The Presidential Love Issue by The Harvard Independent

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I ns i de : Pr e s i de nt s , t hec o def o rl o v e , a ndt heo pe r a

Th eP r e s i d e n t i a lL o v eI s s u e

02.12.15 VOL. XLVI, NO. 12 CONTENTS

FORUM 3 Grammy Grabbing 4 State of the Union, pt. 1 5 State of the Union, pt. 2 6 Closed Books, Open Hearts NEWS 7 Trolling for Love 8 I see, UC ARTS 9 Night at the Opera SPORTS 10 The Final Match 11 Snow Play As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life. For publication information and general inquiries, contact President Albert Murzakhanov (president@harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Shaquilla Harrigan (editorinchief@harvardindependent.com). For email subscriptions please email president@harvardindependent.com. The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box 201, 59 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Copyright ÂŠ 2014 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved.

02.12.15

Inside: Presidents, the code for love, and the opera

The Presidential Love Issue

The Indy is 50 Shades of Cray.

Cover design by Anna Papp

President Vice Presdient Editor-in-Chief Director of Production News Editor Forum Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Associate Forum Editor Associate Arts Editor Illustrator Designers

Staff Writers

Albert Murzakhanov '16 Farhana Nabi '16 Shaquilla Harrigan '16 Sean Frazzette '16 Aditya Agrawal '17 Ritchey Howe '17 Michael Luo '16 Caroline Cronin '18 Anna Papp '16 Caroline Gentile '17 Andrew Lin '17 Yaara Yacoby '17 Alice Linder '17 Abigail Parker '17 Whitney Gao '16 Manik Bhatia '16 Terilyn Chen '16 Yuqi Hou '15 Chloe Li '16 Dominique Luongo '17 Orlea Miller '16 Carlos Schmidt '15 Frank Tamberino '16 Jackie Leong '16 Madi Taylor '16 Shreya Vardhan '17 Peyton Fine '17 Eloise Lynton '17 Hannah Kates '18 Chris Riley '17 Andrew Adler '17

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My Love for Sam Smith Hopefully I’m not the only one. By RITCHEY HOWE

remember last year when my friends told me to buy a ticket to see Sam Smith at the Sinclair. To be completely honest, I had to Google search this artist. Then I quickly recalled, “Oh he is the singer on the new Disclosure song!” I bought the ticket for a mere $30 simply because I had nothing better to do on a Wednesday evening at 11 PM. The man who came on stage wore a nicely tailored suit, and it seemed as though he was wearing light sparkly eye shadow. However, once he took the microphone, all I could focus on was his amazing voice. It seemed as though the entire audience was mesmerized. Because I only knew Sam Smith from his vocals on a Disclosure record, I was expecting to dance. However, I soon realized that this concert was more about appreciating great vocals; an aspect of music that seems to sometimes hide behind auto-tunes and heavily produced beats. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good dance song. However, these days on the Top 100 there seems to be an abundance of EDM and a lack of true vocalists. Smith’s lyrics about love can appeal to us all. The gay songwriter touches on various aspects of romantic relationships: rejection, nervousness, loneliness, and excitement. It was at this concert that I first heard the song “Stay with Me.” The following weekend he went to NYC to perform this song on SNL, and now this song has won Record and Song of the Year at the 57 th Grammy Awards. Additionally, Smith took home the coveted prize for Best New Artist. Just to think, I went The Harvard Independent • 02.12.15

to a small Cambridge concert by the artist who would go on to become the Best New Artist 10 months later! When accepting his award, Smith candidly announced, “I want to thank the man who this record is about. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you won my four Grammys.” My appeal for Smith is not just his cute British accent or fun sense of style. He is one of the few artists where you can appreciate raw talent; talent without ridiculous outfits of Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, the promiscuous dance moves of Madonna, or the provocative photos of Justin Bieber. Last night at the Grammys, the music industry apparently agreed with me, as the show was essentially the “Sam Smith Show.” Although certain artists like Rihanna have amazing voices, how can we appreciate the music when the artist sings with practically no clothes? Sam Smith represents what music should really be about; lyrics that an audience can relate to as well as a voice to beautifully convey these lyrics. Sam Smith’s domination at the Grammy’s should show the world that this is what music should be about. So my love for Sam Smith is not only for him as a person, but also for what more musicians should strive for. Ritchey Howe ‘17 (ritcheyhowe@college.harvard.edu) thinks Sam Smith would be the best Valentine ever. Photo Courtesy of Wiki Media Commons harvardindependent.com

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Who Do You Love?

