The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 30
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CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
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MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
SPORTS PAGE 6
Cities that want elite institutions must push for affordable housing
Men’s lacrosse beat Fairfield, 16-12, on the road Saturday
Men’s volleyball clinched the Ivy League title with 2 wins over Princeton
Housing Day Plans Finalized By AUDREY M. APOLLON CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Housing Day — the annual tradition where Harvard freshmen find out their upperclassman housing assignments — will take place in-person with significant Covid-era restrictions on Thursday. Harvard College’s Dean of Students Office announced last Friday that the school will allow upperclassmen to conduct dorm storming — where house residents notify freshmen of their assignments — in small groups. The event will mark the first in-person housing day since 2019. The College considered two Housing Day proposals as it sought to adapt the tradition to pandemic rules. After holding a vote of undergraduate House Committee chairs, the DSO selected a plan allowing for in-person dorm storming, rather than an outdoor option. The announcement comes
Gay to Revise Tenure System
amid an uptick of positive Covid-19 cases among Harvard undergraduates. Last week, 145 College students tested positive for the virus — more than any other week of the pandemic to date. The Dean of Students Office, which worked with HoCo members and Harvard University Health Services officials to develop a modified plan, announced the Housing Day regulations to freshmen in a March 4 email. At 8 a.m. Thursday, upperclassmen representing each of Harvard’s 12 houses and the Dudley Co-Op will gather in Harvard Yard to prepare for the festivities. Promptly at 8:30, the upperclassmen students will “storm” the freshmen dorms in groups of three. In a break from tradition, upperclassmen will only be allowed to enter hallways — not rooms — while they celebrate for a maximum of five minutes. Masks will be
Harvard’s FAS dean said she will release plans to implement changes to the tenure process By ARIEL H. KIM and MEIMEI XU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
health and safety guidelines throughout the pandemic. She added that the decision to reopen physical spaces to visiting researchers was based on University visitor guidance. The reopening will benefit more than 3,200 special borrowers with active accounts. “With our spaces reopening, these special borrowers may again access circulating physical collections within library spaces and browse the stacks in-person before choosing materials to borrow,” Burgess wrote. “Folks impacted could be everyone from a prospective student viewing an exhibit in Houghton to an author conducting research for a book in the Archives,” she added. “Individual libraries and archives manage the visitors to their spaces and collections locally.” Non-Harvard affiliates have the option of choosing between two types of access — a library access card and a library
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said in an interview last Wednesday she hopes to release plans in the coming weeks on how to implement recommendations issued last fall by a committee that reviewed Harvard’s tenure process. The committee, chaired by Biology professor Hopi E. Hoekstra, released a report last October that said the FAS’ tenure-track system is “structurally sound,” but ladder faculty feel a “lack of trust in” and “low morale” about the process. The tenure review process has long drawn criticism from faculty, particularly for its use of confidential ad hoc committees. In early 2020, more than 100 faculty members called for a formal review of the tenure system after the University denied tenure to Romance Languages and Literatures associate professor Lorgia García Peña. In an email to members of the FAS last October, Gay wrote that she would work with the Office of Faculty Affairs, as well as with divisional and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences deans, to implement the committee’s recommendations. Gay said Wednesday she has been working with the academic deans to develop a plan for implementing the recommendations, adding that the committee collected additional input following the release of its report. “For the remainder of the fall semester, Professor Hoekstra and the Committee did
SEE REOPEN PAGE 3
SEE GAY PAGE 3
SEE HOUSING PAGE 3
CAMILLE G. CALDERA—CRIMSON DESIGNER
Libraries Reopen to Outside Researchers By JORGE O. GUERRA and DAVIN W. SHI CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
The Harvard Library reopened its physical spaces to visiting researchers and special borrowers last week for the second time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Though library spaces first reopened to visiting researchers in October, the library did not grant access to non-Harvard affiliates this semester until Feb. 28. Harvard affiliates have had access to the libraries’ physical spaces since September. Visiting researchers must schedule an appointment and bring proof of vaccination to the Access and Borrowing Office in Widener Library before they can use the library’s physical spaces, per the Harvard Library website. Anna Burgess, a spokesperson for the Harvard libraries, wrote in an email that library leadership has been closely monitoring University-wide
The special collections held in Harvard’s libraries reopened to researchers not affiliated with the University at the end of February. CHRISTOPHER HIDALGO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
