The Harvard Crimson - Volume CL, No. 5 by The Harvard Crimson

THE HARVARD CRIMSON THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

ARTS

OP-ED

So You Want to Listen To Afrobeats? Here’s Where to Start

Harvard Men’s Basketball Dominates Cornell, Columbia

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| VOLUME CL, NO. 5 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Black History Month at Harvard CELEBRATION AND COMMEMORATION. Black History Month has arrived, and Harvard students, faculty, and affiliates are gathering to celebrate, memorialize, and learn about the history of Black people at Harvard. This special issue profiles Harvard Square’s Black business owners, visits Harvard house and club events, and remembers Harvard’s first black lacrosse athlete. SEE PAGE 5 JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER SAMI TURNER—CRIMSON DESIGNER

Clubs and Houses Stage Events for Mayor Wu Names Members of Black History Month Celebration City Reparations Task Force BY MADELEINE A. HUNG JOYCE E. KIM ELLA L. JONES AND JOHN N. PEÑA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Throughout February, Harvard students are commemorating Black History Month with celebrations put on by undergraduate houses and affinity groups. Black History Month annually recognizes the accomplishments of Black Americans and their role in United States history. The celebration was initiated by historian Carter G. Woodson, who completed his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1912, and has been recognized by every U.S. president since 1976. Pforzheimer House resident Elyse G. Martin-Smith ’25 said her house “really stepped up” for the month. Martin-Smith participated in a Black women’s selfcare night and an African diaspora listening party organized by the House’s race relations tutors. Martin-Smith, a member of the Harvard Black Students Association, said she appreciated the opportunity to discuss Black identity with her peers in a residential space without having to plan the events. “I do a lot of planning myself, and to have that burden taken off

me for just a minute — and having tutors or deans step up and take that event planning into their own hands — meant a lot,” she said. The celebrations continued at other houses. At Quincy House, residents visited Frugal Bookstore, a Black-owned bookstore, to purchase books for the House’s Junior Common Room. The house also hosted a walking tour of the Black Heritage Trail, which ends at the Museum of African American History in Boston. Quincy resident B. Ashton Alexander ’23 attended a screening of the documentary “Soul Food Junkies,” catered by Black-owned soul food restaurant Coast Cafe. “It was an opportunity for members of the house to come together as a collective and as a community, and anytime you can do that over good food, it just seems like a win-win,” he said. All house dining halls also commemorated Black History Month on Thursday with menus inspired by influential Black chefs, according to Harvard University Dining Services spokesperson Crista Martin. Winthrop House also offered an “African Heritage Diet” cooking class last Friday, Martin added. Outside of the houses, campus

affinity groups for Black students held events to celebrate. On Saturday, BSA hosted their sixth annual Black Legacy Ball, which celebrated “Black Culture and the achievements of Black people at the College and beyond,” according to the group’s website. Michael O. Omole ’24, BSA vice president, took the lead in planning the event, which he described as “a celebration of Black Harvard.” The ball honors two faculty members and a high school student each year. This year’s honorees were Cambridge Rindge and Latin School senior and incoming Harvard student Helen Hailemariam; Harvard Gullah language instructor Sunn m’Cheaux; and Theater, Dance, and Media lecturer Shamell Bell — an original member of the Black Lives Matter movement. BSA’s other upcoming events include a Diversity Career Expo, the Black Boston Bash — a party with other Boston-area universities — and a Black History Month mixer. BSA President Rothsaida Sylvaince ’24 said Black History Month is a time to “celebrate both the history and the future”

SEE ‘CLUBS’ PAGE 5

BY DYLAN H. PHAN AND JACK R. TRAPANICK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 announced the 10 members of the newly-formed Reparations Task Force to “study the lasting impacts of slavery in Boston,” according to a Feb. 7 press release. In February 2022, Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia proposed the establishment of a commission to study reparations for Boston’s Black residents, which was unanimously approved by the Boston City Council ten months later. The ordinance cites the city’s role in the African slave trade and its discriminatory policies following abolition, which range from segregated public housing to racist “red-lining” zoning practices. The task force will be chaired by Joseph D. Feaster Jr., former president of the Boston branch of the NAACP. “I’m glad to see that the Boston City Council took the initiative to address the issue,” Feaster said in an interview. “I’m honored and humbled to have been asked to serve on a reparation task force and in fact chair it, and so I understand my mission, and I plan

to execute.” The task force is preparing to begin the first phase of its work, which will focus on researching the city’s role in the African slave trade and ties to the institution of slavery, per the ordinance. Feaster said the task force’s research would need to decide the scope and time frame at which it will examine reparations in Boston. “Do you look at slavery as it was applied from the moment that folks were taken from the shores of Africa and arrived here in Virginia?” Feaster asked. “Do you look at it from the standpoint of persons who came to Massachusetts, and more specifically to Boston as slaves or freedmen, and were still enslaved in some way?” In the second phase of the task force’s work, set to begin this summer, members plan to review the city’s previous efforts to address the “continued impacts of enslavement,” according to the ordinance. Linda J. Bilmes ’80, a senior lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School, said in an interview that the concept of reparations has ample precedent in the United States. “Reparations are very commonplace for many, many differ-

ent types of harms, and the U.S. government pays what we call the reparatory compensation every day,” Bilmes said. Bilmes added, however, that the U.S. “rarely has done more than providing financial compensation,” referencing payments of up to $100,000 to the victims of mid-20th century nuclear weapons tests, which exposed tens of thousands of people to dangerous radiation. Feaster said one difficulty for the task force will be deciding the most appropriate method of reparations for slavery, given the wide variety of perspectives among advocates for reparations. “If you speak to 10 people, you’re gonna get 10 different answers,” Feaster said. “Some people want, ‘Give me the money, I should be paid,’ and there are others that say, ‘Put it into housing. Put it into health issues.’” The task force will provide their answer to that question in a final report proposing recommendations for “truth, reconciliation, and reparations” for Boston in June 2024, concluding the final phase of the initiative. The move brings Boston into a wider national movement for local reparations, following the

SEE ‘WU’ PAGE 5

BLACK HEALTH

SQUARE BIZ

GAASA PETITION

Panelists Discuss Decolonizing Black Health

Black Business Owners in Harvard Square

Petition to Dename Winthrop House

PAGE 4. This weekend, Harvard affiliates, students, and scholars gathered for the sixth annual Black Health Matters conference to discuss the decolonization of Black health.

PAGE 5. The Crimson interviewed Harvard Square Black business owners, including the owners of Le Macaron, Oggi Gourmet, and Grolier Poetry Book Shop. The owners have found their “niche” and seek to “break barriers.”

PAGE 5. More than 200 Harvard affiliates have signed a petition calling to dename Winthrop House, which is named for enslavers. This comes nearly a year after the University’s report detailing Harvard’s ties to slavery.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

LAST WEEK

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

COLLEGE

EQUITY AND INCLUSION

INSTITUTE OF POLITICS

HUA Increases Spring Club Funding

Harvard Hosts Inclusion Forum

IOP Forum Discusses Rising Inequality

BUDGET REALLOCATION. Harvard Undergraduate Association officers voted to split funding allocations between clubs and student subsidy initiatives during their weekly general meeting on Saturday. The total amount disbursed for spring semesterly club funding is $166,000 — $8,500 higher than the previous semester due to the reallocation of the entire budget for the Extracurricular Team into club funding. BY NATALIE K BANDU-

‘BETTER AND STRONGER.’ Students participated in Harvard’s second annual Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum last week under the theme “Reckoning and Transformation.” The forum featured keynote speaker Moníca Ramírez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women. Other speakers included Harvard’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sherri A. Charleston and vice provost Sarah Bleich, who will oversee the implementation of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery initiative. BY JOYCE E. KIM AND MAKANAKA NYANDORO—CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

RISING INEQUALITY. Ford Foundation President Darren Walker discussed philanthropy and social justice at a Tuesday forum at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. The event was moderated by Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. and included opening remarks from HKS Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf. Other topics covered included social inequality and racial discrimination, along with the significance of mentors in Gates’ career. BY THOMAS J. METE—CRIMSON STAFF WRITTER

RA — CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

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The Week in Photos

AROUND THE IVIES TWO DINING HALLS FOUND NON COMPLIANT WITH HEALTH CODE

VIGIL TO MOURN GUN VIOLENCE VIGIL. On Thursday evening, more than 20 students gathered on the steps of Memorial Church in a vigil honoring the lives lost to gun violence this year. Speakers shared messages of hope and an original song. J.

Two of Penn’s 12 campus dining locations were found not in compliance with health codes following recent inspections by the Philadelphia Office of Food Protection. Nine additional dining locations were found to be in violation of at least one regulation. Pam Lampitt, Penn’s Director of Hospitality Services, said the office has taken “corrective measures.”

SELLERS HILL—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

THC

STUDENT ARRESTED FOLLOWING DISCOVERY OF GUN, DRUGS IN DORM

Read more at THECRIMSON.COM

Yale Police arrested an undergraduate last Wednesday aftering finding “an unloaded handgun, significant quantities of a controlled substance, illegal drugs, and evidence of additional drug-related activity” in their on-campus dorm room, according to a joint statement issued by YPD and the University. According to the same statement, the student is facing potential criminal charges for several drug offenses.

YALE DAILY NEWS

BULLETIN BOARD FIRE PROMPTS EVACUATION Residents of Columbia’s Woodbridge Hall were forced to evacuate early last Friday morning after a fourth-floor bulletin board caught fire. No injuries or property damage were reported. According to a subsequent statement issued by the University, the cause of the blaze is still unknown. “Of particular concern is the cause of the fire, which at this point is still unknown,” read an email by student life administrators.

THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR

KHURANA AFFIRMS TRANSPARENCY. Following multiple decisions by Harvard schools to pull out of U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana emphasized the importance of providing accurate information to prospective students during the college application process.

OCTOPUS. Northwest building features a giant papier-mache octopus hanging from the ceiling. It replaced a large whale skeleton that used to greet students on their way down the staircase. BY BEN CAMMARATA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

BY MARINA QU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE REACHES DEAL WITH STUDENT WORKERS UNION Dartmouth College administrators avoided a strike Saturday when they verbally agreed to a $21 base pay proposal for student dining workers, put forth by the Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth. The day before, 99% of SWCD had voted to authorize a strike, which would have involved all Dartmouth Dining Services student workers. THE DARTMOUTH

SNOW DAY. This week brought sleet, hail, snow, and rain to Harvard Square. Students braved the dreary weather and bundled up on their way to classes. BY JULIAN J.

RETROMANIA. The Brighton Bazaar hosted an event last weekend showcasing more than 100 vendors with arts, crafts, vintage items, and plenty of food and drink. BY JULIAN J.

IOP FORUM. U.S. Special Envoy Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Jessica Stern (right) spoke on global LGBTQ+ rights at an IOP Forum on Wednesday. BY CLAIRE

GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

OGGI GOURMET. Steve Welch, who owns the sandwich restaurant Oggi Gourmet, did not originally have plans to be a small business owner but has since found his “niche” in the Harvard Square business scene. BY CLAIRE YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

NEXT WEEK

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

What’s Next

IN THE REAL WORLD PENNSYLVANIA GOV. MAKES CRIMINAL REFERRAL IN OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the state’s acting attorney general is investigating potential criminal charges after a Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailed just over the state line in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment, which released hazardous chemicals into the environment, has seen extensive criticism levied against state and federal officials. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would take control of the cleanup.

PENTAGON RELEASES PILOT’S CLOSE-UP PHOTO OF CHINESE BALLOON The Pentagon released a close-up photo of a Chinese balloon Friday, taken by the pilot of a high-altitude spy plane. The photo was taken a day before the balloon was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. The Pentagon announced last Friday that Navy ships had recovered the massive balloon and its payload. Following the incident, U.S. fighter jets shot down three more objects flying over Alaska, Canada, and Michigan.

Start every week with a preview of what’s on the agenda around Harvard University

Friday 2/24

Monday 2/27

Wednesday 3/01

OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES TEACHING ABROAD INFO SESSION

GUTMAN LIBRARY BOOK TALK: MAKING BLACK GIRLS COUNT IN MATH EDUCATION

CULTURE LAB OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday 2/28

Thursday 3/02

VIGIL FOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND CORETTA SCOTT KING

WHEN EVOLUTION HURTS

Virtual, 1 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Join the Office of Career Services for a webinar about opportunities and resources for teaching abroad after graduation.

Saturday 2/25 HARVARD ART MUSEUMS: ANNUAL STUDENT BOARD LECTURE Menschel Hall, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Join the Harvard Arts Museums for an annual lecture featuring Hmong American artist Pao Houa Her in conversation with Makeda Best, the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography.

Virtual, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Join Dr. Nicole M. Joseph, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Vanderbilt University, for a seminar on the experiences of Black women in math and race and gender roles in education.

Memorial Church, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Join Harvard Chaplains and the Harvard Foundation for a Beloved Community Closing Vigil honoring Dr. King and Coretta Scott King.

Virtual, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Explore ways to foster inclusivity with the Harvard Culture Lab and learn about applying for $5,000 - $15,000 grants to promote belonging on campus.

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St. 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Terence D. Capellini, a Harvard Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, will discuss the genetic research that is helping eludicate the relationship between bipedalism and our risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

Sunday 2/26

Friday 3/03

STEP INTO ART WITH INSPIRATION FROM KEHINDE WILEY

SCREENING: LITTLE WHITE DOVE HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE

Harvard Film Archive, 7 p.m. - 9 :05p.m. Enjoy this 1973 coming-of-age story of a young girl from a poor background who falls in love with the scion of a wealthy upper-class family.

Harvard Art Museums, 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. Come for a chance to take photos of American painter Kehinde Wiley’s portraits in the Materials Lab.

6.3-MAGNITUDE QUAKE IMPACTS RECOVERING TURKEY AND SYRIA A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s Hatay Province Monday, disrupting search and rescue efforts following a 7.8-magnitude quake two weeks before. The first quake and subsequent aftershocks have destroyed more than 100,000 buildings and killed more than 46,000 people across Turkey and Syria.

WINTER WONDERLAND JIMMY CARTER OPTS TO FORGO FURTHER MEDICAL TREATMENT Jimmy Carter, the 39th and oldest living president of the United States announced his decision to forgo further medical treatment and seek hospice care at his home in Georgia, the Carter Center announced Friday. Carter, now 98-years old, was previously treated for skin cancer melanoma and repeated falls. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” the Carter Center wrote on Twitter.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON Cara J. Chang ’24 President Associate Managing Editors Leah J. Teichholtz ’24 Meimei Xu ’24 Editorial Chairs Eleanor V. Wikstrom ’24 Christina M. Xiao ’24 Arts Chairs Anya L. Henry ’24 Alisa S. Regassa ’24

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Brandon L. Kingdollar ’24

Cynthia V. Lu ’24

Managing Editor

Business Manager

Magazine Chairs Io Y. Gilman ’25 Amber H. Levis ’25

Design Chairs Sophia Salamanca ’25 Sami E. Turner ’25

Blog Chairs Tina Chen ’24 Hana Rehman ’25

Multimedia Chairs Joey Huang ’24 Julian J. Giordano ’25

Sports Chairs Mairead B. Baker ’24 Aaron B. Schuchman ’25

Technology Chairs Kevin Luo ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24

Associate Business Manager Derek S. Chang ’24 Copyright 2023, 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

Night Editors Isabella B. Cho ’24 James R. Jolin ’24 Assistant Night Editors Ryan H. Doan-Nguyen ’25 J. Sellers Hill ’25 John N. Peña ’25 Emily L. Ding ’26 Sidney K. Lee ’26 Claire Yuan ’25

Brandon L. Kingdollar ’24 Vivi E. Lu ’24 Leah J. Teichholtz ’24 Meimei Xu ’24 Eric Yan ’24 Design Editors Toby R. Ma ’24 Nayeli Cardozo ’25 Sami E. Turner ’25 Laurinne P. Eugenio ’26

Addison Y. Liu ’25 Claire Yuan ’25 Maria S. Cheng ’26 Editorial Editor

Lucas T. Gazianis ’24 Sports Editors

Mairead B. Baker ’24 Aaron B. Schuchman ’25 Arts Editors

Story Editors Isabella B. Cho ’24 James R. Jolin ’24 Ariel H. Kim ’24

Photo Editors Cory K. Gorczycki ’24 Joey Huang ’24 Julian J. Giordano ’25 Christopher L. Li ’25

Zachary J. Lech ’24

CORRECTIONS The Feb. 17 story “HUHS Fires Doctor Facing Misconduct Allegations” misspelled the name of the HUHS physician who was terminated following misconduct allegations. His name is Jeffrey R. Schapiro. The Feb. 17 story “Cambridge Mayor Plans for Free College” incorrectly stated that the Early College Program at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School is in its pilot stage. In fact, the program was piloted in January 2022 and received state designation in April. The Feb. 17 story “Melanie Matchett Wood on Number Theory, Failing and Her Lifetime Supply of Hagoromo Chalk” incorrectly credited a photo taken by Crimson staff photographer Jennifer Z. Liang.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

COVER STORY

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black Square Business Owners ‘Break Barriers’ Grolier Poetry Book Shop, founded in 1927, is located on 6 Plympton St.

Owner of Oggi Gourmet Steve Welch first opened his restaurant in 2003.

