The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 39 |
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
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FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022
OP ED PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
SPORTS PAGE 6
A mid-semester evaluation of assault on campus: Harvard fails
Men’s lacrosse earned its fourth straight victory over BU
Men’s ice hockey fells to Minnesota State in first round of NCAAs
HUPD Sees Leadership Shakeup Under Clay Audit of UC Clears Names By SARAH GIRMA and BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
When longtime Harvard University Police Chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley retired in 2020, he left behind a department roiled by allegations of racism, sexism, and favoritism — part of a toxic work environment some current and former officers alleged he created.Now, two years after Riley’s departure, with a new police chief in place, just three members of his senior leadership team remain on the department’s command staff. Since Victor A. Clay took over as HUPD’s new chief in July, the department’s leadership has undergone a series of sweeping changes. Of the seven senior staff members at the time of Clay’s arrival, four have been reassigned to other divisions or left the school entirely, according to archives of the department’s website. Three new members have since been promoted to the senior leadership team, which has been restructured to include one fewer member and renamed to command staff. HUPD’s longtime deputy
chief, Kevin W. Regan, who was second-in-command for years under Riley, left the department in February. Scott Simas, Robert Harrington, and Wilmon D. Chipman — formerly members of the senior staff team — were reassigned to serve as the department’s watch commanders. Two new senior roles — assistant chief and captain — were established in December, according to HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano. “Since his arrival at the Harvard University Police Department, Chief Clay has prioritized an analysis and consideration of the structure of the Department and its leadership to address organizational needs and to increase operational effectiveness,” Catalano wrote on Thursday. “These internal changes are a part of Chief Clay’s ongoing efforts to meet Department, community and University priorities related to the role of public safety on campus, as well as to ensure both internal and external accountability,” he added. Following Riley’s departure, Regan stayed on as deputy chief
SEE HUPD PAGE 3
An audit of the UC’s finances has “yet to find evidence of any financial irregularities.” By J. SELLERS HILL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Following a spike in Covid-19 cases earlier this month, many Harvard instructors have opted to continue requiring masks in classrooms, even after the University lifted its mask mandate for most indoor spaces last week. As of March 14, instructors may choose whether or not to require students to mask in their classrooms. Many professors are mandating masks for the first week after spring break to wait out a potential spike. Some have taken a stricter approach, requiring masks for the rest of the semester, while others have gone fully mask-optional. Students in classes larger than 250 people are still required to wear masks, but instructors may teach unmasked in classes of all sizes. Harvard saw a surge of Covid-19 cases among undergraduates just before it lifted its mask requirement this month, with 765 undergraduates
An audit of the Undergraduate Council’s finances has “yet to find evidence of any financial irregularities,” according to the report released Thursday in an email from Undergraduate Council President Michael Y. Cheng ’22 and Vice President Emmett E. de Kanter ’24. The audit, which began in January and was conducted by Harvard Risk Management and Audit Services, dispelled allegations of financial mismanagement that have plagued the Council since a particularly contentious presidential election last November. It also made recommendations on procedural changes for the body. The Council voted unanimously to “fully cooperate” with the investigation last December. The audit was expected to conclude by the end of February but was extended several times “in part because of refusals to answer questions,” Cheng wrote in his email. The Dean of Students Office, which disperses funding to the UC, had withheld more than $125,000 from the body in response to the audit. Throughout his Thursday email, Cheng asserted multiple times that the audit had uncovered “extensive financial mismanagement in the UC,” and that some more serious findings had been withheld from the report due to concerns over optics. “Some of the findings of the investigation will not be released publicly because they could cause substantial harm to Harvard’s reputation, given that the UC nominally represents Harvard students to the public,” Cheng wrote in the email. Assistant Dean of Student Engagement and Leadership
SEE MASKS PAGE 5
SEE UC PAGE 3
The Harvard University Police Department’s headquarters are located at 1033 Massachusetts Avenue. JULIAN GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Author Professors Split on Masking in Classrooms Talks Culinary History By ARIEL H. KIM and MEIMEI XU
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
By JOLIN CHAN and JADE LOZADA CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Culinary author and historian Michael W. Twitty delivered a lecture on African and African American food history at a virtual event hosted by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Thursday. The lecture, entitled “Feeding the Nation,” addressed the legacy of enslaved Africans and African Americans in American food culture. Dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute Tomiko Brown-Nagin later joined in conversation with Twitty and fielded audience questions. Twitty began the discussion by addressing a central misconception of African American culinary culture. “We have another sort of fake lore, which is, Black people’s food traditions come from their lack of ownership, their lack of agency, their lack of willpower,” Twitty said. “All of that is completely not true.” Rather, Twitty explained, enslaved African Americans in the American South replicated food traditions and staple recipes from their homelands. Twitty cited the example of dried okra, a recipe that was popular among enslaved Africans in the South but originated in West Africa. Twitty discussed the tendency for society to construct narratives that misrepresent African American culinary history. “When I do my work of reconstructing and piecing back together this narrative, I found that there were so many elements that were just totally overlooked because we were so interested in attaching the narrative of how enslaved people ate, cooked, lived to a trauma narrative,” Twitty said. Twitty also commented on the importance of his research and the obstacles that he faces as a food historian. “As a Black person who has taken on this work for his life, to talk about our ancestors — and these are not just specimens,
SEE RADCLIFFE PAGE 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
Harvard University lifted its masking requirement for indoor spaces earlier this month. Truong L. Nguyen —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Julián Castro Discusses Future of Democrats By MILES J. HERSZENHORN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro discussed the future of the progressive movement in the Democratic Party Thursday evening at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum moderated by Maya Rupert, Castro’s former campaign manager and an IOP spring resident fellow. Castro, who served as mayor of San Antonio for five years, ran an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020. He announced that he intends to return to politics and said he believes U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) could lose if he runs for reelection in 2024. “I think I’ll jump back into public service at some point,” Castro said. “I haven’t made a decision about ’24 or beyond that, but I do think that Cruz is very vulnerable.” Castro will join the faculty of
News 3
Editorial 4
Harvard Law School for the fall semester where he will teach a course about post-pandemic city leadership, according to a press release Monday. He also said he believes Texas can become a Democratic state over the next few years, pointing to California as an example of a state that moved from red to blue. “California was a reliably Republican state for the longest time,” he said. “This is the state that produced Nixon, produced Reagan, produced governors like Deukmejian, Pete Wilson in the 1990s.” Texas shifted towards the Democratic party under former President Donald J. Trump and is continuing to trend in that direction as suburbs that were Republican strongholds become increasingly competitive, according to Castro. “It was that Trump
SEE IOP PAGE 3
Sports 6
Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro spoke at a Thursday IOP Forum moderated by Maya Rupert, the former manager of his presidential campaign. BEN CAMMARATA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 25, 2022
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HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Beer Battered Atlantic Fish Grilled Pizza Sandwhich Vegan Pizza
For Dinner Herb Crusted Cod Spanish-Style Roasted Chicken Quinoa and Minful Chicken
TODAY’S EVENTS Making History on the Supreme Court and Reimagining Democracy Virtual, 4:00 p.m.