A completely arbitrary list of presidents. By SEAN FRAZZETTE

ince Valentine’s Day is simply an arbitrary day to celebrate love (or to sit alone and watch movies and eat chocolate all day), I have decided to pursue a rather arbitrary adventure. President’s Day is fast approaching and the combination of the two gives us some sort of Presidential Love Day, which is the theme of this week’s Harvard Independent. As a result, I would like to offer some love to those forty-four men who have been placed into the challenge of the highest office this country has to offer. Now, this list is not my ranking of best presidents, nor is it an objectively good list. Rather, it is an arbitrary list that only took into account arbitrary facts about forty-four very specific men. After much consideration, I have narrowed the list to the following top ten. So without further ado, the list: 10) John Quincy Adams 9) Rutherford B. Hayes These two are grouped together simply because they were rather arbitrarily chosen to be president. Neither won his election. Adams came in third in the popular vote, gathering less than a third of the total votes, yet the election was thrown into the House when there was no clear winner. He then struck the infamous “corrupt bargain” with Henry Clay to ensure that the House of Representatives selected him as the choice for president. Hayes, on the other hand, essentially bought his way to office. With the electoral college votes in a contested state, and the popular vote clearly in Samuel J. Tilden’s favor, Hayes offered to take all the Northern troops out of the South. The South agreed, Hayes got the votes, and the Compromise of 1877 will forever be an AP US History Test question. 8) Ulysses S. Grant 7) Harry S. Truman Another two that I have grouped together. Ulysses S. Grant’s name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. He did not want to go to West Point with the initials H.U.G., so he threw an S. in there and got to look super patriotic as U.S. Grant. The ‘S’ stood for absolutely nothing. Alas, he started a trend. Harry S. Truman once quipped that there should be no period after his middle initial because it stood for nothing. Now, while this is true, it was apparently a reference to his grandfathers’ names, which both had S’s. Nevertheless, he is the second president with a random ‘S’ that means nothing. And if you ask me, and arbitrary letter in your name is definitely a reason to make this list. 4 harvardindependent.com

6) Grover Cleveland Grover Cleveland makes this list because he did it his own way. In 1884 he won the election, served his four years and then did what many presidents do—run for a second term. Unfortunately for Cleveland (even perhaps more unfortunate than sharing a name with that city), he won the popular vote but lost the election. Unlike almost every other president who had been in this situation, however, he refused to quit. In 1892 he ran again and won, becoming the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms to date. 5) Millard Fillmore Who? He was the last Whig to be president. I fairly certain that’s all that is written on his Wikipedia page. 4) Benjamin Harrison You thought I’d say William Henry Harrison, didn’t you? Everyone knows Ben’s grandpa, the president who refused to wear a coat to his inauguration, gave a speech longer than everyone of FDR’s speeches combined, and tragically died only a month after taking office. But do you know anything—anything—about his grandson? He was the guy who beat Cleveland in the middle years for one, so that’s a pretty cool accomplishment. He also looks a lot like President Snow from the Hunger Games movies. After his presidency he represented Venezuela in an international law case against the United Kingdom. And most importantly, he also died of a sickness, marking his family as definitely cursed. 3) James A. Garfield Quick—name every assassinated president! How may times have you tried to do that, and how many times have you forgotten to name Garfield? That is the number one reason Garfield makes this list. His tragic yet forgettable end gives him a top ten spot for sure. Yet he clinches the top three by being named Garfield. Garfield the Cat was named after the artist Jim Davis’s grandfather, who was, in turn, named after the president. 2) Gerald Ford Gerald Ford was a football player and two-time National Champion at the University of Michigan. He served valiantly in the Navy in World War II. He was a part of the Warren Commission to investigate JFK’s assassination while in the House. He was appointed Vice President after Spiro Agnew was removed from the job. Yet why him? Many theorize that the Republicans believed that nobody in their right (Continued on Page 6) 02.12.15 • The Harvard Independent

Forum mind wanted Ford as president, so, while Nixon was under heat from Watergate, having Ford as the other option may allow the president to eventually get through the allegations. That didn’t happen of course. Ford never lived in the Vice President’s Mansion, and he assumed the role that no one ever thought he would have.

closer to becoming a state.

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Sean Frazzette ’16 (sfrazzette@college.harvard.edu) wants a William McKinley poster in his room, but his roommate refuses. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Presidential Hookups By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

1) William McKinley He is my favorite president. I have been told by a number of History and Government concentrators that this is weird and random, so it feels fitting to place him on the list. He followed Cleveland, who is definitely a more historically odd president, and preceded Teddy Roosevelt, who would have cast a shadow on any president before him. He was tragically assassinated, yet implemented a number of tariffs that boosted American business before his death, as well as campaigned for civil rights and racial equality. And, he did one thing for which we should forever praise him—he annexed the Republic of Hawaii as a territory, moving it ever The Harvard Independent • 02.12.15

If any of you watch Scandal, then you will know the appeal of hooking upwith the Commander-in-Chief. You are getting to date the one man America (or at least a majority of America) approves of. I mean, who wouldn’t want to do it in the Oval Office?! The following ranking of the steamiest presidential affairs will make you want to intern at the White House. 1. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lucy Mercer Mercer was originally hired as a secretary for Eleanor. However, Mercer and FDR engaged in a romance that spanned several decades despite both being married. FDR’s daughter Anne helped cover up the relationship by hiding the affair from Eleanor. Mercer was conveniently located in Warm Springs, GA at the same time as FDR’s death. Coincidence….I think not! 2. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Kay Summersby Kay Summersby used to be a personal driver for Eisenhower. She clearly drove him wild as they two engaged in an illicit affair. She later wrote Past Forgetting: My Love Affair with Dwight D. Eisenhower that shared intimate details of their relationship. Now we really know what the D stands for in his name. 3. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky This affair was definitely the most obvious one to make it onto the list, and that is why it is number three. Regardless, we must give this affair its due respect because it not only caused an impeachment, but it also inspired the amazing Beyoncé song “Partition.” #watchoutforyourgown 4. Warren Harding and Carrie Fulton Phillips There are so many jokes that I can make about President Harding’s last name in reference to his affair. But I will refrain. I will, however, bestow Phillips with the title of Original Presidential Gold Digger; she got the Republic Party to pay her for her silence. 5. John F. Kennedy JFK. There definitely must be something sexy about being a president who can go by three initials because Kennedy knew his way around the block…several times over. He must have liked it hot because his most famous conquest, Marilyn Monroe, sang him happy birthday. Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@college.harvard.edu) will stick with governors. harvardindependent.com

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Doing More than Classes Remebering to make meaningful friendships at Harvard. By CHRIS RILEY

t the end of last semester, I was lucky enough to sit down with Dean Khurana for a few minutes. We talked a bit about how Harvard students go about joining, forming, and changing communities. I don’t know that this was. What Dean Khurana would have wanted me to take away from our conversation, but after reflecting on my own experience and what I’ve seen of other people’s, I think that many Harvard students (and, to be honest, people in general) sabotage their own attempts to enter into really meaningful relationships.

Let me explain that a little bit, because I don’t want to come across as a) writing form a high horse–this is a mistake that I noticed first with myself and still haven’t really figured out how to get past–or b) sounding like I think no one at Harvard has any meaningful relationship. What I mean is this: at Harvard, we are in a uniquely stressful academic environment, and that stress tends to envelop our entire existence. You know what I’m talking about; you’ve all had that meal where you sit down with a friend and both of you do nothing but complain about how busy you are. I think 6 harvardindependent.com

that tendency stems from our natural inclination to view our relationships as a break from stress. And while relationships can be a break from stress, it becomes very dangerous to think of them that way. When and if you start to view a friend as a break from the “real” reason you’re at Harvard, it cheapens the relationship. And I think that’s so dangerous because, while Harvard is, in my opinion, the most amazing place to be in order to grow intellectually, you don’t become a complete person or a happy person if intellectual growth is the only thing that you achieve. Social and emotional growth are just as, if not, more important. So even though relationships really are a break from the academic and other stresses of Harvard, be conscious that the word break should NOT imply that you are temporarily unplugging from the real reason you’re here (academics) to focus temporarily on a secondary aspect (relationships). Rather, your relationships with your peers are an equally important part of your time in college. Personally, this realization was one that didn’t really hit me until last semester (sophomore fall). When I thought about when I was happy versus when I was stressed/agitated/pissed off/generally disgruntled, I finally realized that it wasn’t just when I had more reading or a few papers to write, it was when I let those obligations interfere with everything else that makes me happy: extracurriculars, time to relax, and especially time to catch up with friends. So here’s my recommendation (and it seems stupid, but try it anyway): next time you get a meal with a friend and you’re stressed or your friend seems stressed, do not ask how classes are going or what they have to do this week (at least not at first). Instead ask if they’ve seen any good shows on Netflix, or heard any good new music, or if they did anything fun last weekend. Try to have a conversation that isn’t laced with the ulterior motive of complaining about or comparing how ridiculously busy you are Chris Riley ‘17 (criley01@college.harvard.edu) didn’t ask Dean Khurana about how much homework he had. Photo Courtesy of Shaquilla Harrigan 02.12.15 • The Harvard Independent

News

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An Algorithm for Love HCS’ Datamatch helps Harvard Students Find Romance. By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

arlier this week, I received Datamatch 2015’s call to action. Seeing this email brought me back to freshman year when I first enlisted the help of Datamatch to find the love of my life, or at least my first date. My roommates and I sat in our common room and embarked on a quest for love that devolved into a quest for trolls and laughter. We decided to make things a little interesting by debating which one of us had the hottest top match. I won. After that little trip down memory lane, I wanted to learn more about Datamatch—whether or not these silly questions (e.g. ‘What World Cup soccer team best describes your sex life?’) actually held the key to my attaining an MRS degree. I sat down with Harvard Computing Society (HCS) board members Harnek Gulati ‘17 and Raynor Kuang ‘17. Both have been tasked with making Datamatch 2015 happen this February. While Harvard students mostly know HCS as the brainchild behind the algorithm of love, the club’s mission is to provide the Harvard community with computing services. The club is also trying to branch out and integrate computing into the more social aspects of college life. Gulati, an English and Computer Science concentrator, joined the club his freshman year, becoming a board member later that spring. Kuang, a Computer Science concentrator, also joined freshman year. Though he didn’t originally seek out the Datamatch project, he soon found himself as the project point person. Now charged with matching thousands of Harvard students in time for Valentine’s Day, Kuang and Gulati had their work cut out for them. “The code was really old—at least from 2005. It was a mess,” remarked Kuang. “The first thing I did was go through and make it work.” Getting the program to work would be slightly more challenging than originally anticipated. A server was accidentally destroyed thirty minutes after the initial launch last Friday. Despite those initial challenges, the 2015 Datamatch features several upgrades from previous iterations, including a search function that The Harvard Independent • 02.12.15

allows students to compare compatibilities with students who were not top matches once results are released on February 14th Notwithstanding my best attempts to learn more about the specifics of the algorithm (i.e. whether or not there even is an

algorithm), Gulati and Kuang stayed mum. They did however divulge a few details about how the algorithm works to match people. If you’ve ever wondered why a service meant to bring singles together asks for people in relationships to participate, then here’s your answer: the algorithm uses couples’ responses to determine patterns of compatibility. “If two people are in a relationship,” says Kuang, “we try to refactor relations that are similar.” For those who want to game the system, Gulati says, “Just have fun with it. There is no way to game the system.” Though he jokingly remarks that befriending a member of HCS and coming to meetings could work in your favor. More earnestly, he urges people

to take the matches more seriously. “You will match very well with your top five.” He adds, “We try to bring some of the same personalities together. Definitely try to talk and interact with them.” Though he did not explicitly say this, Gulati also seems to be telling people who troll the quiz that they may be risking eternal love and happiness. The HCS Datamatch team is also hoping to make Datamatch part of a larger Harvard Valentine’s Day tradition. “We want to make it about the community,” Kuang says. Gulati got a little cryptic when pushed on what the reveal will be like this Saturday. “We really want to change—branch out and be more fun. Hopefully you will understand what that means on February 14th,” he says. Giving a small hint, Gulati states, “We want to make it easy for people to reach out to their matches—make it less of a hindrance on both sides.” If everything else you’ve read so far hasn’t convinced you to log into Datamatch, then the relationship success stories Gulati and Kuang shared just might do the trick. “Last year my roommate and his current girlfriend got matched together. They started dating this year and realized later that they were matches,” Kuang shares. Gulati shared his own anecdote about the magic of Datamatch. “A former HCS president who now works at Asana met his girlfriend through Datamatch.” If HCS members believe in their algorithm, then why shouldn’t the rest of us? I know that I will be filling out my Datamatch and resisting the urge to troll along the way. Who knows? I may even, as one of my roommates would say, gather the cojones to contact my top matches. What’s there to lose? If contacting my top matches is awkward and uncomfortable, I can always spend the rest of my Valentine’s Day living vicariously through Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey and eating chocolate. Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@college.harvard.edu) misses the simpler days of finding love through M.A.S.H. Poster courtesy of Winnie Wu and Harvard Computing Society harvardindependent.com

News

Presidential Love Ava & Dhruv share their vision for the UC. By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

he bond between presidents and vice presidents can be tumultuous (please refer to Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr in your old AP U.S. History textbooks), but other times, they are quite harmonious. Ava Nasrollahzadeh ‘16 and Dhruv Goyal ‘16, the Undergraduate Council (UC) president and vice president, respectively, definitely fall into the latter category. The Harvard Independent got to sit down with Ava and Dhruv (more colloquially Avalava and Dhruvygroovy) to talk about their big UC initiatives for this year. Ava and Dhruv are well versed in the ways of the UC. Both joined the council as freshman representatives and haven’t looked back. Ava joined the UC in order to “dive into Harvard and get a pulse of the campus.” Dhruv, an international student from India, was drawn to the opportunity to give back. Two-and-a-half years later, Ava and Dhruv took the helm of the UC and continue to make Harvard a more inclusive community. Ava and Dhruv shared a few examples of the several projects they working on during their term. Dhruv says, “The first real step to achieve true inclusivity is to close the information gap.” Dhruv goes on to introduce the UC’s new app that is set to launch within the next week called Ventfull (www.harvard. ventfull.com). This app will be a mega-calendar for the College in which all student groups can post their events and meetings. Another major initiative under Ava and Dhruv’s leadership include a major push for more gender equality on campus. As a female president in a male-dominated organization, Ava says, “Leadership should be dependent upon your merit.” She also mentions that the UC is planning on collaborating with the JFK Forum on this initiative. The council is also trying to increase its transparency to the student body. The UC has created a new communications director position to hold council members accountable to responding to students’ concerns. Additionally, Ava stresses that students should visit the UC’s website. “You can see each rep’s profile. We want to stress this so much—that the way to see anything is to see the website. The most updated information is up there.” With UC midterm elections coming up, Ava and Dhruv are encouraging students of diverse backgrounds to consider running 8 harvardindependent.com

for open positions. Both are using this as an opportunity to make the council more diverse. Ava is brutally honest with the current demographics of the UC: “We have only one member of the black community [on the council]. We realize that if we are going to be student body representatives, then we need to be representative of the student body racially, socioeconomically.” Beyond discussing policy and advocating for change on behalf of Harvard students, Ava and Dhruv also shared some of the perks they get as UC president and vice president. “I really appreciate the nontraditional perks—hearing stories of students I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Hearing about the startups and issues and being able to point you in the right direction; it feels so good to be able to help out with this complex navigation process,” Ava says. Dhruv appreciates getting to witness the “amazing amalgamation of different people” at Harvard. “We get to see different sides of Harvard. We are tasked with trying to understand those different spaces and groups,” states Dhruv. Speaking towards the “presidential love” theme of this week’s Indy, Ava and Dhruv talked about their relationship as UC president and vice president. “We’ve been friends since freshman year,” Ava says. Dhruv adds, “One of my friends that knows us very well says that we are an old bickering couple.” The pair seems to spend just as much time together doing official UC business as they do casually hanging out. Ava describes Dhruv as always being happy and “one of the few people that I would eat Tasty Burger onion rings with at 4AM.” Dhruv brags about the great relationship advice Ava has dispensed and her “being such a great foodie.” Our UC president and vice president are living proof that true friendship is forged over late-night Tasty Burger outings. Not only have they been working well together since freshman year, but they are also a leadership team who wants to make the UC and Harvard more inclusive places. Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@college.harvard.edu) is ready for Nasrollahzadeh-Goyal 2032. Photo courtesy of Ava Nasrollahzadeh 02.12.15 • The Harvard Independent

Producing at Harvard An interview with Georgia Stirtz. By ELOISE LYNTON

his past Sunday, many of you may have spent the majority of the day in bed, shielding yourself from the harsh winter weather by hibernating beneath your comforters. I, however, acting as the developed Harvard intellectual that I consider myself to be, decided to go to the Opera. If, at first, this seems unlikely, consider these facts: firstly, the opera in question was a rendition of Hansel and Gretel, only the best fairy tale known to man, secondly, it was rumored that there were free insomnia cookies at said event, and, finally, this particular opera was co-produced by Georgia Stirtz ‘17, an incredibly talented producer and my very own block-mate. Although I would never have thought to go to an opera at first, I was blown away by the production. The show, which was directed by Olivia Munk ‘16 and co-produced by Georgia, Sam Reynolds ‘16, and Christina Bianco ‘17, was spectacular. The set design was impeccable, the musicians were incredibly talented, and, most amazing of all, every one could really sing. I was a bit taken aback that my own roommate had been so involved in something that I knew nothing about so I decided to sit down with her and ask a couple of questions.

GS: I haven’t had a chance to act at all at Harvard. Freshman year I lost my voice so I couldn’t audition. Then, in the spring I applied to produce the Freshman Musical, Hero, which was a fantastic show and just so much fun. From there, once you get into a certain role on campus you’re kind of known for that role, so I ended up getting more involved on the production side.

Eloise Lynton (EL): Just to start off, for those of use who don’t know, what does a producer actually do? Georgia Stirtz (GS): The producer keeps everyone down to earth and figures out what is realistic and achievable. The director is the one who works with the actors and has the artistic vision. As producers, we do the practical stuff: the budget, the venues, the publicity, and all the odds and EL: Wow, so how many shows have you produced at Harvard? ends in between. GS: Three shows: The Freshman Musical, EL: Sounds like a lot of responsibility! Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and then the When did you first get started producing? Hansel and Gretel Opera. GS: Sophomore year of high school was the first time I helped produce a show. I actu- EL: Ok, tell me about Hansel and Gretel. ally started off with acting. Then, I ended What made you decide to do an opera? up assisting one of my theater friends with GS: This is the first opera I’ve done. I actuproducing. Before I knew it, I was produc- ally didn’t know anything about opera going my own stuff. We did around ten shows ing into it. I’d never even seen one or anya year all through high school, and I would thing. I’d known the director, Olivia Munk, produce and act in all of them. It was a lot, a little bit before, and we got along really well. She sat me down and told me about but it was a lot of fun, too. her vision for the show, and it sounded like EL: How did you first get involved in the- a great group of people and a cool opporater at Harvard? Did you ever think of act- tunity. ing here? The Harvard Independent • 02.12.15

EL: You’re a neurobiology concentrator. That’s an interesting combination with theater. Do you see any overlap? GS: Actually there is some overlap for me. I think it’s really interesting how moved we are by theater and arts. There is something in art that brings out emotions and experiences in people that nothing else does, and I’ve always been curious about where that comes from on a neurological level. I’m also interested in neurological disorders and how art therapy can treat those diseases. I haven’t done any research overlapping the two yet specifically, but it is definitely something I’m interested in in the future. EL: You’ve done so many shows! You must have some great stories. What’s the biggest on-stage disaster you’ve seen? GS: In high school, oh my gosh, it was so terrible. A kid threw up on stage in the middle of the show. He was just really sick, and he didn’t even know. Luckily, he was holding a newspaper so he just kind of threw up into it. But it was in a small theater, and it smelled terrible. We kept going though. The kid got right back on stage and finished the play. EL: Ok. Here’s where I whip out some roommate knowledge. I heard you were on David Letterman once…any comment? GS: (Laughs). Oh God. Yeah I did a science experiment on David Letterman. One of my high school teachers recommended me for it, so I auditioned, and then they flew me out to New York, and I got on the show. Actually (laughs) that’s a pretty good example of science and theater overlapping; we had to memorize all these lines and perform these experiments at the same time. EL: And one more before you go… The big question: I know you’re the one that planned to have cookies at your final show. What’s your favorite type of insomnia cookie? GS: I think I’ll have to go with the classic chocolate chunk. Can’t beat that. Ahh, and this is why we’re roommates. Eloise Lynton ‘17 (eloiselynton@college.harvard.edu) enjoys the finer things in life like the opera and Insomnia Cookies. Picture courtesy of Harvard College Opera. harvardindependent.com

SportS

The End of the Line Squash teams come to the end of their season By CAROLINE C. CRONIN

he squash team this year has had quite the season. Both teams, the men and women, worked terribly hard and saw their fair share of ups and downs. A few upsets, one or two disappointing losses, and a team trip to the Cayman Islands brought the players together and better equipped to handle the challenges as a team. And so with the never-ending snow comes the College Squash Association (CSA) team Nationals this weekend. The women will be hosting the competition at our very own home courts starting Friday with play continuing through Sunday. The team will play one match a day until a champion is decided! The men’s team will travel to Trinity for their Nationals the following weekend. This past week, both teams took home a few decisive victories. Both the men and women hosted the No. 5 seated Yale on Friday and came away with a shutout for the women and a clean 7-2 win for the men. This was the sixth straight triumph for the women and the win for the men secured at least a share of the Ivy League title. Then, over the weekend the players took to the road to challenge Brown, whose women are seated No. 11 and men No. 16. Both teams won 9-0 and the men celebrated the well-deserved 40th Ivy League title! The men and women are now seated No. 3 as they close their regular seasons. This year the women came in second for the Ivy League. They lost only to Penn of the Ancient Eight. While it disappointed their hope of winning the most coveted all-Ivy title, they quickly turned to prepare for Nationals. Looking back on this 2014-2015 season

freshmen Alyssa Mehta states, “I thought we became a lot more consistent towards the end of the season. We tried to prepare for all of our matches in a similar way–which helped us throughout. Everyone got better at hustled and fought for every point. We swept Columbia, Cornell, and Yale 9-0 and we upset the number 1 team in the country, Trinity, 8-1.” Yes, that upset was one of the highlights of the season and a match that both teams look forward to every year. One other important season highlight that the Harvard women have to be proud of is the recognition of their very own Amanda Sobhy ‘15. She is one of the three finalists for the prestigious Richey Award and has been undefeated in her collegiate play. The other two finalists are Danielle Letourneau of Cornell and Ashley Tidman of Trinity. Amanda has represented Harvard well and made her team proud whatever the final decision may be. The men also have to face the No. 1 seated Trinity this week before they can take on Nationals. The match had been postponed from January 28th and will not be further delayed by the weather. Even during the snow and chaos, Trinity will be trekking to the Murr Center on Tuesday at 4pm. Three Crimson players hope to perfect an undefeated season. Senior Tyler Olson proudly holds the team best 9-0 while freshmen David Ryan and Seif Eleinen hold 5-0 and 4-0, respectively. The home court advantage and the rest that these snow days have afforded them will, we hope, give the men the power to defeat the Bantams (which are, apparently, some breed of poultry). After the Trinity match, the men will have a week off to prepare for Nationals at Trinity February 20-22. As the squash teams take to Nationals, Mehta confidently declares, “We are looking forward to Nationals at our home courts. Our team has become really close this year so we are going for it and have nothing to lose –we will play the best we can.” Well, best of luck to you men and women of Harvard!