AWNIT SINGH MARTA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

CLAIRE YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

IN RECOGNITION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH The Crimson interviewed the owners of Le Macaron, Oggi Gourmet, and Grolier Poetry Book Shop to learn about their lives and journeys to Harvard Square. BY CAROLINE K. HSU AND SIDNEY K. LEE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

or 79 years, Grolier Poetry Book Shop on Plympton Street in Harvard Square was owned, operated, and frequented primarily by white Cambridge residents. In 2006, however, Ifeanyi A. Menkiti broke the mold, becoming the first Nigerian-born immigrant to own the oldest continuously running bookshop dedicated to poetry in the nation. Though Menkiti died in 2019, the bookshop remains in his family and has strived to make poetry more inclusive, according to his daughter Ndidi N. Menkiti ’06. “I think it’s a little bit exciting and revolutionary that my dad, as a Nigerian immigrant, bought this store that was located in the

middle of Harvard and kind of was a boys’ club place for the likes of Robert Lowell and Eliot,” she said. Grolier Poetry Book Shop is now one of a handful of blackowned businesses in Harvard Square making strides in diversifying small business ownership. Today, there is a “lot of diversity” among business owners in Harvard Square, according to Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, but there are still “hurdles that many members of the BIPOC community have to encounter.” “We do not have enough Blackowned businesses,” Jillson said. In recognition of Black History Month, The Crimson interviewed three prominent Black business owners in Harvard Square to share their stories. Le Macaron Karine Ernest, owner of Le Macaron French Pastries’ Cambridge location, was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States when she was four. Raised primarily in Boston, she said being a business owner was “definitely something that

was inspiring” for her and something that she always wanted to do. After graduating from Wellesley College with a dual degree in Economics and French, she worked in telecommunications, but was always drawn to the world of entrepreneurship. “I always had that little bug in my ear — somehow be an entrepreneur,” Ernest said. Returning to business school for an MBA at Babson College was no small feat for Ernest, given that she was raising two children at the time. After graduating with a “child on the hip,” she learned of the Le Macaron chain. “I completely fell in love. I love the business model. It was simple, and it was definitely something I felt comfortable with. I love the product,” Ernest said. “And so we opened up August 12 of 2022 in Harvard Square, and we have a fabulous location,” she added. Securing a franchise location, however, can be particularly “difficult” for Black small business entrepreneurs like herself, Ernest said. “You found the perfect space. You have the qualifications. Why

is the landlord considering someone else that doesn’t seem as qualified?” she said. “You start to wonder, is it a racial thing? Is it because I’m Black? That’s always in the back of your mind,” she added. Doing business in Cambridge has been a “wonderful experience,” Ernest said, but she acknowledged that developing the kind of support network and finding the right “allies” can be challenging for other Black business owners. “I think, as a Black entrepreneur, oftentimes that’s something that we don’t have,” Ernest said. “I was fortunate that I had a lot of people that I could reach out to and ask questions.” For Ernest, opening Le Macaron’s Harvard Square location was an “incredible achievement.” “I think we’ve been very welcomed and accepted by the community,” Ernest said, “And we’re excited to break some barriers — a milestone so to speak.” Oggi Gourmet Oggi Gourmet owner Steve Welch was born on the small Caribbean island of Montserrat. Studying fashion merchandis-

Le Macaron first opened the doors of its Harvard Square location on Aug. 12, 2022. ADDISON Y. LIU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

ing in college, he said he did not initially have plans to become a business owner. “I really didn’t set out to be one. It just sort of happened,” Welch said. To Welch, being a business owner in Harvard Square is like “being the older brother sometimes and seeing kids grow up.” Welch added he does not believe he has experienced any particular challenges beyond those faced by most businesses. “I felt comfortable when I came here. I just wanted to blend in. I didn’t want them to see me as a Black-owned business,” Welch said. “I just want to be, again, another good restaurant that came to Harvard Square.” He likened the Harvard business community to a “big fabric” — one that encompasses people from “all walks of life.” “It was like a quilt to me. And I brought my little section of the quilt and blended it with this restaurant and that business over there,” Welch said. “You’ve got to find your balance. Find your niche.” Grolier Poetry Book Shop Ifeanyi Menkiti — the late

owner of Grolier Poetry Book Shop — bought the establishment because he believed that the shop was a “cultural institution that needed to survive,” according to his daughter Ndidi Menkiti. “My dad was a huge believer in the arts and culture and community, and so he was really in love with this idea of art forms that are universal, like poetry, music, drama,” Menkiti added. Ifeanyi Menkiti earned his PhD in philosophy from Harvard in 1974 and later became a professor at Wellesley College, with his scholarly work focusing on African traditional thought. He merged his penchant for poetry with this academic work as Grolier’s owner. His background was “so different from a lot of other people in Cambridge” which helped him to “form these friendships and these bonds that endears him to a lot of different people,” according to his daughter. “We’ve just sort of made it our mission to continue to support and expand the international voices and future queer poets and poets of color,” Menkiti added. caroline.hsu@thecrimson.com sidney.lee@thecrimson.com

Scholars Discuss Decolonizing Black Health HLS Prof. Honored in Courthouse Naming BY TRISTAN T. DARSHAN AND JOYCE E. KIM BY NEIL H. SHAH

CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard affiliates, students, and scholars gathered this weekend for the sixth annual Black Health Matters conference around the theme of “Decolonizing Black Health.” The two-day event, hosted by the Harvard Undergraduate Black Health Advocates, featured conversations with scholars — including the first Black deaf academic hosted by a student organization at Harvard, according to organizers — as well as keynote speeches, panels, and opportunities to purchase goods from local Black-owned businesses. The conference was hosted in Northwest Labs and held in person for the first time in two years after the group’s conferences were shifted online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Kristen A. Harriott ’24, co-president of HUBHA, said this year’s theme aimed to “challenge and transform” approaches to health care that may have been shaped by “colonialism, racism, and other forms of oppression.” “At its core, decolonizing health involves shifting focus from Western medicine and holistic approaches to health to a maybe more holistic and community-centered approach, which recognizes the interconnectedness of all aspects of health — which may include social, cultural, environmental, maybe even spiritual factors,” she said. HUBHA Co-President Kareem I. King ’23 described the difficulties that came with transitioning from a virtual to an in-person conference, which included obtaining funding and maintaining engagement throughout the day. This year’s conference also featured a conversation with

The Black Health Matters conference brought speakers from across the country to Harvard last weekend for discussions of how past and present sociopolitical factors have impacted the health of Black communities. CLAIRE YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Franklin Jones Jr., a Ph.D. candidate at Liberty University and lecturer at Boston University, who discussed his experiences navigating the healthcare system as a Black deaf person and the history of Black American Sign Language. Imani Fonfield ’25, a hard-ofhearing student who serves as co-director of advocacy and community engagement for HUBHA, characterized the process of organizing the panel as “foreign” and “overwhelming.” Ultimately, however, Fonfield wrote that finding a Black-identifying ASL interpreter for the event was gratifying, describing the interpreters as her “golden contacts.” Fonfield reflected in a statement that she “learned an incredible amount” about navigating interpreter services and encountered interpreters who were willing to “lift our mission up” despite accessibility challenges. During the conference, a Sunday panel titled “Understanding and Resolving Black Americans’ Mistrust in Our Health Care System” explored discrepancies and discrimination in healthcare for Black Americans.

The speakers — Co-Project Director Eileen Milien, Director of Youth Programs Laetitia Pierre-Louis, and Director of Education and Curriculum Efosa Enoma — are on the Board of Directors at We Got Us, a Boston-based collective that aims to educate and empower marginalized groups about Covid-19, the vaccine, and medical racism. During the panel, Enoma said that there are deeper reasons for vaccine hesitancy in Black communities. “A lot of times you just want to say, ‘Oh, Black people don’t trust the medical community. That’s their fault, hands off,’” Enoma said. But Enoma discussed a history of racism in the medical field as a larger reason for distrust, citing experiments by J. Marion Sims on enslaved women that formed the basis for oncology. “The founder of gynecology isn’t a white man, it’s Black women. We founded gynecology with our bodies, unfortunately, without our consent,” she said. “But we see how today, we still face the biggest health disease when it comes to our gynecological health, we still have the highest

rates of fibroids and other backlog issues.” Oge C. Ogbogu ’24, the internal outreach director of the conference, said that there has been a “really great” and “positive” response from speakers and attendees, especially given the interactive nature of the panels. “One of the amazing things about this conference was that every panel that you went to, every keynote, every person, was so actively engaged, asking questions, and just like, wanting to learn,” she said. She described the conference as more of an “open process of discussion,” rather than a “topdown of speaker to audience.” King said the reason for putting on the annual conferences is to bring to light issues facing Black communities. “We think about how our people are differentially treated in the healthcare system and ways that we can work to essentially transform that for the future and keep raising awareness about it so that it does change at the higher levels,” he added. tristan.darshan@thecrimson.com joyce.kim@thecrimson.com

A courthouse in Merced, California, will now bear the name of Harvard Law School emeritus professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. following a ceremony hosted by the Superior Court of California, County of Merced, Feb. 17. The renaming ceremony recognized Ogletree, a Merced native, for his contributions to civil rights and legal education. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 2268 on Sept. 18, 2022, which officially renamed the courthouse. In collaboration with the NAACP, former California assemblymember Adam C. Gray introduced the bill one year ago. After graduating from HLS in 1978, Ogletree embarked on his career as a public defender in Washington, eventually becoming deputy director of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service. He later established a private practice, during which he represented law professor Anita Hill when she accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. He returned to the Law School as a professor in 1985, where he founded both the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and the Criminal Justice Institute. Ogletree, who taught and mentored former President Barack Obama, was previously honored by the Law School in October 2017 with a professorship endowed in his name. Members of Ogletree’s family, prominent Merced legal and political figures, and local academics — including University of California Merced Chancellor Juan

Sánchez Muñoz — attended the naming ceremony. “He can receive all kinds of national and international recognition, but for him to be recognized by our hometown, it’s special. It’s just special,” the professor’s brother Richard Ogletree said at the event, according to the Fresno Bee. The event also featured a recorded video message from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). “Throughout his life and throughout his legal journey, Professor Ogletree has been an incredible force of nature, a dynamic public servant who has advanced the law for social justice, civil rights, civil liberties and tolerance in our society like none other,” Jeffries said.

Professor Ogletree has been and incredible force of nature, a dynamic public servant. Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House Minority Leader

Ogletree, who retired in 2020 after a 2016 Alzheimer’s diagnosis, was not in attendance at the event. His former client, Hill, sent a message to the Ogletree family after the courthouse’s christening, according to the Merced County Times. “As this naming ceremony takes place during Black History Month, we are reminded that, for generations to come, the courthouse should and must always be a place where fairness and equal justice prevail,” Hill said. neil.shah@thecrimson.com

COVER STORY

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

GAASA Calls for Winthrop Denaming BY MADELEINE A. HUNG AND JOYCE E. KIM CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Lucien V. Alexis Jr. ’42 — top, second-most right — poses with the men’s lacrosse team. COURTESY OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES, UAV 170.270, OLVWORK289031

Black Lax Player Honored PORTRAITURE Lucien V. Alexis Jr. ’42 was the first Black player on the Harvard lacrosse team. BY JASMINE PALMA AND TESS C. WAYLAND CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

ucien V. Alexis Jr. ’42, the first Black player on the Harvard Lacrosse team, will be honored in a commissioned painting as a part of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations Portraiture Project, the Foundation announced at an event on Feb. 13. The portrait — which will debut spring 2024 in a to-be-announced location — will be painted by Steven E. Coit ’71. As an artist for the portraiture project,

Coit has produced more than 20 portraits to redecorate campus to reflect the diverse figures that shaped the University’s past. As a member of Adams House, Alexis was the first Black undergraduate to be given housing at the college. He was also the only Black member of the Class of 1942. “This project aims to uplift the stories of the trailblazing individuals who have been a part of our rich university history,” Abraham wrote in a statement for the Harvard Foundation. “Our hope is that students, faculty, staff, and administrators see themselves in these portraits and are inspired by those that came before us.” Speakers at the announcement event included Coit, newly-appointed campus curator Brenda D. Tindal, Harvard Foun-

Harvard Ed Press Hosts BHM Panel BY AZUSA M. LIPPIT CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Education experts and authors discussed the experiences of students of color in public schools and possibilities for education reform in a Harvard Education Press webinar Thursday. The event was held in commemoration of Black History Month and featured four panelists who specialize in topics regarding the inclusion of Black and Latinx students in American public schools. Thursday’s panel was moderated by Jessica T. Fiorillo, the executive director of Harvard Education Press. Panelist Lawrence “Torry” Winn — an associate professor of education at the University of California Davis School of Education — said the experience of students of color in public schools today is not noticeably different from those of the past. “Students of color, especially African American or Black students, are not treated today any better than yesterday,” Winn said. Racial discrimination in schools affects all students of color, even individuals often overlooked as “high-achieving,” according to Terah T. Venzant Chambers, a professor at the Michigan State University College of Education. “I want to disrupt the notion that when it comes to these Black and Latinx students who are doing well in school, taking AP classes, earning top grades, that everything is fine. That is not necessarily true,” Venzant Chambers said. “When we peel back the layer, we understand that these students are operating within a very complex system that gives rigid messages about what is right with respect to how they should behave, or speak, or dress if they want to be seen as smart,” Venzant Chambers added. Jeffrey M.R. Duncan-Andrade, an ethnic studies professor at San Francisco State University,

said radical education reform is needed in order to achieve educational equity. “If we are honest about the data, we know that what needs to happen is not a soft pivot,” Duncan-Andrade said. “It’s a foundational, fundamental rethink about the very purpose of public schools in this society.” Sufficient acknowledgement of the need for reform is missing from the broader public conversation around education, replaced by a “false innocence” and disbelief at injustice in the classroom, according to Duncan-Andrade. “That’s just the stuff that made it into the headlines,” Duncan-Andrade said. “Until we get to the place where white folks and people in power are as angry and disillusioned as Black and Indigenous and poor people have been from the outset of this public school project in this nation, then we’ll continue to have to lift up things that folks of color know are happening to us every single day.” Panelist Nicole M. Joseph, an associate professor of math education at Vanderbilt University, said she wanted to recognize the perseverance of public school teachers who make efforts to uplift students of color. “I do want to elevate teachers that are resisting, that are creating curricular experiences that are helping Black and Latinx students to understand that they’re strong, that they can learn, that they are highly intellectual and intelligent,” Joseph said. “Those teachers need to be celebrated, elevated, paid more.” Duncan-Andrade said he looks to the future of education with optimism. “This nation has a real allergy to truth-telling,” he said. “What I really appreciate about young people is the ways in which they show a courage that I often find absent in grown folks, which is a willingness to just tell the damn truth.” azusa.lippit@thecrimson.com

dation Senior Director Sadé Abraham, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging Alta Mauro, and Fred Asare-Konadu ’24, Isaiah Dawson ’23, and Jaden B. Jernigan ’24 — three Black players on the Harvard men’s lacrosse team. “Today’s program signals the important efforts underway to support our shared understanding of our complex institutional narratives and deepen our appreciation of the diverse peoples and events that shape our past, impact our present, and inform our future,” Tindal said at the event. In 1941, the Harvard team was not allowed onto the U.S. Naval Academy lacrosse field because Alexis was a member of the team. Though the coach and manager refused to withdraw Alexis from the game, sitting Harvard athlet-

ic director William J. Bingham, Class of 1916, overruled them and sent Alexis back to Cambridge. Following a 0-12 loss for Harvard, students organized a protest and circulated petitions to administrators, elected officials, and even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904. The Harvard Athletic Association announced shortly after organizing efforts that the school would no longer withdraw players because of their race. “The story of Lucien earmarks a pivotal inflection point in the history of lacrosse, and of Harvard, and equally reminds us of just how far we’ve come, and how much further we have to go,” Dawson said during the event. jasmine.palma@thecrimson.com tess.wayland@thecrimson.com

WU FROM PAGE 1

Wu Names Members of City Reparations Task Force 2021 approval for compensations to Black residents of Evanston, Illinois, harmed by the city’s discriminatory housing policies. Two years ago, Cambridge began looking into reparations through a proposed pilot program that would directly provide money to residents. Despite longstanding efforts from advocates, Congress has yet to pass H.R. 40, a 30-year-old bill to establish a federal commission which would “study the legacy of slavery in the United States and its ongoing harm and develop proposals for redress and repair, including reparations.” Bilmes said she believes any reparations for the harms of slavery and its effects would be incomplete without federal action.

