The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 34 |
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 5
IN PHOTOS PAGE 6
Elite university PRANKED (not clickbait)
Harvard Baseball takes 3-1 road series victory over Rice
In Photos: After two years online, Housing Day comes home to the Yard
Housing Day Returns, Debauchery and All By VIVI E. LU and LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
No more Zoom reveals, no more virtual welcomes. This Housing Day, for the first time in two years, Harvard freshmen learned about their future homes in riotous dorm-storm fashion. On the second anniversary of the day Harvard sent students packing due to the Covid-19 outbreak, upperclassmen decked in house gear hollered chants, waved posters, and stormed freshman dorms. Housing Day is an annual tradition during which freshmen are sorted into one of Harvard’s 12 upperclassman houses or the Dudley CoOp in groups of up to eight students, called blocking groups. The Dean of Students Office had previously announced a pandemic-era modified version of the tradition, in which upperclassmen storm freshman hallways in groups of three for up to five minutes. Still, many students took to pre-pandemic ways, disregarding the restrictions and mobbing the freshman dorms en masse sans masks. “I thought it’d be a little underwhelming, but it was actually really fun,” said Jennifer Xiong ’25, who was placed in Lowell House. In the week leading up to
Housing Day, House Committees released widely-viewed music videos showing off house amenities and dissing the other houses. On Wednesday night, some freshmen took part in River Run, a forbidden ritual in which students take shots of alcohol at each of the nine river houses in an ill-fated attempt to avoid being assigned to live in the remote Radcliffe Quadrangle. Throughout the day, freshmen — even those who were “quadded” — expressed excitement about their new homes, donning house merch, sharing pictures on social media, and attending house events. Jeffrey Fang ’25, who displayed his house pride with a new Currier House baseball cap and shirt, said he had hoped to get a house in the Quad, though some of his blockmates were less pleased. “There’s a higher chance of getting a single, also better food. And just peace and quiet,” Fang said. Some posters for the Quad Houses and Mather House bore the phrase “more sex,” in reference to their abundance of single dorm rooms.Early Thursday morning, students from Kirkland House arrived first to University Hall, where they draped a house flag over the John Harvard statue and hoisted another onto the building.
Students participating in dorm storm festivities spotted Currier’s mascot, known as Woody the Tree, brawling with Eliot House’s elephant mascot in an interhouse tussle. When asked how he felt about his new house, Mahdi A. Hamad ’25 yelled “Quincy! Q house! Let’s go!” and said it was his second choice behind only Adams House. Savannah S. Cooksey ’25 said Housing Day and the dorm storm were “pretty fun,” even though she was “iffy at first” about getting assigned to Currier. “We had seen Currier outside of our window where we were, and we looked and were like, ‘Crap, it’s not gonna be us, it’s not gonna be us,’” Cooksey said. “And then we hear ‘Boom boom boom boom,’ and we were like, ‘Dang it.’” Taylor Fang ’25 said she was concerned she might have a higher chance of getting “quadded” due to the unusually large size of the Class of 2025 but felt “really lucky” to be placed in Adams. “I heard that the 300 extra freshmen all got quadded,” she said. “That might just be a rumor, but that just made me feel even more like, ‘Wow, I’m really lucky to get a house that I like.’” After receiving their housing
SEE HOUSING PAGE 3
Leverett students donned bunny ears and chanted in front of University Hall on Housing Day morning. TRUONG L. NGUYEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Kirkland students swarmed the John Harvard statue in anticipation of dorm-storming.
