The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLIX, No. 49

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 49

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CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

| FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022

EDITORIAL PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 5

SPORTS PAGE 6

In the expansion of financial aid, we must remember there is more to do

Harvard Divinity School hosts conversation on power in Palestine

Softball sweeps Columbia on the road, moves to second place in conference

What’s Dorm Crew Without Dorms? Harvard Defines Bullying Policies

By LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Paul G. Stainier ’18 found a home at Harvard participating in the College’s Dorm Crew — a program that previously hired students to clean dorm bathrooms.

“Everyone in the room is down to stick their hand into a toilet for money. And that, I thought, was a nice filter for people that I would get along with,” he said of his coworkers.

Stainier went on to become a House Captain, a leadership role in which he oversaw a team of student workers responsible for cleaning Cabot House.

The College began hiring undergraduates to do custodial work in dorms in 1951 through the Student Porter Program, which provided a new source of on-campus employment.

Prior to Covid-19, administrators decided to devise a shift in the function of Dorm Crew, a longtime magnet for controversy. According to ­

SEE DORM CREW PAGE 3

By CARA J. CHANG and ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

The College’s Dorm Crew was established in 1951 as the Student Porter Program. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard released a sweeping set of proposed changes to its bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment policies on Thursday — including drafts of the first school-wide non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies.

The proposed policy changes, sent to Harvard affiliates on Thursday by University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, come 14 months after the school convened a set of working groups tasked with reviewing the school’s policies governing discrimination and harassment complaints.

The working groups proposed new University-wide policies defining non-discrimination and anti-bullying and laid out resolution procedures for the first time. They also recommended that Harvard update its

definition of consent to require “active, mutual agreement” in its Title IX and sexual misconduct policies.

The working groups were comprised of Harvard faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates as part of a “community-driven effort to examine how we address discrimination and harassment at Harvard,” Garber wrote last January.

Three of the working groups — the Title IX Policy and Other Sexual Misconduct Policy Working Group, the Non-Discrimination Policy Working Group, and the Anti-Bullying Policy Working Group — developed separate reports and submitted them to a steering committee last summer.

The groups were overseen by a steering committee made up of 15 faculty and top administrators responsible for

SEE REPORT PAGE 5

Gay Looks to Future Admitted Students React with Joy, Shock of Ethnic Studies

By RAHEM D. HAMID and NIA L. ORAKWUE

By ARIEL H. KIM and MEIMEI XU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said in an interview Wednesday she is “thrilled” to invite Taeku Lee to the FAS and looks forward to the expansion of ethnic studies.

The FAS announced Monday that Lee will join Harvard’s faculty as the first ethnic studies scholar to be brought in as part of a cluster hire.

Following more than four decades of lobbying by Harvard students and alumni for an ethnic studies concentration, Gay launched a search for faculty specializing in Asian American, Latinx, and Muslim studies in June 2019. But the search was suspended in April 2020 due to the pandemic, only to resume four months later.

Gay said she is waiting to hear back from three scholars the FAS has identified as part of ­

the cluster hire, adding that Lee has been helping the FAS with its recruitment.

“I think our success in being able to recruit Taeku was helped enormously by the generosity of our alums, particularly the alums who came together to provide these transformative gifts for Asian American Studies,” she said.

Lee’s professorship will be funded by a $45 million donation made by Asian American alumni last September.

The FAS also established visiting professorships to recruit senior scholars studying ethnicity, indigeneity, and migration this year, with the College welcoming Vivek Bald as the first of the cohort, per Gay. Gay added that the FAS is currently recruiting “two or three” more visiting professors to teach and research at Harvard next year.

SEE GAY PAGE 3

CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Torn between two schools, Ashley J. Vasquez Romo poked a hole on one side of an eraser and decided that the “poke” side would be Harvard, before throwing it up in the air.

“I said if [the eraser] lands on the side with the ‘poke’, I’m going to apply to Harvard early, and if it landed on the other side I was going to apply to Stanford early,” Vasquez Romo said.

Last Thursday, March 31, Harvard College admitted 1,214 applicants to the Class of 2026, joining the 740 admitted in the early round in December. The 1,954 students were chosen from a pool of 61,220 applicants — making for a record-low acceptance rate of 3.19 percent, down from 3.43 percent the year before.

Students admitted to the Class of 2026 expressed shock, excitement, and disbelief upon ­

SEE 2026 PAGE 3

Top, left to right: Willa A. Fogelson, Marley E. Dias, Mia A. Russ, Aditya Tummala, Zion J. Dixon. Bottom, left to right: Julia Santos de Alvarenga, Ashley J. Vazquez Romo, Omenma P. Abengowe, Katherine J. Krupa, Ryan D. Garcia.

Harvard Celebrates William Monroe Trotter’s 150 Birthday IOP Hosts Forum Honoring Civil Rights Icon

By DANISH BAJWA and SRIJA VEM

150 Years Later, Trotter’s Legacy Still Remains

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

In celebration of the 150th birthday of civil rights activist William Monroe Trotter, Class of 1895, University President Lawrence S. Bacow, historian Keisha N. Blain, and family members of Trotter spoke at an IOP forum Thursday.