“The scale of the problem far exceeds the ability of local governments, in my view, to address the fundamental wealth equality gap,” Bilmes said. “I don’t think that there will be a fundamental improvement in people’s lives without a federal reparations program.” In the press release, Wu said she sees the task as part of a broader movement to promote racial justice. “Our administration remains committed to tackling long standing racial inequities and this task force is the next step in our commitment as a city to advance racial justice and build a Boston for everyone,” Wu said. dylan.phan@thecrimson.com jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com

Almost a year after Harvard released a landmark report detailing the University’s ties to slavery, student activists are calling for the denaming of Winthrop House. More than 200 Harvard affiliates have signed a petition demanding the denaming of Winthrop to kickstart an official denaming request. Organized by a group of more than 30 students — including members of the Generational African American Students Association and Natives at Harvard College — the petition states the two John Winthrops for whom the house was named were “instrumental in creating, maintaining, and defending” slavery. The earlier John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a Harvard overseer, enslaved at least seven people and ordered 17 prisoners in the Pequot War to be sold as slaves. His descendant, also named John Winthrop, owned two enslaved individuals and served as acting president at Harvard for a year. “John Winthrop House carries as its namesake and crest the burden of a century of African slavery and Indigenous massacre,” the petition reads. Clyve Lawrence ’25, one of the leaders of the project and a Crimson editorial editor, worked with a team of five students to research both John Winthrops following the release of Harvard’s long-awaited report on its ties to slavery. Lawrence said the team examined primary sources including the first Winthrop’s diary, as well as secondary sources, to learn about the figures’ actions. The team’s research found that Governor John Winthrop helped legalize slavery in Massachusetts, while his descendant allowed students to prepare defenses of slavery at Harvard’s 1773 Commencement ceremony. “We can easily argue that Winthrop should be denamed because those values do not match the mission of the University today,” Lawrence said. Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane declined to comment on student demands to dename Winthrop. Kiersten B. Hash ’25, the political action chair of GAASA, said group members reached out to Lawrence and the team researching the John Winthrops to make denaming the house into a GAASA project. “There were conversations with me and the other board members who had just been elected, as well as the general generational African American community, about how we want Harvard to address their legacy of slavery because there was so much damning information that came out,” Hash said. Hash said the team is in the “home stretch” of finishing the denaming request, which will be submitted through the Faculty

of Arts and Sciences Process for Denaming Spaces, Programs, or other Entities. The FAS deadline for requests this academic year is March 1, 2023. If the denaming request is rejected, then a petition to dename Winthrop cannot be submitted for the next five years except in “extraordinary circumstances,” per the FAS policy. In a Tuesday email to Winthrop residents, faculty deans Stephen N. Chong and Kiran Gajwani acknowledged the petition and wrote they are “in the process of arranging a series of discussions” regarding the “critically important” topic. “This is a difficult but important conversation for us to have in Winthrop, and part of a larger conversation that is taking place throughout the University and beyond,” the deans wrote. “We recognize that these are painful and challenging issues, and we are grateful for your patience and participation as we engage in these conversations as a community.” NAHC member Ashley E. Dawn ’26, who worked on writing and distributing the petition and planning an upcoming demonstration, said she became involved because of the importance of “reconciling with Massachusetts’ colonial past.” “I really think that Massachusetts has a long way to go in recognizing and correcting the colonial history that we have — that is deeply intertwined with our strong sense of American patriotism,” Dawn said. Dawn said she believes “denaming is a very good place to start” in acknowledging Harvard’s ties to slavery and treatment of indigenous peoples. Lawrence said he was “shocked” when he first read Harvard’s report on its history of slavery. “Learning about these men owning slaves, enslaving people, and how Harvard kind of brushed over that in a lot of places just really surprised me,” he said. Harvard’s landmark report on the school’s ties to slavery also found that Mather House, Leverett House, the Dudley Community, Wigglesworth Hall, and Stoughton Hall were named for affiliates who owned slaves or whose relatives owned slaves. In 2020, more than 300 Harvard affiliates signed a petition to rename Mather, but the house’s then-faculty deans said there were no plans to do so. While Lawrence said the primary goal of the project is to dename Winthrop, he emphasized that denaming is “not just removing or renaming.” “It is a specific process of contextualization and acknowledgment,” he said. “I also hope that it starts a conversation within the student body and within the broader community about what it means to name spaces after people — what it means to reckon with Harvard’s legacy of slavery.” madeleine.hung@thecrimson.com joyce.kim@thecrimson.com

CLUBS FROM PAGE 1

‘A Celebration of Black Harvard’: Students Partake in Black History Month Events of Black Americans. “With events like the Black Legacy Ball — but also some of the other events that we’ve had this month — it was an opportunity for us to really get a chance to highlight what work has been done historically and also think about ways for us to move forward as a community,” Sylvaince said. The Harvard Black Men’s Forum sent out a daily trivia question featuring Black history figures. Secretary Christopher D. Wright ’25 said the group partnered with Black organizations and the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations to put on Hella Black Trivia. “We really want to expose people to these untold figures and

untold narratives and get people to research more about Black history,” Wright said. “Oftentimes, Black history is not told alongside American history or world history.” The Generational African American Students Association organized a discussion called “Uncovering our Black Histories” with the Harvard African Students Association, a Black poetry workshop with the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and a Mardi Gras Mixer with Daylan Davis, Miss Black Massachusetts 2023. Jaivyance G. “Jai” Gillard ’25 described the mixer as a “heartwarming” time to “be in community and fellowship with one another.” “Celebrating Black History

Month to us means recognition,” GAASA President Jordan K. Young ’25 said.

A lot of our celebration has been just that: a recognition of our past, but also celebrating how far we’ve come through joy. Aimee R. Howard ’25, GAASA Events Chair

“At the end of day, what we’re trying to do is create a space where we can celebrate Blackness.”

GAASA Events Chair Aimee R. Howard ’25 said Black History Month grew out of a “call for visibility” among generational African Americans. “A lot of our celebration has been just that: a recognition of our past, but also celebrating how far we’ve come through joy,” she added. Gillard said that, despite the designation of February as Black History Month, the celebrations will continue. “As generational African American students, we live this story — we live Black History Month — every day,” she said. madeleine.hung@thecrimson.com ella.jones@thecrimson.com joyce.kim@thecrimson.com john.pena@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

NEWS

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

HUA ELECTION

Cooke and Hirabayashi to Lead HUA CO-PRESIDENTS. The pair ran on a platform of expanding mental health resources, improving Harvard’s shuttle system, and eliminating pests from student dorms. BY NATALIE K BANDURA AND JONAH C. KARAFIOL CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

ohn S. Cooke ’25 and Shikoh Misu Hirabayashi ’24 will serve as the second co-presidents of the Harvard Undergraduate Association, the body’s election commission announced Tuesday. Cooke and Hirabayashi currently serve as the HUA’s social life officer and academic officer, respectively. Like current HUA Co-Presidents LyLena D. Estabine ’24 and Travis Allen Johnson ’24, Cooke and Hirabayashi previously served as representatives on the Undergraduate Council, the HUA’s recently-dissolved predecessor. The pair will now lead its successor student government. The pair’s first priority is to expand mental health resources for students, Hirabayashi said in an interview following the election results.

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“John is an FGLI student, I’m an international, and we really understand the challenges people face, especially when they’re at this entirely new environment,” Hirabayashi said. “We want to set up a lot of support networks that could include mentorship programs, summer programs, as well.” The pair ran on a promise to “Make Harvard Home,” putting forth plans to improve Harvard’s shuttle system, eradicate pests from student dormitories, and decrease Counseling and Mental Health Service wait times to a maximum of 10 days. Their campaign also promised to bring back weekly funding of clubs, allow for religious and athletic accommodations for exams and classes, and host weekly parties. “A lot of the things people were supporting from other campaigns, we also agree with,” Cooke said in an interview. “We’re all for just making Harvard home, and we want to have as many people at the table to help us make those decisions.” Students cast a total of 1,954 ballots in the election, marking a slight increase from the 1,849 cast in the HUA’s inaugural officer election last spring. The election was conducted via a College-wide ranked-choice vote, which sees votes tallied in several rounds. In the first round, first-choice votes are summed for each ticket. In each subsequent round, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes are reallocated to the next-ranked candidates still remaining. Cooke and Hirabayashi trailed the ticket of Laila A. Nasher ’25 and Ethan C. Kelly ’25 by 102 votes after the first round of voting before pulling ahead in the third round, eventually earning 1,048 votes to Nasher and Kelly’s 889.

Shikoh Misu Hirabayashi ‘24, left, and John S. Cooke ‘25, right, pictured on the steps of Harvard’s Widener Library. ADDISON Y. LIU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

“We’re really here to represent everyone on this campus to make this college more accessible, more fun, and more inclusive as well,” Hirabayashi said, adding that the pair would soon send out links for students to set up conversations with them. Knowing that the results would be released at 5 p.m., Hirabayashi recounted jumping on a Bluebike and pedaling as fast as he could in the rain to get to Cooke’s dorm in DeWolfe after his class in the Harvard Biological Laboratories. The pair recorded their live reaction to the results.

Cooke said he felt “overcome with happiness” upon hearing the results. “We’re just pretty much a two-person campaign team and to see us win such a hotly contested election, it was just such a happy feeling,” he said. Voting in the election ran from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19, after two 24hour delays to the election timeline. The co-presidential tickets debated on Feb. 12. Peter E. Chon ’26 will serve as the HUA’s academic officer in the only contested non-presidential officer election. While Josh A. Kaplan ’26 and Corbin C. Lubianski ’24 both ran for treasurer, an

amendment passed during the election added a second treasurer position, granting both candidates the role. In addition to the co-president and officer elections, students voted on amendments to the HUA constitution, which require the approval of two-thirds of voters to pass. Roughly 75 percent of students voted to re-organize the Well-Being Team into two separate teams — the Well-Being Team and the Inclusion Team. The Well-Being Team is responsible for “helping students navigate resources on Harvard’s

campus regarding emotional, mental, and physical health.” The Inclusion Team focuses on identity-related resources, working with the Office for Gender Equity; the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; the Harvard Foundation; and the Accessible Education Office. One of the other amendments proposed the HUA co-president title be renamed to “co-coordinator.” Only 53 percent of students voted in favor of this change, and it did not pass. natalie.bandura@thecrimson.com jonah.karafiol@thecrimson.com

Khurana Affirms Importance of Transparency for Applicants

Affected Students Criticize College Response to Earthquakes

BY J. SELLERS HILL

BY NIA L. ORAKWUE

AND NIA L. ORAKWUE

AND JOHN N. PEÑA

CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Following recent decisions by two Harvard schools to pull out of the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana emphasized the importance of providing adequate information about the College to prospective applicants. “I think that that’s a combination of both, kind of quantitative and qualitative data, and it’s not something that can be reduced to a single number,” Khurana said. Harvard Law School last November and Harvard Medical School in January announced that they would stop participating in the U.S. News rankings, citing perverse incentives and fairness and equity concerns. Universities like Harvard — ranked No. 3 — currently participate in the rankings by sharing key admissions and demographics data with the U.S. News magazine, information Khurana said is valuable to provide to applicants. “One of the things that’s the most important to me is that students and prospective students make the best decision for what college is right for them,” Khurana said. Khurana added there are thousands of institutions of higher education in the United States and many are “really high-quality.” “I hope people will focus on a decision about what’s right for them, more than something overly reductive like either a ranking or even a brand name,” Khurana added. Khurana also discussed the following topics:

When Nehir Toklu ’25 first heard about the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, she was unaware of their magnitude or the extent of the damage they had caused. Toklu heard the news from her sister, who called her from her home city of Diyarbakir, located nearly 200 miles from the epicenter of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake. Toklu said she knows people who have died in other cities but added it was fortunate her immediate family was not hurt. “Everyone in Turkey immediately knew that it was going to be terrible,” she said. “It just feels so real and unreal at the same time.” Ratip “Emin” Berker ’22-’23, who had been in Turkey for two months prior to the earthquake, landed in the U.S. just 30 minutes before the earthquake hit on Feb. 6. “Although we knew the magnitude of the earthquake, it was really hard to estimate the magnitude of the damage done,” he said. “When I slept and woke up the next day, that’s when I realized how bad it was.” Berker said his family lives far from the epicenter and did not know about the earthquake until he called to check on them. Since then, Berker’s family has joined the ongoing relief efforts in Turkey, helping relocate the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced by the earthquake’s damage. Toklu, a member of the Harvard Turkish Students Association, said it has been difficult for her and other Turkish students to be so far from home and “completely aware” that life has stopped in Turkey. “It’s strange to be far away from everything that’s going on there, and having to continue with our normal daily lives when we have not really gotten the chance to grieve,” she said. “I think we all feel a certain

Mental Health Khurana laid out priorities for improving student mental health while underscoring the resources available to those experiencing acute mental health challenges, pointing to improvements to the College’s advising system.

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana discussed transparency in admissions in a Tuesday interview. MARINA QU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

“To me, it’s thinking about ‘What are my responsibilities as a college to create an environment that is generative, affirmative, and supportive?’” Khurana said. Khurana said while he believes the College’s residential system is an asset, he added that “there’s more that we want to do to promote and strengthen healthy practices that lead to well-being.” Khurana also addressed criticism of Harvard’s mental health care services, specifically long wait times for appointments at Harvard’s Counseling and Mental Health Service. “One of the most important things we can do is to let students know who are in crisis that there is immediate help available,” Khurana said. Pests in Undergraduate Houses In recent months, Quincy House residents have reported an uptick in pests and rodents in their suites, a challenge Khurana said is linked to maintaining Harvard’s “classical” and “old” architecture. “The presence of rodents is upsetting, and, you know, it’s not a feature of the system, it’s a bug. No pun intended,” he said. To combat unwelcome insects and rodents, Khurana encouraged students to contact their house building managers following sightings and to refrain from leaving out food waste.

“Keeping our rooms clean, especially making sure that we’re not leaving unfinished food around or in trays outside our doors — these are all areas that, you know, we have direct control over,” Khurana said. “It’s not only the right thing to do to prevent infestation, but it’s also respectful to our custodial staff and our dining staff,” Khurana added. Plans to Stay Amid turnover of some of the University’s top posts — including the presidency and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences — Khurana strongly signaled that he plans to remain dean of the College for the foreseeable future. “I love being the dean of the College. I pinch myself every single day that I get to do this job and be around you,” said Khurana, who was appointed College dean in 2014. “I’m very happy in the job that I’m doing and continue to do the best that I can.” In December, the University announced FAS Dean Claudine Gay would succeed outgoing president Lawrence S. Bacow, leaving a vacancy in her wake. The following month, the College announced that Princeton administrator Thomas Dunne would succeed Katherine G. O’Dair as Dean of Students. sellers.hill@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

amount of guilt for being here, but I’m also happy that I’m here because I feel like with everything that we’ve done here with collecting funds and stuff, I think we all have done more than we could have if we were there,” she added. The Office of the Muslim Chaplain and Memorial Church sponsored a vigil for victims of the earthquakes on Feb. 16, and the Harvard Turkish Student Association and Harvard Society of Arab Students have collected more than $30,000 in donations through fundraising campaigns for relief efforts in Turkey and Syria. Berker, a former TSA president, said he “wouldn’t have imagined” the scale of donations the fundraising campaigns have received, attributing their success to the organizing efforts of Turkish, Kurdish, and Syrian students on campus. “A lot of them worked really, really hard for days and hours to raise funds and send it to Turkey as fast as we could to help the earthquake survivors,” he said. Berker described the individual response from non-Turkish and non-Syrian students as “overwhelmingly heartwarming,” calling it something he will “never forget.” Despite the outpouring of support within and outside the Turkish and Syrian communities on campus, Toklu said she found the University’s response to be “quite late” and “slightly underwhelm-

ing.” Following a lack of a university-wide response, more than 840 Harvard affiliates signed an open letter addressed to President Lawrence S. Bacow urging Harvard to raise awareness about the disaster, encouraging the University to send emails linking to support organizations and publicizing them on the school’s official social media platforms. Berker, who called the University’s response “asymmetric” and “skewed,” said an email to Harvard affiliates acknowledging the earthquake would have been “much more appropriate” and could have fueled donation efforts and awareness. “I do think that sometimes the magnitude of the response it gives to different catastrophes around the world is not perfectly in sync with the magnitude of the catastrophe itself,” Berker said in the interview. University spokesperson Jason A. Newton declined to comment on student criticisms. Toklu acknowledged that the effects of the earthquakes will “be a problem for months,” but said she is happy about the support the Turkish community has received. “The losses are irreversible and it’s scary, but hopefully the things we do at least be of sufficient help for someone somewhere,” Toklu said. nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com john.pena@thecrimson.com

Harvard affiliates gathered on the steps of Memorial Church to mourn lives lost in Turkey and Syria. SOPHIA C. SCOTT—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

NEWS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

VETERANS

How Veterans Navigate Admissions VET ADMISSIONS. Harvard has increased efforts to recruit applicants serving in the military, more than doubling the number of veteran admits since 2019. These four navigated the admissions process.

said he felt he put his strongest foot forward during the application process. “It’s not that I felt really confident. It’s just like, I felt like I presented myself in the best light,” he said. Decision Day

BY MICHELLE N. AMPONSAH AND EMMA H. HAIDAR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

hen Aaron J. Rosales ’26 was applying to college after serving in the military for over eight years, he didn’t think Harvard was even an option. After spending a year in community college, he logged into a virtual college fair for a friend who couldn’t attend. In the Zoom breakout room, Rosales met College admissions officer Roger Banks, who encouraged Rosales to apply to Harvard even though Rosales didn’t think he was eligible. “He was so nice — one of the nicest people I’ve met when it comes to recruitment and admissions,” Rosales said. “He’s like, ‘Why don’t you send me your stuff, and I’ll take a look at it, or one of my colleagues, and I will get back to you, tell you whether you’d be wasting your time?’” Two weeks later, Rosales received the green light to apply to the College. Today, Rosales is one of fourteen veterans in the class of 2026. In the 2021-2022 school year, 59 former service members attended the College — less than 1 percent of enrolled students that year. Despite the low numbers, in recent years, the College has increased its efforts to recruit applicants currently serving in the military, more than doubling the number of veteran admits since 2019.

Conor R. Meyer ’26, a veteran who attends Harvard College, stands in the Science and Engineering Complex. ADDISON Y. LIU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Quinn H.J. Ewanchyna ’25, a veteran who attends Harvard College, stands in Widener Library.

