decided by a group of people I don’t know.” “I want to be more than that,” Jensen added. “I deserve to be more than that.” vivi.lu@thecrimson.com leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com
stitutional indifference to instances of identity-based abuse and sexual violence,” said Elizabeth A. “Ellie” Corbus ’22. After Comaroff was placed on leave last month, 38 professors signed onto an open letter questioning the sanctions. But last week, after the lawsuit was filed, all but three of the professors who had signed retracted their support for the message. Czerwienski said Monday the letter brought “tremendous harm to our community.” “It’s our job to keep insisting that they take responsibility for the damage that they have done,” she said. mayesha.soshi@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com
DATAMATCH FROM PAGE 1
Datamatch Returns In Time for Valentine’s Day 2022 Despite the new features, Zhu said the biggest difference from last year’s Datamatch survey, which occurred before Harvard fully reopened its campus to undergraduates, is the option for students to meet up with their matches in person. “One of the biggest things is that we’re coming back from a pandemic,” Zhu said. “Everything was online last year, and I think a big part of Datamatch that was sadly missed last year is that for most
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Czerwienski said. Comaroff serves as a professor of African and African American Studies and Anthropology. On Monday, the chair of Harvard’s Anthropology Department said Harvard’s Title IX processes failed students who have alleged harassment by Comaroff. “It is no secret that Harvard has a long and sordid history of failing survivors of sexual and gender-based misconduct,” Anthropology chair Ajantha Subramanian said. “The Title IX system was supposed to be the solution. Instead, it has become part of the problem.” Hundreds of students joined Monday’s rally. “I am tired of Harvard’s in-
of the people who were on campus, you couldn’t really have the opportunity to truly try to meet someone in person.” Students who participated in the survey can take their top matches on Datamatch-funded dates at Playa Bowls, Ben & Jerry’s, Kung Fu Tea, or other restaurants in Harvard Square. Datamatch pays for the dates with sponsorships from the Undergraduate Council and outside organizations, such as web app platform Bubble and debit card company Fizz, which
was founded by Harvard undergraduates and blockmates of Managing Editor Jasper G. Goodman ’23. “I think it’s really thoughtful of Datamatch to provide financial support for your top two matches,” Christina S. Gong ’25 said. “I really like free food, who doesn’t, but I’m also looking forward to just meeting someone new.” darley.boit@thecrimson.com edona.cosovic@thecrimson.com
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
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EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
COLUMN
On the Unnecessary Comaroff Letter
The Brick Wall
When push came to shove, signatories sided with their colleague over his accusers.
Gemma J. Schneider
A
nother day, another snowstorm, another Harvard sexual misconduct scandal. Except this time around, the accused — John L. Comaroff, Professor of Anthropology and African and African-American Studies — has found himself surrounded by unlikely allies, prominent faculty members hailing from across Harvard schools. A diverse group of Pulitzer Prize winners, New Yorker staff writers, and public intellectuals who chose to close ranks. Comaroff had been on paid administrative leave since August 2020, following disturbing allegations that he had harassed several university students. This January, over a year and a half after the news of the allegations broke, Comaroff was placed on unpaid leave by Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay, and barred from teaching required courses or taking on new advisees in the upcoming academic year. The ensuing faculty revolt proved faster than the University investigation itself. Barely two weeks after Gay announced the sanctions, 38 of the University’s most eminent faculty members penned a letter questioning the process and personally vouching for Comaroff’s character. In doing so, they endorsed an account rooted almost exclusively on a press release authored by Comaroff’s lawyers, one in which he had been cleared of most allegations and punished exclusively for warning a graduate student of the risk of suffering gender-based violence if she traveled to certain parts of Africa as an openly BGLTQ woman. “Perplexed” by their narrow version of events, they expressed “dismay” at the sanctions, “concerned” over the professional criteria that led to the decision. Suffice to say, our esteemed Harvard academics, professional thinkers, failed to critically engage with the source of this description — the accused’s lawyer! — and its inherent bias. They refused to acknowledge the bizarre racial politics of offering, unprompted, descriptions of sexual violence at the mention of Africa. Crucially, they also failed to fully acknowledge