The event, titled “Reimagining Our Radical Roots,” was co-hosted by the Center for Public Leadership’s William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice. The forum marked the opening of a twoday celebration of Trotter, the first African American Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard and founder of the Niagara movement.

Following opening remarks

by Trotter Social Justice Collaborative Director Cornell William Brooks, Bacow addressed the forum, connecting the celebration to modern events.

“It’s a special day because

SEE IOP PAGE 5 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

By MILES J. HERSZENHORN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

William Monroe Trotter, Class of 1895, should have his portrait hanging in University President Lawrence S. Bacow’s office, argued Kennedy School professor Cornell William Brooks in an interview on Tuesday.

“Because who else?” Brooks asked. “What other activist who’s a graduate of this place, who had such a long range of influence in such a pioneering way that can be seen in the present?”

The William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice at the Kennedy School, helmed by Brooks, launched a two-day celebration of Trotter’s life on Thursday, his 150th birthday.

Brooks, Bacow, and Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf gave opening remarks during a kick-off event on Thursday afternoon before Keisha N. Blain, a fellow at the Kennedy School, delivered the keynote address. On Friday, af­

Cornell William Brooks, HKSProfessor and William Monroe Trotter Collaborative Director, spoke at a Thursday IOP Forum celebrating the 150th birthday of William Monroe Trotter.. CAROLINE ALLEN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

News 3

Editorial 4

Sports 6

TODAY’S FORECAST

RAINY High: 44 Low: 65

William Monroe Trotter in 1915.

PHOTO COURTSEY BOSTON CITY COUNCIL VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

filiates can attend panels about reparations and voting rights and attend “advocacy workshops” throughout the day.

Trotter graduated from Harvard College in 1895, where he became the first Black member of Phi Beta Kappa in the school’s history. He went on to

SEE TROTTER PAGE 5

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

APRIL 8, 2022

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Beer Battered Fried Fresh Fish Tofu Curry Noodle Stirfy Dan Dan Noodles

For Dinner Chinese Style Pork Chops Teriyaki Turkey Tips Spicy Tofu with Green Beans

TODAY’S EVENTS Build Your Own Party Pack with CWHP Science Center Plaza, 12-2:00 p.m.

IN THE REAL WORLD

Come prepare for Yardfest weekend!

Join this event for fun trivia and to fill your very own fanny pack with snacks, to-go cups, and everything you can imagine to have a safe weekend.

Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 Becomes the First Black Female Justice Confirmed to the Supreme Court On Thursday, the United States Senate voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. She is the first Black woman to serve as a justice in the nation’s highest court. Jackson will take her place on the bench once Justice Stephen Breyer retires at the end of the court’s summer term.

Rethinking Systems Design for Racial Justice & Equity Virtual, 1 p.m.

In the third installment of a threesymposium series, national and international scholars and activists will share strategies and resources for promoting racial justice and combating inequity.

Officials Speculate Russia Has Shifted Its Plans in War on Ukraine

As spring ushers in warmer weather, daffodils bloom on campus. CHRISTOPHER HIDALGO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

AROUND THE IVIES Conference: “Visual Poetry: The Politics and Erotics of Seeing, Titian and Beyond” Lower Level Lecture Hall, 9:30 p.m.6 p.m.

This is the second part of a two-day international conference. Three panels of international scholars will present Titian’s paintings and their artistic, erotic, and political significance.

YALE: Haifan Lin Returns From Suspension, but Faculty Questions Remain —THE YALE DAILY NEWS

COLUMBIA: Barnard Reinstates Indoor Mask Mandate —THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR DARTMOUTH: 1,767 Applicants Admitted Into Class of 2026 With Second-Lowest Acceptance Rate Ever

Russia’s war on Ukraine entered a new phase as fighting in eastern Ukraine intensified. Officials predict that over the next few weeks, Russian forces will resupply and reposition as they move away from Kyiv and shift focus to attacking the region of Donbas.

Dissolution of Parliament by Pakistan Prime Minister Was Illegal, Court Rules

After four days of hearings in the top court, the Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve parliament violated the state’s constitution. The verdict was announced on Thursday, paving the way for a no-confidence vote expected to oust Khan from office.

—THE DARTMOUTH

PENN: Penn Population Studies Center Hosts Event on Decline of Mental Health Amid Covid-19 Pandemic —THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

COVID UPDATES

LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY

CAMPUS

284 In Isolation

375 1.29% Total New Cases

Positivity Rate

LAST 7 DAYS

CAMBRIDGE

533 2.3% 76%

Total New Cases

Positivity Rate

Fully Vaccinated

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Women’s Groups to Protest Forum Cuts

Women’s groups prepared to protest a budget proposal to cut the entire staff of the Radcliffe Forum, as the Radcliffe Trustees considered the cutback. The Forum connected students to women’s scholars and speakers and served as a support network for women on campus, according to Radcliffe students.

April 8, 1980

Student Fights Off Assailant

A female undergraduate reported to police that she defended herself against a man who assaulted her near Adams House. The student — who was pushed to the ground by the assailant after ignoring his attempts to speak to her — fought back and successfully fled the scene without physical injury.