‘I Presented Myself in the Best Light’ As part of its push to admit more veterans, in 2017 the College joined Service to School’s VetLink program, an initiative that guides veterans through the process of applying to the nation’s most selective universities. Several veterans at the College said that they utilized these nonprofit organizations, including Service to School and the Warrior Scholar Project, during the application process. Service to School provides free college counseling to U.S. military veterans by pairing prospective applicants with mentors, including veterans pursuing higher education and recent graduates. These mentors guide the applicants step-by-step through the application process. Like Service to School, the

JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Warrior Scholar Project offers college bootcamps on campuses across the country — week-long academic intensives in humanities, STEM, and business that aim to simulate the rigor of the undergraduate experience. Harvard is one of those campuses. “It’s supposed to be like what a week at this school would feel like — except it’s actually a lot more work,” Conor R. Meyer ’26 said. “It goes from 8 a.m. in the morning to 8 p.m. at night. It’s supposed to up your confidence that you can make it as a student at a prestigious school when you’re still a veteran.” While the Common Application asks applicants to describe their unique life stories in under 650 words, Service to School allows veterans to elaborate on their military experience

and contextualize it for the admissions committee through a VetLink addendum. “It serves as a translation for all those scary military words and puts it in a perspective that many people can understand,” Quinn H.J. Ewanchyna ’25 said. “I would say that I would not be here at Harvard if it weren’t for Service To School,” Ewanchyna added. “I was so inspired by what they did for me, I’m now a Service to School ambassador, working with other transfer applicants.” Service to School then sends the addendum — which includes a veteran’s awards, experience, military education, and additional essay — to the admissions committee. Matthew S. Malkin ’26 said he was paired with a mentor who was familiar with higher educa-

HMC Boosts Investments in Grab BY KRISHI KISHORE AND ROHAN RAJEEV CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

The Harvard Management Company boosted its investments in Grab — a Singaporean all-in-one app offering food delivery, transportation, and digital payment services — and modified its biotechnology portfolio during the last quarter of 2022, according to a Feb. 10 financial disclosure. HMC — which stewards Harvard’s $50.9 billion endowment — increased its holdings in Grab by 40 percent, to a total of 13 million shares at the end of December. HMC first purchased 2 million Grab shares in December 2021 at a price of $7.13 per share. At the end of 2022, HMC’s Grab shares were valued at $3.22 apiece, representing a decline of more than 50 percent. Harvard’s investment arm discloses its direct public holdings each quarter, as is required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for managers with more than $100 million of investments. HMC’s direct public portfolio totaled $806 million during the fourth quarter of 2022, representing just 1.6 percent of the total

value of Harvard’s endowment. John M. Longo, a professor at Rutgers Business School and chief investment officer at Beacon Trust, wrote in an email that the increased shares in Grab represent a long-term growth opportunity.

Grab is akin to the Uber of Southeast Asia, outside of China. It operates in a big market, but the company is currently not profitable. John M. Longo Professor, Rutgers Business School

“Grab is akin to the Uber of Southeast Asia, outside of China. It operates in a big market, but the company is currently not profitable. It has $6.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet so it should be able to fund the near-term losses until the company becomes profitable,” Longo wrote. Longo also noted that Grab is based in an emerging market, which he wrote could have contributed to HMC’s decision to buy more stocks in the company.

“Emerging market (EM) stocks were among the biggest losers in 2022 and are trading at depressed valuations so HMC’s addition of Grab may be also a play on a rebound in EM,” he said. Consistent with previous quarters, technology companies occupied a large fraction of HMC’s public portfolio. HMC continued to directly own more stock in Alphabet, the parent company of Google, than any other publicly traded company, with its holdings in the tech giant totaling $213 million at the end of 2022. Additionally, HMC’s holdings in Meta, formerly known as Facebook, were valued at $137 million. The value of HMC’s investments in Scientific Games Corporation, a gambling company, ballooned by 37 percent, representing the company’s second-largest position — a title held by Meta for the previous two quarters. In its largest liquidation of the quarter, HMC sold off 1.4 million shares of EQRx, an oncology and immunology biotechnology company based in Cambridge. The stock experienced a steady decline in share price over the past three months amid the

tion — a facet that Malkin said helped guide him through the application process. “Everybody in my family went to the same college — University of Arizona. They expected me to do the same. And I decided to try something out,” Malkin said. “So he helped me understand higher-level education in a different light, in the sense that you need to really set yourself apart from both your peers and all other applicants.” For Malkin, drafting the addendum was, at times, frustrating. “That process was very difficult for me, solely because of my mentor, because every time I sent it — ‘Hey, do you have any suggestions?’ — it always came back red,” Malkin said. In the end, however, Malkin

On March 31, 2022, Rosales logged into his Harvard admissions portal to find confetti and “Congratulations!” flashing across his screen. “Then the real thrill though, once the balloons and the happiness, the emotions finally settled down, was ‘Where do you want to land? Which school’s going to be the best for you?’” Rosales said. When deciding where he should matriculate, Rosales reached out to a number of current undergraduate veterans to learn more about campus culture. In April 2022, he attended Visitas, a weekend when the College hosts admitted students on campus. Meyer recalled his own Visitas, where he said he coincidentally came face-to-face with the admissions officer who read his application. “This guy came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, are you Conor?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, who are you?’” Meyer said. “And he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m Angel, I’m your admissions officer. I was your first read.’” “So he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been endorsing you forever. So you’re kind of like a celebrity to me,’” Meyer added. Still, after receiving their acceptances, veterans face the hurdle of adjusting to social life on campus. Malkin, whose last operations were in the intelligence community, described the transition as “going from a world that has a lot of violence associated with it” to a “very inspirational and hopeful academic setting.” “I’m very happy to be here, but it’s definitely a challenge,” he said. Ewanchyna, who applied to the College as a transfer student, said he and other veterans on campus have formed a “very tight-knit” and “very supportive” group. “We will go out of our way to ensure success with each other,” Ewanchyna said. “Harvard’s a very competitive environment and community; however, I don’t feel that that competitiveness necessarily resides within the veteran community.” “Military veterans are often regarded as the heroes in society,” he added. “But to me, the heroes in the world walk beside me at Harvard, and they’re other Harvard students.” michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com emma.haidar@thecrimson.com

HARVARD ENDOWMENT DIRECT PUBLIC INVESTMENTS OCTOBER–DECEMBER 2022

Students Hold Vigil for Mass Shooting Victims BY J. SELLERS HILL AND JOHN N. PEÑA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

More than 20 Harvard students gathered on the steps of Memorial Church Thursday evening to mourn lives lost to gun violence this year, including three college students recently killed in a Feb. 13 shooting at Michigan State University. Seven student speakers braved the falling snow to share anecdotes, words of hope, and an original song at the event hosted by Amnesty at Harvard. Event co-organizer Kawsar Yasin ’26 said she is troubled by the frequency of gun violence she has seen growing up, particularly against people of color. “I didn’t realize how desensitized I’d become to this until it started to happen at least twice, three times, four times every year from middle school all the way up until high school,” she said. Referencing previous mass school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and El Paso, Texas, Kashish Bastola ’26 said young people have been “galvanized” by the “countless shootings that we have continuously endured every year.” “I think that having vigils like these and spaces for us to come together, hear each other, and understand the ways that this epidemic and this public health crisis is impacting all of us is really important because this is not normal,” he said. Tarina K. Ahuja ’24, who also helped organize the vigil, said the recent string of mass shootings across the country motivated her to create a dedicated campus space for students to mourn. “So many of our communities have been affected in so many different ways,” Ahuja said, referring to the shootings. “To see it happen in Monterey, Half Moon, Michigan State, there hasn’t been a space for collective healing on our campus in the way that there really should be.” The event was co-sponsored by an array of Harvard student organizations, from political organizations to campus affinity groups. Yasin said she was heartened by the broad coalition. “I think it was really powerful to have a bunch of campus affinity groups, ranging from the Asian American Association, to Harvard Sikhs, to GAASA, as well as the queer organizations here,” she said. “I think that this kind of solidarity is not typically seen in the context of gun violence here,” Yasin added. Ahuja also praised attendees for enduring below-freezing temperatures to turn out to the hourlong event. “As chilly as it is, we thought it was important to still hold the space,” Ahuja said. “We just have a lot of love for everyone that came and showed their support and solidarity.” sellers.hill@thecrimson.com john.pena@thecrimson.com

ROHAN RAJEEV—CRIMSON WRITER

company’s November announcement that it would shelve trials for one of its pharmaceuticals and push back a regulatory filing for another to 2027. HMC did not invest in exchange-traded funds — managed funds that offer exposure to many underlying securities — during the fourth quarter of 2022. Harvard has come under fire

in recent years for its ETF investments, which activist groups such as the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign allege constitute the University’s indirect exposure to the private prison industry. HMC sold off its ETF investments at the end of 2021. krishi.kishore@thecrimson.com rohan.rajeev@thecrimson.com

Elyse G. Martin-Smith ’25 holds an unlit candle at Thursday’s vigil in the falling snow. J. SELLERS HILL—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

NEWS

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION

Bacow Defers to Gay in Dean Searches DEAN SEARCH. President-elect Gay is tasked with selecting successors for four outgoing deans. BY MILES J. HERSZENHORN AND CLAIRE YUAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

s Harvard President-elect Claudine Gay prepares to take

office, sitting University President Lawrence S. Bacow said he will have no power over the searches for successors to four outgoing Harvard deans. In an interview Tuesday, Bacow suggested that Gay is already wieldi n g au-

thority over the University’s most important hiring decisions. While Gay does not officially take office until July 1, she will be empowered to select the four new deans, including her own successor as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “They’re going to be her deans, and she needs to make those choices,” Bacow said. “It worked exactly the same way when I became president.”

University President Lawrence S. Bacow, pictured in November 2022. ADDISON Y. LIU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Bacow’s decision to relinquish control offers insight into the delicate transition period in which one University president seals a legacy while his successor prepares to chart a new — and potentially divergent — course. The four dean selections will likely provide a window into Gay’s initial priorities and test her abilities to make personnel decisions at the University’s highest levels. In addition to the four dean departures, Harvard University Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Thomas J. Hollister announced last November that he will retire at the end of the current academic year. The University has not yet announced Hollister’s successor. The searches for the next dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and for Gay’s successor as FAS dean launched earlier this month. University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 is helping Gay lead the FAS dean search. Bacow said that filling key positions in the University is one of the president’s most important jobs, but added that selecting a great dean is “not rocket science.” Any FAS dean must be “deeply respected by the faculty” and have the “capacity to re-

cruit the right people, to make judgments about who is worthy of promotion,” Bacow said. Bacow repeatedly declined to answer specific questions about the timeline of the FAS dean search and the academic background of candidates — including whether the school should favor a scholar from the sciences and whether it should privilege someone from within its own ranks. Bacow repeatedly directed queries about the FAS dean selection process to Gay, who has refused to meet for regularly scheduled interviews with The Crimson this semester — the first time in a decade that a sitting FAS dean has declined to regularly meet with reporters. As Gay transitions into Massachusetts Hall, she and Bacow speak regularly and have a weekly standing meeting, according to Bacow. But Bacow insisted that Gay has not assumed any official presidential duties. “The University can only have one president at a time,” he said. “She’s got enough to do right now without trying to be the president in some dimensions.” In Gay’s last months as FAS dean, she will continue leading a cluster hire of faculty in climate studies and working with Brenda D. Tindal, the newly-appointed FAS campus curator, on updating the school’s visual presence.

Gay will also hand off a large part of a three-year FAS strategic planning process set to recommend reforms for the school’s longterm success. In addition, Bacow said Gay is doing what “every new president does,” meeting with and building a network of administrators and faculty across the University. Among Gay’s most important presidential duties will be launching a University-wide capital campaign. Harvard’s most recent capital campaign, which concluded in 2018, was helmed by former University President Drew G. Faust and closed out at $9.6 billion. Though Bacow did not lead a capital campaign during his time in office, he said Gay will “pretty definitely” not begin the fundraising initiative during her first year as president. Still, Bacow said he is confident in her ability to fundraise for the University, pointing to Gay’s extensive experience as dean of the FAS. “I think Claudine did very, very, very well as a fundraiser,” he said. “You cannot be successful as a dean — probably any dean of a school, but especially one the size and complexity of FAS — without having the capacity to help raise resources to support the enterprise.” miles.herszenhorn@thecrimson.com claire.yuan@thecrimson.com

McDermott Silent on Allegations Against Harvard Hockey Coach BY PATON D. ROBERTS AND SOPHIA C. SCOTT CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Harvard Athletic Director Erin McDermott declined to comment on recent allegations of emotional abuse levied by women’s ice hockey athletes against head coach Katey Stone but affirmed the importance of the department’s ongoing diversity and inclusion initiatives in an interview Friday. The allegations against Stone were first reported in a Boston Globe investigation published last month. In the report, current and former players said longtime coach Stone downplayed injuries, dismissed players’ mental health issues, and made insensitive remarks. In particular, the report detailed an incident where Stone described the team as having “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” following a first-round loss to Princeton in the Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs last February. “Harvard took prompt action and thoroughly reviewed Coach Stone’s self-reported use of a once frequently-used colloquialism that is now deemed culturally insensitive during a team meeting,” Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote earlier this month in an emailed statement regarding Stone’s behavior. “While Harvard was unable to substantiate that any discriminatory conduct took place, it recog-

nized — as Coach Stone did — that the use of this language should not occur,” Dane added. Stone “immediately apologized” for her “insensitive language” following the game and apologized a second time in the days after, according to Dane. “Harvard took further steps to support and maintain an inclusive, supportive environment by working with Coach Stone focused on improving communication skills,” Dane wrote in the statement. On Friday, Harvard University Native American Program released a statement on Instagram in response to the Globe piece, “to recognize the bravery of Maryna Macdonald, the HUNAP student who went on record to recount firsthand the pain of these hurtful experiences.” According to several former players, former athletic director Robert L. Scalise said in 2019 that the women’s ice hockey team was ranked Harvard’s worst team overall for athlete experience in varsity sports. During Friday’s interview, McDermott pointed to an annual survey administered by Harvard Athletics at the end of their season regarding both athletic and campus experiences in order to get “a sense of how they feel their full lives are going at Harvard.” The survey responses are “closely reviewed” by the sports administrators who oversee each program, and feedback is “shared directly” with head coaches each year, according to McDermott.

McDermott said Harvard Athletics will be administering a redesigned survey next year that resembles Harvard’s Q Guide, a course evaluation tool used by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. McDermott said the initiative was designed so athletes can fill out “something that’s familiar” in a survey that can “capture similar types of information.” McDermott also discussed the following topics: Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives Harvard Athletics launched a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Task Force in 2020 to identify “areas of priority” and create “positive change and opportunities,” according to an announcement on the department’s website. Since its establishment two-and-a-half years ago, two major accomplishments of the task force have been its training programs for coaches and staff and the department’s formal “statement of commitment” to diversity and inclusion, according to McDermott. “We wanted to first start with staff, including coaches, so those working most closely with our students would be current on the language that we’re using, our understanding of things,” she said. “I think our students are in a different place, and so I wanted to make sure that our staff and people working with them were using the same language and had a similar understanding.”