JULIAN J. GIORDANO .—CRIM-
SON PHOTOGRAPHER
Domínguez Reforms Not Completed HLS Taps Assistant Dean of Equity
By CARA J. CHANG and ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Three months after an external review found that a “permissive culture regarding sexual harassment” at Harvard allowed a former Government professor to rise through the school’s ranks despite repeatedly sexually harassing students and colleagues, University President Lawrence S. Bacow said he was confident in procedural changes made in the wake of the report. The report, released in February 2021, detailed how former Government Professor Jorge I. Domínguez sexually harassed women over three decades — all while being promoted to several high-profile University positions. Domínguez was barred from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences campus and stripped
By ANNE M. BRANDES CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
SEE REPORT PAGE 3
Harvard’s Knafel building, which houses the Center for Government and International Studies, is located on Cambridge St. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Smith ’94 to Speak on Alumni Day By CARA J. CHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
P ulitzer Prize winning poet Tracy K. Smith ’94 will serve as the Harvard Class of 2022’s Alumni Day speaker, the University announced Wednesday. Smith, a professor of English and African and African American Studies, served two terms as the 22nd United States Poet Laureate in 2017 and 2018. Smith joined the Harvard Board of Overseers — the University’s second-highest governing body — in 2020, but stepped down upon receiving her teaching post last year. Formerly known as the Harvard Alumni Association’s annual meeting, Alumni Day will take place June 3, following the Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2022 and the
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
joint ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021. The event — back in-person for the first time since 2019 — will also include the traditional alumni parade, musical performances, and a speech by University President Lawrence S. Bacow. Smith said she was “deeply honored” to be selected, according to the Harvard Gazette, a publication overseen by the University’s public affairs department. “It’s important to come together after this time of relative isolation and speak about this place that we share,” she said. Bacow told the Gazette that Harvard affiliates are “fortunate” Smith will share her wisdom with alumni. “Tracy is an inspired choice
SEE SMITH PAGE 3
News 3
Editorial 4
Harvard Law School appointed Monica E. Monroe as its new Assistant Dean of Community Engagement, Equity, and Belonging last month. The Law School’s Office of Community Engagement, Equity, and Belonging aims to support historically underrepresented students and student organizations through mentorship and campus programming. Monroe took over the role on Feb. 22, following the departure of Mark C. Jefferson in April 2021. An alumna of George Washington Law School, Monroe previously served as an assistant dean of students at her alma mater, where she also taught courses in legal writing. Prior to her appointment last
month, she worked as the associate dean of equity and inclusion at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Monroe said that her career in law as a clerk and commercial lawyer prior to academia has shaped her pedagogical approach. She recalled the first time as a young attorney she faced “some hostility” from an opposing counsel. Though she was initially flustered, Monroe said she learned to handle high-stress situations by taking a breath and approaching the challenge pragmatically — a skill she said she will take with her into her role as assistant dean. “I think sometimes we underestimate the power of a pause because we’re in such a fast-moving, fast-paced world,”
SEE HLS PAGE 3
McDermott Talks Student-Athlete Inclusivity By JUSTIN LEE and JENNIFER L. POWLEY CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Crowds of students lined up to receive a red sweatshirt bearing the phrase “One Crimson” in Harvard Yard last September. These sweatshirts were part of the Harvard Athletics Department’s ongoing initiative to bridge the gap between student-athletes and the larger student body, Harvard Athletics Director Erin McDermott said in an interview Friday. Following a 2020 Athletics Department review that found many student-athletes feel a disconnect with the broader student body, the Athletic Department wants to boost the interaction between student-athletes and the rest of campus, according to McDermott. McDermott said the elite gear student-athletes receive
SEE ATHLETES PAGE 3
Sports 5
A Harvard Crimson softball athlete scooters over the Anderson Memorial Bridge towards the athletics complex. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
TODAY’S FORECAST
PARTLY CLOUDY High: 53 Low: 39
VISIT THECRIMSON.COM. FOLLOW @THECRIMSON ON TWITTER.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 11, 2022
PAGE 2
HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Fresh Caught Atlantic Dan Dan Noodles Tofu Curry Noodle Stirfry
For Dinner Chinese Style Pork Chops Teriyaki Turkey Tips Spicy Tofu with Green Beans
TODAY’S EVENTS Microbial Sciences Initiative Chalk Talk: Travis Gibson 24 Oxford St., 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
IN THE REAL WORLD
Come visit the Microbial Science Initiative and join in a discussion with the featured speaker, Travis Gibson, on Intrinsic Instability of the Dysbiotic Microbiome. These seminars serve as a space for discussing recent work by microbial scientists. boosted.
E.U. Leaders Vow to Stand with Ukraine
At a summit Thursday in Versailles, leaders of the European Union vowed to support Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s invasion, offering Ukrainian nationals ‘temporary protection’ for up to three years. The leaders stopped short, however, of offering Ukraine a spot in the E.U.
U.S. Positions Missile Defense Units in Asia Following Reports of North Korea’s Testing of a Intercontinental Missile
Women’s Queer Group Virtual, 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Attend a Women’s Queer Group meeting, a confidential support group and safe space open to undergraduate and graduate LGBTQ Women.
The sunset shades the sky behind the Fine Arts Library pink on a crisp Thursday evening. TRUONG L. NGUYEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
A senior American official reported Thursday that North Korea has commenced testing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, prompting U.S. forces to position missile defense units in Asia in anticipation of a potential launch by North Korea.
TSA Extends Mask Mandate to April 18
Harvard University Women’s Lacrosse vs. Siena College Virtual, 3 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
AROUND THE IVIES YALE: Yale Professors Confront Racial Bias in Computer Graphics —THE YALE DAILY
Support the Harvard University Women’s Lacrosse team virtually by streaming their game on any device. Watch them defeat Siena College and show off your Crimson spirit!
NEWS
COLUMBIA: Bollinger Promises to Welcome Ukrainian Scholars and Students —THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR
The Transportation Security Administration’s mask mandate will continue until April 18, an extension from the previous expiration date of March 18. According to a White House official, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help design a schedule for when mask mandates can be lifted in collaboration with government agencies.