UC Passes a Series of Funding Bills By J. SELLERS HILL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Meeting online due to a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases among Harvard undergraduates, the Undergraduate Council had a largely amicable session Sunday, funding a variety of initiatives before striking down three bills regarding the school’s Covid-19 restrictions. In a fast-paced meeting that covered eight pieces of legislation, the Council successfully allocated funding for care packages for Harvard custodial and HUDS workers, club grants, and menstrual products. In a point of contention, the body voted not to consider two proposed resolutions and a referendum related to campus Covid-19 restrictions. The Council initially appeared to pass a bill to publicize a summer storage program subsidized by the UC, but the proposal turned out to fall short of the constitutional benchmark of 36 votes. A vote to pass funding for a “Racial Inclusivity & Advoca
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
HGSE Alumni of Color Gather at Conference By PATON D. ROBERTS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
cy Week” was paused because the Council’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee had not previously voted to allocate its funding for the initiative. UC Treasurer Kimani Panthier ’24, who sponsored the bill, explained that the DEI committee was not meeting regularly because it had yet to elect a chair, with UC President Michael Y. Cheng ’22 clarifying the delay. “It has to be a majority vote of the executive board. I have appointed two people that are highly qualified and [the] executive board voted both times to reject them,” said Cheng. “We’re going to try again every time, but that is the situation.” After the source of funding for the bill was amended, it passed. The final segment of the meeting featured scattered disagreement surrounding proposed measures to critique Harvard’s response to the pandemic. The Council declined to
The Harvard Graduate School of Education hosted its 20th annual Alumni of Color Conference on Friday and Saturday, with a theme of “Passing the Torch of Knowledge: Movements Toward Liberation Through Education”. More than 500 attendees registered for the conference. Harvard students, faculty, staff and HGSE alumni from the Class of 2021 were invited to participate in person while all other attendees joined the conference virtually. Friday’s events began with a keynote panel on the path to equality in education moderated by HGSE student and AOCC co-chair Maungsai “Sai” Somboon. The panel featured HGSE alumni Jaynemarie E. Angbah, James E. O. Hankins II, Eurmon Hervey Jr., Raul “Ito” Juarez, Daren A. Graves, and Timothy Begaye. “Throughout history, educators have been on the front lines and have illuminated our classrooms and communities with the torch of knowledge,” Somboon said in his introduction to
SEE UC PAGE 3
SEE HGSE PAGE 3
News 3
Editorial 4
Sports 6
The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s 20th Alumni of Color Conference took place on March 4-5. JOEY HUANG—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
TODAY’S FORECAST
RAINY High: 54 Low: 37
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 7, 2022
PAGE 2
HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Meatball Sub Shrimp with Fettucini Vegan Meatball Sub
For Dinner Cod Relish with Red Peppers Mexican Chicken Kale and Potato Enchilada Bake
TODAY’S EVENTS Arrival: Virtual Panel Discussion Virtual, 4-5p.m.
IN THE REAL WORLD
Stuck in quarantine with COVID-19? In the mood for both an entertaining and intellectually stimulating discussion to help cure your quarantine slump? Hop on a zoom with the Mind Brain and Behavior Faculty Initiative for a screening of hit film Arrival followed by a panel discussion about communication with alien lifeforms.
Ukraine War Continues, With Global Economic Implications
As war in Ukraine rages on, ripple effects are occurring throughout the globe. The war will have drastic effects on the food industry, raising prices and interrupting supply chains.
Protests Over Covid-19 Mandates Causes Traffic Around Washington
A large convoy of vehicles bearing American flags circled the nation’s capital on Sunday. This parade of slow-moving vehicles, meant to protest Covid-19 restrictions, led to significant traffic around Washington, D.C.
Diversity Dialogue: Affirmative Action Grays Lower Lounge, 7- 8:30 p.m. Join the Harvard Foundation for the first diversity dialogue of the semester! Head to Grays for an opportunity to discuss affirmative action and its effects with your peers over greek food. RSVP for free Saloniki! Pre-Health Question Center Virtual, 8 p.m.
PHOTOGRAPHER
AROUND THE IVIES DARTMOUTH: Roughly 29% of the Total Student Body Has Tested Positive for Covid-19 This Calendar Year —THE DARTMOUTH
Wildfire Related State of Emergency Declared in Multiple Florida Counties
Three Florida counties are currently in a state of emergency due to four rapid, dangerous wildfires. At the moment, 10,000 acres are burning and 600 homes are under evacuation orders. The fires are burning quickly across the panhandle.
COLUMBIA: Math Professor’s Analysis Raises Questions About Columbia’s U.S. News Ranking —THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR BROWN: Brown Prepares to House Displaced Ukrainian Scholars —THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
YALE: As the Sackler Family Pays Out $6 Billion in a Settlement, Yale Maintains Its Ties —THE YALE DAILY NEWS
COVID UPDATES
CAMPUS LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY
Still deeply confused about what being pre-med even means? Today’s the day for you medical school hopefuls to ask some of those questions that have been in the back of your mind (like what does MCAT stand for??) on zoom with the Pre-Health Liaison Peer Advising Fellows.