other sources, even while citing them in the letter: They failed to mention a more graphic description of events publicly available in the Chronicle of Higher Education. According to the Chronicle’s reporting, the student alleged Comaroff used the phrase “would be raped” (a detail Comaroff’s lawyers deny and the signers obviate). Comaroff, the student alleges, started musing about scenarios and places where she would suffer sexual violence, and did so in a bizarre tone, “a tone you would use if you were talking about a movie you liked”. Taken at its best, the letter’s uncritical engagement with limited perspectives, voiced in such decisive and unambiguous terms, was hasty and uninformed. At its worst, we worry that it reflects a terrifying, deep rot: a faculty more concerned with jealously guarding their power, discouraging scrutiny, and protecting their professional buddies, than with the wellbeing and safety of the student body. Academia, on this campus and beyond, has no shortage of problems when it comes to pupil-professor dynamics. Huge age disparities, overemphasized credentials, and institutional clout create power differentials between students and their instructors. The so-called “star system,” which gives a handful of eminences the power to make or break careers, entrenches this asymmetry, impelling the ambitious to find and curry favor with the powerful. Female students in male-dominated departments stand to suffer most from this dependency, forced to contend with anything from exclusion by the old boys’ club to real, physical danger. The well-documented, informal norms that lead American police officers to shield their colleagues from accountability have been dubbed a “blue wall of silence.” As we look at this ill-informed open letter, signed by 38 tenured faculty members, among them some of Harvard’s brightest stars, it is impossible for us not to worry that this power asymmetry continues because members of our faculty have erected their own wall of silence within our Cambridge campus. In the long shadow of that wall, it can
only grow harder for victims to come forward with their stories. Shielded from transparency or accountability, faculty-student power imbalances will continue to cause concrete harm. We thus reaffirm our belief (rooted in a different, also disturbingly mishandled, set of accusations) that sexual misconduct should be grounds for revoking tenure. Though this open letter was an exceedingly poor way to raise doubts, we encourage the University to better educate faculty on Title IX policies and clarify any ambiguities that may remain. It does not escape us, however, that faculty entrusted to mentor and advise students should be able to tell the difference between what is and isn’t appropriate in their relationship with advisees. By openly expressing support for Comaroff, 38 of our best-known affiliates failed their basic duty to take proper care of the students they are entrusted with. In a letter premature and distant from every source but Comaroff’s lawyer, the 38 signed away their credibility, indicating an unforgivable lack of judgment when handling sensitive, painful accusations. In one stroke, they sanitized and disseminated a challenged version linked to the accused, and diminished their credibility so as to make any future missive featuring their names less powerful. Now — amid a fresh lawsuit filed with unsettling details, and a second letter, critical of the first — all but three of the 38 faculty members have issued a public retraction. Yet the rash signatories will have to live with the reality that, when push came to shove, with the most limited, slanted information, they sided with their colleague over his accusers. A quick retraction will not change that. This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.
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OP-ED
The Black Monolith By ANGIE GABEAU
“T
hey just set us back 10 years.” This would be an appropriate response to when Kanye West said slavery was “a choice” or when watching Christian Walker on TikTok. This is a phrase some Black folks use when we feel someone has embarrassed or humiliated the Black community. It may also be used in more casual situations, like if a Black person dances poorly in public or makes a joke that doesn’t land. In their actions, all the progress Black people have made over the years, cleaning up our reputation, was lost. I have often used this phrase jokingly, but in light of recent news I have realized the weight it holds.