CORNELL: USDA Secretary Speaks to Students, Faculty About Rural Development —THE CORNELL DAILY SUN
DARTMOUTH: The Dartmouth Announces its 179th Directorate—THE DARTMOUTH
COVID UPDATES
LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY
CAMPUS
229 In Isolation
343 1.02% Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
LAST 7 DAYS
CAMBRIDGE
396 1.56% 76%
Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
Fully Vaccinated
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Gorbachev to Visit in May
University officials announced that former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail S. Gorbachev will visit Harvard in May. Gorbachev planned to speak at the Kennedy School of Government in addition to giving a speech at the John F. Kennedy library in Boston as well as meet with faculty and students. March 10, 1992
Feldstein to Hand Over Ec 10 to Mankiw
After 21 years of teaching Ec 10, Martin S. Feldstein ’61 announced he would be handing over the reins of Ec 10 to N. Gregory Mankiw in the fall of 2005. Mankiw was returning after two years as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. March 10, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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CORRECTIONS The Harvard Crimson is committed to accuracy in its reporting. Factual errors are corrected promptly on this page. Readers with information about errors are asked to e-mail the managing editor at managingeditor@thecrimson.com.
PAGE 3
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
HLS FROM PAGE 1
ATHLETES FROM PAGE 1
MARCH 11, 2022
HOUSING FROM PAGE 1
HLS Names New Athletics Director Discusses Students Assistant Dean Student-Athlete Inclusivity Revel in
Monroe said. “It permits you to collect yourself and move forward and perhaps not meet hostility with hostility but defuse it,” she added. Monroe said her primary goal as assistant dean is to elevate all student voices at the Law School. “My goal really is to have everyone be seen, heard, and respected here and figure out how we can talk across difference,” Monroe said. The hiring process for the Assistant Dean of Community Engagement, Equity, and Belonging position included feedback from students, faculty, and staff. “I was very glad, as someone who comes from a student services background, to see students incorporated right within the process,” Monroe said. Arabi Hassan — one of the co-executive directors of First Class, an affinity group at Harvard Law School for first-generation students — described the areas that are in need of improvement, which members of First Class hope Monroe can address. “Overall, I think we’re look-
ing for a leader who is willing to work closely with first-generation, low-income students to get a sense of what we need and how we can move forward and actually achieve some of those goals,” Hassan said. “I would love to communicate as much as we can the needs of our students and be able to communicate that to the school. I hope there’s more direct communication between our members and administration,” she added. Paulina Olaveres — another co-executive director of First Class — said she believes that, especially at Harvard Law School, “there’s almost like a rulebook that exists that wasn’t given to all first-gen or low-income students.” To achieve her goals, Monroe concluded that she intends to approach her work with students with empathy and compassion. “I feel like if I lead with love and if we all try to lead with love, it is my hope that my tenure will serve this institution well and some good will come from that,” Monroe said.
SMITH FROM PAGE 1
REPORT FROM PAGE 1
Smith to Speak at Alumni Day to serve as the first official speaker for Harvard Alumni Day,” Bacow said. “Her poetry has the power to create common ground and to mend what is broken — a gift to all of us, especially in dark times.”
Her poetry has the power to create common ground and to mend what is broken. Lawrence S. Bacow University President
Philip W. Lovejoy, the outgoing Harvard Alumni Association executive director, told the Gazette that Smith provides “a shining example” of a drive among Harvard alumni to make the world a better place. “This day will be the highlight of the alumni calendar, with the traditions and the pomp and circumstance we all love — and I am thrilled,” Lovejoy said. cara.chang@thecrimson.com
anne.brandes@thecrimson.com
from their teams might perpetuate this divide. The Athletics Department had this in mind when they gave students a free “One Crimson” sweatshirt, she said. “I know it’s a sweatshirt — it’s not gonna save the world, but it’s a message that we want you to be part of us,” McDermott said. “It’s our way of giving a warm hug to campus.” The Athletic Department’s efforts to achieve greater campus unity include offering recreational programming and upgrading facilities’ fitness offerings and equipment, per McDermott. “We want our community to really be fluid between student-athletes being part of the student body and students being part of our athletic community,” McDermott said. “If we can not have the river be such a divider and have reasons that people have to cross over all the more, then I think it helps with that flow,” she added. “We can try to capitalize on that by making our spaces more fluid and welcoming to everyone.” Student-athletes have re-
ported feeling isolated from their houses as team practices often conflict with regular meal times, forcing them to eat at a different time than other students, McDermott noted. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about meals since I’ve been here,” she said. This year, Dunster’s dinner hours have been extended one hour later than in other houses, allowing student-athletes to eat until 8:30 p.m. every night. McDermott said though this change has accommodated student-athletes, it has its drawbacks. “It puts them in one place, and they’re not able to eat with their residential communities, which is a big part of experiencing Harvard,” McDermott said. The Athletics Department also aims to foster collaboration between faculty and coaches to help student-athletes juggle their academic and athletic responsibilities. McDermott cited the Faculty Standing Committee on Athletic Sports — a committee composed of athletics staff, faculty, students, and other representa-
tives across the University — as a means to encourage this cooperation. The group is tasked with discussing sports-related policies and overseeing the athletic experience on campus, among other purposes. “That alignment for the faculty to see the coaches really engage in a process that they can relate to — because they may do it in an academic sense, and now they’re seeing the coaches speak at that type of level as a coach — is only reinforcing that our coaches are truly educators,” she said. McDermott also discussed efforts to integrate non-athlete students into Harvard Athletics through initiatives like the Grow. Play. Achieve. Program, created in 2020 by the department to promote health and wellness among undergraduates. Through the initiative, coaches have the opportunity to “present some of their wisdom and expertise” to the whole student body, McDermott said. justin.lee@thecrimson.com jennifer.powley@thecrimson.com
Housing Day Fun
assignments, freshmen had the chance to speak to upperclassmen, grab swag, and learn more about their house on the walkway to Annenberg Hall, where students had set up tables.