IN THE REAL WORLD
Join Donna Brazile and Maya Rupert to discuss Kentaji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination and confirmation hearings.
Western Leaders Gathered for an Emergency Summit on Russia’s War in Ukraine
On Thursday, western leaders convened to discuss the next course of action regarding U.S. sanctions and refugee assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled a new plan to accept up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested more assistance from western countries to put towards fighter jets, tanks, and better air defenses.
Radcliffe Pitches’ Spring Jam Sanders Theater, 8:00 p.m. Who doesn’t love a capella? Come to Sanders for a Spring Jam with the Radcliffe Pitches and Harvard Din & Tonics! Tickets are $10 for Harvard students and $20 for general admission. The Harvard Opportunes’ Spring Jam Lowell Lecture Hall, 8:30 p.m. Head over to Lowell Lecture Hall to see the Harvard Opportunes’ Spring Jam,“Too Opp to Handle.” Tickets are $12 and can be bought at the Harvard box office.
Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Weathers Confirmation Hearings People walk through Harvard Yard on a rainy Thursday afternoon. BEN CAMMARATA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
AROUND THE IVIES Princeton: CPUC Discusses Fossil Fuel Dissociation, Minor Program Pilot, Covid-19 Policy —THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
COLUMBIA: Barnard’s Admissions Policy Neccessitates that Applicants ‘Identify as a Woman.’ What Does that Mean in 2022? —THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, faced an onslaught of questions about her judicial record from Senate Republicans over two days of hearings.
Ukraine Threatens Russia After Successful Counterattacks in Kyiv
Ukrainian soldiers have pushed back against Russian forces from the Kyiv’s outer edges. Over the past two days, Ukraine has regained significant territory that could potentially signal a shift in the war if Russia continues to struggle in advancing to the capital.
BROWN: New Masking, Testing Policies Receive Mixed Feedback on Campus —THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PENN: Penn Pauses Plan to Lift Classroom Mask Mandate on Monday —THE DAILY
COVID UPDATES
LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY
CAMPUS
234 In Isolation
254 0.99% Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
LAST 7 DAYS
CAMBRIDGE
350 1.63% 76%
Total New Cases
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Fully Vaccinated
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Democrats Picked for 1944 by Poll
Following a discussion hosted by the Government department on party issues for the 1944 election, a poll showed that Democrats should remain in the upcoming elections. March 25, 1943
11% of Freshmen to Receive Bottom Three House Choices Data released by the dean’s office showed that more than 175 freshmen would be placed into one of their three bottom house choices. March 25, 1976
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
The Harvard Crimson Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22-’23 Associate Managing Editors Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 President Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24 Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Associate Business Managers Managing Editor Taia M.Y. Cheng ’23-’24 Isabelle L. Guillaume ’24 Amy X. Zhou ’23 Business Manager Editorial Chairs Guillermo S. Hava ’23-24 Orlee G.S. Marini-Rapoport ’23-24
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CORRECTIONS The March 24 story “Allen Reflects on Her Gubernatorial Campaign” misquoted Danielle S. Allen. She said she has spent time “hearing what what people have been up to for the past year.” She did not say she has spent time “hearing what people have been up to for the past few years.”
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
UC FROM PAGE 1
IOP FROM PAGE 1
UC Audit Finds No Irregularities Kate Colleran, who previously served as a mediator for the UC, had a different evaluation of the report.In an email to The Crimson, Colleran asserted that the report represented the full scope of the investigation. “I was pleased that the UC recognized a need to hold themselves accountable in their stewardship of student money by requesting an audit,” Colleran wrote. “I have confirmed with Audit Services that all of their findings are included in the report and no financial irregularities were found.” Cheng later clarified his statements in an interview. “I think being yet to find evidence does not mean that the UC is completely cleared,” Cheng said. “Strictly looking at legal terms, yeah, there are no legal financial irregularities, but there is definitive financial mismanagement.” The report makes conclusions about the merits of six of 12 financial allegations against the body. In one finding, investigators determined that a student organization received $2,190 of funding from the Grant for an Open Harvard College in November 2020 to purchase Patagonia sweaters. The report indicated that the apparel “does not align” with the grant criteria. The report also stated that a UC retreat to Sunapee, NH in the fall of 2021
MARCH 25, 2022
had exceeded its $3000 allocated budget by nearly $4,000. No formal budget for the trip was available, the report also noted. The report evaluated the legitimacy of several claims made during the UC’s officer elections last November, including allegations levied against former Adams House Representative Esther J. Xiang ’23, who was accused of losing, or even stealing, at least $20,000 of Covid-19 relief funding granted by the Council. “We found no evidence that any funds were disbursed, used for other purposes, or otherwise spent improperly by presidential candidate Esther Xiang,” the report states. Xiang and her running mate, David Y. Zhang ’23, were runners-up in the election among six tickets. In a written statement to The Crimson Thursday, Xiang underscored the distress the episode had caused her and advocated for compassion and kindness from her peers. “These were severe accusations, and their insidious intent and destructive power cannot be understated. They affected my relationships, had people questioning my character, and took a deep toll on my mental health and wellbeing,” Xiang wrote. “I hope that this audit brings us clarity, not just about my situation, but about how the UC, its campaigns, and all mem-
bers of the Harvard community should hold themselves more accountable for their actions.” Cheng addressed the findings in his email. “No one deserves to have their reputation destroyed by false, misleading allegations,” he wrote. The report also cleared the Council of tax code violations that were the focus of attacks by Ivor K. Zimmerman ’24 during his bid for UC president in the same election. Zimmerman and his running mate, Joy Y. Lin ’23, campaigned largely on the premise that the UC had violated its own constitution by failing to file for non-profit status since 2008, and that the body was therefore nonexistent. Then-president Noah A. Harris ’22 defended the council against the accusation, clarifying that the Council was automatically granted non-profit status on account of its standing as a Harvard student organization. The UC later voted to remove this constitutional requirement. The report echoed Harris’ explanation. “The UC is not required to file income tax returns since it is sponsored by the DSO and qualifies under the University’s tax-exempt status,” it reads. Zimmerman reacted to the findings with relief. “I don’t want to say I’m disappointed because it’s a good
thing, but obviously, womp womp, ran a campaign on saying it wasn’t real,” he said. The report states that, in two of the 12 allegations investigated, auditors could not make conclusions “based on the unavailability of financial records or inconclusive data.” Four other allegations remain pending. The report also presented a range of procedural recommendations to improve the UC’s financial management practices, including regular review of UC debit card activity. UC Treasurer Kimani E. Panthier ’24 expressed satisfaction with the results of the audit and underscored his commitment to improving the UC’s financial management infrastructure. “My reaction to the audit is that the audit confirms what I knew all along, that there were no financial irregularities,” Panthier said. “I think that these findings demonstrate that we can even further enhance the fiscal responsibility of the UC with the help of the professionals from the independent audit.” The report states that the investigators are “working with UC officers to resolve” the pending allegations and expect “to reach a conclusion in the next few days.” sellers.hill@thecrimson.com
Julián Castro Talks Democratic Party offended the sensibilities of a lot of the people in those suburbs,” Castro said. “These Republicans were saying ‘I didn’t change. I don’t see a place for myself in this party with all this craziness that the MAGA movement is all about.’” Castro said he thinks Beto O’Rourke’s 2022 campaign for governor against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott is going to push Texas closer to the Democratic Party, even if O’Rourke fails to win the election in November. “I think Beto’s race this year is going to help because he’s an indefatigable campaigner,” he said. “And even if people don’t agree with him, he’s a much more likable character than Greg Abbott, and I think he is going to help move the ball forward,” Castro added. “He could win too because Abbott has messed up so much,” Castro added. Castro also explained what he believes the Democratic Party must do if it wants to energize its progressive members. “I think the Democratic Party needs to produce results on some of these issues that strike at the heart of a lot of what progressives want,” he said. “Everybody wants better in-
vestment in education, better results on Covid, more job creation.” But he argued Democrats need to go further than the production of these results by canceling student loans and raising the minimum wage. Castro warned Democrats can impede their own agenda by worrying whether their policies might cost the party the support of independent voters. “I think we get into this quandary of thinking ‘Oh, well, if we do this, this is going to submarine us with the general population or the swing voters’ and Democrats don’t end up being as bold in their pursuit of their policy goals as Republicans sometimes are,” he said. Castro added, however, that the current Republican Party does not currently have an articulated agenda and has become “a cult of Trump.” “I think that the Republican Party is totally unanchored now to real policy goals,” he said. “If Ronald Reagan came alive right now and he saw the way that Tucker Carlson and others are talking about Russia, it would be completely unrecognizable.” “I don’t think they stand for much anymore,” Castro added. miles.herszenhorn@thecrimson.com
HUPD FROM PAGE 1
RADCLIFFE FROM PAGE 1
Harvard Police Department Sees Leadership Shakeup
Author Discusses African American Culinary History
under Denis Downing, who served as the department’s interim leader. After Clay was appointed, Downing and Regan served as deputy chiefs, but in December, the roles were replaced with an assistant chief position that is now held solely by Downing. Regan has since joined the the Burger Law Group. In a March 10 Facebook post, the law firm wrote that Regan recently retired from HUPD, which Catalano confirmed. Regan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.Regan joined HUPD after a stint with the Massachusetts State Police, where
Riley also worked before Harvard.In 2009, Harvard auditors launched an investigation into allegations that Regan and Riley misused their University-issued gas cards and vehicles. Regan allegedly drove his take-home HUPD sport utility vehicle to South Dakota for a 2007 motorcycle rally, paying for the trip with his Harvard gas card, according to a 2009 Boston Globe story. Riley was accused of using his Harvard car and card for weekend trips to Vermont. Another member of Riley’s inner circle, Charles P. Hanson, also departed HUPD fol-
lowing Clay’s arrival. Hanson, a sergeant in the department’s administrative division, negligently fired his weapon in 2018 at a simulation room where officers are not allowed to use real firearms, according to an internal incident report uncovered by a 2020 Crimson investigation. The gunshot caused hearing damage to another officer, Corina F. Maher, who was terminated while on medical leave. Hanson remained until 2021. Hanson did not respond to a request for comment. sarah.girma@thecrimson.com brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com
these are not just subjects, these are our ancestors — I know that I have to be twice as good at it to be just as good,” he said. Twitty highlighted the need for “culinary justice” due to the “theft, erasure, and denial” that Black chefs and cooks have historically experienced. “Our culture and our culinary tradition is at stake here,” he said. Twitty noted that a major part of culinary justice involves properly crediting Black chefs and cooks and challenging those who have “the power, the platform, and the privilege to take [their] culture.”
He called on individuals to help document local Black food institutions, which can be forgotten.
There is something beautiful and sustainable and spiritually purified about understanding that the culture did not die with us. Michael W. Twitty Culinary Historian
“We really do need people to go into their family scrapbooks, find menus, find matchbooks,” Twitty said. “So we can begin to document that part of Black food history in America,” Twitty also said. Concluding his lecture, Twitty reiterated the significance of reclaiming and remembering African American cultural narratives and institutions. “There is something beautiful and sustainable and spiritually purified about understanding that the culture did not die with us,” he said.
From Weeks to Weld.
The Crimson thecrimson.com
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 25, 2022
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EDITORIAL OP-ED
OP-ED
A Mid-Semester Evaluation of Assault on Campus: Harvard Fails
The Lies of Latinidad
By SASHA AGARWAL
I
n the early days of my freshman fall, I left a friend stunned by a revelation of my 3 a.m. weekday shenanigans. Every other night, I walked down alone from Pennypacker Hall to the CVS at the corner of Mass. Ave and JFK Street — untethered to a can of pepper spray. He proceeded to ask me if I really felt that safe as a woman in Cambridge — safe enough to warrant a claim to hours beyond midnight and the absence of self defense in my back pocket. I responded almost defensively. Since childhood, I’ve been accustomed to being catcalled on the street, feigning phone calls in an Uber, and waking up to a new case of curbside assault everyday — despite growing up in one of the safer cities of urban India. Cambridge, then, seemed a world away from the explicit harassment that so characterized my adolescence. After all, I was no longer photographed by men on the street, stared at in public spaces, or cornered in alleyways. The “I’m safer here than I am there” rationale is arguable, but I continue to subscribe to it. Late into freshman year, I no longer look back home to justify my 3 a.m. pursuits. I only need to look next door — at the statistics of on-campus assault at Harvard. Instances of assault here are far more unnerving than those back home, for the immediacy and familiarity of the perpetrators. I feel no safer in class than I do on Mass. Ave, so I deliberately lay claim to the hours and places I’m cautioned against. Just as unnerving is the administration’s response to assault. On paper, they demonstrate an awareness of these statistics and an effort to address them: the 2017 split of the Title IX Office, the implementation of mandatory training for faculty and students, the establishment of anonymous disclosure, and an expansion of the coordinator body. But these demonstrations are untenable with what the numbers have to say: very little has changed in the prevalence of on-campus assault and the infrequency of reporting.
ing system,” writing that, “Multiple individuals, for instance, did not know the difference between the Title IX Office and the ODR” — the Office for Dispute Resolution — “or the difference between a disclosure and a formal complaint.” At its most twisted, this culture transforms into the College’s string of high-profile professors who have sexually harassed and assaulted their students for years with little more than a slap on the wrist. Domínguez. Fryer. Makadon. Bestor. Urton. Comaroff. Harvard has shown it does not protect its women — especially when the reputations of powerful men are at stake. Unsurprisingly, the student body has little faith left in the integrity of the University’s investigative procedures. As the average freshman, I know very little about my first point of contact when I feel unsafe, or what I should expect if I ever need to file a formal complaint. For an institution that aggressively solicits detailed course evaluations twice a semester, I shouldn’t need to defer to writing an op-ed to communicate that. If Harvard is truly committed to addressing its climate of sexual harassment, measures need to move beyond online education modules and prevention training. Assault must be addressed at the heart of the institution’s culture: a restructuring of administrative priorities, a guarantee of action and protection for survivors that come forward, and an emphasis on institutional and individual accountability. As the administration acknowledges its problematic past and identifies where it fails its students, it needs to place more weight on the experiences of individuals most impacted by it. It shouldn’t be easier to navigate the College’s sexual harassment policies as a perpetrator than as a survivor. I shouldn’t feel safer during my nightly unguarded CVS runs than I do on campus.
These two metrics are equally concerning because they are inextricably intertwined in affirming a permissive culture that translates to perceived immunity for perpetrators. Over the first few weeks of first year orientation, we were introduced to Title IX, safety trainings, and an alcohol awareness module. We ran over the ideas of consent and substance use, and were handed a list of emergency contacts. What I was really looking for in these modules, though, was more than knowing to space out my drinks or go to parties in groups. These measures may be essential, but they’re largely preventive. As women, we needed to make sure we never drank too much and always had a ride back home, because the threats of assault were treated as constants; they would simply continue to exist, and we’d have to work our way around them. In contrast, we were told nothing about the repercussions for perpetrators, tangible actions guaranteed by the College if we came forward as victims, or the detailed reporting process a victim could expect to work through. Training modules tell us everything about intervention and avoidance, and nothing about consequence or institutional accountability. This approach promulgates a dangerous culture. As students enter our institution, they are told that their responsibility on campus is to protect themselves and those around them. While this responsibility matters, centering the discussion around it at the cost of other conversations glosses over the many members of the Harvard community that have perpetrated assault themselves, implying that these individuals are immune to consequence. Coupled with the convolutions of reporting mechanisms, it comes as no surprise that some students lack confidence in the existing reporting procedures — and perhaps even fear it — while others assume immunity from consequence. In a report on sexual harassment at Harvard, an external review comittee found “widespread confusion about even the most fundamental aspects of the report-
—Sasha Agarwal ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Pennypacker Hall.
Submit an Op-Ed Today! The Crimson @thecrimson
COLUMN
The Brain Dumping Abby T. Forbes THE TRADES
H
ave you ever noticed the way birthday candles melt? A carnival-colored cascade, dripping bright pinks and yellows, melting too quick for comfort. For Claudia Cabral, that fast melt marked the time to slow down. Not that she had a choice — her 20th birthday fell on the same day she was sent home at the outbreak of the pandemic. It would have been her last birthday at MIT. And it would have been the last one regardless — one semester later, Claudia would be accepted as a transfer student to Harvard. School had always been immensely important to Claudia. She is the first in her family to graduate from high school — let alone college. It wasn’t until her success at an extremely STEM-focused South Florida high school that she found the courage to apply to an elite college. After discovering her first academic encouragement among pendulums and protractors, she was drawn to more of the same. She came to see that her science and math mind was what would open doors for her, to the point where she convinced herself that she liked science and math. Claudia describes the pressure of being a First-Generation college student as the feeling of being a racehorse with blinders on. It’s a fear-fueled focus. One that screams that if you drop the ball just once, even a little, you could lose everything you’ve worked for. It’s only natural, then, that Claudia took her technical talents and ran with them all the way to one of the top biomedical engineering programs in the country — if not the world. On the surface, Claudia thrived there, joining many clubs and diving into her classes. But in reality, she joined club after club and tried class after class just
to try to find one that she felt genuinely drawn to — to no avail. But it was while trying class after class that Claudia realized what truly captivated her. After cross-registering for an introductory sociology class at Harvard, she was so excited by the nonSTEM material that she glowed when she talked about it. When her family visited Boston one weekend of her sophomore year, they noticed her newfound excitement around school. That’s when the thought flashed across her mind: What if Harvard? By the time the Common App transfer application opened in November, Claudia knew she was going to give it her all. On her long walks to classes, she turned it over and over in her mind. She would take notes constantly, giving ink to any useful thought that struck her, filling up notebook pages with what she affectionately deemed as “brain dumping.” After countless hours spent in front of her essays, she turned in her application in early March, the week before she had to leave campus for the pandemic. Then, three months into the pandemic, that brain dumping ended up being quite valuable – against the 1 percent admission rate’s odds, Claudia was accepted as a transfer to Harvard. She was overjoyed, even while it would be almost a year before she could set foot on Harvard’s campus. During that time, she realized that it was time to set her course. She drew on support from her family to combat burnout – the burnout unique to years of hard work on something that isn’t the right fit for you. Laughing alongside her siblings over snacks between classes, Claudia learned to lean into what interested her. She gave herself the space to enjoy the humanities and the social sciences that lit a fire in her mind, even if it wasn’t what she had been encouraged for all her aca-
demic life. Her life in the biomedical engineering environment had felt too constricting, too fast, like candles poised to smother a birthday cake in wax. A forced slow-down was just what her motivation needed. Coming from a First-Generation background, Claudia had always felt a few steps behind in internship and research experience. She used this new time to hone new skills that she had never had the chance to work on before. And while she did, she found a creativity and a playfulness that had always lived within her. Nothing takes more courage than recognizing the dream you’ve worked for your whole life might not be the right fit — and doing something about it. Claudia manifested that courage to try new ways of expressing herself at Harvard, where she’s part of the ballroom dance team and the meditation club. She’s a member of the coveted public speaking class, Expos 40. She studies sociology, different from biomedical engineering but equally human-centric, and thus captivating to Claudia. She learned the value of being courageous not just in standing up for others, but in standing up for herself when her path was not right. Three semesters away from in-person school, and now a different school altogether, helped Claudia see that college was not forever. That she had achieved her dream of college by any standards. And that now, life was not only about surviving, but about flourishing. Many thanks to Claudia Cabral ’22 of Lowell House for sharing your story. —Abby T. Forbes ’22 is a Philosophy concentrator in Adams House. Her column “The Trades” appears on alternate Fridays.
By BRIAN BALTAZAR PIMENTEL
N
o, Latinidad does not assume a Mexican nationality. No, it does not include Spain. And no, it does not make you not-white. It also does not mean you speak Spanish. Think of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” and its cast, with its pale shades of brown and white people dancing to Afro-beats — not Latinidad. The political identity has worn many hats throughout its history: Latin-American, Hispanic, Latino, Latinx, and most recently, Latine. We rally to change its name time after time, to rebrand ourselves to fit the politics of the current ruling ideology. But perhaps the time has come to retire Latinidad, for it is nothing but a facade meant to erase the Black, Indigenous, poor, and other oppressed peoples of Latin America beneath the crushing weight of its long, colonial structure. The problem with Latinidad is not in its name, but in its function to reinforce a monolith of more than 660 million people into one identity, excluding — and killing, but more on that later on — those who do not fit its image. During the 2020 Presidential election, President Biden and his campaign made strong efforts to win over what has come to be known as the “Latino Vote” — quite literally the ballot of a person identifying as Latino. Humorously, they ran on promises of immigration reform, which included returning the caged children to their parents; Dreamers’ protection; and Latine Cabinet officials. However, Biden’s campaign was surprised when there was significant — or quite frankly, any — Latine support for Trump after his notorious xenophobic remarks. Biden and his team had assumed that all Latinos care about issues of immigration, poverty, and race. They had reached for a monolith too tall for even the presidency.
I met my first set of Argentines and Cubans with winter white skin, sky blue eyes, and sun blonde hair. I had once held a similar notion of blanket Latine identity. I went to high school with a majority of Mexican students. Of course, we had many white Mexicans, but it was not until I got to Harvard that I saw the degree of whiteness that Latinos could reach. I met my first set of Argentines and Cubans with winter white skin, sky blue eyes, and sun blonde hair. Mexican poet and Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz once famously said, “Mexicans are descended from the Aztecs, Peruvains from the Incas, and Argentinians from ships.” These are the general origin stories of three Latin American nations, the last alluding to the heavy European presence in Argentina, especially from Germany. I am not saying that all Argentines and Cubans are white. I know they are not. However, for only up to 9 percent of Argentinians today to hold African ancestry, despite the country importing about half as many enslaved people as the U.S. did, is shocking. Harvard’s Cubans shocked me because the only Cuban I “knew” all of my life was Black — Celia Cruz. It was upon meeting Harvard’s Argentines and Cubans that I learned of the thousands of Nazis that fled to Argentina and of the wealthy, landowning, majority-white Cubans that fled from communism to areas like Miami. Mexico, too, has ongoing violence against its Black and Indigienous populations, the majority of whom live in poverty. Latinidad, rather than representing all the peoples it is meant to, assumes one experience from the white, Spanish-speaking, and Catholic-Christian people from Latin American nations, actively erasing and killing its Black, Indigenous, and poor people. Latinidad, in this violent, colonial form, must end. I championed Latinidad growing up, raised on myths of our ability to work hard and committed to represent the richness of Mexico. But when I set foot at this school, the monolith began to crumble. Latinidad has written its own undoing. It cannot synthesize all the people of Latin America into one identity. Yes, we can just begin using Latinidad to mean from a Latin American country, but what then? Will systemic racism and ethnic and racial cleansing cease in these countries? Will the material conditions of its Black, Indigneous, and poor people better and allow them joy and life?
The lies of Latinidad go far back, surround us, and cut deep. They kill. At Harvard, there are multiple Latine clubs. Yet these clubs have visibly subpar membership from Brown Latines, let alone the negligible amount from Black Latines. In fact, some of these clubs are led by white Latines. There may even be a Spanish student in the Harvard Organization of Latin America, despite Spain being a European country. Latinidad at Harvard is nothing more than a lie. The lies of Latinidad go far back, surround us, and cut deep. They kill. To not question Latinidad, even with the hope to better it, if not end it, is to perpetuate its colonial violence. Let us retire the term for the time being while it is questioned and speak on subjects with specificity. Before we can address issues faced disproportionately by Black, Indigenous, and poor people in Latin American countries, the colonial tower of Latinidad must be toppled. —Brian Baltazar Pimentel ’23, is a Crimson Editorial editor in Eliot House concentrating in English.
PAGE 5
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 25, 2022
MASKS FROM PAGE 1
Professors Split Over Mask Usage in Classrooms testing positive in the four weeks prior to spring break, according to Harvard’s Covid-19 testing dashboard. More than 75 Harvard affiliates, mostly graduate students and staff, signed onto a petition created this month calling on Harvard to reinstate its mask mandate.The open letter said the current mask-optional policy “puts the onus of protection on those who are most vulnerable.” In an email announcing the changes to masking policies, Harvard administrators wrote the school may return to mandating indoor masking if health risks increase.
“The University and its advisers will continue to monitor indicators of pandemic activity regionally and within our community, placing particular weight on severity of illness and hospitalization rates,” administrators wrote on March 7. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences recommended that instructors consult Harvard’s testing dashboard to assess the risks that teaching a large number of students would pose as they consider their individual classroom protocol. Students in Life Sciences 1b must wear masks during lecture due to the course’s size, which exceeds 250 students.
For lab sections this week, instructors asked students to wear masks since many traveled over break, according to Biology professor Hopi E. Hoekstra, an instructor for the course. Hoekstra wrote in an email that instructors will reassess at the end of this week and may allow individual teaching staff to decide whether to continue the mask mandate for lab sections. Philosophy lecturer Seth Robertson also asked his students to keep their masks on this week but said he will reevaluate based on case counts. Even though unmasking helps instructors to gauge their students’ reactions, Robertson
said “the health and safety of the students has to come first.” Some faculty chose to mandate masks indefinitely. Adam R. Singerman ’09, who is a lecturer in Linguistics, said that he decided to continue requiring masks for Linguistics 117R: “Linguistic Field Methods,” a class with under 15 students. “I told the class I’d like everyone to continue to mask after break because the room is small and we’re in there for two hours, and I don’t want anyone to feel unsafe,” he said. “It’s not the kind of class you can Zoom in for — you have to be there and participate in per-
Harvard, 24/7.
The Crimson
son.” Other faculty decided to go mask-optional immediately upon returning from spring break. Government and African and African American Studies professor Jennifer L. Hochschild said she will allow students and teaching fellows to decide whether to wear a mask. ords “I just find it a lot easier to teach just because I’m talking a lot, but it isn’t anything about whether I’m taking any strong stance,” she said. “If any of my students suggested, or anybody else suggested, that they would prefer
that I wear a mask, I would say, ‘sure.’” Sarah J. Hummel, a visiting assistant professor in Government, said the option to unmask leaves instructors with a difficult decision, but they aim to promote the “best interest of our students.” “It’s really hard for professors to make the decision to keep our students masked knowing that a lot of students won’t like that, but also to unmask them knowing that that might increase risks,” she said. “It’s a complicated issue.” ariel.kim@thecrimson.com meimei.xu@thecrimson.com
SPORTS
WEEKLY RECAP
SCORES
BASEBALL VS. UCLA L, 2-3 ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S TENNIS VS. BYU L, 4-2 ___________________________________________________________
SOFTBALL AT YALE L, 3-4 ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL VS. SACRED HEART W, 3-1 ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. JACKSONVILLE L, 21-8 ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S LACROSSE VS. BROWN W, 12-11 ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S TENNIS VS. UNIV. OF SAN DIEGO L, 4-3 ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Crimson’s Season Ends in Opening Round of NCAAs By BRIDGET T. SANDS and AARON B. SHUCHMAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Despite engineering late comebacks and surprising upsets throughout its run to the NCAA tournament, the No.15 Harvard men’s ice hockey team’s season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Regionals Thursday afternoon, as it was unable to erase a three-goal deficit in an eventual 4-3 loss to the No.1 Minnesota State Mavericks. The game was played at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. “We’ve been in that situation a few times this year and been able to come back completely. So I definitely had confidence there and it just shows the resilience of this group that we’ve had here,” said senior forward and captain Casey Dornbach. In the first period, the Mavericks dominated possession, outshooting the Crimson 19-6. However, Harvard stood strong in its defensive zone, led by junior goalkeeper Mitchell Gibson’s 17 saves, as well as a strong performance by the team’s top defense pairing of junior Henry Thrun and first-year Ian Moore. However, with just under six minutes remaining in the period, Minnesota State opened the scoring. With Gibson out of position and screened after a chaotic netfront scramble, forward Connor Gregga tipped in defenseman Akito Hirose’s rocket from the point, giving the Mavericks the 1-0 lead. About three minutes later, the Crimson were whistled for having too many players on the ice, taking a minor penalty and sending the Mavericks to the power play. They capitalized on this advantage, as Hirose’s slick shot fake from the point created time and space for forward Reggie Lutz, who wired the puck into the open net for the 2-0 lead. In the final two minutes of the period, tensions continued to rise, as Minnesota State defenseman Benton Maas was sent to the box for tripping with
39 seconds to go, allowing Harvard to start the second period a man up. Ultimately, the Crimson was unable to execute on the one minute, 21 seconds of the remaining power play it had at the beginning of the second period. It soon found itself down by three goals just over two minutes in, as an unassisted ripper by Mavericks forward Brendan Furry from the top of the slot extended the Minnesota State lead to 3-0. “They were a great team and they played well, but I think we didn’t play our best and gave them a few,” Dornbach said. “I think that just shows where our hockey is going to be able to compete with the best teams in the country.” After the third goal, Minnesota State kept an aggressive pace of attack. Just past the halfway mark of the period, in a desperate attempt to prevent a goal, Harvard senior defenseman Marshall Rifai illegally passed the puck with his hand in the crease, a violation that granted the Mavericks a penalty shot. Forward Julian Napravnik took the one-on-one against Gibson, but was denied. Gibson’s effort was the first penalty shot save for Harvard since February 27th, 2016. This stop seemed to shift the momentum in favor of the Crimson. After killing a penalty assessed to Rifai for roughing, Harvard’s offense became more aggressive, as the Crimson began to control possession. With just over three minutes to play in the second, a shot by sophomore forward Sean Farrell from below the goal line deflected off of a defender and past Mavericks goaltender Dryden McKay, making it a 3-1 game. Just 48 seconds later, firstyear forward Alex Gaffney cut the lead in half, controlling possession off of an offensive zone entry and driving hard to the net. Gaffney’s maneuvers lured McKay across the crease, creating space for a neat finish to send Harvard to the dressing
CAPTAIN CASEY Harvard senior forward and captain Casey Dornbach celebrates after scoring to cut the Crimson’s deficit to 4-3 late in the third period. With the loss to Minnesota State, Harvard was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. PHOTO COURTSEY GIL TALBOT/HARVARD ATHLETICS
room only down 3-2. Entering the third period just one shot away from erasing the early three-goal deficit, Harvard carried its late second period momentum into its play to start the third. The Crimson wgenerated offense on two consecutive shifts to start the period before junior forward and captain Nick Abruzzese had a golden opportunity at the front of the net denied by McKay’s left pad. The Mavericks quickly countered the other way, with leading scorer Nathan Smith creating a partial breakaway that Gibson shut down. Minutes later, after Harvard maintained possession in the Minnesota State zone for an extended period, the Mavericks were able to chip the puck out of the zone past the group of Crimson players stationed along the boards, creating an odd-man break for the Mavericks. Off the rush, forward Ondrej Pavel’s
missile of a wrist shot beat Gibson over his glove, extending the Minnesota State lead to 4-2 with 14 minutes to play. Both teams clamped down on the defensive end after Pavel’s goal, as the Mavericks consistently prevented Harvard from generating clean offensive zone entries, extended offensive zone pressure, or high danger scoring chances. However, with just over five minutes to play, Smith was sent to the box for tripping first-year forward Matthew Coronato, giving the Crimson a power play and a chance to stay alive. Although Harvard’s first power play unit was ineffective at creating offense, the Crimson came to life with the second unit on the ice. With Gibson on the bench to create a six-on-four advantage, Farrell fired a crossice pass from the right circle to Dornbach on the left wing, who attempted to find junior for-
ward John Farinacci at the net. However, Dornbach’s pass deflected off a Mavericks defenseman and past McKay, cutting the deficit to 4-3 with three and a half minutes to play. With the opportunity to orchestrate yet another late game comeback to keep its season alive, Harvard had several dangerous chances in the final minutes of the game. Sophomore forward Alex Laferriere had two slap shot opportunities from the top of the slot, but he was twice blocked by the Mavericks’ David Silye. Coronato also had two chances at an open net, once on a one-timer and another time on a backhand off a rebound, but he couldn’t get enough on the shot to beat McKay. With time ticking down, Minnesota State pinned the puck in the corner, preventing any further Crimson chances and eliminating Harvard from the NCAA tournament.
“They were doing a good job of getting in lanes,” Abruzzese said. “They didn’t make it easy on us all night and the last 20 seconds was kind of a microcosm of that.” Despite the disappointing finish to the Crimson’s season, Dornbach expressed pride at the team’s accomplishments, which include an Ivy League title and an ECAC Championship, and his optimism for the future. “We had a lot to be proud of in this room, in this group, for how young we were and how many people probably wrote us off because of that,” Dornbach said. “It shows a lot where this program is going, and the talent that we have…a lot of great players on this team. So excited to see what they could do in the future.” bridget.sands@thecrimson.com aaron.shuchman@thecrimson.com
MEN’S LACROSSE
Harvard Topples No. 12 BU in Fourth Straight Win By KATHARINE FORST CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Harvard men’s lacrosse team (5-1, 1-0 Ivy League) blew past its third-straight ranked opponent in no. 12 Boston University on Tuesday. The Crimson played a cohesive game that helped propel itself to victory over its undefeated Boston rival. Face off play by senior fogo Steven Cuccurullo (14 for 21 on the day), and wings firstyear Martin Nelson, who battled to scoop up 7 ground balls, and sophomore Greg Campi
si showed great improvement from the team’s previous showings against Brown and Michigan. The unit went 15 for 25, a much better stat than its 4 for 26 against Brown. Harvard was able to turn many of the takes into either three-on-three or three-on-two scrums if it was unsuccessful in winning the initial clamp, which allowed it to take advantage of more offensive possession time. “Martin Nelson and Greg Campisi are two great athletes, and two great ground ball guys. They are all to credit. They are able to dominate. They really
listened to the game plan well” complimented Cuccurullo. First-year attackman Sam King was a standout on the offensive line, as he often had his defender hung up in front of the cage which allowed him to attack up the GLE (goal line extended) as well as facilitate movement with feeds from behind. King tallied four goals on the day. The other two guys on the line, senior Austin Madronic and junior Hayden Cheek, both played well. Madronic had three goals and two assists on the day, and Cheek boasted two goals.
“It was offensively good, a team effort – guys putting themselves in good places and being unselfish,” King said. “We need to work on making the smart decisions at all points of the game and just cleaning up some of the stick skills. Overall it was a good win, we gritted it out.” King was complimentary of the defense, which locked down on its sets and communicated through picks and switches well. First-year defenders Tommy Martinson and Collin Bergstrom were standouts throughout the game and forced Michi-
RED HOT Since falling to No. 8 Ohio State in the second match of the season, Harvard has won four straight games, three of which were against ranked opponents. BRENDAN J. CHAPUIS—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
gan to spread its plays. “I thought that we played well defensively. They were a good inside team. We missed some slides that led to some goals,” King said. “I thought we guarded well … close defense and our guys didn’t get beat off the dribble too much, but we did get beat inside. There are things to work on before the next game.” Middies stood out on both ends of the field with junior Nick Loring and first-years Miles Botkiss, Owen Gaffney and Andrew Perry all notching a goal. Loring also boasted two assists for a combined three points on the day. Botkiss made a heads up play sinking a shot from midfield on an open net with BU’s goalie out for the 10 man ride. The 10 man ride is when a team sends its goalie out of the cage to defend the clear. It can be effective in slowing down and stopping the ball from crossing the fifty in the twenty seconds allotted to the offending team, but is incredibly high risk as it leaves the goal unattended. Harvard did a good job handling this pressure for the most part and was able to successfully clear the ball for the majority of its possessions. When asked, Perry said that the team practiced breaking this zone, but that they will look to be more poised when playing against it in the future. Future opponent and rival Yale employs this zone for much of its ride, so it will be important for the team to feel confident against this style of play. “We needed to settle down and stay patient,” Perry said. “The first few possessions we
rushed it and didn’t really get into our offense, but then once we got into our six-v-six and ran our stuff, and didn’t let them dictate the game, it started to work better for us.” On the other side of the ball, first-year Ray Dearth, junior Chase Yager, and junior Bryn Evans did well flying in on the fast breaks, fronting their cutters, and were able to clear upfield with time to allow the offense to get in its sets. They made heads up slides and forced BU to stretch its field for outside shots, which caused their offense to make extra passes that resulted in sloppy play that Harvard capitalized on by fighting for ground balls. Senior goalie Kyle Mullin was on fire in cage. He made 12 solid saves, stuffing countless BU attempts on the doorstep. His clearing was also impressive as he helped the defense break BU’s ride. The team will look to clean up its play a little bit before its game against Dartmouth on Saturday. The man up unit went 0-2 on the day, and junior attackman Hayden Cheek commented after the victory against Brown last week that special teams was an aspect the squad was looking to improve on, so they should be looking to continue improving on that. The team is excited for more league play to get underway. “Obviously our goal is to win this game, and to win an Ivy League title, and that starts with this next game. I’m super excited to play them, they are … really good this year,” Cuccurullo said. katharine.forst@thecrimson.com