The white students who saw their favorite white mentors or professors on this list have a multitude of others to choose from. This month, three graduate students filed a lawsuit against Harvard for ignoring reported sexual assault claims about Professor John L. Comaroff over multiple years, including both physical and verbal harassment. He was put on paid administrative leave back in 2020, and more recently was placed on unpaid leave and can no longer advise any new graduate students. Shortly before the students’ lawsuit, 38 Harvard faculty members voiced their support of Comaroff in an open letter, challenging the University’s sanctions. Many of these faculty signatories were Black professors, some hailing from the African and African American Studies Department. Seeing names of Black professors in support of Comaroff
brought me no other emotions but disgust and shame. But my conclusions regarding this situation were much more complex. Due to lack of representation, each of our individual actions are broadcasted to the rest of the greater Harvard community. Every action we do, every move we make, represents the Black community. Despite our minority status, I appreciate that we have created strong Black spaces and claimed Black professors as our mentors in order to preserve as much of our culture and seek comfort as much we can. Whenever I walk through the Harvard campus and see other Black faculty or students we always give each other a nod of solidarity or a smile, knowing the experience we share. However, I assumed that all of us on campus share most of the same morals and ideals — but obviously I was wrong. Sexual assault is a very serious problem on college campuses but I have always felt very safe in Black spaces. The Black professors who signed that open letter broke that safe space. I cannot imagine what it felt like for Black students to lose their mentor or their role model. To see Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Jamaica Kincaid on that list was painful to many, regardless if one was taught by them or not. The white students who saw their favorite white mentors or professors on this list have a multitude of others to choose from. For many of these students, their first thought probably wasn’t “they just set us back 10 years” or even considered that the professor was white. It was just some professor that did something wrong. These high expectations we have to meet to satisfy our own community — but also not to disappoint others — is unfair. I should not be afraid to make a mistake due to the impact it might have on the Black community. I should not have to worry about the secondhand embarrassment or shame from my peers’ mis-
takes. This monolith is dangerous and toxic and needs to be discarded. Yet, I also am not condoning the actions of the professors that supported Comaroff in the midst of his multiple sexual assault allegations. I am not giving Black people a free pass to commit horrific acts. Letting go of the idea that Black people are a monolith is not meant to shelter wrongdoers, but hopefully to help Black students realize the unfortunate reality that we cannot always rely on each other simply on the basis of race. Seventy-three professors condemned their colleagues and supported the women who were brave enough to speak out against Comaroff. Black professors were also represented on this list; it’s refreshing to see that exemplary leaders and role models still exist for Black students at Harvard.
I assumed that all of us on campus share most of the same morals and ideals — but obviously I was wrong. Most professors later revoked their support of Comaroff, including both Gates and Kincaid. This seems ingenuine and reactionary, however, and we should still condemn these professors for originally supporting Comaroff. Neither group represents the entirety of the Black community; we should not feel like Camroff’s supporters tainted our name nor should we feel like his critics were our saving grace. Black people deserve the autonomy to represent themselves. In efforts to protect my peers from the pain and shame like this again, we need to be cognizant of the drawbacks of the Black monolith. —Angie Gabeau ’25, a Crimson Editorial Editor, lives in Pennypacker.