Quincy! Q house! Let’s go! Mahdi A. Hamad ’25
Audrey Gunawan ’25 said Housing Day festivities “lived up to everything that [she] expected.” “I can tell that it’s really exciting for a lot of people, and especially the upperclassmen, who haven’t gotten to have a real in-person Housing Day yet,” Gunawan said. “I’m ready to be out of the Yard,” she added. vivi.lu@thecrimson.com leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com
A Year Later, Three Recommendations on Harassment Unmet of his emeritus status in 2019, following his retirement. “The same issue, were it to arise now, might be a little bit cumbersome, but we would still avoid the unfortunate outcome that occurred previously,” Bacow said in May 2021. The report said Harvard’s processes had improved in the years since allegations were first made against Domínguez in the 1980s, finding that “if the University confronted the same situation today, it has the processes and structures in place to handle it differently.” But the three-person external panel also offered nine specific recommendations for Harvard to improve sexual harassment reporting processes, as well as a broader call for the University to “accelerate progress toward a culture intolerant of sexual and gender-based harassment.” Just over a year after the report was released, as Harvard grapples with another high-profile sexual harassment scandal, the school has not fulfilled three of the external review’s recommendations. Despite reforming its sexual misconduct training curriculum and revamping online resources, Harvard has not established a standardized procedure to vet faculty and staff for misconduct during hiring and appointment processes — a key recommendation of the external review. And more than a year after Bacow pledged the school would create a central-
ized personnel database to better track misconduct reports, school officials could not point to completed reforms. The external review also called on the University to hold units — such as academic departments — accountable for instances of misconduct by having deans and the University provost conduct internal reviews at least once every three years. But the school has not announced any such review cycle. School officials say further updates are coming this semester — including regarding efforts to establish processes for vetting candidates and a centralized personnel repository. University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 wrote in a statement this week that Harvard is working on all 10 recommendations. “When he accepted the recommendations from the external review committee, President Bacow made clear that the University must continue to build on our progress and accelerate our work in assuring Harvard is free from harassment, discrimination, and bullying,” Garber wrote. “In the year since these recommendations were made, University leaders have prioritized efforts to move them forward including addressing our policies and structures.” Domínguez was first accused of harassment in 1983 by Terry L. Karl, then an assistant professor in the Government Department. In a statement when the external report was released last year, Bacow
apologized to Karl, writing that “Harvard failed her.” Today, Karl says she would not recommend any Harvard affiliate seek recourse through Harvard’s Title IX processes. Though she acknowledged recent strides, Karl said more reforms are needed in the school’s processes for handling gender-based harassment, citing a federal lawsuit filed last month by three Harvard graduate students that accused the school of ignoring a decade of complaints against professor John L. Comaroff. “I wish [Harvard] would design their procedures not to meet the minimal Title IX, but to bring in some of us who have experienced these issues and can design better policies so they won’t make victims feel that it takes too long, that they’re not being listened to, that their rights are being violated — all of which led to a lawsuit, and a very understandable one,” Karl said. The report recommended that Harvard increase transparency around investigations and sanctions. In recent years, the FAS has publicized sanctions it levied against professors — including Comaroff. Harvard has also revamped its gender-based and sexual misconduct trainings and its online resources, per three of the external review’s recommendations to improve climate and increase the accessibility and transparency of reporting processes.