McDermott said she hopes to begin including students in similar programs next year. She said the committee is not responsible for addressing the diversity of coaching staff. Still, she said when openings arise, the department is “mindful” of diversity in the hiring process. “For example — when we hired a women’s basketball coach last year — it’s not the reason we hired Carrie Moore, but it certainly was a positive that we were able to hire a really strong, talented women’s basketball coach who is also African American,” McDermott said. The department also aims to recruit athletes each year who are reflective of the diversity of the broader undergraduate student body. “We certainly are wanting to be contributing to the overall mission of the University and to the College and the initiative of having a diverse community,” McDermott said.

that might then recede once it became normal again, but we’ve actually seen that continue, which has been exciting.” According to McDermott, the department has been able to more closely monitor student engagement with athletic events through CrimZone — an app which rewards students for attending games. McDermott said the targeted student engagement efforts have paid off. “With our women’s basketball program this year, we’ve doubled our sales to their events,” McDermott said. “We’ve sold out of men’s basketball games

and men’s hockey games this season at a higher clip than we have in the recent past, and our football attendance was also up.” Alumni networks have also helped make Harvard Athletics a “robust operation,” McDermott said, referencing both fundraising and networking opportunities for athletes. “Every sport has a friends group,” McDermott said. “They’re really helpful to us in bringing in some funding that we need to help do the things that we’re trying to accomplish in the department.” paton.roberts@thecrimson.com sophia.scott@thecrimson.com

Student and Alumni Engagement McDermott pointed to student engagement, among both athletes and other students, as a key success of the past few years, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. “In a way, we kind of saw a bump because of a Covid effect of people just wanting to have the experience, be together. It was really part of the community,” she said. “I was a little concerned that

Athletic Director Erin McDermott pictured in an interview with The Crimson. CLAIRE YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Meghan O’Sullivan Appointed as Director of Belfer Center at HKS BY ASHER J. MONTGOMERY CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard Kennedy School professor Meghan L. O’Sullivan will serve as the next director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Kennedy School announced Tuesday. O’Sullivan will take over the role from former Pentagon Chief of Staff Eric B. Rosenbach starting July 1. Rosenbach co-directed the center with former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter until Carter’s unexpected death in October 2022. “I am honored to lead the Center and follow in the footsteps of intellectual giants like Ash Carter and Graham Allison and to work with Belfer’s phenomenal faculty, staff, and students on the world’s

toughest problems,” O’Sullivan said in a Tuesday press release announcing her appointment. O’Sullivan served as special assistant to former President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2007 and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan in the final two years of her term. Previously, she served as the senior director for Iraq in the U.S. National Security Council. “I believe that my experience working for and advising people in both Democratic and Republican positions will help the Center continue its tradition on non-partisan, evidence based, policy-relevant research, regardless of who is in control in Washington,” she wrote in an email to HKS affiliates shortly after her appointment

was announced. Founding Dean of the Kennedy School and former Director of the Belfer Center Graham T. Allison ’62 expressed his support for O’Sullivan’s appointment in a press release Tuesday. When O’Sullivan joined the Kennedy School in 2008, Allison co-taught one of her first courses, “Central Challenges of American Foreign Policy.” “While of course no single individual could possibly replace Ash Carter, Meghan O’Sullivan will be a great successor,” Allison said in the press release. “I look forward to supporting her as she leads the Belfer Center up the mountain to the next horizon.” In October of last year, O’Sullivan’s class was interrupted by anti-war activists who were critical

of her association with Raytheon Technologies, a defense contractor, and for her role in Bush’s Iraq and Afghanistan policies. The protest was co-organized by an activist group called Resist and Abolish the Military Industrial Complex that had staged other protests against Raytheon. RAM INC condemned the Kennedy School’s appointment of O’Sullivan “in the face of student and community outrage” in a statement to The Crimson, referencing the incoming director’s role in the Iraq War and the Belfer Center’s influence on defense policy. Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson James F. Smith declined to comment. O’Sullivan will step down from her position on the Raytheon Board of Directors, on which

she has served since 2017, before assuming her role at the Belfer Center. O’Sullivan wrote in her email to HKS affiliates that she will focus on outreach during the beginning of her appointment. “I will spend the early part of my tenure talking to a wide range of stakeholders — including current policymakers — to help me identify where the Center can and should focus going forward,” she wrote. O’Sullivan added that she plans on further developing the Technology and Public Purpose program, which was established by former co-directors Carter and Rosenbach, as well as preserving the Center’s work on nuclear threats. “Building on those programs

will not only be a way to strengthen Ash’s legacy, but also to help fill a critical gap between technologists and policymakers that is evident,” she wrote. Instead of co-directing the Center with O’Sullivan, Rosenbach, a lecturer in public policy, will be stepping down to focus on research, teaching, and writing. “She is the perfect person to lead the Belfer Center. She is an outstanding academic, thought-leader, and policymaker,” Rosenbach wrote in an email. “Beyond all her impressive professional accomplishments, she’s also a great human. And it’s pretty awesome — and historic — that we’ll have an all female leadership team at the center.” asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com

EDITORIAL

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

STAFF EDITORIAL

COLUMN

The Generation of Mass Shootings OUR GENERATION has grown up with an unprecedented scourge of gun violence and mass killings. We’ve gotten too used to them. BY THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

e are the generation of mass shootings. We are the generation that has come of age with gun violence. School shootings have grown up alongside us: From elementary, to middle, to high school, and now college, we have seen our peers shot down with increasing frequency. We are the students who graduate with degrees in lockdowns and normalized mass paranoia. We are the generation taught to hide. We have learned to second guess a fire alarm out of fear that it could be a gunman trying to flush students into the hallway. We have crouched under desks and rushed to turn off classroom electronics as we drill, and drill, and drill the proper actions should an active shooter ever enter our building. We hope this protocol will persist in our muscle memories, if not readily accessible in our panic-petrified minds; we pray each infinitesimal adjustment to our postures will maximize our potential for survival. Our teachers cut the lights, yank shades over windows, and stash buckets of rocks in their desk drawers alongside surplus number two pencils. We leap out of windows and lock ourselves in storage closets. We don’t make a sound. We are the generation whose worst fears are realized regularly. “Run. Hide. Fight.” That was the message Michigan State University students received on February 13, when a gunman fatally shot three students and injured five others. According to the Washington Post, more than 338,000 of us have experienced gun violence in school since the Columbine school shooting in 1999. This is not just a drill in a classroom. This is real. We are the generation that watches our backs. Any public setting is vulnerable to the epidemic of gun violence. Malls, clubs, concerts, and college campuses are only a few of the hundreds of places we frequent where the terrifying thought crosses our minds: What if it were to happen here? Where would we hide, where could we run? The back door of a lecture hall opens and the hairs on the back of our necks become elec-

tric. What if? When living on a college campus as open as Harvard’s, it’s hard not to let fear pervade the architecture of our everyday life. We are the generation that suppresses our emotions. We have become an excruciating combination of overanxious and desensitized in response to the staggering number of mass shootings in this country. There have been 80 mass shootings so far in 2023, over the span of just a handful of weeks — yet our lives must continue on. So we try not to think about it. Every time a new tragedy replaces another one in the headlines, we add it to a collection of worries festering in silence, the wounds too repetitive to ever fully be unpacked. We cannot help but wonder what effect this toll has on our national psyche — and on our mental health. We are the generation of sorrow. We mourn for the students who lost their lives in the tragic shooting at Michigan State, a calamity that should never have transpired. We offer our deepest condolences to their families and friends, who have been added to the ever-growing list of loved ones whose lives will forever be scarred along the contours of gun violence. We are the generation demanding solutions. Mass shootings, a uniquely American problem, are also caused by overwhelmingly white and male perpetrators, making this violence frustratingly difficult to disentangle from other societal issues. Still, there’s a reason why “Common Sense” gun legislation is called “Common Sense”: Fewer guns means fewer shootings. Other countries, like Australia, have successfully combated these tragedies with legislative force. When will we do the same? Time and time again, we have heard our government’s message loud and clear: guns over lives. We do not gain any new insights the more we wait — we are tired of begging for scraps of a solution. We wonder how many more breaths we will waste on unheard pleas while our peers must ration them in too-silent classrooms, suffocating themselves to survive. We are the generation asking for change.

–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.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Pleasant Days Shroud Unpleasant Truths BY THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

he unseasonably warm winter’s day is no longer quite so pleasant a surprise. Students strolling through the Yard this month have gazed up at an unblemished blue sky, charmed by a still sunlit Cantibrigian February. But as we reintroduce short sleeves and outdoor study sessions to our day-to-day routines, we realize: We are basking in the warmth of our planet withering. This is the trick of climate change. One day, it’s in the double-digit negatives; the next week, it’s in the 60s. The misinformed are distracted by the thermometer’s rise and fall while a much fiercer story — the fundamental altering of our planet’s atmosphere — forges forward, unabated. We miss the burning forest for the trees. Here is the forest: Climate change is real, it’s here, and it’s accelerating. Nine of the top ten hottest years on record in the contiguous United States have occurred in the last quarter century. The world has just exited its hottest decade since thermometer-based observation began. With global average temperatures rising at 0.32 to 0.55 degrees per decade since 1979, the current decade is poised to be our new hottest. From many vantage points, these statistics seem abstract and far-off. But each further inch the proverbial thermometer rises touches millions of lives. With one metaphorical inch, thousands of acres of ancient California redwoods are blazed to ash. With another, more than 30 million people in Pakistan watch their homes get pulverized by raging floodwaters. A third inch, and natural disasters dig 2 million premature graves, leaving behind millions more who will never again smile back at their loved ones. Do not tell us it’s just an inch. Today and tomorrow, climate change is the greatest threat humanity faces — perhaps the greatest it has ever faced. How we respond is civilization’s toughest test. Our world runs on carbon. Accordingly, decarbonization is a uniquely multifaceted problem, touching every country and every sector. Harvard, with its fingers spread across dozens of academic fields, is especially well-positioned to unravel this issue. Most immediately, the University should mobilize the full extent of its colossal research capacity to kickstart a once-in-a-generation interdisciplinary campaign dedicated to devising

partial answers to the climate crisis. Harvard must encourage collaboration of scholars across fields — from policy experts to environmental scientists, from economists to engineers — to investigate reducing emissions and curbing the impact of our already-immense carbon footprint. The University itself must fund this research, instead of relegating these costs to private polluting financiers, a practice that leads to biased results. Harvard has no shortage of departments to fund and issues to prioritize, but the urgency of the climate crisis should echo in administrators’ minds as they make tough but critical funding decisions. Although research may represent the highest-impact opportunity for a school like Harvard, the University’s efforts toward sustainability cannot be left at the lab. Sowing sustainability into the very fabric of our campus life, with greener buildings and more accessible recycling, is vital too. A complete embrace of sustainability requires grappling with the particular nature of the climate crisis: It is overwhelmingly caused by large corporations, but exerts a disproportionate impact on poorer people and countries in return. By more closely integrating climate change into curriculum and making climate-oriented career paths accessible and appealing through the Office of Career Services, Harvard can train the next generation of citizen leaders, policy-makers, and private sector executives in climate change solutions. Still, we each have an essential personal responsibility to read about climate change, learn to refute disinformation, and mobilize in environmental justice efforts. Restricting our climate strategy to broad, structural criticisms of corporate malpractice is just as misguided as hoping recycling alone will revert the alarming increase of temperatures worldwide. Most tragedies happen in an instant moment: one second invisible, the next devastatingly real. Climate change isn’t like that. It creeps up on us. It simmers and boils us like frogs in once-tepid water. Today, an unseasonably warm day should sound a screeching cry to do everything in our power to change. By the time 60 degree weather is seasonable for February, it will be far too late.

A LEAP INTO FAITH

The Spaces We Hold PHYSICAL SPACES guide our academic conversations and our spiritual sense of belonging. BY ELLIE H. ASHBY

pace, as a concept, is religious in nature. Space and architecture adhere to and reflect cosmic law. Grand architecture emphasizes the splendor of something unexplainable. This manifests in two ways: the physical — the concrete-and-brick structures religion is housed within — and the non-physical — conversational crevices religion is permitted to fill. These contrasting spaces form a dialectic: Physical spaces guide our academic conversations and our spiritual sense of belonging; at the same time, we use that guidance to admire or demand changes to our spaces. Harvard is peppered with religious spaces, and Harvard is fraught with the space of religious discourse. My freshman year, I learned of the importance of space through its absence. During 2020 and 2021 — the Covid-19 years — Annenberg was a space we could not eat in, Widener a space we could not study in. Every space was defined by what we were not allowed to do in it. Trying to find your place, your space, within an entirely virtual campus only revealed the sacredness of that unassuming little word. On Harvard’s campus, our understanding of space constructs and orients our way of life, often in radical and fascinating ways. The ideas we come into contact with and the habits we exercise are a product of the spaces we inhabit. Within Harvard’s walls, students assimilate, protest, and evolve. Religious spaces are no different. Courtney B. Lamberth, director of studies in the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard, said that “space for religious practice is foundational and fundamental.” “How space is understood and utilized and held in practice varies tremendously across traditions,” she added. Daryush D. Mehta, a representative of the Zoroastrian Association at Harvard, highlights the historical importance of space in his faith. “Space is important,” he said. “I think back to how Zoroastrians in Iran and in Persia did not have buildings, but created the space with the pots and pans that they ate with.” Space is also central to the Catholic faith. William T. Kelly, the pastor of St. Paul’s Parish in Cambridge, summarized the importance of space in Christian history, which shares emphases with Jewish, Greek, and Roman temples. “There’s this sense of, ‘Where does the presence of God reside?’” Kelly questioned. “In the Catholic tradition, churches at the very, very beginning of the Church would have taken place in people’s homes,” he said. Those home churches were where God was present. St. Paul’s Parish itself is a stunning space, its high ceilings, intricate stonework, and detailed altar reflecting the cosmic grandeur of the God it was built for. “We know a lot of people historically, but also locally, who have become Catholic because of the beauty of Jesus, because of the beauty of the church here,” he added. The senses — taste, smell, sound, sight, touch — play a vital role in bringing aspects of the faith to life, according to Kelly. “We have a really strong sense of anything that’s tactile, anything visual,” he said. Sahaj Singh ’23 reflected on the role of space within his faith, Sikhism. “What I think is interesting about the Sikh religion center — which is known as a Gurdwara — is that it’s actually meant to be an interfaith center,” he said. “Essentially, its initial role in South Asia was to be a free clinic and free kitchen.” Shruthi Kumar ’24, a believer of Hinduism, expressed her love for her religion’s temples. “That physical space is usually one that’s very grandeur. It has a lot of space, has a lot of people coming through,” she said. “There’s a great pride that you take in changing the clothes of all the idols that are in the temple, adorning them with jewels, donating to the temple in order to keep it going.” The space of the temple also provides a landscape for reflection — the tying of the physical with the non-physical — a space for mediation, according to Kumar. Space reflects cultural values of the past while simultaneously influencing present dispositions. At Harvard, in the state where the Mayflower landed, we bring our former walks of life into dialogue with an environment that is historically Protestant. Remnants of Harvard’s Christian past color the campus. A statue of Harvard’s namesake, John Harvard, a Puritan minister, sits squarely in the Yard. Memorial Hall is inscribed with the Latin words for “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name may there be glory.” Memorial Church is an interdenominational Protestant space, part of a larger interfaith network. University Lutheran Church on Winthrop Street. Old Cambridge Baptist Church. First Parish in Cambridge. Inscribed on the side of Emerson Hall: “What is man that thou art mindful of him.” Spatial residue of Protestantism evokes various reactions on Harvard’s campus. “There are certainly plenty of churches around Harvard, just like any other town,” Shira Z. Hoffer ’25, a Jewish student, said. She’s a campus tour guide and when she gives tours, Memorial Church regularly sticks out. “I always feel funny,” she said. “I think Memorial Church does amazing things. But it is kind of funny that we have a church right in the middle of our campus that plays a role in day-to-day life

at Harvard.” For Kumar, Memorial Church summons a sense of longing for something lost. Some Hindu practices, according to her, involve chanting prayers or mantras with a community, and she is worried she may forget some of her prayers because she doesn’t get the chance to practice them as regularly. “When I walk through the Yard and see Memorial Church right there, it always brings up a feeling of, ‘I wish there was a Hindu temple within walking distance of campus,’” she said. For many, Memorial Church and other spaces like it do not pose an inherent problem; rather, they are a reminder of space that does not exist. Humanist Chaplain Greg M. Epstein said “there could potentially be more space devoted to” religion on campus. Mehta echoed Epstein’s sentiments as he reflected on trying to find spaces on campus for his own religious gatherings. “Mem Church happened to have an opening,” he said. “I have no problem being in Mem Church… But a multifaith center would be very important at Harvard, as a message and physical presence.” Those who have space cherish it. Those without space long for it. But for both, space is not the end all be all, but rather one instance of the feeling of belonging. “In times when I feel like I need my community and to not be that minority,” said Hoffer, “I feel like Hillel is that fallback, which is really important and powerful.” But people who are not fully represented in Harvard’s physical landscape, which spans Protestant structures, Harvard Hillel, and the Harvard Catholic Center, have to make religious spaces for themselves, whether expressly physical or not. For Imaan Mirza ’25, placing the Muslim prayer space in Canaday basement means that prayer is a much more mobile practice for her. “I was in Barker the other day for my History and Literature tutorial,” she said. “I just whipped out my prayer mat and prayed in front of people.” Mirza is conflicted about this: On the one hand, she sees it as a beautiful thing, perhaps because Harvard has provided an environment where praying in many spaces feels comfortable, but on the other hand, it reminds her of what she does not have access to. “Ideally, there would be a designated space in every Harvard affiliated building for me to pray. It’s too out of the way to go to Smith. It’s too out of the way to go to the basement of Canaday,” she said. “I’m driven by necessity to pray in front of people, which can be a little odd sometimes.” When both Muslim and Hindu prayer spaces are hidden in Canaday’s basement, some students feel like religious inclusion is not prioritized at Harvard. “I think the key to anything related to DEI is this feeling of belonging,” Kumar said. “And feeling is something that is very present in religion that we aren’t good at acknowledging in other spaces.” For this reason, she said, religious diversity necessarily brings religious belonging into the conversation, which is something “any DEI initiative should include.” Lamberth, the director of studies in the Committee on the Study of Religion, echoed this. “Religious diversity is the last aspect of diversity to really come into the discussion about inclusivity and diversity and belonging.” Even within The Crimson, our Diversity and Inclusivity Committee does not focus on religious diversity relative to other facets of identity, like gender and sexuality or race and ethnicity. An example of this greater need for religion to factor into conversations on diversity and inclusion is the use of the word “chaplain” to describe the various religious and faith leaders on campus. The word choice of chaplain felt distant to Kumar. While she “intellectually” agreed with its definition, she did not personally relate to the vocabulary, nor did it inspire her to reach out to Harvard’s Hindu chaplain. “It’s not something I’m going to naturally feel belonging towards,” she said. Metha also reflected on the word: “The word chaplain is not used in Zoroastrianism. The concept is a little bit different.” Though a single column is not nearly sufficient to tackle every aspect of religious space at Harvard, I hope to show the dialectic relationship between physical and intellectual space, both of which are tethered to the narratives of individuals on campus. Physical space indicates what we institutionally value, which is then reproduced in the rhetoric we use and the initiatives we choose to emphasize. The institutional value Harvard places upon its Protestant heritage is evident: in Memorial Hall, in Memorial Church, in the placement of Hindu and Muslim spaces. The spaces we hold — physical and non-physical — form, and potentially reform, each other. We must acknowledge the spaces that are already present, while also recognizing the absence of adequately representative space for some.

