The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
|
VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 26 |
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
| TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 8
NEWS PAGE 9
SPORTS PAGE 10
Harvard must support students affected by the war in Ukraine
The Undergrad Council passed five pieces of legislation at its weekly meeting
Men’s basketball was eliminated from the Ivy League tournament
Instructor Mask Policies to Change College Rethinks Housing Day Plan By LUCAS J. WALSH and VIVIAN ZHAO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Harvard will allow faculty members to teach without a face mask beginning later this week, a first step toward rolling back its Covid-19 guidelines as cases plummet in the Greater Boston area. The announcement comes following new guidance from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Massachusetts saying that most healthy, fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks indoors. The City of Cambridge announced last week that it would lift its indoor mask mandate in mid-March. “Despite increased infections in January compared with the Fall semester, recent cases have largely been mild thanks to our community’s high vaccination and booster rate,” University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen wrote in an email to all Harvard affiliates Monday morning. Harvard has not announced
SEE COVID PAGE 9
By AUDREY M. APOLLON and CHRISTINE MUI CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Housing Day is set to take place in-person for the first time since 2019 — but the tradition appears unlikely to return to its pre-pandemic norm. The College has circulated two Housing Day proposals among undergraduate House Committee chairs in recent days, according to communications obtained by The Crimson. One proposal would move festivities entirely outdoors and the other would allow for a modified dorm storm. Housing Day is an annual tradition during which freshmen get assigned to one of Harvard’s 12 upperclassman Houses or the Dudley Co-Op. The festivities have been held virtually for the past two years due to the pandemic. This year, the DSO has been working with HoCo members to modify Housing Day’s traditions to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. “The Dean of Students Of
Harvard released an update on masking policy, stating that there would be a decision about future masking at Harvard by March 13th.. CORY K. GORCZYCKI—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
fice is continuing to work closely with the House Committees and First-Year Experience on plans for Housing Day,” Harvard College spokesperson Aaron Goldman wrote in a statement Monday night. “Details of what to expect will be shared with students this week. We are excited to celebrate this special event with in-person programming for the first time since 2019.” Last Wednesday, four HoCo representatives joined administrators from the First-Year Experience Office, Harvard University Health Services, and Environmental Health and Safety to discuss two potential proposals for the pandemic-era in-person Housing Day. HoCo chairs then voted on the two proposals, per an email the DSO sent to HoCo chairs that was obtained by The Crimson, but the results of the election have not yet been revealed. In 2020, Housing Day was postponed and eventually
SEE HOUSING PAGE 7
Ukrainian Students Speak Out Against Russian Invasion By OMAR ABDEL HAQ and ASHLEY R. MASCI CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Nika Rudenko ’24, a sophomore from Ukraine, said hearing about her family’s experiences abroad while trying to keep up with her academics has been “distressful”. “My brother wanted to walk his dog with his son, and they were in the park when they saw nearly 30 military Russian jets flying over them,” she said. “Because there is a strategic point near the house where they live, they started bombing that military airport, and my brother was forced to cover his son with his body and just hide in that park for about an hour and a half.” Like Rudenko, other Ukrainian students on Harvard’s campus have struggled to process the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, five days after Rus
sian President Vladimir Putin invaded the country. Calling the situation “devastating,” Yegor Tverdokhlibov ’25 — whose parents and sister are currently in Ukraine — said he has not been able to fully focus on his academic responsibilities since the conflict began last Thursday. “It’s been four days since I stopped doing anything,” he said. “I could not concentrate on work.” Tverdokhlibov added he faces an “imbalance” trying to stay on track with his academics as a student while maintaining a commitment to his country as a Ukrainian. “I’m torn apart because I also want to help my country,” Tverdokhlibov said. “I don’t want to feel helpless — I want to feel like I’m supporting my people there.” Other students have also expressed similar worries about
staying on top of their schoolwork while keeping up with their families in the line of fire. “I’m alone, and I have to deal with so many things right now, considering that my family is still there,” Rudenko said. “I also have to think about my academics.” Though Natalka A. Bowley ’23 hails from Canada, she has many friends and extended family members still in Ukraine. Bowley said she has experienced a mix of “numbness,” “anger,” and “sadness” about the situation as she receives news updates on the conflict. “I saw pictures of my friend’s house being bombed, and it’s just completely unbelievable,” Bowley said. Bowley added that while she worries when her family members in Ukraine lose touch, she understands their priorities
SEE UKRAINE PAGE 9
Harvard put up a Ukrainian flag on University Hall, an administrative building, Monday in order to show its support for Ukraine. CORY K. GORCZYCKI—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
CAMHS HKS Class Lacks Adequate Resources Wait Times By MILES J. HERSZENHORN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Following years of activism calling for more instruction on race at the Harvard Kennedy School and the murder of George Floyd, HKS added a race and racism requirement to its Master’s of Public Policy program in 2020. The new requirement has been a “huge step forward,” according to HKS professor Khalil G. Muhammad. In the fall, HKS expanded the requirement from a two-week-long intensive module to two half-semester courses. But students say the Kennedy School has failed to provide sufficient institutional support for one of the requirement’s two flagship courses, “Race and Racism in the Making of the United States as a Global Power,” taught by Muhammad. The second course included in the requirement — a six-week class focused on policy — splits students into four sections, each taught by a different professor. Muhammad teaches the
A required Race and Racism course at the Harvard Kennedy School has faced a shortage of resources and teaching staff, prompting student concern. Julian J. Giordano —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
News 7
Editorial 8
Sports 10
TODAY’S FORECAST
first 240-person course alone. Ketaki S. Zodgekar, a firstyear MPP student, said the class was “pretty under-resourced” compared to other mandatory courses at the Kennedy School. “It was pretty notable that one professor — Professor Muhammad — was responsible for 240 students taking this course for the first time,” she said. “My perception was that there wasn’t enough support for the course from HKS administration.” Adam D. Schutzman, a course assistant, said being responsible for an entire cohort of students was challenging for Muhammad. “It’s a large burden to put on one professor for a course that’s supposed to be fully part of the curriculum,” he said. Unlike other courses in the program’s core curriculum, Muhammad’s course met in person only once a week, with its lectures held virtually. First-year MPP student Brittney J. Vevaina said it was
RAINY High: 39 Low:32
SEE HKS PAGE 7
Reach Six Weeks By LUCAS J. WALSH and VIVIAN ZHAO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Want to see a therapist at Harvard? You may have to wait a while. With demand for mental health care soaring nationwide, Harvard University Health Services is in the process of hiring additional clinicians, administrators said last month. But the wait time for new patients to get a therapy appointment with Counseling and Mental Health Services is currently around six weeks long, according to Barbara Lewis, the chief of CAMHS. Lewis said in an interview the current wait times are “not ideal” given that the semester is only 14 weeks long. She pointed to alternative mental health services CAMHS offers, however, including a 24/7 hotline
SEE THERAPY PAGE 9
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