“T
ryna prove a point to my parents; like this post if you or one of your close friends at harv are currently depressed.” The post, slabbed across the top of the Harvard Confessions Facebook page, had no name attached to it, no comments, no shares. But it did have 132 likes. A flurry of related posts on this very same page has added thunder – and context – to this storm of 132 pixelated thumbs. One student documented a semester replete with bouts of depression that became aggravated by an unmoved Teaching Fellow. Another detailed a failed search for help within bureaucratic confines: Having met with Harvard Counseling and Mental Health Services, two peer counseling groups, and their resident dean, the student wrote, “I can’t believe how all of them felt like talking to a brick wall, and how little true support Harvard has to offer.” The construction of these stony brick divides is in fact paradigmatic of student mental health advocacy at Harvard. Even when administrators promise progress, problems tend to persist – only to pile added weight onto the towering, seemingly impenetrable walls which divide us. Surprisingly, it’s the pre-Covid data compiled by administrative leaders on the other side of that wall – Harvard’s very own Report of the Task Force on Managing Student Mental Health – that casts the darkest of shadows upon this discolored brushwork of online whispers. Published in July 2020, the report demystifies the stressors that cut across all corners of the University – from overburdened undergraduate classrooms, to hypercompetitive clubs, to overflowing lines of students waiting for an appointment at CAMHS, where professional help is a scarce resource in high (and increasing) demand. The report’s hard metrics unearth the virulent spread of this campuswide epidemic – nearly one-third of surveyed undergraduates thought they may be depressed; 62 percent felt isolated, withdrawn, or just flat out lonely; and 6 percent reported having seriously considered suicide. On the surface, these two sources of student divulgences couldn’t be more different from one another. One, a constellation of anonymized disclosures fueled by frenzied fingers on pocket-sized screens. The other, a careful study collected by key stakeholders across Harvard. And yet, beneath their outer surfaces, both the frenzied posts and the empirical data tell the same story: one of dejected students entrenched in a pressure-cooker culture, further scorched by broken systems of support. Upon its release, the task force’s nuanced depiction of the Harvard student experience – one which so neatly mirrored students’ candid, anonymized lamentations – seemed to be a remarkable act of listening, an informal commitment to start chipping away at the tall administrative divide which has taken decades to construct. I managed to lock in a Zoom call on Friday with two of the most powerful players entrusted with executing the report’s recommendations: Dr. Giang T. Nguyen, the Executive Director of Harvard University Health Services, and Robin T. Glover, Harvard’s Associate Provost for Student Affairs. The story that unfolded is a complicated one; one which I find difficult to make sense of regardless of how many hours I spend leafing through my scribbly, dotted interview notes. But one thing is clear: 19 months later, the Implementation Committee charged with enacting the report’s recommendations has made surprisingly little headway. Technically, as Nguyen and Glover made clear, a myriad of the task force’s recommendations had been heeded – but they were low-hanging fruits with little juice to bear. These recommendations not only enable, but practically beg for, inaction. Key among these was the directive to assemble a team that would “explore” accessibility at CAMHS. “That’s a work in process,” Nguyen said of the team’s work. “So, we don’t have any solutions from that yet, but we have folks who are working very hard to address that.” In other words: the team has been formed, but its impact has been nil. Also within the list of recommendations was counsel that a team be built to launch a one-year mental health awareness campaign. Back in March 2021, University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 told The Crimson that the Provost’s Office was “working out” how to implement this recommendation. Nearly a year later, working groups are still, well, working.“A current working group that we have is to look at resources and training for our faculty to address things about dealing with students with distress,” Glover said. The most dispiriting fact here is that this slowness of action sucks power from the urgency embedded within the task force’s unsettling collection of findings – a “crisis” unfolded, to use the report’s own language, through its candid mosaic of hard numbers and soft-spoken words. This fiery crisis is still alive, but as it blazes through Harvard’s gates, not all hands are on deck to diffuse it. “The implementation of the task force recommendations is just starting at this point because there were a lot of other things that we had to really focus our energy on in terms of responding to the pandemic,” Nguyen told me. “But also, some things just take time.”Perhaps some things do take time. But when they’re made a priority, they nonetheless manage to get done. Maybe this really is a story of competing priorities – as Nguyen hinted, it was particularly ill-fated that this report came out only four months after a raging pandemic ravaged the world. Or perhaps this is just another case of the Harvard administration’s notorious tendency to overpromise and underdeliver. Maybe it’s a bitter mix of both. The week after next, this column will evaluate Harvard’s visions for new mental health enactments. And when the Implementation Committee actually starts implementing, I’ll report on their continued progress, too. The clock is ticking, though – not least because I’m set to graduate in less than 19 months.