Many reforms have come from the University’s newly-formed Office of Gender Equity, which was established last March after Harvard combined its Title IX Office with the Office for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. The OGE, which runs mandatory trainings for all Harvard employees, updated its required e-learning courses to focus on improving the school’s culture, according to University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain. The OGE’s website, which launched last summer, also includes a new electronic complaint filing process and a data hub with current statistics about complaints and disclosures. Harvard also says OGE is expanding. The office has hired three new staff members for its Sexual Harassment/Assault Resources & Education team and hopes to bring on two more staffers later this year, according to Swain. Starting in 2017, before the external review recommended that Harvard monitor employees with past infractions, the school instituted policies intended to track patterns of misconduct disclosures. OGE is notified when someone is accused of misconduct multiple times, according to Swain. The report also recommended that the Government Department improve the gender balance of its faculty. The review noted the department has disproportionately faield to retain female junior faculty members compared to their
male colleagues. A 2019 department review found that only two women went up for tenure in the last quarter-century — and only one was promoted. In contrast, 14 men went up for tenure and 12 were promoted over the same period. In the faculty overall, the total number of tenured female professors at Harvard has increased from 226 to 305 since 2012 — but women still make up fewer than 30 percent of tenured faculty. Nicole M. Merhill, Harvard’s Title IX coordinator, who heads OGE, wrote that the school’s work is an “evolving process.” “It would really be a mistake if we looked at these recommendations as a checklist or bulleted list of actions,” Merhill wrote in a statement. “Culture change, as you know, is an ongoing and evolving process and it requires three pieces to work in tandem – individual actions, structural actions, and cultural change.” Still, Karl said the lawsuit against Harvard over its handling of the Comaroff complaints is evidence that the University must continue to improve its processes. “I’ve never known anybody who chose the legal route unless they felt that that was all that was left for them,” she said. “It’s a failure of a procedural system when people choose the law — that’s how it must be understood.” cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com
From Weeks to Weld.
The Crimson thecrimson.com
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 11, 2022
PAGE 4
EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
OP-ED
Elite University PRANKED [not clickbait]
Covid-19 was the Best Thing to Happen to Us
Making fun of Harvard can be a great time, and we actually do it quite a bit.
T
he world is full of injustice, but never worse than when it affects Harvard students. We were confronted with this uncomfortable reality last week, when a team of YouTubers breached our hallowed halls with typewriters, cameras, and a can-do attitude. Disguised as Harvard students, the YouTubers crashed at least two large lecture halls, shouting, tapping noisily on vintage typewriters, and generally harassing the lecturers. We cannot overstate our offense at this interruption (though we’ll certainly try). We came to Harvard hoping to be walled off from the world, the vagaries of day-to-day life dashed against the wrought-iron gates of Harvard Yard. Instead, we were inconvenienced. More seriously, though, we are actually a bit peeved. There was an egotism in interrupting last Tuesday’s rally for an Ethnic Studies department, where our would-be comic flailed a bit and generally undermined the seriousness of the issue. He seemed to be broadly sympathetic to the cause, but the rally was subordinated to his broader routine. Likewise, there’s an egotism in crashing a class as large as Life Sciences 1B, in thinking that you’re funny enough to justify interrupting a couple hundred
people, commandeering their attention for a standup routine they can’t leave. We as students may be utterly undeserving of deference, but we do think our Professors deserve a little.
There’s no shortage of appropiate mockery, and we’re happy to be the victims of ridicule; we just think we deserve a better class of criminal. None of this should suggest that we can’t take a joke; we’re actually very funny. Here’s a list of jokes we find quite droll. Camus has us clutching our sides, Swift in stitches, Gogol gasping; invite us to a party sometime and we won’t shut up about them. No really, please, invite us to a party sometime. We even like some humor directed at our shining University. Making fun of Harvard can be a great time, and we actually do it quite a bit. On Harvard Time knows just what buttons to push in mak-
ing fun of the place we love to hate. So do the wonderful YouTubers who walk around Science Center Plaza, dangling free iPhones as they convince us to show off our embarrassing ignorance for their channels. There’s no shortage of appropriate mockery, and we’re happy to be the victims of ridicule; we just think we deserve a better class of criminal. Anyway, we’re glad this will soon fade from collective memory. We’re a little jealous that many more people will watch the prank than will read this piece. But we take comfort in the grace and aplomb of our measured response: We condemn this invasion of our holy of holies unequivocally, calling for justice in the next world if we cannot get it in this one. But we don’t even, like, care anyway. This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.
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By MANNY A. YEPES
T
wo years ago, as the Harvard student population was getting kicked off campus, I was celebrating my entrance into legal adulthood. On Saturday, March 14, 2020, I turned 18, the first of what I assumed would be the many steps toward the gradual transition from adolescence to adulthood. The transition I hoped would be picturesque and idyllic, however, was abruptly compressed by the entrance of Covid-19 onto the world stage. My 18th birthday marked the beginning of quarantine, an event that precluded me from properly saying goodbye to many of my close friends, some of whom I have not had the opportunity to see since. This is not a unique experience, but rather one I share with countless of my classmates. Covid threw most of us into a foreign new world, with little guidance or precedent on how to navigate it. Alone on campus, the Class of 2024 in particular felt the full effect of the break of tradition. There was no First Chance Dance, no Harvard-Yale, no Commencement, Visitas, or Activities Fair. Annenberg remained empty, and instead of getting Quadded by a mass of Cabotians outside of my dorm, we got Quadded by an anti-climactic Zoom meeting. Covid-19 was like the little kid who, seeing a single file line of ants, steps on the middle, leaving the latter portion confused and with no path to follow. We arrived with no signposts or manuals, surrounded by stories of traditions we were missing and buildings we weren’t allowed to enter. We didn’t know what we were missing, what a normal year at Harvard was meant to be like. Quite frankly, though, we were the better for it.
