The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVII NO. 35 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020
EDITORIAL PAGE 4
NEWS PAGE 5
SPORTS PAGE 6
The Crimson will stop printing and move online for the semester
Cambridge cancels all non-essential meetings, closes schools
In photos: The postseason push that never happened
Harvard Scales Down Laboratory Research College Shares Move Details By JAMES S. BIKALES and VIRGINIA L. MA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Research across campus has been interrupted as the University announces new restrictions in an attempt to further de-densify the community.. THOMAS MAISONNEUVE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Harvard administrators directed all research laboratories affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to wind down activities to only essential functions for up to two months, marking yet another major shift in University operations announced this week in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came by email Thursday evening, co-written by FAS Dean Claudine Gay, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Francis J. Doyle III, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Emma Dench, Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs, Dean of Social Science Lawrence D. Bobo, and Dean of Arts and Humanities Robin E. Kelsey. The shift in lab operations follows Harvard’s decision to move all its courses to remote instruction beginning on March 23 and ask undergraduates not to return from spring break. Principal investigators must
develop a plan to “ramp-down” activities in their labs by March 18, with the expectation that operations will remain in a reduced state for six to eight weeks. “To minimize community interactions, we ask that each lab identify at most 2-3 key individuals, in discussion with the department chair, to manage issues such as animal husbandry or essential experiments—those that if discontinued would generate significant financial and data loss,” the administrators wrote. “During this period we urge you to devote your time to productive alternatives, such as writing grant proposals, reviewing articles and papers, writing thesis chapters, conducting analyses, compiling data and/or synthesizing important research.” Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Professor Richard T. Lee ’79 — a former Crimson editor — said he does not believe his lab will be able to conduct any experiments during the suspension period. The Lee Lab uses biotechnology to study
Harvard College’s Financial Aid Office and student organizations like the Undergraduate Council are working to reimburse travel costs and provide storage and shipping options ahead of Sunday’s move-out deadline, which was implemented as the University attempts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Undergraduates with a financial aid package that does not require a parent contribution will be fully reimbursed for any costs required to return home, according to the Dean of Students Office. Other students who receive financial aid will be reimbursed up to $750 depending on how much aid they receive, with exceptions beyond that limit being made on a case-by-case basis. The University’s dedicated coronavirus-related planning information website announced that some students would receive support with
SEE SUBSIDIES PAGE 3
SEE MOVE-OUT PAGE 3
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By BENJAMIN L. FU and DOHYUN KIM
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Schools and administrative units across the University will pilot a remote work system for staff next week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The pilot for Faculty of Arts and Sciences staff will last from March 16 to March 20, after which FAS administrators will evaluate its success and decide further steps, FAS Dean Claudine Gay wrote in an email Thursday. “Faculty and managers will need to lead efforts this week to think about how critical processes will be handled remotely and to support students, postdocs, and staff in their efforts to prepare for next week’s pilot,” Gay wrote. “Department administrators will receive additional guidance via Zoom conference.” University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain wrote in an email that Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp asked central administration leaders to launch a similar program next week and to provide her with feedback after the initial pilots. “As the University continues to prepare for and manage the rapidly changing impacts of this public health emergency, these efforts will be critical to planning for any potential largescale move to remote work in the future,” Swain wrote. The Division of Continuing Education will also pilot a similar program next week, according to DCE spokesperson Harry J. Pierre. Several other schools have not officially announced shifts to remote work, but are highly encouraging employees to work from home. Harvard Medical School Dean Lisa M. Muto ’79 wrote in an update to staff that unit and department leaders should shift nonessential staff to work remotely “as soon as possible.” “The reason we are providing this guidance is to follow University and public health guidelines around social
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Harvard Today 2
The Financial Aid Office has offered storage and moving stipends in advance of the Sunday move out date. SILVA CASACUBERTA PUIG—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Harvard College aimed to provide students with details on remote learning, academic requirements, and dining options ahead of Sunday afternoon’s move-out deadline, as the University looks to avert the impact of coronavirus. The Dean of Students Office is looking at alternative ways to continue working with students and student groups, according to College spokesperson Rachael Dane. They are, however, directing their immediate focus to move out and students remaining on campus. “In the short term, our attention is squarely focused on planning for student move out and engaging with students ahead of March 15 to ensure they have what they need to move out of their Houses, the Dudley spaces, and First Year dorms,” Dane wrote. “In the weeks to come, our attention will turn to supporting students who have been approved to remain on campus.” Dane added that initiatives such as ROTC and veteran student outreach — headed by newly appointed Program Manager for Military Student Services Craig Rodgers — will continue remotely. Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar Michael P. Burke notified College affiliates in a Thursday email of several developments regarding undergraduates’ “accelerated” move out. Burke asked affiliates to practice “social distancing” to help limit the potential transmission of the virus. He also encouraged students to leave as soon as possible, citing increasing travel restrictions. “The greater the density we maintain, the more everyone around us is at risk (and the more you take that risk with you as you travel home),” he wrote. “Please do your part to accelerate your move-out as quickly as possible. With new restrictions being placed on travel regularly, your ability to get to your
FAS Staff College Subsidizes Financial Aid Recipients Switch to Remote Working By JAMES S. BIKALES and MICHELLE G. KURILLA
By DECLAN J. KNIERIEM
Housing Day Cancellation Draws Anger and Disappointment By CAMILLE G. CALDERA and JASPER G. GOODMAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Harvard freshmen expressed disappointment and frustration Thursday after their upperclassman housing assignments were delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Housing Day — a spirited annual event during which upperclassmen storm Harvard Yard to tell freshmen where they will be living for the following six semesters — takes place each March. Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar Michael P. Burke announced Monday that the College would postpone Housing Day, which was originally slated to happen Thursday. Burke did not say when students would receive notices, leading some freshmen to expect them Thursday. “It’s obviously super disappointing,” Roderick P. Emley ’23 said. “This is just a huge tradition at Harvard, and it feels like we’ve been robbed of it.” In an emailed statement, College spokesperson Rachael Dane acknowledged the “dis
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appointment” students felt on campus because of the cancellation. “We know the disappointment and frustration that our First Year students, HoCo Chairs and HoCo members, and other students are feeling over the cancellation of Housing Day,” Dane wrote. Freshmen also lamented the loss of other Harvard housing traditions. On the eve of Housing Day, many freshmen take part in River Run, a traditional evening activity during which students take shots at each of Harvard’s nine river houses in a superstitious bid to avoid being assigned to a house in the Radcliffe Quadrangle just under a mile from Harvard Yard. “The main word that sums up my housing day experience is disappointment, especially because I grinded hard on River Run,” Lucas P. Pao ’23 said. A number of students said that, even without the evening and morning festivities, they wished the Dean of Students Office sent housing assignments
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The postponement of Housing Day, an annual Harvard tradition, has left first-year students angry and uncertain of when they will receive House assignments. RYAN N, GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
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