–Ellie H. Ashby ’24, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Social Studies concentrator in Adams House. Her column, “A Leap Into Faith,” runs tri-weekly on Fridays.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

OP-ED

Harvard’s Paradox of Exclusive Inclusivity BY RHYS MOON

rominent Harvard speakers and community members convened last week for the 2023 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum, themed “Reckoning and Transformation.” In the quest for “healing, restoration, and accountability,” this forum aimed to “elevate and prioritize truth-seeking and reckoning with our past in order to more fully understand our history and actions.” Despite such ambitious aspirations to amplify Harvard’s institutional and systematic approach to diversity, one thing feels missing from the campus discussion of social justice: our role as society’s most privileged few. We are told from the day we open our acceptance letters that Harvard is home — that we belong. But for the vast majority of applicants, let alone people, Harvard will never be home. Harvard has made strides in improving racial diversity on campus, with consistently growing proportions of non-white students in each class year However, our student body continues to hail from disproportionate wealth, with over two-thirds of Harvard students coming from the top fifth of the income distribution. Over half of Harvard students come from families in the top tenth of income earners, and nearly two-fifths of students in the top five percent. And more than one in every seven Harvard students comes from a family in the top one percent earning more than $630,000 every year. These numbers should force us to acknowledge a fundamental paradox in our home. We imagine it to be a beacon of equity and inclusion; at the same time, we enjoy its benefits out of an inherently hyper-elite and privileged position. I will not speak for anyone else’s experience at Harvard, and my intention is not to criticize any individual. Rather, I question how our community appears so hypersensitive to the inclusivity of one of the world’s most exclusive bubbles. Each of us, many on the basis of wealth or familial connection, has been granted rare access into this space. And yet we debate inclusivity without any accountability, lacking any urgency to understand our own privileges as beneficiaries of this hy-

per-elite institution. The quest for diversity at a campus like Harvard may forever be constrained by the fact that, if unchanged, our institution will never reflect the society in which we live. For some, this is undoubtedly why Harvard is special: The access to a network of powerful, wealthy, and influential individuals it provides is unparalleled. But for others, it’s why this institution can feel suffocating: We observe necessary conversations on equity and diversity dominated by highly privileged individuals posing as authoritative figures on social justice.

“

We imagine it to be a beacon of equity and inclusion; at the same time, we enjoy its benefits out of an inherently hyper-elite and privileged position. Should we simply shrug our shoulders and cede to privilege and power? No. I firmly believe that the constant pursuit of equity and inclusion is so vital that it merits and necessitates rigorous discussion. Rather, we need to address the overt contradictions in our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s time to acknowledge that it is an immense privilege to philosophize on class and inequality in the comfort of a seminar or attend spiffy forums on political inclusion at the Institute of Politics, while simultaneously living a life with resources that the vast majority of people can only imagine. We should grapple directly with the contradictions that permeate Harvard, like the elite social clubs, long reserved for the most connected and well-endowed, that simultaneously seem to have made diversity and inclusion a priority. These contradictions should raise questions, concerns, and, most importantly, the standards we set for ourselves when we discuss — and practice — social jus-

tice. I will never fully understand why an institution like Harvard, so exclusive and inaccessible, continues to dominate global discussions surrounding equity and justice. But I do know that some pills are tough to swallow: in this case, that the oppressive structures we read about, write about, and criticize in our classrooms are the same ones that brought many of us to this campus. Over the course of three days, the EDIB forum grappled with pressing issues ranging from environmental racism to this institution’s legacy of slavery. We would all do well to participate in these kinds of conversations. What does it mean for us to unpack the intersections of class and global warming at an institution whose fossil fuel investments make up over a billion dollars of its endowment? How do we grapple with our institution’s deep ties to slavery as residents of undergraduate houses, like Mather and Winthrop, that memorialize our slave owning affiliates? These questions, I hope, can drive us beyond os-

tentatious and limited discussions of social justice that dismiss ourselves from any accountability and instead move us towards recognition of our status as some of the greatest beneficiaries of the structures we often vehemently condemn. Perhaps this article falls victim to its own critique: Only a privileged Harvard student would nitpick diversity initiatives from within his Cantabrigian sanctuary, as if anything he says could have a tangible impact beyond the walls of the ivory tower, and Crimson Editorial editors like myself have long positioned their overintellectual complaints as real movers of change in op-eds like these. But I have faith that there is meaning in questioning our assumptions, approaching our daily conversations with greater intention, and reckoning with the fact that in our very own pursuit of equity, we benefit from the most inequitable positions of privilege.

–Rhys Moon ’26, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Matthews Hall.

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COLUMN

TOWARD A HIGHER HIGHER ED

Adjuncts: The Faculty Underclass HIGHER EDUCATION continues to underpay and overwork its faculty underclass. BY JULIEN BERMAN

n the last few weeks, Harvard’s contingent faculty campaigned to form a union and organized their first rally, urging the University to increase compensation, job security, and other workplace protections. For many, it may be hard to empathize with the faculty’s grievances. After all, who could complain about teaching at one of the top universities in the world? But for adjuncts — part-time professors paid per course — it’s not all glitz and glamor. In fact, across the country, higher education continues to underpay and overwork this faculty underclass. The adjunct problem has grown as universities have started to increasingly hire part-time labor. From an economic standpoint, this move makes sense: Tenured professors are expensive investments under long-term contracts, whereas adjuncts are cheap hires that can be laid off more easily. However, when university professors are paid so little that they are forced to sleep in their cars and apply for food stamps, it might be time for a change. Adjuncts are often imagined as successful experts with jobs outside academia who dabble in teaching to make a little extra money. But these big names actually only represent a small portion of the adjunct population. Far more common are so-called “freeway flyers” who rely on meager teaching wages as their primary income. To compensate for low salaries, a majority of adjuncts take on a full-time course load — plus second and third jobs — to make ends meet. A 2019 survey of over 3,000 contingent faculty — 79 percent of whom self-reported as adjuncts — offers insights to the precarity of the adjunct position. The median respondent in the survey earns between $3,000-$3,500 per course — a strikingly small amount. Nearly two-thirds of respondents earn under $50,000 annually across all jobs, not enough to reach financial security for a family of four. Around a quarter reported problems accessing adequate food and housing. What’s more, for 75 percent of respondents, employment is only guaranteed semester to semester. Many adjunct instructors aren’t informed about their teaching appointments until a few weeks prior to the beginning of the term. And in times of crisis, such as a pandemic, adjuncts tend to be the first to receive pay cuts or get laid off. This endemic low pay not only imperils the livelihood of these professors, but inevitably impacts educational quality for students as well. Adjuncts stretching their time across multiple institutions simply cannot devote the necessary energy to engage with their students. Departments that are primarily made up of adjuncts,

often in the humanities, experience higher job turnover rates, leading to a revolving door of instructors lacking institutional knowledge and continuity. Harvard’s adjuncts aren’t the only group beginning to organize in response to poor working conditions. Adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago and Boston University voted to unionize in the past decade, and adjuncts at Fordham University and American University have recently negotiated contracts with their administrations. But often, any wage increases remain pitifully small, and universities are hard negotiators. For instance, union leaders bargained with George Washington University for 18 whole months before increasing adjunct salaries by a measly $533 per course. Of course, the logic of the marketplace suggests that if universities can find cheap labor, they should do so; that’s just supply and demand, right? But universities should be trying to attract the best and brightest professors, not maximize profit. Plus, institutions are already cutting costs by hiring contingent faculty in the first place. For instructors who have pursued advanced degrees but have not been awarded a full-time position for whatever reason, a living wage seems more than reasonable. Universities might argue that not all adjuncts have degrees equivalent to tenure-track professors and that it would be a logistical and financial nightmare to get rid of part-time labor in academia. Nevertheless, those are insufficient excuses for failing to treat adjunct faculty with the decency of a living wage. Yet, institutions brush off concerns about adjunct mistreatment far too readily. Here are some immediate and practical solutions that universities across the country can implement to improve adjunct well-being and thus the quality of education received by undergraduates. First, institutions should index the adjunct pay per course to local living conditions. No adjunct teaching a full course load should struggle to feed a family of four. Second, adjunct pay raises should match full-time faculty pay raises, at least on a percentage basis. Finally, institutions should inform adjunct faculty at least a semester in advance if they cannot be rehired the following term. It’s high time we start treating adjuncts with the respect they deserve — both for their own sake and to ensure higher quality education for the students they teach.

–Julien Berman ’26 lives in Canaday Hall. His column, “Toward a Higher Higher Education,” appears on alternate Tuesdays.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

METRO

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

BOSTON PRIDE

‘Evolving’ Boston Pride Returns PRIDE RETURNS. After Boston Pride Committee’s dissolution in 2019, Pride is set to return after a 3 year hiatus with Boston Pride parade and festival. BY DYLAN H. PHAN AND JACK R. TRAPANICK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

oston Pride for the People will be hosting the first Boston Pride parade and festival since 2019 this June, bringing back the event after the previous group — the Boston Pride Committee — dissolved and left the city without a parade in 2022. In June 2020, the Boston Pride Committee — which had organized Boston’s annual Pride parade since 1999 — became embroiled in controversy after removing references to the Black Lives Matter movement in an amended press statement following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Protesting the decision, more

than 80 percent of the organization’s volunteers resigned and created their own organizations, including Boston Black Pride, Trans Resistance, and Pride 4 The People, which was later rebranded as Boston Pride for the People. In December 2020, many of these newly created LGBTQ+ organizations called for a boycott of the 2021 Boston Pride parade, which was ultimately canceled due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Following the boycott, the Boston Pride Committee dissolved in July 2021, leaving the city without a Pride parade for another year — though some gathered in Boston Common to celebrate with a “Pop-Up Pride” in its place in June 2022. Now, a new organization, Boston Pride for the People, has picked up the task of organizing the event that attracted 750,000 people in 2019 — greater than the entire population of the city proper. Adrianna M. Boulin and Jo Trigilio, president and vice president, respectively, of Boston

Pride for the People, discussed plans for the event in a joint interview. The group’s primary aim is to have the event be “community-centered and as inclusive as possible,” Trigilio said. Trigilio added the event’s organizers want “to be very intentional about racial equity, racial inclusion, trans inclusion, inclusion of people with disabilities.” Boulin said last year’s Pop-Up Pride inspired the organization’s vision of a Pride focused on inclusivity and unity. “I remember when Pop-Up Pride was held over the summer, it felt so good,” Boulin said. “It felt grassroots; it felt right. It felt like we were beginning to fill the void.” The two also addressed the more substantive policy decisions about how they will hold the Boston Pride Parade this year — referencing issues that have caused controversy among Pride organizers across the United States. On one such issue — the presence of police officers — Trigilio

said the pair spoke with Boston Police about holding a Pride where “people feel safe in the space” and confirmed that officers would be at the event, citing threats against LGBTQ+ people in Boston as an ongoing safety concern. Trigilio said the group’s goal, however, is to “find ways of having people feel safe without having a really heavy police presence,” adding that the group plans to release more details at a later date. Another issue the pair said they want to address is the involvement of private corporations in Pride, which some LGBTQ+ groups across the United States have criticized as unethical. Critics say that corporations benefit from the visibility and perceived allyship of marching in the Parade while still maintaining internal policies, work conditions, or political donations that run contrary to LGBTQ+ interests. Some alternative Pride events and organizations like the Trans Resistance March — which began

in response to the controversy around the Boston Pride Committee — have explicitly rejected corporate funding and participation as part of their events. Meagan von Rohr, the assistant director of the Office of BGLTQ Student Life at Harvard College, said this issue is particularly relevant to Boston. “Boston Pride before 2020 had a particular reputation for having a large corporate presence and being white,” von Rohr said. Boulin said the group wants to ensure any corporations involved with the event share their same values. “We’re vetting our corporations that are involved,” Boulin added. When asked to specify details of the vetting process, Trigilio said the organization was “still formulating” its plan, but that they were “definitely going to have something we can share soon.” Megan E.C. Gianniny, cochair of Harvard’s LGBTQ Staff and Faculty Employee Resource Group, lauded Boston Pride for

the People for its messaging so far. “They’re very focused on the community,” Gianniny said. “And not just corporations that want to give rainbow-washing money.” “We’re definitely planning to try and have a Harvard contingent in the parade,” Gianniny added. Von Rohr said she is similarly optimistic for what’s to come. “I’m really excited for Boston Pride to come back in this way, especially in a way that welcomes every intersecting identity,” Von Rohr said. Looking forward, Trigilio said they hope Pride “keeps evolving,” in the same way their organization is changing the look of Boston Pride now. “I hope that Pride through the years is listening to what the community needs because community needs keep changing,” Trigilio said. “As we listen to community needs, we’re responsive and we continue changing and evolving.” dylan.phan@thecrimson.com jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com

Möge Tee Joins the Par-tea as Fourth Boba Shop in Harvard Square BY SIDNEY K. LEE CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Boba shop Möge Tee held its grand opening in Harvard Square with a traditional lion dance performance and free drinks for its first 50 customers on Sunday. Located on 54 JFK St., Möge Tee is the fourth boba shop in the Square, alongside Kung Fu Tea, Gong Cha, and Tiger Sugar. On opening day, customers lined up in the crowded shop while loud drums accompanied a colorful lion dance outside. Möge Tee’s menu boasts a selection of classic milk and matcha teas, cheese foam teas, and signature fruit teas. The chain operates more than 380 locations worldwide, with more than 60 locations in the U.S., including a shop in Central Square. So Lim Ting, co-owner of the Harvard Square and Central Square locations, said he decided to open the Square location due to the “success from the Central Square location with MIT students.” Möge Tee currently occupies the former location of Boston Tea Stop, which closed down in December 2021. In comparison with other boba shops in the Square, Ting

said Möge Tee is particularly famous for their fruit teas. “We want to display the freshness of Möge Tee,” Ting said. “Möge Tee is very known for its fresh fruits, fresh ingredients that we use and display in the fridge.” Despite the large demand for bubble tea in Cambridge, students shared mixed opinions about a fourth boba shop coming into town. “I think that it’s really amazing that we have all these different choices now,” Jang G. Choe ’26 said. “At the same time, I can’t help but wonder if they’re all just going to cannibalize each other.” “I think it might really come down to location and cost,” Choe added. Carolyn “Carly” Y. Chen ’26 said the store has a “nice atmosphere,” but she said she wishes there were more seating. “They also have a larger variety,” Chen said. “In whole, I really liked their menu. I want to try it out.” Though Ting is considering more locations in the future, he said he is planning to initially focus on the current location. “There may be more coming, but our first goal is we want to be the best Harvard boba ever,” he said. sidney.lee@thecrimson.com

Möge Tee, which officially opened on Sunday, is the fourth bubble tea shop in Harvard Square. CLAIRE YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

New Community Behavioral Health Center at Cambridge Health BY ERIKA K. CHUNG AND EMILY L. DING CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Former Massachusetts Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 and Lt. Governor Karyn E. Polito rolled out new healthcare programs for residents regardless of health insurance status to a network of 25 Community Behavioral Health Centers across the state last month.

The launch of the centers forms the backbone of the Baker-Polito administration’s Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform, which was put into effect last month and aims to provide easy access to mental health and substance use services to Massachusetts residents. Hundreds of residents have accessed the programs — which include a 24-hour behavioral health hotline, urgent care, and 24-hour mobile crisis services — since the rollout.

The Cambridge Health Alliance houses the only CBHC in Cambridge. Joan Taglieri, a senior director at CHA, lauded the initiative for improving access to mental health care, which she said decreased during the pandemic. “This initiative was focused very much on access to behavioral health services, which has been horrible for many, many, many years before the pandemic and then got just that much worse

The Cambridge Health Alliance Behavior Health Center is located at 1493 Cambridge St. ADDISON Y. LIU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

during the pandemic — both because of the loss of workforce, but also because the increase in the behavioral health need that was a consequence of the pandemic,” Taglieri said. Before the launch of the CBHCs, Taglieri said clinics offering behavioral health care were “woefully underpaid” — a problem addressed by the the state initiative. “The payment has often been less than the cost of delivering the service,” she said. “And that has had a big impact on the availability of behavioral health services because you have agencies who are going to have to worry about losing money if they try to expand services to meet the need,” she added. The state doubled the reimbursement for centers providing behavioral health services and provided startup funding, which the CHA used to train new clinical staff. Sarah Stoddard-Gunn, a program leader and licensed social worker at CHA, said behavioral health centers have certain advantages over typical providers of mental health care. “It’s very different than a standard mental health clinic where, like a large mental health clinic, there’s often a long, lengthy waitlist referral process. There are often barriers to access, like need-

ing a primary care doctor in the system,” Stoddard-Gunn said. “We offer different ways to access care.” “It’s really nice to not have a massive bureaucracy, and when someone needs help, they can walk in and get something,” Stoddard-Gunn added. Patients needing support are typically able to walk in to see a therapist, though appointments can also be scheduled ahead of time. If a patient catches the clinic at a shift change, a “brief safety check-in” will be done in addition to scheduling an appointment for the next day, according to Stoddard-Gunn. Creating the behavioral health center in Cambridge was not without its challenges. Taglieri said the health care workforce was “severely depleted over the course of the pandemic,” resulting in a need to hire more staff. “We actually ended up doing quite well — we still have some open positions that we may be using temporary behavioral health staff,” Taglieri said. “In spite of the challenges, I think we’ve been able to get the staff with the qualifications needed.” According to Stoddard-Gunn, three therapists, a full-time psychiatric registered nurse, and front desk staff have recently joined CHA’s team, with plans to onboard a part-time psychia-

trist, a recovery coach, and peer specialists within the coming months. Taglieri said she expects it will take roughly one or two years for the CBHC at the Cambridge Health Alliance to be fully operational. She added that the CBHCs are designed for those who “don’t automatically know what to do” when confronted with a behavioral health problem. “Most people, if they have a medical, they have a pretty good idea of their choices — then you can go to an ED, call your doctor, or even now go to an urgent care center — but that’s not the same for behavioral health,” Taglieri said. “A big part of this initiative is to change that.” erika.chung@thecrimson.com emily.ding@thecrimson.com

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON

ARTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

COURTESY OF RIHANNA / APPLE MUSIC

CULTURE

What the Hell Happened: The Fenty Bowl BY MARLEY E. DIAS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

ast September, when Rihanna announced her imminent performance in the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show with her signature tattooed hand grabbing a football, I knew I had to be there. Long established as an international pop star, Rihanna has spent the past seven years since the release of her last album “ANTI” pursuing various other endeavors, proving that her music is only the tip of the iceberg. Since the release of “ANTI” in 2017, Rihanna launched her makeup company Fenty Beau-

ty, aimed at increasing inclusion and representation within the beauty industry, and the lingerie brand Savage x Fenty in 2018. The two brands’ success has made Rihanna a billionaire, with a net worth over $1.7 billion. Following her success, super fans worried that she would never hit the studio or the stage again. The last time the world witnessed Rihanna perform live was at the 2018 Grammy awards, where she performed “Wild Thoughts” with Bryson Tiller and DJ Khaled. Still, it seemed she decided to grace the world with her stage presence once more.“It’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that,” Rihanna said in an NFL interview

a few days before the show. She looked as eye-catching as always, wearing a Loewe jumpsuit with a sculpted bustier, an Alaia coat with matching gloves, and MM6 Maison Margiela x Solomon sneakers. But sitting in the audience, one question ran through my head the whole time — didn’t Rihanna say she was boycotting the NFL? In 2019, Rihanna turned down this very same performance in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and her recent retraction feels damaging in certain respects. While halftime headliners are not paid for their performance, Rihanna’s decision to hit the stage felt like a desire for social capital at the expense of furthering Kaepernick’s call for racial justice in America.