It changed the status quo, allowing us to ask questions of what we used to think was a fixed system. Change is hard, and many times painful. But, many times, though, change is good.
The Crimson
@thecrimson
OP-ED
Is, Like, Saying “Like” Cool? By ANDREW P. Y. ZHAO
T
he fundamentals of public speaking and Expos 40 dictate that we should eliminate filler phrases from our speeches. Rather than filling silences with “like”s and “um”s, we should simply pause, collect our thoughts, and resume in an Obamaesque manner. It’s emphatic, our teachers tell us. After making an important point, the silence carries the gravity of our words — whatever that means. But somehow, we always find ourselves saying, “like.” For many, the word “like” evokes images of “Valley Girl” — a movie most of our generation probably hasn’t even seen — and stereotypical teenage ditzes. For me, “like” invokes a memory of a conversation I had at Harvard with someone who said “like” six times in a row because they lost their train of thought. That’s not to say using filler phrases is a bad thing. The word “like” is a pleasant reminder of how we ditched the formality of unmuting and muting on Zoom and returned to in-person conversations. Listening to that person’s struggle to rack their brain for the thought that just wouldn’t resurface, I was reminded of countless memories of being in the same position. Contrary to what a debate coach might say, using filler phrases can actually be a good thing. A study from the University of Texas at Austin found that people who use filler phrases such as “like” and “you know” actually appear more thoughtful and deliberate. Filler phrases tend to appear more commonly among “women, younger participants, and more conscientious people,” who “use discourse markers, such as ‘I mean’ and ‘you know,’ to imply their desire to share or rephrase opinions to recipients.” Having devoted their full attention to
the conversation at hand, they are thinking carefully about how to convey information in a nuanced manner. A natural consequence of these findings to me seems that using “totes my goats” is linked to being unpopular. The details aren’t important, but like, you get the gist. Such is the duality of filler phrases. They invoke images of “Valley Girl” and surfer bros, but also a sense of familiarity — a reminder that despite others’ worldclass achievements, they’re just as human and prone to verbal tics as we are. Even at Harvard, with classmates who have sat in on Parliament meetings and performed in Carnegie Hall, we can’t stop ourselves from saying “like.”
Filler words represent a microcosm of the dichotomy between formal and informal conversation, a dichotomy that shouldn’t exist. But beyond that, filler words serve a functional purpose. Discourse markers help us evaluate whether the people we converse with are invested in our conversations, as well as their personality types — infinitely helpful for the fretful Harvard freshman trying to “find their people” a week before the semester even starts. In fact, some studies have suggested that speech-lacking filler phrases can sound too reserved, careful, or even unfriendly (that probably explains why your crush has never said “like” or “um” around you). When declining an invitation, saying “um, well, like, sorry” can appear more polite than simply saying,
“no” (a tip for when someone confesses their crush on you — not that it’ll ever happen). Filler words, in the right time and place, are comforting. Used in informal conversations, certain phrases, such as “like” and “you know what I mean,” can actually demonstrate attentiveness and help convey your ideas more clearly. Used in the middle of a presentation or interview, however, they can detract from your credibility and overall message; repeating “um” suggests that you’re unprepared even when you aren’t. To sum it up for the ruthlessly results-oriented Harvard students among us: use filler phrases when graded on participation; ditch them when graded on presentation. Filler words represent a microcosm of the dichotomy between formal and informal conversation, a dichotomy that shouldn’t exist. Removing them from our parlance doesn’t change who we are or the quality of our ideas; just because someone (i.e. that one section kid) speaks with formal language doesn’t mean they’re smarter or merit more attention. Instead, we should acknowledge that great ideas are great ideas, regardless of how they are communicated. Doing so necessitates realizing that we often substitute mental shortcuts for more difficult problems, such as evaluating the quality of one’s ideas based on how one speaks. Increasing tolerance for filler words can rightfully shift our perception of professionalism. For now, though, I don’t recommend using “totes my goats” in your next interview. You’re a Harvard student, after all; you’ve got to speak to impress. —Andrew P. Y. Zhao ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Grays Hall.
As a freshman in what was supposed to be an intensely competitive and at times formalized social scene, I was thankful for this social vagary. The Class of 2024 is uniquely socially interconnected, owing to the pandemic and the lack of formalized sports, clubs, and societies by which our social lives would have been defined. Friendships were made that crossed what would normally have been solid social divisions. Relationships were had by people who typically would never have even crossed paths. The lack of in-person classes, clubs, and dining halls left people wandering around campus, introducing themselves to anyone who would listen. The fact is, Covid-19 turned Harvard’s campus into virgin land, ready to be explored by a group of idealistic freshmen who didn’t yet know that Falafel Corner is a better late night food location than Jefe’s. Friends were made in the Mather courtyard, rather than Annenberg. Going into Boston became a weekly event, instead of a perpetually postponed plan. This newfound freedom from tradition was’t limited to the Class of 2024, however. When we fnally returned to campus, only one class had experienced a full in-person academic year. The lack of experience allowed the entire student body to embrace an idealism that we’ve only felt when we first stepped foot on campus with our lanyard around our neck. For all intents and purposes, the pandemic made us all freshmen. There’s value in being a freshman. With no elder guidance, there’s no one to tell you that you can’t organize a walkout while the University President is giving a speech. Thinking like a freshman has led students to run for the Undergraduate Council with a campaign to overhaul the entire system, or create an Instagram account devoted to imbuing within Harvard the school spirit of a state school.