—Gemma J. Schneider ’23, a Crimson Associate Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Pforzheimer House. Her column, “Wilted Wellbeing,” runs on alternating Tuesdays.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
FEBRUARY 15, 2022
Cambridge Buildings Racist Message Left on UC Accept Architecture Prize President’s Quincy Dorm
RACISM FROM PAGE 1
By JULIA J. HYNEK
perpetrator and for previous “exaggerated attacks” on his character. “I don’t care about punishment, I would just appreciate a personal apology,” he wrote. Quincy Faculty Deans Eric Beerbohm and Leslie J. Duhaylongsod offered their support to Cheng in an email to residents that denounced the slurs. “We want to say in the strongest possible terms that this is absolutely unacceptable; none of these actions is consistent with Quincy’s focus on a safe,
respectful, and inclusive community,” they wrote. “Hate has no place at Quincy House.” The Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Women’s Association released a statement cosigned by 11 other groups Monday rebuking the “act of direct racism” and calling on the College to respond to the incident. “We actively strive to fight injustices across an intersectional network of issues that affects all of us as students,” the statement reads. “We must not let these actions go unrecog-
nized without consequence.” Cheng said he was heartened by the support he received. In their email, the Quincy faculty deans also solicited information about the incident. Cheng speculated that the vandalism was committed by one of his political opponents. “I presume if you care enough to do something like this, you’re probably on the UC,” Cheng said. mert.geyiktepe@thecrimson.com sellers.hill@thecrimson.com
ARDERN FROM PAGE 1
Jacinda Ardern to Speak at Commencement Ceremony to Fortune’s 2021 World’s 50 Greatest Leaders list, Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list twice, and Forbes Magazine’s list of most powerful women repeatedly. When she takes the podium in Harvard’s Tercentenary Theater in May, Ardern will be the first in-person Commencement
speaker in two years. She will be the 17th sitting world leader to deliver a Harvard Commencement address. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel served as the school’s last in-person Commencement speaker in 2019. Last year, Ruth J. Simmons, the president of Prairie View
A&M University, spoke during the virtual Commencement ceremony. Simmons, who led Brown University from 2001 to 2012, was the first Black president of an Ivy League institution. cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com
CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
T wo Cambridge-based complexes — the Harvard Art Museums and Jefferson Park Apartments — received architectural awards from the Boston Society of Architecture last month. The Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion received the 2021 BSA’s Harleston Parker Medal, while Jefferson Park — a Cambridge-based affordable housing complex — was a finalist and won the People’s Choice Award. The BSA established the Harleston Parker Medal in 1921 in memory of Boston architect J. Harleston Parker. The medal serves to recognize the “the most beautiful piece of architecture, building, monument or structure” in the Boston area. This year marks the third time the BSA has recognized Harvard University architecture in the last decade, having awarded the medal to Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center in 2019 and Harvard Graduate Student Housing in 2011. The BSA jury lauded the Harvard Art Museums Renovation and Expansion for its embodiment of “traditional tenets” while being “welcoming” and “warm.”
“Every inch of this building was considered in the design and construction to work harmoniously together,” the jury wrote in its commentary. While Harvard is no stranger to the BSA’s prize, Jefferson Park Apartments — built in North Cambridge by the Cambridge Housing Authority — is the first affordable housing development to receive a nomination for the medal. The jury praised Jefferson Park Apartments as a “transformative project” that exemplifies “community-beauty as a unifier.” Outside of the BSA’s recognition of the complex, it also received public acclaim, winning the People’s Choice Award for the complex with 57 percent of the public vote. Despite the complex’s accolade, CHA Executive Director Michael J. Johnston noted that the project’s primary goal was not fame but to create “sustainable and usable” public housing for Cambridge residents. “About fifteen years ago, the Cambridge Housing Authority came to a realization that public housing as we know it is a dinosaur, that public housing as we know it is really on its way to extinction,” Johnston said. Johnston explained that Jefferson Park, which started out as a temporary housing
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complex for veterans, had been “falling apart” until the CHA repurposed it. “We had 108 units of state public housing that was literally falling down on top of the people that live there [at Jefferson Park],” he said. Johnston said that Jefferson Park has struggled with “all kinds of mold and mildew issues” due to its construction over land that used to be a pond, forcing the CHA to renovate the complex completely. “There’s no way to make those properties energy-efficient, there’s no way to make them sustainable,” Johnston said of older affordable housing properties. “If you’re going to worry about the 100-year flood plain in Cambridge, you have to put heating systems and ventilation systems up on the roof — there’s no way to introduce central AC into those buildings.” Despite the challenges, Johnston said he believes the CHA has done “a good job” with its portfolio, noting that in the last 12 years, the CHA has spent more than $600 million in construction for public housing. “There’s so much that is changing in the world we live in,” Johnston said. “Affordable housing has to keep up with that.” julia.hynek@thecrimson.com
SPORTS
IN OTHER NEWS
WOMEN’S WOMEN’S TENNIS TENNIS
Princeton Princeton swept swept Harvard Harvard 4-0 at ECAC Championships 4-0the at the finals of the in Ithaca, N.Y., over the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Ithaca,weekend N.Y., last weekend.
MEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Harvard tied St.St. Lawrence 3-3 inin aa Harvard tied Lawrence 3-3 overtime on Monday in their last home overtime on Monday in their last home game of the season. The Crimson is 19-7-1 game of the season. The Crimson is 19-7-1 for the season. for the season.
MEN’S HOCKEY
Men’s Hockey Ties Boston College 3-3 in Beanpot By BRIDGET T. SANDS and AARON B. SHUCHMAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
n a frigid Monday night in BosO ton, the Harvard Men’s Hockey team took on the Boston College Eagles in the consolation game of the 69th Annual Beanpot Collegiate Hockey Tournament. After three 20-minute periods and a five-minute additional overtime, the teams remained tied at three. The game was a departure from Harvard and BC’s previous matchup on February 1 at the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, where the Crimson dominated play throughout the game en route to a 6-3 victory, despite trailing 3-0 midway through the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Derek Mullahy started between the posts on Monday, a change from junior Mitchell Gibson, who had started the last eight games. Mullahy recorded 26 saves over the course of the contest. “I thought it was a hard fought game,” head coach Ted Donato said. “Both teams really battled all the way to the end.” The Crimson started the game flat and with a low intensity level. Within the first two minutes, junior forward Austin Wong was charged with a major penalty for contact to the head. After a thorough official review of the call, the penalty was confirmed. Harvard was subsequently sent to the penalty kill for the next five minutes, and Wong was ejected from the game. After Wong’s critical error, the Eagles dominated possession. They opened up the scoring
at 8:24, as junior forward Liam Izyk found the net, assisted by graduate student forward Brendon Kruse. The Eagles also hit a crossbar and a post in the early going, preventing them from seizing total control of the game. BC played a very physical game, as many Harvard players, including first-year Alex Gaffney, found themselves up against the boards after being crushed by checks. “I don’t think we played a particularly intelligent game. We chased the game a bit,” said Ted Donato, particularly lamenting the early penalty. The Crimson had a power play opportunity after the Eagles’ Jack St. Ivany was called for tripping first-year defenseman Ian Moore. During the man-advantage, it was able to record a few more shots, but was unable to convert. Overall, the Eagles led in shots on goal in the period just eight to six, but they dominated shot attempts and possession by a much larger margin. The second period began slowly, with the physicality of the game preventing any dangerous offensive chances. However, 12:24 into the second, Harvard was able to turn the tide shorthanded. With first-year defenseman Jack Bar in the box for slashing, first-year Zakary Karpa evened the score, tying the game off of a beautifully executed twoon-one breakaway with first-year forward Matthew Coronato. However, despite allowing the shorthanded goal, BC was able to successfully execute in the remaining power play time. An Eagles shot from the point
was blocked by the Harvard defenseman, but the puck deflected out to the wing, right to sophomore forward Colby Ambrosio, found twine to put the Eagles back in front 2-1. The Eagles rode this momentum and added another goal, this time Izyk again, with 2:17 left in the period, sending the teams back to the locker room with BC in front by a score of 3-1. The third period was the Crimson’s strongest. It came out quick, with Gaffney finding the net just over a minute into the period. Sophomore forward Alex Laferriere was credited with the assist, as Gaffney, driving hard to the net, redirected Lafferiere’s strong pass from the top of the circle past Eagles goaltender Eric Dop. Despite a quiet game (and Beanpot Tournament) overall, the line of Laferriere, Gaffney, and junior forward John Farinacci stepped up in the third period to spark the comeback. Mullahy, although strong throughout the game, had a particularly excellent third. His most crucial save came about eight and a half minutes into the period, a stop of an Ambrosio breakaway that would have given the Eagles a two-goal lead. He also denied several Eagles scoring chances that came off of deflections and redirections from directly in front of the net. Harvard continued its energy, maintaining possession and taking time to properly set up its offense to set up good scoring chances. Eventually, its work bore fruit; with about five minutes remaining in the game, se-