A view from the 10th floor of the Smith Campus Center on February 20. ADDISON LIU—CRIMSON
384 In Isolation
1.12%
265
Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
LAST 7 DAYS
CAMBRIDGE
453 1.09% 76%
Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
Fully Vaccinated
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Freshman in the Houses
An investigation into the housing system found disagreement among students and faculty over the system of waiting until sophomore year to house students in the Houses. Students also disagreed over the process of interviewing students and blocking groups to admit students to Houses. “This is like applying to college all over again,” one student said. March 7, 1972
Racist Prank Calls Plague Students
An anonymous caller or callers placed a slew of harassing phone calls – many of which included anti-Asian sentiments – to students. Lt. Lawrence J. Murphy of the Harvard University Police Department said he received 15 reports of such calls. March 7, 1992
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
STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Arts Chairs Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23
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Magazine Chairs Maliya V. Ellis ’23-’24 Sophia S. Liang ’23
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Blog Chairs Ellen S. Deng ’23-’24 Janani Sekar ’23-’24
Technology Chairs Ziyong Cui ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24
Night Editor Virginia L. Ma ’23
Design Editors Camille G. Caldera ’22
Assistant Night Editors Kenneth Gu ’25 Eric Yan ’24
Photo Editor Pei Chao Zhuo ’23
Story Editors Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24
Editorial Editor Christina M. Xiao ’24 Sports Editor Caroline Gage ’25
Sports Chairs Alexandra N. Wilson ’23-’24 Griffin H. Wong ’24
Copyright 2022, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.
CORRECTIONS The March 4 article “Davis Center Hosts China-Russia Talk” incorrectly stated March 3 panel on China’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was hosted by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. In fact, it was hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovtion and co-sponsored by the Davis Center.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 7, 2022
HOUSING FROM PAGE 1
Housing Day Plans Finalized required. Prior to the pandemic, upperclassmen students were allowed to enter freshmen dormitories with no time or capacity limits.
Housing Day Rules •
Students must remain masked indoors
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Only one dorm storm team should be in an entryway at a time
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HoCo reps will not enter rooms
Freshmen will be allowed to opt-out of dorm storming and instead receive their housing assignments via email at noon on Thursday.
After all freshmen receive their assignments, the path to Annenberg Hall will be decorated with tables from the houses and Dudley, where freshmen will be able to pick up merchandise on their way to lunch. Per tradition, freshmen will then attend in-person events in the evening with their assigned house. On the eve of Housing Day, many freshmen also take part in River Run, a tradition where they take shots of alcohol at each of Harvard’s nine river houses in an ill-fated bid to avoid being assigned to the oft-undesired Radcliffe Quadrangle. The DSO said it would assign security guards to monitor Harvard Yard and the River houses to “ensure a safe and fun night.” audrey.apollon@thecrimson.com
Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana was held up by two students from Cabot House during traditional in-person festivities on Housing Day in 2018. CALEB D. SCHWARTZ—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
GAY FROM PAGE 1
UC FROM PAGE 1
Gay Discusses Planned UC Representatives Allocate Changes to Tenure Process Funding for Organizations extensive additional consultation with the department chairs, the Standing Committee on Women, and the Faculty Council to help support our implementation planning of those recommendations,” she said. The October report defended the University’s current tenure review timeline. Additionally, it recommended that the University continue offering tenure only at the full professor rank. However, the Committee recommended that the Univer-
sity examine its use of secretive ad hoc committees, which the report noted “erodes faculty trust.” Furthermore, the Committee suggested establishing “more rigorous” standards for a faculty member’s promotion to an associate professorship, increasing flexibility for internal and external evaluative letters requirements, as well as improving communication between departments, deans, and candidates. “It really will call for a great-
er level of engagement and participation by senior faculty in the tenure-track system,” Gay said Wednesday. “So not just engagement at the moment of review, but the continued engagement and metrics that will help to make our tenure track system as successful as it can be.” “That is one overarching feature of implementation that I think will be evident in the plan,” she added. ariel.kim@thecrimson.com meimei.xu@thecrimson.com
consider a bill proposed by Cheng and Ethics and Transparency Caucus Chair Ben Weatherwax ’24 that would establish a campus-wide referendum on the University’s health and safety policies. Quincy House Representative Patrick I. Adolphus ’22, who ran on a platform of reducing Covid-19 restrictions, proposed two resolutions calling on the Undergraduate Council to release statements urging Harvard administrators to revise Covid policies. The statements would call
HGSE FROM PAGE 1
past legislation,” wrote Maple Yard Representative Jada Pierre ’25 via Zoom chat. “i’m honestly concerned for the safety of the people of the council,” Pierre added. “This isn’t a fear of transparency. I think most of us are proud to publicly vote against a bill that questions mandates to keep at risk students on campus safe,” wrote Oak Yard Representative Laila Nasher ’25.” “This [is] all just clearly political games,” Nasher added. sellers.hill@thecrimson.com
REOPEN FROM PAGE 1
HGSE Alumni of Color Host Conference Saturday’s events. “We come together this weekend to explore historic and contemporary movements in education that have effectively challenged the system, engage experts through collaboration and discourse, and continue the fight towards liberty through education.” HGSE student Troy D. Lewis, another co-chair of the AOCC, added that he hoped the conference would inspire attendees to take action to improve the state of equity in education. “We’re here to charge people with action, and so I’m hoping that everyone is having an experience that allows them to think deeply about what’s happening
on the school to “lift all restrictions on students as soon as possible” and “put forth an official framework with clear metrics as to when restrictions on students are to be tightened, loosened, and eliminated,” respectively. The Undergraduate Council declined to consider either resolution, but disagreements broke out over Adolphus’ motion to hold roll call votes on both bills. “i hope that the roll call votes aren’t going to be used for intimidation as we’ve seen with
today in the field of education,” he said. Saturday’s events included a virtual expo and a series of breakout sessions, which discussed topics such as the role of “linguistic heritage” in the college experience of Black students and how stereotypes of white women contribute to white supremacy. Nancy Chen, an HGSE student who attended the conference in person, commended the increased accessibility of the conference enabled by the option to join virtually. “I wish that there were more people who attended the in-person one, but I like that it was ac-
cessible just for everyone” they said. “It did feel like they were included, and we were able to hear a lot of different perspectives that way.” Conference organizers presented four awards during the event. HGSE Assistant Director for Teaching and Teacher Leadership Andrena Mason received the Tina Hansar Award for Educational Equity, which recognizes a staff member who has promoted compassion and inclusivity in the school.Cecelia Di Mino — an HGSE student who serves as one of the school’s sustainability fellows — earned the Kolajo Paul Afolabi Award for Commitment to Education-
al Justice, while HGSE lecturer Christina Villarreal was awarded the Faculty Award for Educational Equity. Nanette L. “Nan” Reynolds won the final award presented, the Alumni Achievement Award, honoring her “commitment to equity in issues of race, class, and education.” The conference concluded with a session of Global Shakeout — a type of dance lesson created by HGSE student Manuela G. Welton that aims to reduce stress levels — followed by dinner and a hybrid dance party with DJ Justis Lopez. paton.roberts@thecrimson.com
Special Collections Reopen for Research borrowing card. While visitors with library access cards can use a library’s computers and physical space, including reading rooms, they may not access restricted stack areas. Visitors with a library borrowing card have the same benefits that access card holders have, but they may also borrow materials from the library. Those who plan on taking advantage of the reopening must follow certain guidelines, such as masking. Visitors are also advised not to come to campus if they feel ill or have Covid-19 symptoms. Research-
ers unable to visit library spaces in person can still browse the library’s digital collection. The library’s website includes virtual exhibits, public events, and tours of library spaces. Researchers will also still have access to the library’s hybrid services, which have been available to the public since summer 2020. These services include scanning and delivering books, as well as preparing books for pickup. jorge.guerra@thecrimson.com davin.shi@thecrimson.com
From Weeks to Weld.
The Crimson thecrimson.com
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MARCH 7, 2022
PAGE 4
EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
COLUMN
To Build or Not To Build
Why I Strive to Struggle
Cities that want elite institutions and affordable housing can have their cake and eat it, too: so long as they are willing to build.
I
n the last university riot at Oxford, almost 100 people died over three days of murder and alleged scalping. Six centuries later, universities still make difficult neighbors: With lawsuits and tirades in place of cudgels and staves, the fight has come to Berkeley, California. This time, the fight is over scarce housing. On one side lies the University of California, Berkeley, which houses only 22 percent of its more than 30,000 undergraduates on campus. On the other is Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods, a community action group suing the university to cap its future enrollment. After a ruling from California’s highest court, the university must now accept 2,500 fewer students than previously planned. As similar battles over scarce square footage roil the nation, it’s important to properly frame the issue. Berkeley isn’t facing a choice between cutting enrollment or suffering a housing crisis. They could build their way to having both. Instead, they face a choice between maintaining enrollment and preserving the intangible amenities, the general aesthetic, the “feel” of a neighborhood that so often decline in the wake of development. Given the special value of education and the particular costs of denying it to thousands, the option of building more housing must be seriously considered. Four years at UC Berkeley can change the course of someone’s life, and many of Berkeley’s graduates have changed the course of history. The tuition and
government grants attendant with increased enrollment bring tens of millions of dollars to the university which it can use to fund financial aid and research. Whether providing that opportunity to 3,000 more students every year is worth the costs of development is a legitimate question. However, it is important to recognize that if both UC Berkeley and the city wish to house more students in new developments, they can.
However, it is important to recognize that if both UC Berkeley and the city wish to house more students in new developments, they can. We also recognize the genuine costs of development. Areas of cultural significance are essential to the vibrancy and character of any neighborhood, town, or city, and calls for more development remind us of our caution toward Harvard’s slow but deliberate acquisition and development of Allston. As a public university, Berkeley has a special obligation to its community which some development might violate. People’s Park, a historic green and the site of a future Berkely dorm, encapsulates those concerns. The potential effects on homeless people living in People’s Park heightens our worry and re-
minds us that not all anti-development arguments are created equal: we are inclined to frown more on evicting the unhoused than changing the character of well-to-do suburbs. What, then, to do? We are inclined to come down on the side of skyscrapers for skyrocketing enrollment. We are a pro-housing board in general, and the particular value of access to education makes this an easier case study than most. In the short term, it may be necessary to take drastic steps like reducing enrollment as Berkeley waits for new housing to go up, but that only works if all parties support new housing in the long term. Save Berkeley’s Neighborhoods has often failed to do so. But more so than our particular prescription, we have faith in the value of our framing. When versions of the Berkeley debate are playing out across the country, it’s important to frame them properly. Cities that want elite institutions and affordable housing can have their cake and eat it, too: so long as they are willing to build. 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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OP-ED
It’s Time To Defund the HMC By NOAH B. KASSIS
A
sk 10 Harvard affiliates about the University’s endowment and they’ll give you 10 different reasons for righteous indignation. The divestors will decry the makeup of the Harvard Management Company’s investment portfolio, raising consistent and often successful dissent to push for divestment from fossil fuels, prisons, and Puerto Rican debt. The workers will condemn Harvard’s stingy and inhumane employment practices: With a $53 billion endowment and a $283 million budget surplus, why did the graduate student union need to fight tooth and nail to gain a measly cost-ofliving raise in one of the most expensive cities in the country? Why were workers threatened with potential layoffs and left unpaid during Covid-19? The aspiring populists will warn against the University’s acceptance of government relief funds. Flush in cash, Harvard should never accept federal funds doled out in crisis. Use your endowment, our aspiring Josh Hawleys will chide the administration, and never accept outside help. Harvard has heeded their advice in the past, but they will doubtless raise their voices in the future as well. The native Bostonians will denounce Harvard’s insufficient contributions to the city’s Payment In Lieu Of Taxes program. In 2020, the University failed for the eighth consecutive year to pay the full amount requested by Boston officials as compensation for tax revenue lost due to Harvard’s nonprofit status. Given the massive direct and indirect costs that Harvard’s expansion into Allston and Longwood inflicts upon residents, our institution — with its Slovenian economy-sized endowment — can well afford to pay the relatively insignificant $12.8 million requested under PILOT.
I’m certainly sympathetic to each of these lines of endowment discontent. But to me, none of them grasp at the fundamental question at play in this absurd drama of abundance. For the most part, criticism of the endowment and its role in Harvard’s austerity politics accepts the premise that it’s OK for a university to operate a hedge fund in the first place. It is not only that the types and methods of HMC investment are wrong; rather, it is the very logic of constructing an unlimited endowment that is immoral and in violation of the core values of the Harvard community.
Fifty-three billion dollars is a lot of money, with a lot of capacity for good. Fifty-three billion dollars is a lot of money, with a lot of capacity for good. It’s enough to expand Section 8 housing to cover all eligible households, quadruple the size of the Head Start preschool program, or end hunger for one-tenth of the starving world — all with $10 billion left over, still more than all but a handful of American universities have in their endowments. To state the obvious, Harvard is not pursuing this type of massive, system-scale social intervention. Year over year, 95 percent of the endowment is held in invested funds, with a 5 percent (and often less) yearly payout covering only one-third of the University’s operating budget. Falsely claiming scarcity, the HMC manages its funds under a conservative mindset of austerity — stonewalling necessary change, eschewing transparency, and reducing its support of the University at the drop of a financial hat — all while paying out $31 million yearly to its six top investment managers. To live up to its core obligations as an
affluent institution in democratic society, Harvard must cease its deference to this imagined scarcity. Universities’ role in democracy includes democratic fiscal action: they have a responsibility to put their resources toward the development of an active, educated, and healthy citizenry. For a democratic institution with such pecuniary abundance, it’s not enough to educate a few thousand “citizen-leaders” each year. Harvard must use its resources to enable as many people as possible to become citizen-leaders beyond the walls of the University. In a society suffering poverty, homelessness, and climate crisis under the weight of stifling institutional austerity, Harvard’s endowment is a hoarder’s trove, an inexcusably unjust concentration of affluence. In recognition of this truth, Harvard should put an end to its unjustifiable greed and begin devoting its massive resources to the public good. So let’s defund the HMC! Enough with the false logic of boundless growth and endless hoarding — let’s set reasonable limits on Harvard’s accumulation of wealth that safeguard the University’s sustained operations while using its abundant excess to fulfill its democratic obligations to the society in which we live. Waging our resources as a weapon of the social good, let’s spend, spend, spend! For too long, Harvard has focused on truth at the cost of goodness. A logic of unlimited accumulation has blinded the institution from its commitments to democracy. But it’s not too late — nearly 400 years of history, however heavy a burden, is not destiny. Replacing veritas with veritas popularis, let’s push a new generation of Harvard humans to pursue the democratic truth to which our University is obliged. —Noah B. Kassis ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Straus Hall.
Alvira Tyagi RECKONINGS & REVELATIONS
W
hile years of schooling have taught me a great deal about the intricacies of calculus and the foundation of our democracy, my father has taught me something beyond educational curricula: to view the world through an open-minded and optimistic lens. During various family road trips, my father’s determination to follow his natural compass and intuition rather than effortlessly utilize Google Maps has left my mother, brother, and me perpetually dumbfounded. His intrinsic confidence, however, reminds me of the importance of learning diligently — through experience, trial, and error. I recall my father’s first instruction upon obtaining my driving permit. He handed over our two-hundred-page car manual and advised me to “learn what I could.” Just hours later, I was in the driver’s seat. Instead of being told precisely which gear to shift to or how to even start the engine, my father encouraged me to explore. After several mishaps — just one example being blasting the radio rather than turning down the air conditioner — I developed patience and pursued answers. With my father in the passenger seat beside me, I was invigorated to implement the skills he had taught me while entreating suggestions regarding how to hone my driving abilities. In my family’s Subaru, I attained newfound independence through my driver’s license while also becoming licensed to grow from every experience — refusing to accept cursory explanations, refusing to settle for a partial understanding, and refusing to follow the status quo. As a first-year college student in the dynamic city of Cambridge, I have been confronted with unfamiliar challenges on a daily basis. The transition to college is an eye-opening experience for every incoming freshman, and navigating this transition as the oldest sibling in my family certainly did not make it easier. As I acclimated to campus, I received thoughtful advice from my incredibly supportive family, friends, professors, advisers, and mentors. One line always seemed to repeat itself time and time again: “The struggle and hard work will be worth it.” This sentence seemed straightforward, yet too grueling to wholeheartedly believe. Struggling certainly does not feel “worth it” when furiously typing away at a 10-page research essay late into the night. The worries of failing to maintain high school friendships and slipping away from communicating regularly with your grandparents are not comforting. There is also difficulty in admitting to yourself and others that you are struggling — this is an unavoidable facet of life that necessitates courage to be overcome. Even on the most arduous of days, however, one person always draws me back to why I strive for my greatest potential — my father. Driving with my father imparted me with an enduring lesson: the significance of learning with tenacity and perseverance. While the notion of struggle is often depicted in a negative context, struggle is something rather more ubiquitous. Whether it be in regards to solving a question on a midterm or in resolving a family emergency, we are all vulnerable to experiencing struggle at some point in our lives. When challenges confront us, particularly as college students, it is vital to strike a balance between seeking independence and admitting that we need assistance. Too often at a place like Harvard, the weight is unevenly shifted in the direction of acquiring a false sense of autonomy and self-sufficiency unaccompanied by collaboration and outside perspectives. What many fail to recognize is the value in acknowledging that human beings are designed to require help, advice, and guidance — to utilize these resources is not a sign of weakness, but a blossoming of strength. Applying this same mindset continually is crucial and requires a certain degree of self-discipline. I have found that my most rewarding experiences in college have come from immense diligence even when the simplest option was to just give up. I will never forget the moment when I finally understood a demanding statistical mechanics concept after discussing it meticulously with a teaching fellow for over an hour. The answers that have come to me easily are forgettable; the questions that force me to contemplate and employ newfound insight are enriching and indelible. This realization has shaped my academic trajectory here at Harvard. Education is now much more than yellow #2 pencils and darkened bubbles on a scantron. Through trial and error in discovering organizations I felt genuinely driven to contribute to, balancing a rigorous academic course load with joyful moments spent with friends, and steering my goals to reflect the woman I aspire to become, the most integral aspect of my self-development has come from simply granting myself the chance to try. I wake up with a resilient mindset to tackle my objectives, make the most out of the day’s opportunities, and go to sleep with a revitalized ambition to achieve even more tomorrow. As I navigate through my early adult life, it is with my father’s confidence in mind that I propel myself towards my inconceivable dreams with no fear, no hesitancy, and no doubt. Once we give ourselves the space to struggle — and to struggle without judgment — we will finally perceive that the possibilities are truly endless. —Alvira Tyagi ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Pennypacker Hall. Her column “Reckonings & Revelations” appears on alternate Mondays.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
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The Crimson thecrimson.com
MARCH 7, 2022
SPORTS
WEEKLY RECAP
SCORES
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL VS. PRINCETON W, 3-1 ___________________________________________________________ WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. PENN W, 9-8 ___________________________________________________________ WRESTLING AT EIWA CHAMPIONSHIPS 9TH ___________________________________________________________ SAILING VS. BAVIER TEAM RACE 2ND ___________________________________________________________ WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. PRINCETON L, 53-73 ___________________________________________________________ MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. DARTMOUTH L, 54-76 ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Men’s Volleyball Claims Ivy League Championship By DANAI-CHRISTINA AVDELA and NOAH A. JUN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
The last point of the Harvard men’s volleyball team’s Ivy League matchup with Princeton on Saturday was also its longest, with Princeton hitters sending the Crimson scrambling past the press box and to the back wall of the Malkin Athletic Center to keep the ball in play. At the end of the 40-second rally, however, Harvard emerged victorious, sealing a decisively successful double-header weekend against the Tigers and its fourth-straight win. “It feels great; the energy is up from being the Ivy League volleyball champions,” said senior outside hitter Campbell Schoenfeld. “We made it a bit close, which made it even more exciting, especially in those last plays.” The 40-second match point was the culmination of a gridlocked fourth set, with the Crimson (6-6, 4-2 EIVA) up 2423 over the Tigers (5-10, 4-5). Throughout the entire set, no team ever gained more than a two-point lead over the other. “That’s just high-quality Division I volleyball,” senior captain Jason Shen said. “You’re always going to be within one or two points of each other. It just comes down to… who can execute and who can make the better play. I’m proud of our team, we’ve done that so well this weekend, we’re really showing our best and that’s who we are, and that’s what it takes to win championships.” The veterans led the way to Harvard’s victory. Shen fulfilled his libero duties and provided assistance in the backcourt, recording 10 digs and, notably, the sliding save on match point that brought him to the back wall of the MAC. Schoenfeld, who also notched 10 digs, led the Crimson with 11 kills. Finally, fellow senior outside hitter Eric Li complemented Schoenfeld with eight kills and ended the match with a block. Nevertheless, the seniors pointed out their younger teammates for their contributions to the successful weekend. Sophomore middle blockers Ethan McCrary and Ethan Smith each had a service ace, and McCrary notched a team-high six blocks and five kills. First-year outside hitter Azim Raheem also stepped up, adding six kills and
five digs in crucial points to keep Harvard’s momentum going throughout the match. The tightness of the fourth set, however, was a deviation from the previous one. Despite a close 6-5 start, Harvard went on a six-point run before Princeton could recover. The Crimson carried this momentum for the rest of the set, outscoring the Tigers, 13 to 3, to take the third 25-9 and put itself in position for a four-set victory. “We took over the energy, and we had some huge plays that shut [the Tigers] down,” Schoenfeld reflected. “We got the energy points and rolled with it,” Shen added. The two seniors noted the atmosphere of the MAC as a determinant of the outcome in this Ivy League rivalry. Both games on Friday and Saturday saw the bleachers packed with students, parents, and other fans. As Princeton and Harvard are the only Ivy League schools with men’s volleyball teams, this weekend ended in the Crimson hoisting a trophy symbolizing it as the Ivy League Champion. “The fans, the guys, it was all a lot of fun and a fun match to play,” Shen said. “We had crazy shutdown moments, like a string of blocks, and those are the moments and the level that get the energy going. We had good moments like those and people to feed off.” In the first two sets, Harvard found itself on the defensive. Princeton took early leads and forced the Crimson to fight its way back to level the score. The Tigers came hot out of the gate, eager to avenge the previous day’s tight loss. The New Jersey team had a mixture of kills and service aces, as well as Harvard attack errors, to go up 12-5. Although the Crimson diminished this gap as the set went on, at one point going on a six-point run to recover from a 23-16 deficit to 23-22, Princeton took the last two points to seal the first set, 25-22. The first set’s competitiveness was a continuation of Friday night’s game. Each set featured no more than a threepoint margin, with Harvard defeating the Tigers, 25-22, 2523, 22-25 and 26-24. In Friday’s matchup, the Crimson outnumbered Princeton in blocks 11 to 4. The hosts had a total of 45 assists, with first-year setter James Bardin leading the way, achieving a career-high 40 assists.