Covid-19 shook us awake from that four year long trance that had many of us shuffling through Harvard, stepping where we were told to step. The pandemic eroded the forceful authority of history and replaced it with the promise of a future latent with possibility. Sure, the Institute of Politics may be historically full of cutthroat wannabe presidents, but this post-pandemic generation didn’t know that this was their role to play when they first comped. The past culture of competition, toxicity, and disillusionment is a positive feedback loop that can only be broken by something as jarring as a global pandemic. Covid-19 shook us awake from that four year long trance that had many of us shuffling through Harvard, stepping where we were told to step. It changed the status quo, allowing us to ask questions of what we used to think was a fixed system. Traditions were lost, but new ones were made. Change is hard, and many times painful. But, many times, though, change is good. —Manny A. Yepes ’24, a Crimson Associate Editorial editor, is a Social Studies concentrator in Cabot House.
PAGE 5
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 11, 2022
SPORTS
THIS WEEKEND’S
GAMES
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY VS. RPI FRIDAY/SATURDAY 7:00 PM ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S LACROSSE AT MICHIGAN SATURDAY 3:00 PM ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. PRINCETON FRIDAY 4:30 PM ___________________________________________________________
SOFTBALL AT CALIFORNIA BAPTIST FRIDAY 6:30 PM EST ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. SIENA FRIDAY 3:00 PM ___________________________________________________________
BASEBALL AT CAL POLY FRIDAY 9:00 PM EST ___________________________________________________________
TRACK & FIELD AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP FRIDAYH ___________________________________________________________
BASEBALL
Harvard Takes 3-1 Road Series Victory Over Rice By MILES J. HERSZENHORN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Harvard won its first series of the season in Houston, Texas last weekend, taking three of the four games it played at Rice University. Harvard won the first three games of the series, including sweeping a doubleheader on Saturday, before dropping the final game of the series to the Owls on Sunday afternoon. HARVARD 3, RICE 0 In the opening game of the series Friday night, the Crimson silenced Rice with a shutout 3-0 win. Harvard started junior right-handed pitcher Adam Stone, who earned his first win of the season by holding Rice scoreless through five innings while striking out eight Owls. Freshman right-hander Tanner Smith threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and sophomore right-hander Jay Driver threw another two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to complete the shutout and get the save. Harvard’s pitching staff combined for fifteen strikeouts while only allowing three walks over the nine innings. On the offensive side of the ball, junior first baseman Logan Bravo hit a double to led off the top of the second inning after working his way to a full count. Two batters later, freshman designated hitter Sawyer Feller capitalized on the leadoff baserunner, opening the scoring for the Crimson by driving in Bravo with a single to center field. Harvard tallied another run an inning later. Sophomore shortstop Jake Berger drew a walk following a lengthy ninepitch at bat, and he was then able to advance to second on a single from junior catcher Zach Brown. He then reached third after junior third baseman Will Jacobsen hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and Berger was finally driven home on a single by Bravo. With Stone and company shutting down the Rice offense, the score remained unchanged until the ninth, when sophomore left fielder Chris Snopek led off the inning by hitting a single up the middle of the diamond. Snopek advanced to second on a sacrifice and then scored on an error a batter lat-
BATTER UP Infielder Chad Minato steps up to the plate in a game versus the Yale Bulldogs on April 6, 2019. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAHERTIMOTHY R. O’MEARA, CRIMSON STAFF PHOTOGRA-
er, giving the Crimson an insurance run to help seal the victory. HARVARD 2, RICE 1 The first of two shortened seven-inning games during Saturday’s doubleheader became a pitcher’s duel, with the Crimson taking advantage of the warm weather to squeak out a 2-1 victory. The Crimson started junior left-hander Tim Williamson in game one, during which he threw 89 pitches over six dom-
inant innings to earn the win. Williamson kept Rice scoreless through the first five innings of the game, including striking out the side in the second inning. Overall, Williamson totaled seven strikeouts and allowed only three hits, one walk, and one earned run. Harvard’s offense was also kept quiet through the first five innings, before opening the game’s scoring in the sixth inning. After working his way to a full count, Bravo led off the sixth inning with a single for
the Crimson. Jacobsen reached base on an error during the next at bat, advancing Bravo to second. Snopek then hit a single to the pitcher to load the bases for Harvard. In the next at bat, Feller hit a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Bravo and allowed Jacobsen to advance to third. With runners at the corners, sophomore right fielder Ben Rounds slapped a single to left field, scoring Jacobsen and putting the Crimson ahead 2-0 going to the bottom of the sixth. The Owls, however, re-