While the performance didn’t have any other celebrity appearances, it was not lacking a guest star, as she announced her second pregnancy with a baby bump reveal during the show. While Twitter was buzzing during the performance trying to guess if the reveal was intentional or not, it was clear in the stadium that she was announcing her pregnancy. Over 118 million fans tuned in online to the Apple Music Halftime Show at the Glendale, Ariz. State Farm Stadium, the host of Super Bowl 57. As the set was being assembled on the field, fans cheered in awe of the floating platforms where the Royal Family Dance crew performed nearly 60 feet off the ground. With 12 of her greatest hits,

ranging from “B*tch Better Have my Money” to “Rude Boy,” Rihanna’s beautiful vocals combined with showstopping choreography from Parris Goebel made for an unforgettable performance. The contrast between her dancers’ all white costumes and her monochromatic red look drew the audience’s attention to the star. The choreography seemed inspired by Rihanna’s native country Barbados, featuring moves that were both sexually liberated and confident — key elements of her own persona — but Rihanna remained the focus. Still, fans in the stadium were noticeably disappointed when “Run This Town” began to play and Jay-Z, who was seen at the game earlier, did not join the

performance. Nonetheless, fans filled the stadium with flashlights for Rihanna’s “Diamonds” ballad atop the floating stage. The only other challenge in regards to the performance was the jumbotrons, which cut out intermittently throughout the performance. When Rihanna took a break in the performance to use her very own Fenty Beauty Invisimatte blotting powder, it was not visible to the audience due to the technical challenge. While much has changed since she first told Vogue she “just couldn’t be a sellout” in 2019, Rihanna has nonetheless proved that she is an unprecedented cultural force. marley.dias@thecrimson.com

So You Want to Listen To Afrobeats? Here’s Where to Start BY ANYA L. HENRY AND MONIQUE I. VOBECKY CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Afrobeats finds its traditional roots in music created throughout West Africa and the diaspora. With strong ties to Ghana, Nigeria, and the U.K., Afrobeats has expanded globally through increased collaborations with artists of varying genres and international origins. The musical genre began early in the 20th century through an intersection of Ghanaian and West African music with Western jazz. First being known as highlife, this combination of sounds developed over several decades with additional influences garnered from modern Western styles. Fela Aníkúlápó-Kuti, a Nigerian musician, created a band called Nigeria 70 after playing highlife for several years, and in doing so, debuted an album that created the fundamental sound of Afrobeats. Several other popular artists that established Afrobeats as a genre include drummer Tony Allen, Roy Ayers, and Antibalas. In all, the genre is characterized by its inclusion of several genres, including elements of African music and funk, creating a structure more similar to jazz or fusion rather than pop. For those looking to be a legend on aux at the next function, here are a few songs to add to your repertoire. Essence — Wizkid ft. Tems “Essence”’s rhythmic style has catapulted both the song and Wizkid into both Afrobeat and worldwide acclaim. Featuring Tems’s euphonious voice, “Essence” climbed the charts for its modern R&B/Afrobeats fusion and a trademark sensual style. Since its release, Wizkid has won

five BMI awards and a Grammy in 2022 for Best Global Music Performance for this song. Most importantly, however, the song holds a prestigious spot on Monique’s Apple Music top 10 listened to songs of 2021 and 2022. Calm Down — Rema & Selena Gomez “Calm Down” is currently topping Billboard’s US Afrobeats chart, and has remained in this position for the last 48 weeks. Although she is an artist not traditionally known for her involvement in Afrobeat tracks, Selena Gomez accompanies Rema’s light, energetic, and metrical style to form this instant hit. Being one of the youngest songs on this list, 2023’s “Calm Down” presents an ongoing trend in Afrobeats: openness to explore modern music trends and styles.

If you’ve ever wondered what summer sounds like — look no further. Less than three minutes long, Oxlade’s “KU LO SA” is a brief but bright combination of tipsy longing, sunburnt cheeks, and the sensation of locking eyes across a crowded rooftop bar. Not only has the track peaked at No.5 on the Billboard Afrobeats U.S. Chart and garnered over 159 million streams on Spotify alone, but it’s on a heavy rotation in Anya’s personal playlist — which is obviously the true marker of success. Free Mind — Tems The recipient of countless accolades — a Grammy Award, three NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards, and multiple American Music Awards, to name a few — Tems has carved out a space of

Drogba (Joanna) — Afro B Afro B is a British singer and songwriter widely known for his hit “Joanna,” peaking at number 23 on the Billboard US R&B/HipHop Charts. “Joanna” combines the traditional steady rhythm of Afrobeats with the strong back beat of a R&B hit. Peru — Fireboy DML A Nigerian singer signed to YBNL Nation and raised in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Fireboy DML was not only the first Afrobeats artist to perform on the BET Awards mainstage but also the voice behind hits like “Bandana,” “Sere,” and “Playboy.” From his 2022 album “Playboy,” “Peru” is the perfect song to slow whine to when the lights are dim and the bass thrums a tad too heavy. KU LO SA- A COLORS SHOW — Oxlade

NAYELI CARDOZO—CRIMSON DESIGNER

her own in the Afrobeats scene. While virtually any song from her discography deserves a place on this list (“Higher” deserves an honorable mention), “Free Mind” is a slowed R&B-esque reminder to value moments of peace in a world that never seems to take pause. Last Last — Burna Boy It wouldn’t be an Afrobeats playlist without the king himself: Burna Boy, who is ranked No.197 on Rolling Stone’s 2023 list of the top 200 singers of all time, is a cornerstone of the Afrobeats genre. “Last Last,” a hit single off of his most recent album “Love, Damini,” is a heartbreak anthem for anyone who feels tempted to stray to their vices in the darker times.

Bloody Samaritan — Ayra Starr The lead single off of Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr’s debut studio album “19 & Dangerous,” “Bloody Samaritan” layers melodic verses over punchy Afro-pop. A mix of smooth violin, drum beats, and an easy flow, “Bloody Samaritan” wards off bad energy and reminds listeners of the power of authenticity. Fall — Davido Davido, an American-born singer and producer with Nigerian roots, made his debut in year with the group KB International and since then, has signed with Sony Music, created his own record label Davido Music Worldwide, and signed with RCA Re-

cords. “Fall” comes from Davido’s electric album “A Good Time” and quickly became the longest charting Nigerian pop song of all time in Billboard history. anya.henry@thecrimson.com monique.vobecky@thecrimson.com

THC Listen to our Afrobeats playlist at SPOTIFY.COM

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

ARTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

NAYELI CARDOZO—CRIMSON DESIGNER

MUSIC

So You Want to Listen to Hip-Hop? BY MARLEY DIAS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

ip-hop music has taken over as one of the most popular genres in the world, but its popularity can erase the unsung pioneers of each era. The genre dating back to DJ Kool Herc’s “Back To School Jam” on August 11th, 1973 in the rec room of his building in the South Bronx, is now heard around the world. But the rise in popularity threatens to erase the history of young Black men and women across the United States who had no idea that their bars would turn into packed tours and a life of fame. While it’s entire legacy cannot be easily summarized, these four categories can help break down some of the most influential contributors to rap’s legacy. This list is a compilation of the underappreciated yet historic rap songs that continue to inform the artists of today, honoring hip hop as Black history. Groups

“Scenario” by A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest’s alternative and energetic style makes their songs more hype than today’s 808-filled rap. With a spectacular closing verse by Busta Rhymes—the only non-member of the group featured on the song— audiences can hear the best of Tribe and the talents of their peers. “The Next Movement” by The Roots (1999) Philadelphia’s #1 rap crew may go under the radar for the mainstream hip-hop fan, but Black Thought’s skills place him on many of the best rappers all time lists. Although this song does not capture all of his skills, it is a great introduction to the talents of the Roots crew. “Da Art of Storytellin (Pt. 1) by OutKast (1999) Andree 3000 and Big Boi’s experimental style and Southern roots have produced some of the most captivating stories in rap music. This song—as well as “Da Art of Storytellin (Pt. 2)—demonstrates their unique capabilities. “Self Destruction” by Stop The

Violence Movement (1989) Hip-hop and social justice have always gone together, and “Self Destruction” unified the rap community after the murder of Boogie Down Production DJ, Scott La Rock. The song brings together all of the great old and new school rappers of the East in a piece dedicated to ending gun violence. Female Artists “The Jump Off” by Lil Kim (2003) Lil Kim laid much of the groundwork for the powerful women breaking records today. She set the standard and“The Jump Off shows why. “I Wanna Be Down” by Brandy, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Yo Yo (1994) Women in rap have produced hits for years and this track features four of the best and brightest. The flirty riffs, beautiful signing, and rhyming heard in “I Wanna Be Down” set off Brandy’s R&B stardom. “Pass Da Blunt” by Missy Elliot (feat. Timbaland) (1997) Missy Elliot and Timbaland played a crucial role in the expansion of rap beyond the East Coast

versus West Coast rivalry. The Virginia natives incorporate reggae elements in this track, pushing music production forward with their innovation. “Uknowhowwedu” by Bahamadia (1996) Bahamadia produced some of Philadelphia’s best rap music in her hey day, but many do not know that she was the very first LP to be co-produced and entirely written by a woman. Her trailblazing and sonic creativity cannot be forgotten.

Big Daddy Kane is another underrated star of the Golden Age of Hip Hop. Kane is a pure example of the MCs that once defined hiphop’s rise and this song exemplifies his lyrical greatness. “Ten Crack Commandments” by The Notorious B.I.G (1997) While Biggie remains one of the most recognizable rappers of all time, his legacy cannot be summarized in just his top hits. This track provides a closer look into the psychology of those in the drug game.

East Coast

West Coast

“It Aint Hard to Tell” by Nas (1994) Nas’ “Illmatic” can be found on any hip hop fans’ all time albums list, but “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” has layers often left undiscovered. His lyricism remains unparalleled and his storytelling prowess pushed the genre forward. “Eric B. Is President” by Eric B & Rakim, Marley Marl (1987) Rakim reins as a hip hop great left underappreciated by Gen Z. Featuring one of the most recognizable first bars in rap history, there is no way to forget about this Long Island duo. “Aint No Half Steppin” by Big Daddy Kane (1988)

“Express Yourself” by N.W.A. (1989) When N.W.A faced the FBI in a battle against censorship in rap music, the group responded with a diss to rappers that censor themselves for airtime paired with a music video commenting on the policing of Black men in America. “Runnin” by The Pharcyde (1995) Produced by the late great Detroit producer J Dilla, the South Central rap group paints a vibrant picture of how young men deal with bullying and asserting themselves in an unkind world.

“Mind Playing Tricks On Me” by Geto Boys (1991) While the Geto Boy hail from Houston, Texas, no guide to hiphop would be complete without the group’s #23 Billboard hit. Sampling the great Issac Hayes’ “Hung Up On Me Baby,” the track has a jazz groove while sharing the mental stressors of gang life. “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground (1990) This Oakland group was one of the first groups to emerge from West Coast Alternative music. The late Shock G’s iconic character Humpty Hump rhymes in this joke-filled classic. marley.dias@thecrimson.com

THC Listen to our Hip-Hop playlist at SPOTIFY.COM

‘L’Orchestre National Mauritanien’ Retrospective BY CLAIRE S. ELLIOTT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For 52 years, the enchanting music of Saharan Rock band Ahl Nana remained hidden from most ears. Recorded by Boussiphone Studios in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1971, the album “L’Orchestre National Mauritanien” was undistributed and dust-covered until Belgium company Radio Martiko recently rediscovered them and released them on Feb 3. As a result, Ahl Nana escaped the fate of being lost in storage and is reborn into the musical world today. The record not only delivers an aweing harmony of distinctive instruments and voices, but also brings the rich history of Saharan folk music to light. Ahl Nana is one of the first known Saharan bands to include modern instruments such as the electric guitar. In all of their tracks, the electric guitar communicates with the traditional desert folk instruments, which creates an assonant discourse between the present and past. Occasionally, the guitar subtly follows the twanged notes of the fiddle, enhancing its folkish songs. At other times, the modern instrument makes use of its electricity, and rings out blue or fiery melodies. In this way, “L’Orchestre National Mauritanien” is not an album defined by genre, but one

that explores it. Just as Ahl Nana’s music illustrates a conversation between the past and present, so do its members. The band is a family, where the parents take up the traditional instruments and the children experiment with the contemporary ones. In the album cover, the matriarch, Debya Mint Soueid Bouh, sits in the left center on the floor. As seen in the photo, she is the talented violin player whose strings distinctively mark the band’s sound. The son and vocalist, Yassine Ould Nana, squats in the lower right corner. Decades after first recording the album, Ould Nana continued to produce music in the ’80s and ’90s, pairing uptempo disco songs with classic ’80s video-making techniques. Upon listening to “L’Orchestre National Mauritanien,” the listener’s first instinct is to stop, and the second is to smile. The most popular song, “Adji Kar Teri Miri,” is at its heart communal, and invites the listener into that community too. It invokes that inborn desire to skip and swing and laugh. There is a sense of life and of home. Throughout the song, the same melody and lyrics reverberate and interact with each other, drawing in and out of intensity like the tide. Clear voices cascade over one another in waves, supporting Ould Nana and some-

times overtaking him. Occasionally, Ould Nana even imitates the resonant strain of the fiddle’s tune, his voice creating an all-captivating tension in the air. “Adji Kar Teri Miri” is just one of ten songs in the album. While each track maintains the overarching theme of folk, rock, and blues, the individual songs are distinctive in tempo and tone. “Nahnou Sigharou El Ouatane,” for instance, is softer than the others, and highlights the chorus of voices in union with a slow, sweet melody from the electric guitar. “Yer Sabou Yerkoy,” on the other hand, is a light dance between the guitar and fiddle, and the singers withdraw to the background to the song. All of the songs are relatively long, around five to nine minutes, allowing the musicians to enter a circular rhythm, working and reworking the mesmeric melody. Even though Ahl Nana’s music became available to stream on Apple Music only two weeks ago, the band still deeply contributed to the evolution of Saharan music, and marks a historic turning point in desert blues. Well known artists that followed the path that Ahl Nana began include Ali Farke Touré and Tanariwen. “L’Orchestre National Mauritanien” was revolutionary in its time, and despite all the decades that have passed, the album is just as refreshing now.

COURTESY OF AHL NANA / RADIO MARTIKO

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

FIFTEEN QUESTIONS

anja Klemenčič is an associate senior lecturer in Sociology and researcher on higher education, student agency, and student-centered learning. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. FM: You grew up on a small farm in Slovenia — far different than the bustling city you live in today. What was your experience growing up in such a rural area like? MK: I am known for the saying that ‘You can take the girl out of the village, but you cannot take the village out of the girl,’ and I am still a very avid gardener, with a very small but very heavily cultivated urban garden — edible, mostly edible, not very many decorative plants in our garden. So that was part of my childhood. It was of course in the country which was under the totalitarian regime with everything that that implies — indoctrination in schools, self-censorship. It was not a very oppressive regime so people were not necessarily jailed, but everyone was cautious about what was said, especially in the public space and in the context of the schooling. So I’m very sensitive to any illiberal democratic practices, and I’m very sensitive to any attempts of indoctrinating, especially in the context of education or higher education. I resent it, because it stifles intellectual discovery.

