The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLV, No. 74

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The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873  | Volume CXLVI No. 74  |  Cambridge, Massachusetts  |  Tuesday, September 4, 2018

OP-ED PAGE 14

feature PAGE 11

sports PAGE 16

Manuali: The Transcipt Project forces students to compete.

Mass. voters head to the polls today to decide the state’s primary elections.

Women’s soccer rebounds to beat Syracuse at home.

Surveyed Freshmen Are Majority Non-White Schedule By Alexandra A. Chaidez and Samuel W. Zwickel Crimson Staff Writer

As Harvard prepares to make the case for race-conscious admissions and a diverse student body on a national stage, more than half of surveyed freshmen setting foot on campus this fall identify as non-white, according to The Crimson’s annual survey of incoming students. It is the first time more than 50 percent of respondents have identified as non-white since The Crimson began surveying freshman matriculants in 2013. Not all students responded to the survey — though more than 60 percent of the Class of 2022 did so — and it is not the first time that Harvard’s pool of admitted students is majority nonwhite. That milestone came in 2016. Even as Harvard’s student body grows more diverse, the

school is drawing fire for its consideration of race in the admissions process. Anti-affirmative action advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions has sued the school, alleging it illegally discriminates against Asian-American applicants through the use of quotas, racial balancing, and subjective “personal” ratings. The lawsuit is set to go to trial on Oct. 15. Harvard is taking heat from other quarters, too — the United States Department of Justice is independently investigating the College and recently asserted its admissions process is likely “infected with racial bias.” Harvard has repeatedly denied these allegations and argued its “holistic” evaluation system is vital to its educational mission. In the survey, incoming freshmen of color were more

Highlights from the Freshman Survey Majority of freshman survey respondents report being non-white

Percent of legacy students decreases from 2017 20

18.3% 15.9%

Survey Respondents

By Angela N. Fu and Lucy wang

16.8%

Crimson Staff Writers

15 14.6%

51%

14.4%

10

5

0

Class of 2018

Class of 2019

See survey Page 6

Class of 2020

Class of 2021

Class of 2021

MORGAN J. SPAULDING—Crimson Designer

Admissions Lawsuit Heats Up Over the Summer Department of Justice Alleges Discrimination at Harvard

Continued Coverage expert PAGE 9

Legal Experts Say DOJ Intervention Means Federal Government Likely to Sue Harvard Over Admissions

By dELANO r. FRANKLIN and Samuel W. Zwickel Crimson Staff Writers

The United States Department of Justice said in a court filing Thursday morning that Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies perpetrate “unlawful racial discrimination” against Asian American applicants. “The record evidence demonstrates that Harvard’s race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages Asian-American applicants compared to applicants of other racial groups — including both white applicants and applicants from other racial minority groups,” department officials wrote. The Justice Department’s criticism came as part of a “statement of interest” it filed in the ongoing admissions lawsuit that alleges Harvard discriminates against Asian Americans in its admissions process. Its filing is meant to oppose the University’s earlier motion that the suit be dismissed before it goes to trial.

See DOJ Page 6

The admissions ofice is located on 86 Brattle Street.

Jacqueline s. chea—Crimson photographer

Searing DOJ Filing Marks the Culmination of A Long Summer of Twists and Turns in Admissions Lawsuit By dELANO r. FRANKLIN and Samuel W. Zwickel Crimson Staff Writers

As eager freshmen meander about Harvard Yard and President Lawrence S. Bacow settles into his new office, Harvard — and its lawyers — are getting ready to head to federal court. The University is battling a four-year-old lawsuit brought

by anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions that alleges the College discriminates against Asian-Americans in its admissions process. Harvard has repeatedly denied SFFA’s charges, arguing that is must consider race in order to forge a diverse student body and fulfill its educational mission. The lawsuit heated up along with the summer’s searing tem-

peratures. In June and July, Harvard was forced to publish hundreds of pages of internal documents detailing the admissions process as part of the suit. Many revealed the inner workings of the College’s notoriously secretive admissions office, prompting national headlines. The case is set to go to trial

See update Page 9

Shift Ends Harvard Time

groups PAGE 5

Twenty-Five Student Groups Sign Letter Supporting the University Ahead of October Trial in Boston

­ rew G. Faust’s presidency isn’t D the only thing students are kissing good-bye this semester. Harvard has implemented an entirely new and strictly regimented course schedule system, making “Harvard Time” — a College quirk that allowed students to arrive seven minutes late to every class — a thing of the past. The fall term and the new schedule kick off Tuesday. So here’s a primer on how it works, why it was implemented, and what this means for the future of punctuality on campus.

Why is Harvard switching to a new schedule?

The new schedule, which the Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted to approve last semester, is partly meant to prepare for the opening of Harvard’s new campus in Allston. Class times are now staggered on the Allston and Cambridge campuses to allow students additional time to travel between courses that are now separated by about a mile — and the Charles River. Though the Allston campus — which will house much of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences — is slated to open in 2020, the next two years are meant to serve as a trial run. “The idea was to implement this new schedule this year while we have a chance to see how it works, to see how it works across the FAS course catalog,” said Noël Bisson, associate dean of undergraduate education. “When the time comes to implement across the river, we’ll be that much more experienced and understand better where the pain points may be.”

How does the new system work?

The new schedule standardizes class start and end times, extends the standard course length from 60 to 75 minutes, and eliminates Harvard Time. All of this is supposed to make it easier for students to predict when and for how long courses will be held and to give them more time between classes. Courses can now begin at one of several designated time periods. In the morning, the earliest round of classes in Cambridge must begin at 9 a.m. The second

See time Page 9

Leaked T9 Rules May Bacow Pushes for Civic Engagement at Convocation Change Univ. Policies By molly c. mccafferty Crimson Staff Writers

By JAMIE D. hALPER Crimson Staff Writer

New Title IX policies the U.S. Department of Education is reportedly considering would likely force Harvard to change its policy and procedures for addressing sexual assault and harassment, according to legal experts. The New York Times first reported that the department is considering changing its policies Wednesday, though the DOE has yet to make an official announcement. The Times reported that the updated guid-

ance would mean schools are no longer responsible for incidences of sexual harassment that take place off-campus; would change the standards for filing Title IX complaints against universities; and would apply a narrower definition of sexual harassment, among other changes. Many schools — including Harvard — based their current policies for addressing sexual misconduct on Obama-era guidelines issued in 2011. DeVos rescinded those guidelines

See leak Page 4

In his first speech to undergraduates in his new role as University President, Lawrence S. Bacow told the crowd of wide-eyed freshmen he was assigning them homework. Bacow directed the students — who were crowded into Tercentenary Theater for Harvard’s tenth-annual Freshman Convocation — to take out their phones and write down a web address from the Institute of Politics where they could register to vote. “If you are eligible to vote, we expect you to register, to inform yourself of the candidates

and the issues, and to cast a ballot,” Bacow said. “It is your responsibility as a citizen of this country and as a citizen of Harvard.” “If you don’t think that the world that we live in is perfect, the only way it gets better is if good people like you work to repair it,” he added. Since being chosen for the presidency in February, Bacow has met with congressional leaders and said he is committed to making the case for higher education amongst increasing skepticism and legislative challenges. This message of civic

See Bacow Page 13

President Lawrence S. Bacow speaks at the Freshman Convocation Monday afternoon. Timothy r. O’Meara—Crimson photographer


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