STAYING COOL UNDER PRESSURE Players huddle around sophomore goalkeeper Michael Gibson during the Yale game on Friday night. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
nior forward Jack Donato tied the game up when he corralled a loose puck in front of the net and slid it past Dop. Jack Donato, who had spoken previously about the significance of the Beanpot to him and his graduating senior class, said, “We thought we didn’t play our best [at the Beanpot], so we just have to compartmentalize it… Every game from here on in is important.”
After Jack Donato’s goal, neither team would record another score, forcing a three-on-three, five-minute overtime period. Overtime brought very similar intensity from the Crimson, who again maintained control of the puck for the majority of the time. Moore drew a penalty after his strong drive to the net inclined a BC defenseman to foul, giving Harvard an extra skater. However, the Crimson were
unable to utilize its advantage, as the Eagles’ masked man Dop came up with some huge saves under pressure. The team has a homestand doubleheader this weekend at Bright-Landry Hockey Center, taking on Princeton on Friday at 7 p.m. before a critical matchup Saturday against No.2 Quinnipiac, also at 7 p.m. bridget.sands@thecrimson.com aaron.shuchman@thecrimson.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Men’s Basketball Suffers Third Straight Loss By AMIR MAMDANI CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
As the clock ticked down and the Penn faithful rose to their feet inside the Palestra, Coach Tommy Amaker took a quick look at the scoreboard in dismay as Harvard men’s basketball lost another agonizingly close game – falling to the Quakers by a 82-74 margin. For a third straight contest and a fourth time in five games, the Crimson (11-10, 3-6 Ivy) mounted a comeback in a critical game, tying the score in Philadelphia with under two minutes to play. After losing three games to Ivy rivals by a combined 10
points – one to Penn in Cambridge and back-to-back losses to Yale – completing Saturday’s comeback at the Ivy League’s premier venue would have gone a long way towards reversing Harvard’s fortune this season. A series of clutch shots by guard Jordan Dingle, including a banked three-pointer as the shot clock expired, ensured that the Crimson would lose yet another heartbreaker. “You’ve got to give them credit, and you’ve got to give him credit in particular,” said Amaker of Dingle’s 33-point performance, which took place just 15 days after the sophomore scored 31 points at Lavietes Pavilion to lead Penn (11-12, 8-2) to
a 78-74 win in Cambridge. “We need something to fall our way a little bit, that’s not an excuse or anything, but you need that.” Amaker’s remarks echo the frustration that many involved in the men’s basketball program will certainly be feeling, as Harvard sits in sixth place in the Ivy League with just five games remaining. The past two weeks have brought four losses that came on a knife’s edge, leaving the Crimson on the brink of desperation in the battle for an Ivy League playoff spot. With Lavietes Pavilion set to play host to this year’s Ancient Eight tournament, failing to finish the season in the top four and make the semifi-
nals would leave a particularly bitter taste for the men’s basketball program given its recent history in the Ivy League postseason. Harvard has lost the past two Ivy League championship games in true road settings and has long looked forward to hosting the tournament in Cambridge after missing out on the opportunity to do so in 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturday afternoon’s game featured the type of seesaw action that the Crimson is well-accustomed to in battles with Coach Steve Donohue’s Penn Quakers. Harvard clawed its way back from an eight point second-half deficit, in large
CATCHING US A WIN NEXT TIME? Senior captain Kale Catchings shoots a three-pointer while competing in Crimson Madness in December. ZING GEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
part due to the inspired play of first-year guard Evan Nelson, who led the team in scoring. Nelson scored a career-high 19 points, drilling all five of his three-pointers and bringing the Crimson back into the game on numerous occasions as the Quakers looked to pull away. “It’s a lot of fun, playing at the Palestra, it’s obviously a coveted and historic arena,” Nelson said. “But it would have felt a lot better to get this win, without a doubt.” Nelson’s play was all the more crucial with fellow firstyear Louis Lesmond’s continued absence from the rotation due to injury, the latest in an unrelenting string of injuries that Harvard has been forced to deal with this season. His resurgence is perhaps even more necessary as a third guard capable of scoring alongside junior Luka Sakota and senior Noah Kirkwood, as the two have borne the brunt of opposing teams’ defensive attention in the past few weeks. The Canadian backcourt duo have been forced to work extremely hard for high-quality looks with Lesmond, Chris Ledlum, and Idan Tretout sidelined with various injuries, combining for 26 points against Penn defense that seemed hell-bent on neutralizing them. Donohue and Penn employed a variety of defensive tactics on Saturday, including doubling Kirkwood on the final play of the half, pulling a defender away from first-year guard Denham Wojcik. Wojcik, who has featured as the starting point guard for Coach Amaker in all but one of Harvard’s Ivy League games, has struggled significantly to find his shooting touch thus far, converting on 22% of his field goals and just 2-of-21 from beyond the arc. Nelson’s emergence as a viable scoring threat and potential starter could be just what the Crimson need, particularly to shoulder some of the scoring burden that Kirkwood and Sakota have carried in the backcourt thus far. The Tucson, Ariz. native credited the leadership of older players as a source of mentorship and confidence in him, with Saturday afternoon’s
contest representing just the eighth game in Nelson’s young career. “It’s definitely a team thing,” Nelson said. “From Spencer, to Noah, Mason, and Kale, all those guys have taken it upon themselves to take me under their wing.” Though Nelson’s prolific scoring on Saturday was an encouraging sign, time is running out for men’s basketball. With a two game homestand against the New York schools upcoming, anything shy of a 2-0 weekend would almost certainly eliminate Harvard from Ivy League tournament contention. Perhaps this is how the NCAA tournament drought must end for the Crimson: not with a #1 seed and a clear path to Ivy Madness, but through what essentially amounts to playoff games beginning in mid-February. “You know, it’s certainly disappointing,” said Amaker of the team’s recent run of narrow defeats. “But it hasn’t demoralized us.” Harvard has certainly shown no quit thus far, even after consecutive gut-wrenching losses. Players like sophomore Sam Silverstein, senior captain Kale Catchings, and others have shown a willingness to fill in in unexpected places due to injury. But with March looming, the road to make the tournament is certainly long, and the Crimson’s odds are maybe even longer. But an undefeated weekend against Columbia and Cornell – the team Harvard is chasing – would provide a jolt that the Crimson sorely needs after three straight hard-luck losses. In Ancient Eight basketball, anything is possible. Perhaps it’s Nelson that’ll be the spark. Or Kirkwood, who has taken the team on his shoulders on several occasions this season and recently tallied his 1000th point for Harvard men’s basketball. Or an unexpected hero – maybe another buzzer beater from Sakota. But with the Ivy League tournament less than a month away, there is suddenly very little room for error. amir.mamdani@thecrimson.com