sponded in their half of the inning, getting a run back on an RBI single, but remained down a run heading into the last inning of the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Crimson brought in sophomore right-handed pitcher Chris Clark for the save. Clark allowed a walk and a hit in the seventh to put runners on first and second with only one out, but the Owls’ second baseman lined into a double play to end the game and give the Crimson its second win of the series. HARVARD 6, RICE 3
HIGH HEAT Pitcher Hunter Bigge fires to the plate in a game against the Columbia Tigers on May 18, 2019 TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Harvard completed the doubleheader sweep in the late afternoon with a strong offensive performance, scoring six runs over the seven innings. Freshman second baseman George Cooper sparked Harvard’s offense early, leading off the game with a solo home run to left field. In the third inning, Snopek hit a two-run double, but the inning ended early for the Crimson as Bravo got thrown out at third while trying to advance from first base on the double. In the top of the fifth inning, Harvard blew the game open, scoring an additional three runs to give themselves a comfortable 6-0 lead. With the bases loaded, junior designated hitter Spencer Williams scored on a wild pitch to start the fifth inning rally. Snopek then singled to right field to score junior first baseman Zach Brown. With sophomore shortstop Jake Berger hitting into a fielder’s choice, Bravo scored the third run of the inning. Senior right-handed pitcher Jared Zinn had kept the Owls silent through the first four innings of the game, but he found himself in trouble after allowing two runs in the fifth, before being relieved by sophomore left-hander Uday Narottam to successfully induce the last out of the inning. Narottam also pitched the sixth inning, allowing no runs, before sophomore right-hander
Porter Jordheim was brought in to seal the win. Jordheim gave up one run in the seventh as the Owls attempted a comeback, but managed to strand two runners and seal the 6-3 win for the Crimson. HARVARD 6, RICE 9 Harvard dropped the final game of the series in the warm Texas weather on Sunday in what was a back-and-forth offensive battle. Cooper smashed a solo home run to left field on the very first pitch of the game, the second game in a row he led off with a homer. However, the Owls quickly responded in the bottom half of the first, scoring three runs off junior righthander Will Jacobsen. The Crimson got a run back in the top of the second, but the Owls scored an additional two runs off Jacobsen, both unearned, in the bottom half, putting Rice ahead 5-2. In the third inning, the Crimson brought in freshman right-hander Sean Matson, who gave up two runs but struck out five over three innings of work. In the sixth inning, freshman right-hander Tanner Smith came in to pitch. Smith gave up one run and left the bases loaded over two-thirds of an inning, before the Crimson brought in Clark to get the last out of the sixth. Clark walked the first batter he faced, forcing home the second run of the inning, to extend Rice’s lead to 9-2, before retiring the next batter. The Crimson attempted a comeback in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring four runs, but fell short 6-9, as they lost the last game of the series. Next, Harvard travels to California for an eight-game trip. The Crimson will play another four game series this weekend against Cal Poly’s Mustangs. Junior right-hander Adam Stone is slated to start the first game of the series on Friday, at 9 p.m. ET. miles.hershenzorn@thecrimson.com
IN PHOTOS
After Two Years Online, Housing Day Comes Home For the first time in two years, freshmen at the College learned which upperclassmen house they were assigned through the time-honored tradition of dorm-storming. Throughout the morning, upperclassmen decked head-to-toe in house gear and costumes hollered spirited chants, waved colorful posters, and stormed freshmen rooms as they welcomed freshmen to their future homes in riotous fashion. Afterward, students celebrated in Harvard Yard and their houses.
KIRKLAND CONQUERS THE STATUE Residents of Kirkland House revel in the triumph of summiting the John Harvard statue as their mascot — the boar — looks on. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
HOPPING AROUND HARVARD Students of Leverett House don colorful rabbit ears to represent their mascot — the bunny —as they prepare to welcome freshmant to the house. TRUONG L. NGUYEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM Students mill around in Harvard Yard as they await the release of housing assignments and the start of the storming . JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
STUDENT BODY PENGUIN UC President Michael Y. Cheng ’22 shows his love for Quincy in a penguin suit. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
ADAMS DRESSES DOWN Students in Adams House sport their signature boxers, socks, and sweatbands in Harvard Yard as they prepare to storm the dorms of their newest housemates. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
WOODY WAITS FOR WAR Woody the Tree, the mascot of Currier House, later fought the Eliot Elephant. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
LUCKY LOWELLIANS A student welcomes freshmen who were assigned to live in Lowell House with a handmade sign that reads “Hellowel, welcome home!” JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
TUCKERED OUT TREE Woody the Tree — the mascot of Currier House — rests on a chair in Annenberg Hall after the dorm-storming was complete. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE A student in Kirkland House jumps and waves a tambourine outside of University Hall in a display of house pride. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER