The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
|
VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 57 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
|
TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022
EDITORIAL PAGE 8
OP ED PAGE 8
SPORTS PAGE 10
Likely letters uplift marginalized students at Harvard College
Dear Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, you are my role model
Football to face St. Thomas in homeand-home series beginning in 2023
Proctors Strained by Large Freshman Class Students Rewrite Racist Operetta By VIVI E. LU and LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
When Hakim J. Walker began serving as a proctor in Harvard’s freshman dormitories in 2018, he was assigned eight to ten freshmen to advise. Proctoring, Walker said, was the “perfect role” to learn more about Harvard. Like many proctors, Walker said he loves working with students and is passionate about the advising aspect of his job. But when he arrived on campus this fall, Walker was assigned 16 freshmen to advise. The transition to taking on more advisees, Walker said, was “definitely taxing.” Proctors help freshmen transition into college life, overseeing an entryway of 20 to 40 students by planning study breaks and enforcing residential rules. In addition, proctors are required to advise a smaller cohort of students academically, providing course recommendations and educational support. Proctors — who must be enrolled in a Harvard graduate program or employed by the University — report to Harvard’s First-Year Experience office, which oversees advising and residential life for freshmen. In exchange for their work, they receive free housing in their freshman entryway and a meal plan in the freshman dining hall. This year, the College’s 78 freshman proctors are responsible for the largest class in the school’s history — likely a con
The 20 freshman dorms, left to right and top to bottom: Apley, Canaday, DeWolfe, Grays, Greenough, Hollis, Holworthy, Hurlbut, The Inn, Lionel, Massachusetts Hall, Matthews, Mower, Pennypacker, The Prescotts, Stoughton, Strauss, Thayer, Weld, and Wigglesworth. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
sequence of Covid-19. Almost 350 members of the Class of 2024 deferred their enrollment while instruction was virtual, joining the oversized Class of 2025. The large class size has augmented many proctors’ workloads, which some say has created burnout and worsened the quality of freshman advising. In interviews with nine current and former proctors over
the last month, many said Harvard’s First-Year Experience Office has not provided enough support as advising responsibilities have increased. Some proctors spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation from the FYE. Though some proctors believe a smaller freshman class next year will alleviate some of their concerns, others worry that the proctor program and
its compensation structure are breeding burnout and tension between proctors and the FYE Office. ‘It Was Really Hell’ According to archives of the Harvard College Dean of Students Office’s website, no proctors left mid-year during the 2020-2021 school year. But this year, five have departed mid-
year, forcing Harvard to scramble to fill spots. Nekesa C. Straker, a senior assistant dean who oversees the FYE, wrote in a statement that many residential staff — not just proctors — have left mid-year. “There are a number of reasons, some of which are personal and some of which result from changes in Harvard affiliation,” Straker wrote. Ben D. Grimm ’18, who left the proctor role mid-year due to dissatisfaction with his graduate program, said he believes there was a “miscommunication” between proctors and the FYE before the fall about the number of students each proctor would advise. In his first year in the role this fall, Grimm was assigned 15 advisees. In past years, proctors have typically been responsible for six to 12 advisees, according to Aliya S. Bhimani, who directs the Advising Programs Office. But this year, most have 12 to 18, Bhimani wrote. The DSO’s website says proctors should expect to advise eight to 10 students. A first-time proctor who was assigned 15 advisees said the workload was “extremely rough.” At least three proctors said the larger cohort of advisees created significant stress at the start of the fall semester, when students meet with advisers for help with selecting courses and transitioning into college life. One proctor said they stayed up until 3 or 4 a.m. preparing for meetings with their 15 advisees at the beginning of the semester.
CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Kraft family, which owns the New England Patriots, donated $24 million to Harvard Business School earlier this month to establish the Robert K. Kraft Family Fellowship Fund, which will be the largest endowed fellowship fund at the school. The donation, announced by HBS on April 7, will endow a fellowship aimed at supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds. HBS will also name its financial aid office after the Kraft family in recognition of the gift. The fellowship was endowed by Robert K. Kraft, the Patriots’ principal owner, and his son, Jonathan A. Kraft, who
The Kraft family dedicated the largest endowed fellowship fund to Harvard Business School in its history.. CHRIS HIDALGO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
serves as president of the team. It marks the second major donation the family has given to Harvard in the last seven years. The fund was announced at an event with Robert and Jonathan Kraft — both HBS alums — and Business School Dean Srikant M. Datar. The fund aims to support students who would not otherwise be able to attend HBS. The donation comes seven years after the Robert and Myra Kraft Family Foundation pledged $20 million to support activities that advance precision medicine at HBS. “Being part of HBS changed my life, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to help others benefit from the
Throughout the last weekend of March, students from the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players transported audiences to London in the year 3070 through their musical “The Milk Made.” The production, performed from March 24 to March 27 at Harvard’s Agassiz Theater, told the story of a boat worker in a futuristic Chinese-dominated London who schemes to achieve her dream of herding goats and to help her sister marry, overcoming the existing class structure. HRG&SP adapted the musical from Arthur Sullivan’s operetta “The Mikado,” keeping the original score but completely rewriting the play to eliminate the use of yellow-face and racism found in the original work. Keagan Yap ’25, the music director of the production, said the cast and crew members were able to bring their personal experiences into the new play. “A number of our cast and crew members also have Asian heritage and belong to these cultures and to come onto this project — and imbue their identities and imbue their cultures and experiences into this work that has drawn music from centuries ago — I think was a very enlightening experience,” Yap said. Katherine “Kate” Vandermel ’25, who played the lead role, said the production’s promotion of inclusivity made the show very meaningful for her. “New lyrics were used to create this show, a show that gives Asian Americans more representation in the arts, and also has a really unique plot and sort of different twist that reflects more contemporary standards,” Vandermel said. Vandermel said the production saw a successful turnout and was applauded for its reinvention of Gilbert and Sullivan’s work. “It was really heartwarming to see a lot of people come to see the show,” Vandermel said. “Especially people that were very surprised by this production and how it was able to really innovate traditional Gilbert
SEE KRAFT PAGE 9
SEE OPERETTA PAGE 9
SEE PROCTORS PAGE 7
HBS Receives $24M from Kraft Family By PAUL E. ALEXIS
By ELLA L. JONES and MONIQUE I. VOBECKY
HDS Student Talks Two Undergrads Named as Truman Scholars Religion and Health By CARRIE HSU
CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
By KENNETH GU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
A ns Irfan, a public health expert and student at the Harvard Divinity School, discussed his project on religion as a structural determinant of health during a virtual presentation on Monday. Diane L. Moore, the faculty director of the Religion and Public Life program at HDS, moderated the presentation, which also included remarks from Jason J. Ashe, another expert in religion and health who is affiliated with Duke University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Irfan’s presentation is the first talk held by the Master of Religion and Public Life program at HDS, which brings to
INSIDE THIS Harvard Today 2 ISSUE
gether a small cohort of professionals and academics from around the world to study religion’s connection to society and service. Irfan began by addressing the popular notion that health is solely influenced by biology. While biology influences public health outcomes, Irfan argued that social and structural determinants play a large role but are often forgotten. According to Irfan, social determinants include “where you grow, live, learn, work, age, and so on,” while structural determinants are affected by macro-level economic, housing, and trade policies. “Now we understand that only about 15-20 percent of
SEE HDS PAGE 9
Arts 3
News 7
T wo Harvard College students were awarded the Truman scholarship — an honor recognizing leadership, commitment to a career in public service, and academic excellence — according to a press release issued last week. Amisha A. Kambath ’22 and Oksanna A. Samey ’23 were among the 58 aspiring public service leaders from 53 colleges and universities nationwide who received the distinction this year. The Truman scholars will be awarded $30,000 in funding for post-graduate studies, along with leadership training, career counseling, and special employment opportunities within the federal government, per the scholarship’s website. A Social Studies concentrator in Dunster House, Kambath
Editorial 8
Sports 10
said she knew since arriving at the College that she wanted to enter the legal profession. She tailored her extracurriculars around this interest, getting involved with the Harvard College Project for Justice and the Institute of Politics. Kambath has also conducted research with Harvard Kennedy School professor Sandra Susan Smith. Kambath credited her exposure to the criminal justice system, including a summer internships at the public defender’s office in Washington D.C. and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, for helping her more clearly envision how she wants to move forward in her career. “[These intern experiences] helped me have a much clearer conception of where I wanted to position myself and how I want to position myself in terms of working to change the crimi-
TODAY’S FORECAST
Amisha Kambath ’22
Oksanna Samey ’23
PHOTO COURTSEY AMISHA KAMBATH
PHOTO COURTSEY OKSANNA SAMEY
nal legal system and kind of the landscape economic opportunity around it,” she said. “So I think that — if I had to guess — paid off pretty well in the application.” Kambath added that the process of putting together the Truman application was “really wonderful” because it allowed
her to reflect on her various roles and research experiences at Harvard. “I just think the mode of engaging with the application and the Truman process — like what it kind of pulled out of me — is something that I’m really, really
SEE TRUMAN PAGE 9
VISIT THECRIMSON.COM. RAINY High: 56 Low: 40 FOLLOW @THECRIMSON ON TWITTER.
pita