NOTHING BUT NET Over two years ago, in 2020, sophomore outside hitter Campbell Schoenfeld and the rest of the Crimson sweeped Mount Olive 3-0 at the Malkin Athletic Center on February 8. — CRIMSON STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Schoenfeld also reached a high of 10 digs, finishing with three blocks and an assist. Li had a notable performance of eight kills, 10 digs, two blocks and two service aces. The Crimson managed to learn from the competitive nature of the first match to achieve a relatively easier victory the following night. “I give kudos to [the] coaches,” Shen said. “They made some good calls on defense [from which] we struggled to see the payoff during the middle of the matches, but [came
out] towards the end of every set. The coaches scouted [the Tigers’ tendencies] really well. We adjusted some defensive plays that paid off well in the big moments.” Nevertheless, in Saturday’s game, Princeton was eager to avenge the previous night’s loss and to establish itself as the dominant team in the Ivy League. “We knew Princeton was going to come out swinging, but I don’t think we were really prepared for it,” Shen admitted. “They made a lot of great digs,
great blocks, great swings, and transition plays.” Just as in the first set, Princeton found itself in an early lead at 8-4 in the second. Harvard soon reversed its fortune, however, outscoring its Ivy League counterpart 12 to four for a 1612 lead going into the second half of the set. The Crimson’s gap dwindled as the set progressed, possessing only a onepoint lead at 19-18, before attack errors from the Tigers pushed the hosts to a 25-22 win. “Going into [the second set], the good thing about volley-
ball is that every set starts 0-0,” Shen said. “We reminded ourselves to not play like a team that’s down [a set].” Harvard, now equipped with the Ivy League title, hopes to continue its winning ways throughout an upcoming string of away games. For spring break, the team is heading down to Arizona for a double-header against No. 8 Grand Canyon before returning to the East Coast for two matches with Sacred Heart. noah.jun@thecrimson.com
MEN’S LACROSSE
Harvard Men’s Lacrosse Beats Fairfield University, 16-12 By KATHARINE FORST CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
TO BE FAIR(FIELD) Back in 2020, Harvard hosted Fairfield University on March 7 in what would be their last home game before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Crimson won 15-12. BRENDAN J. CHAPUIS—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
FAIRFIELD, Conn. — With an around the world shot sunk by senior attacker Austin Madronic propelling the Crimson to a 10-5 lead at the conclusion of the first half, Harvard took care of Fairfield 16-12 on the Staggs’ home turf. The Crimson played a cohesive game against Fairfield on Saturday, March 5. On both ends of the field, the team played unselfishly, sharing the ball and working together. The defense had a little bit of trouble seeing the skip passes, and was late to rotate through its slide packages to the second adjacent. This left Fairfield players open both on the wings and on the doorstep. However, the team’s play picked up significantly by the end of the first quarter, and the defense began communicating much better. It started shutting down the cross-fan passes and forced outside shots that senior goalie Kyle Mullin easily tracked down. The defense looked strong on its one-on-one play, with especially strong work by firstyear defenders Collin Bergstrom and Tommy Martinson.
First year defensive midfielder Ray Dearth had a strong game. He attributed the defense’s improved play to better communication. “We picked up the energy. We guarded a little bit better in the second half which makes everything easier off ball. We really emphasized it because we got burned on it a little bit in the first half,” he said. Despite the victory, Harvard struggled with its clearing. The team had trouble getting the ball out of its defensive end for much of the first half. After the break, though, it began performing much better when it was patient with its clears. This patience was rewarded with a big goal by Martinson, who cleared the ball up-field for an open take, and goal. “It’s about working together and continuing to learn from our mistakes… they hit us with the ten man ride a little bit, but I think once we settled down and had more composure we were able to figure it out and clear the ball better,” Bergstrom noted. The Crimson looked particularly strong on the offensive end, with first-year middie Miles Botkiss notching five goals, and Madronic adding five of his own.
Botkiss said that the team’s play was cohesive because they focused on dishing the ball whenever possible. Of the team’s 16 goals, nine were assisted; the offense had great vision from all over the field. “We focused on ourselves, we moved the ball for each other, and played together. That’s why a lot of our goals were assisted. We just played offense together,” Botkiss said. Middies like junior Isaiah Dawson and first-year Andrew Perry had successful takes from up top. Perry scored on a low to high pass from behind thrown by first-year attacker Sam King, driving the ball home on a massive step-down shot. Dawson took it himself with a shifty move down the right alley. “Today, more so than last week, we calmed down and played patiently. We moved the ball, it was very unselfish. We’ve been playing well all week, and so we used what we learned in practice and on the field,” King noted. The Crimson will look to continue its momentum against Michigan on Saturday, March 12, when it will play the Wolverines in Ann Arbor at 4 p.m. katharine.forst@thecrimson.com