Caroline Cronin ‘18 (ccronin01@ college.harvard.edu) will be cheering the teams on this weekend at the Murr Center!

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Mehta

10 harvardindependent.com

02.12.15 • The Harvard Independent

SportS

indy

Snowpocalypse Sports Recent snow fails to deter Harvard athletics By CAROLINE C. CRONIN While many of us have been spending the snow days out in the comfort of our dorm rooms with only the minimal trips to the dining hall to stock up on sustenance, a few teams have braved the weather and continued with their games, matches, and meets. The men’s fencing team has just won an Ivy League Championship. This is the ninth time in the team’s history, and they share the title with Columbia for the second year in a row. Losing only to Penn, the team finished 4-1. The women’s fencing team tied for second in the Ivy League round-robin tournament. Their 4-2 record in matches for the two-day event just this past weekend made them even with Penn and Princeton. Harvard’s Adrienne Jarocki ‘17 was one of two fencers to end the event undefeated with an 18-0 record in the sabre group. Both men and women continue the 2015 season on Wednesday at Brandeis for the Beanpot tournament.

Men’s volleyball took in two victories this past week. On February 3rd, the team beat MIT 3-0 and then Sacred Heart later in the week 3-1. With these decisive triumphs, senior DJ White was named the EIVA Offensive Player of the week. It is his first award of the season but his fifth EIVA weekly in his career. The No. 13 team moves on confidently to challenge Princeton on the 13th and NJIT on the 14th. Both men’s and women’s basketball took on Brown and Yale this past weekend. The men’s games sure were nail-biters as the team had to get defensive to keep their lead. The team finished with a 76-74 win over Brown and 52-50 take down of Yale. The women’s were just as close–losing to Brown 83-80 and beating Yale 65-55. The women are hitting the road while the men will stay home for this weekends’ games against Columbia and Cornell. Both teams start against Columbia this Friday…the 13th (yikes!). The No. 30 men’s tennis team travelled

The Fan Club Harvard Athletics’ schedule 2/12-2/19

By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

ankind’s love of sports is perhaps the most fervent love one can express. I mean, is there a better way to spend Valentine’s Day other than watching the athletic prowess of Harvard athletes?! This upcoming week has some awesome home match-ups that can be great first dates, thoughtful anniversary plans, or just a chance to be rowdy.

Women’s Squash CSA Nationals February 13th @ 12PM Men’s Basketball versus Columbia February 13th @ 6PM The Harvard Independent • 02.12.15

to Northwestern this past weekend to take on the No. 26 Wildcats. The match came down to the final player on the courts but the team just lost it 4-3. The men will play in the team indoor Nationals and the ECAC Team Championships this Friday. The women’s tennis team also played this weekend with a 4-3 home-win over North Texas. They will head west this weekend to play Stanford on Valentine’s Day and California the day after. This past week was packed with exciting sporting events, and Harvard was represented admirably. We hope that the week to come will see our teams excel once again, even in the midst of the bizarre Friday the 13th, Valentine’s Day, and President’s day combo!

Caroline C. Cronin ‘17 (ccronin01@college.harvard.edu) congratulates all athletes on a January well spent!

Men’s Ice Hockey versus Colgate February 13th @ 7PM Wrestling versus Brown February 14th @ 12PM Wrestling versus Johnson & Wales February 14th @ 4PM Men’s Basketball versus Cornell February 14th @ 6PM Men’s Ice Hockey versus Cornell February 14th @ 7PM Women’s Swimming & Diving Ivy League Championships February 19th all day

harvardindependent.com

DRAWN & QUARTERED

byAnnaPa pp

Vi e nna , Aus t r i a

Ma r i a z e l l , Aus t r i a