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Q&A:

FIFTEEN QUESTIONS: MANJA KLEMENCIC ON STUDENT AGENCY, PREPROFESSIONALISM, AND ACTS OF KINDNESS

THE SOCIOLOGIST sat down with FM to discuss the most pressing issues in higher education today and student agency, even in the smallest acts. “You don’t need to change the entire world already while you’re at Harvard,” she says. “You can do small things every day and that matters also.” BY MICHAL GOLDSTEIN CRIMSON MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

FM: In your Gen Ed, you probe the controversies of higher ed institutions, including Harvard, asking students to analyze the ways that Harvard might stray from its values. Have any ideas about ways to structurally change areas of the university continually come up amongst students across the years?

FM: Your Gen Ed and Sociology courses have consistently been met with positive student feedback, and you have been awarded for excellent teaching in the past. In your opinion, what makes a good teacher?

MK: The topics in my courses are as diverse as there are Harvard students with a variety of interests. So it would be difficult for me to really see some common topics that have been persistent and unresolved. Usually what would happen is students take them, that they discussed in the course, and somebody addresses them down the line, like Andrew Pérez and James Bedford did when they were part of the team establishing FYRE as the pre-orientation program for first year students.

MK: I don’t presume I have all the answers. I am a very big believer that students learn as well from each other, and that I learn from them as well, and that my role is really to nurture that interest, that curiosity, and support them so they, too, can generate knowledge as part of my courses. Now, in this Gen Ed, I have 100 people. I am spending this month meeting with each one of them in order to help them find a topic that they find interesting that they will be spending time writing their three essays on. I cannot teach nameless students. That’s why I make the effort to try to meet each of them or get to know each of them as much as I can. I insist on one meeting with me, even with 100. Just that we have one personal connection, because things change if we have spoken. They really change in the sense of even how people react later in the classroom, how empowered they feel in the classroom to participate, and also the way that they are motivated to work on the topic that they have chosen for their essays.

FM: How do you aim to create an environment for your classes that makes students feel comfortable to challenge each other in debates, especially in the midst of growing cancel culture tendencies within the classroom?

FM: Historically, research on education has focused on adult experiences of the student-teacher relationship, neglecting the student’s role in the classroom. Do you think the field is moving toward more student-focused research? MK: Definitely yes, for a number of reasons. I think the progressive pedagogies are taking ground in K-12, as well as in higher education, which are putting the students in the center of the educational enterprise and are highlighting that students are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but that they they have agency, and they have responsibility, and they can co-construct the knowledge within the context of the classroom. It is our role as teachers and as education institutions to really help them become those agentic individuals. Because at the end of the day, it is agentic individuals that help our scientists as informed critical citizens, it is agentic individuals that are important for the market economies and the productivity of the economic sectors by being inventive, and it’s also agentic individuals that drive cultural expression. So we have to foster this agency in students already in higher education contexts, and that

cepted in such a small number to such a selective institution, they have very high demands on themselves on what they expect for themselves to do and be and to achieve. I was just hoping with that message, to tell students not to worry that much. That small things matter, just the same things that they do every day — small acts of kindness, a service to other students in some way — that they actually make a difference. You don’t need to change the entire world already while you’re at Harvard. You can do small things every day and that matters also. When scholars research student workers or when they research even student leadership, student groups on campus, they often focus on how this work impacts the student. They would portray student work as a way of alternative tuition assistance and professional networking opportunities or CV building, and skills development. They disregard the fact that students in those roles actually have an impact on others as well, that they’re doing meaningful work. Students have immense contributions that they make daily to the lives of others.

AMANDA Y. SU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

doesn’t happen if we are just lecturing at them, without involving them, and valuing them. FM: At universities across the country, there has been a growing push for students to focus on pre-professional studies or choose concentrations that align well with post-grad careers. Do you think this is a positive or negative shift in higher education? MK: It’s so difficult; I don’t think we should be judging students of making choices one way or another. Because we never know what is that student’s background and where they’re coming from and whether what they have to do is they have to find a way of earning the money that they will be supporting themselves and their extended family that rely on their income in order to be able to live decently. I respect when people have a need to have financial security and

not depend on others, and that’s a legitimate reason for me for seeking a well-paying job. And that does not mean that this student has abandoned doing good or having social impact. FM: What do you think is the most pressing issue facing higher ed at the moment? MK: Where should I start? Student debt associated with the rises in the prices of higher education is widely considered one of the key issues in higher education in the United States, specifically. Because it’s also tied to the question that many are posing, is higher education worth it? Is it worth the cost? Is it worth going or do there exist credible alternatives to higher education that will become more accepted by the employers? Alternative forms of gaining credentials for different types of jobs? Access to quality higher edu-

cation is a global concern and has been always very high on the priority of the student unions, especially with the rising prices of higher education. Post-Covid, mental health crisis is something that has been mentioned also outside the United States, the European context. It’s something that’s being discussed amo ng student leaders globally, and has not been properly and fully addressed yet. FM: In your letter to students in the Harvard Gazette, you write, “Your everyday activities in your campus job or in student groups, as small as they seem, are an indispensable part of Harvard.” Why do you think these activities, which often come secondary to students’ academics, should be prioritized? MK: Often when people come to a place like Harvard, and they’re ac-

MK: We as a class have established a number of norms by which we abide in order to be able to encourage and support constructive disagreement in the classroom. The first one is that we try to see constructive disagreement as an act of care for each other’s individual and our collective learning. It’s not about winning an argument or hitting another person down by winning the point in that argument. It is really about trying to unravel the variety of the arguments and evidence to support those arguments on very complex issues that divide our societies. And we have the norm that nothing that is said in class goes outside the class, necessarily. Everything stays in; we do not quote anyone on what they have said in class outside without their explicit permission. And especially, I don’t disclose my positions on any of those issues because I am still a teacher and in a position of authority and I do not want to indoctrinate. I want people to teach and be willing to discuss issues from all possible perspectives.

FM Fifteen Minutes is the magazine of The Harvard Crimson. To read the full interview and other longform pieces, visit THECRIMSON.COM/ MAGAZINE

SPORTS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON FEBRUARY 24, 2023

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Harvard Dominates Cornell and Columbia TWO WINS Harvard needed two wins against Columbia and Cornell in order to stay alive in the postseason hunt. BY ALEXANDER K. BELL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

arvard men’s basketball kept its Ivy Madness tournament hopes alive this weekend. After suffering four consecutive losses, the Crimson (14-12, 5-7 Ivy) needed a pair of wins against already playoff-eliminated Columbia (7-20, 2-10 Ivy) and fourth-place Cornell (16-9, 6-6 Ivy) to remain in contention for the postseason. A strong offensive performance boosted Harvard past Columbia, 83-65, before the Crimson traveled upstate to take on Cornell. Exceptional defense and a standout, career-best scoring performance from senior forward Chris Ledlum gave the Crimson their second win of the weekend. Harvard’s efforts saw Ledlum and first-year forward Chisom Okpara take home the player and rookie of the week awards, respectively.

tinued to be an offensive powerhouse, entering Saturday’s game as one of the most dominant offensive teams in the nation, averaging 84.4 points per game so far this season. This time around, Harvard adopted a different approach, limiting Cornell to a season-low 56 points in a performance that showcased both tough defense and efficient offensive shooting. The difference between the two teams on Saturday night was apparent to anyone who watched the game. Ledlum scored a career high 35 points in addition to 13 rebounds and six steals in a display that made clear why Ledlum is widely considered one of the best players in the Ivy League. Through 26 games this season, Ledlum sits second in the league in total points, rebounding, and steals per game. Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker has continuously praised Ledlum’s ability and the critical role he has played on the court this season. “Ledlum, obviously, he’s our best player,” Amaker said earlier this season. “He’s the guy that we have to play through and put things on his shoulders and he’s able to deliver.” After breaking a four-game losing streak against Colum-

bia the night prior, the Crimson’s shooting in the first-half reflected a renewed confidence, as Harvard shot 60% from the field in the first half. That efficiency saw the Crimson pull ahead by as many as 15 points in the first 15 minutes of action, before a 13-4 Big Red run to close out the half brought Cornell within six points and a 40-34 scoreline with everything to play for in the second half. Harvard’s hot start cooled slightly in the second half, as the Crimson shot an uninspired 40% from the field. However, it mattered little, as Harvard’s defense was able to limit Cornell to a horrific 5-for-23 (21.7%) on field goals and 2-for-11 (18.2%) from three point range. Without its typical ability to generate offense and knock down shots, the Big Red slumped into a double-digit deficit with 16:11 left and never came within fewer than ten points of the Crimson, who closed out the game 17 points clear of Cornell. In addition to Ledlum’s impressive point total, Tretout also posted 19 points

and three assists, continuing a season of consistent offensive contributions. In his past ten games, Tretout has only failed to hit double-digits once. Despite the much-needed victories, Harvard still sits one-game behind both Cornell and Brown in what is emerging as a three-way duel for the

WEEKLY SCORES RECAP WOMEN’S

SQUASH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

fourth and final tournament spot. Next up for the Crimson is a showdown with rival Princeton, which currently sits in a threeway tie for first place. The matchup, this Saturday the 25th at 2:00 pm, will be Harvard’s final home game of the season before one final road game against Dartmouth on March 4th. alexander.bell@thecrimson.com

HARVARD TAKES DOWN CORNELL, 73-56 The last time Harvard and Cornell met, the Crimson went toe-to-toe with the Big Red offensively, eventually pulling away late for an emphatic 95-89 victory at Lavietes Pavilion. Since then, Cornell has con-

LACROSSE AT NO. 17 MICHIGAN

L, 17-10

BASKETBALL VS. CORNELL

W, 86-59

HOCKEY AT YALE

L, 10-1

SWIM & DIVE IVY CHAMPIONSHIPS

2ND/8

BASKETBALL VS. COLUMBIA

L, 75-70

HOCKEY AT BROWN

L, 4-1

MEN’S

LACROSSE AT NO. 1 VIRGINIA

L, 25-21

HOCKEY VS. RPI

W, 4-0

TENNIS AT NO. 19 COLUMBIA

L, 4-3

BASKETBALL AT CORNELL

W, 73-56

VOLLEYBALL AT CHARLESTON

L,L

WRESTLING VS. BROWN

W, 32-10

TENNIS AT CORNELL

W, 4-1

READ IT IN FIVE MINUTES

HARVARD PASSES COLUMBIA TEST, 83-65 A Friday night game under the lights in New York City set the stage for what appeared to be a pivotal point in Harvard’s season. Columbia were determined to avoid a tenth consecutive defeat and played with intent from the tip-off. Competition proved fierce in the first-half. Ten minutes into the game, the score sat level, with no more than a point separating the two teams. However, as play went on, the Crimson started to pull away. One of the key differences separating the two teams was rebounding ability. Throughout the game, Harvard out rebounded Columbia 52-26, creating opportunities for itself on both ends of the court. By tripling the Lion’s offensive rebound numbers (18-6), the Crimson were able to score an impressive 17 second-chance points, in sharp contrast to Columbia’s four. Lions head coach Jim Engles reflected on the deficit after the game, identifying it as one of the faults behind its ten game losing streak (which Columbia snapped Saturday with a 71-65 win over Dartmouth (9-17, 5-7 Ivy)). “It’s what we’ve been focusing on,” Engles said. “When we don’t rebound, we put ourselves in a bad spot. I thought we defended well on the first shots, but on the second shots not as much.” Harvard took a well-earned 46-38 advantage into halftime and came back out onto the court looking composed and ready to stick to their game. Responding to a quick Columbia basket, the Crimson scored nine unanswered points to secure a 15 point advantage early in the second half. From that point on, Harvard’s offense proved too much for the Lions to handle. Led by 16 points from Okpara and 15 from Ledlum, the Crimson maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half, going ahead by as many as 21 points with 1:30 left to play. All in all, four Harvard players scored in double figures, with senior guard Idan Tretout adding 13 points and junior forward Justice Ajogbor contributing another 14.

1ST

MEN’S HOCKEY BOUNCES BACK he No. 7/9 Harvard men’s T hockey team recovered after its Beanpot Championship game loss, winning against the Union College Dutchmen 5-3, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers 4-0. Harvard honored its seniors on Saturday night at the game against RPI, starting the game off with five seniors, Wyllum Deveaux, Austin Wong, Shore, Henry Thrun, and Jace Foskey, along with a postgame ceremony.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL FALLS SHORT

Sophomore guard Evan Nelson

rises up for a long range jump shot on Jan. 6 against Brown. ZING GEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

BY THE NUMBERS

The amount of points senior Chris Ledlum scored, earning him a career high.

18 The deficit that Columbia faced against Harvard. The Crimson defeated the Lions 83-65. Senior forward Luka Sakota launches a three-point attempt against Brown on Jan. 6. ZING GEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

he Harvard men’s volT leyball team fell short to Charleston, losing to the Golden Eagles in back to back 3-0 matches. The Crimson came close, but fell to the Golden Eagles. 25-10 was the score of the final set between Harvard and the Golden Eagles, ending the match in their worst margin of loss of the weekend. “Not too concerned with us bouncing back, mentally or emotionally. We’re a pretty resilent group and I think this group likes to work,” said head coach Brian Baise.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

SPORTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

MEN’S TENNIS

Harvard Seeks Late Strides NO MORE BLUES Harvard’s January contest against Duke marked the first win over the Blue Devils since 1996.

tion. Ultimately, Anuj Watane seized the third set against Sun to secure UNC’s win, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“

They’re learning their lessons and making improvements, which is all you can ask for.

BY CAROLINE G. GAGE CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

o. 9 Harvard’s loss to No. 11 Columbia in the ECAC Championships last weekend marked the midway point in its spring season, which continues next month. The Crimson (6-3) has posted overall positive results against top-ranked opponents since the start of the season in January, and continues to prove its mettle as the season progresses. “I think this is a really competitive group,” head coach Andrew Rueb ‘95 said. “They’ve got a lot of resolve, and they’ve got a lot of belief in themselves and their teammates. [Those are] the ingredients you need to have a real-

Andrew Reub ‘95 Harvard Men’s Tennis Coach

“They’re learning their lessons and making improvements, which is all you can ask for,” Rueb commented. “You want to be playing your best tennis in April and May, and we’re on track to do that.” The Crimson took to the road once again earlier this month to compete against No. 13 Northwestern and No. 3 Michigan which showed more mixed results. Against Northwestern, Harvard put its UNC loss behind them with a 5-2 final score. The Crimson swept doubles to pick up the extra point, after which Walker, Milavsky, and junior Ronan Jachuck took the top three singles matches. First-year Valdemar Pape also secured a singles victory with his 7-6, 6-3 defeat over Gleb Blekher. Michigan proved a more difficult opponent for Harvard, eventually winning 4-3 after a series of incredibly close matches. The Crimson’s most recent competition, the ECAC Championships, took the team on the road again, this time to New Hampshire, for a preview of Ivy League competition. Over the weekend, Harvard faced off against three Ancient Eight foes: No. 24 Cornell, Columbia, and Dartmouth. The Crimson completely shifted the momentum after losing the doubles point and trailing in each singles match to defeat Cornell, 4-1. “It was looking like the match was going in one direction, and then each person was able to flip the script a little bit and trust their training and make headway,” Rueb said. Harvard wasn’t able to hang on against Columbia despite their win earlier in the season, eventually losing by a margin of just a few singles points, 3-4. The deciding match was an exciting three-setter between Walker and Michael Zheng, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. “These matches are coming down to so few points that anything you can do to increase your chances by one or two percent makes a big difference in tennis,” Rueb reflected. With the next team competition scheduled for March 13, the Crimson has time to finetune skills and find those few key points which have been so important in its matches thus far. The second half of the season will also bring the Ivy League Championships and the NCAA Tournament. “What we did last year was great,” said Rueb of Harvard’s Ivy League win and second round finish in the NCAAs. “I think that we’d like to take another step forward and see if we can’t go deeper into the tournament.” The Crimson will host No. 18 University of Virginia, the reigning national champions, as well as No. 54 Virginia Tech and Boston University on March 24-25 for its first home matches of the season.

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I think that we’d like to take another step forward and see if we can’t go deeper into the tournament.” Andrew Reub ‘95 Harvard Men’s Tennis Coach

ly good season.” And the team showed just that resolve in its kick-off match in January. After a successful fall season of mostly individual play, Harvard began the spring season with two strong showings in North Carolina, where they faced No. 35 North Carolina State and No. 22 Duke. Senior Steven Sun closed out the Crimson’s hard-fought victory over NC State with his 7-6, 7-6 singles win over Luca Staeheli. The next day, Harvard prevailed over Duke in similar fashion, 4-3. This time, it was sophomore Danny Milavsky who clinched the last necessary singles match, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1. The match marked Harvard’s first victory over the Blue Devils since 1996. “It is a learning experience for them,” said Rueb of the close matches in North Carolina. “They really are seeing just how relentless you have to be, and how good the quality is.” The Crimson’s schedule of play has been full of top-ranked opponents outside of the Ivy League. After the opening weekend in Durham, Harvard traveled to Chapel Hill for the ITA Kickoff, where they posted mixed results. The weekend began with an impressive win over Columbia, 4-2. After losing the doubles point, which is earned by the team that wins two of three six-game doubles matches, the Crimson fought back to take five of the six singles matches. “If you want to be amongst the best in the country, you have to play them,” Rueb shared. Harvard’s three-match winstreak was cut short when it met the University of North Carolina to close out the ITA Kickoff, 1-4. The Tarheels took the doubles point handily before winning three singles matches to conclude the competition. Milavsky had a straight-set victory against Karl Poling in the fourth posi-

Henry von der Schulenburg returns a serve against Princeton in 2022. DYLAN GOODMAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

caroline.gage@thecrimson.com

THC

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