April 8, 2005

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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Blog Chairs Ellen S. Deng ’23-’24 Janani Sekar ’23-’24

Technology Chairs Ziyong Cui ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24

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.

Night Editor Alex M. Koller ’22-’23 Assistant Night Editors Dekyi T. Tsotsong ’24 Michal Goldstein ’25 Story Editors Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Natalie L. Kahn ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24

Design Editors Camille G. Caldera ’22 Toby R. Ma ’24 Photo Editor Julian J. Giordano ’25 Editorial Editor Orlee G.S. Marini-Rapoport ’23-’24 Sports Editor David Manikas ’22

CORRECTIONS The Harvard Crimson is committed to accuracy in its reporting. Factual errors are corrected promptly on this page. Readers with information about errors are asked to e-mail the managing editor at managingeditor@thecrimson.com.

PAGE 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

APRIL 8, 2022

DORM CREW FROM PAGE 1

Harvard to Phase Out Dorm Crew Cleaning Duties organization leaders, administrators said they wanted students to be responsible for cleaning their own spaces.

Dorm Crew leaders phased out custodial work in spring 2020 and proposed new ways to employ members on campus.

When Covid-19 struck, Dorm Crew’s work was halted.

Now, after a 70-year history defined by cleaning bathrooms, Harvard is rolling out a new future for Dorm Crew — one that no longer involves toilets.

‘A Safe Place to Learn What Leadership Is’ When applying to business school, Jose I. Garcia ’19 emphasized the leadership experience he gained as a Dorm Crew House Captain.

“Leadership roles have real consequences, and it’s not to say that Dorm Crew didn’t have real consequences, but it was a safe place to learn what leadership is,” Garcia said.

Most students heard about Dorm Crew through Fall CleanUp, the only freshman pre-orientation program to pay its 200 to 300 annual participants. Incoming freshmen spent the week before move-in cleaning dorms for $13.50 per hour.At the end, students were encouraged to join Dorm Crew, which paid entry-level bathroom cleaners $16.25 per hour for a minimum of two hours per week. Students could also participate in Spring Clean-Up, which paid them to clean and prepare campus for Commencement.

Dorm Crew employed more than 800 students yearly through its various programs.

FCU participant Guillaume Bouchard ’23-’24 wrote in an email that his days in the program were among his “happiest and most meaningful yet.”A first-generation, low-income international student, he said the work helped him apply for a Social Security Number and supplement his financial aid.

“I met there some of the most down-to-earth, genuine people I’ve known in my time at Harvard,” Bouchard wrote. “The work was rarely difficult, the company was wonderful, and the paycheck was a great way to start the year.”

Benjamin E. Frimodig ’21, who was a Head Captain, said Dorm Crew helped him find like-minded friends on campus.

“I came to Harvard, and it was an overwhelming place,” he said. “To be a part of a community of people at the most prestigious institution in the world that were willing to clean bathrooms to pay their way through college was such a gift.”

Contested Controversy Despite glowing reports from many of its members, Dorm Crew has drawn criticism from some academics and undergrads who contend the program exacerbates inequities between low-income students and their peers.In 2019, Anthony A. Jack, an assistant professor at HGSE, published “The Privileged Poor,” a book that criticizes programs like FCU for furthering divisions between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Sara Goldrick-Rab, a Temple University professor, sparked a debate in 2019 in a tweet..

“Low-income students at HARVARD working 20 hours a week in their first year of college cleaning goddamn dorms??”

Goldrick-Rab wrote.

Hrolfur Eyjolfsson ’23, who did not work Dorm Crew, said he finds the idea of the program “uncomfortable” and “sort of belittling.”

“I know someone that would come into my room, and they’d come there to clean the toilet as I’m just sitting on the couch. It was super awkward,” Eyjolfsson said.

Many current and former Dorm Crew members pushed back on these criticisms.

Head Captain Magdalen M. Mercado ’22-’23 said the program actually alleviates socioeconomic differences.

“It’s a way to increase your access to things, to put money in your pocket, and to also give you access to this huge network of students and alumni,” Mercado said.

To Frimodig, these criticisms stem from the “elitist” stigmatization of custodial work at Harvard.

“I never appreciated as a Dorm Crew employee being informed of my own oppression by people who had never done Dorm Crew and people who had never engaged in manual labor,” he said. “I think there was a notion that Harvard students are above custodial work, which is not true.”

‘A Lot of Empty Promises’ When the pandemic hit in 2020, Dorm Crew paused. Even with the return to full capacity last fall, Dorm Crew employees have been consigned to fulfilling work orders for Yard Operations and completing odd jobs during move-in.

“It felt like the College really used Covid as an excuse to curtail the program, and that their true motives were a little bit more based in some of the bad press that Dorm Crew had gotten,” Frimodig said.

Frimodig said he felt there was “dishonest communication” from the administration during the pandemic regarding the future of Dorm Crew.

“We responded to every curveball that the pandemic threw us and that the College administrators threw us, and we just felt like it kind of ended in a lot of platitudes from them,” Frimodig said. “Just a lot of empty promises and frustrating messaging.”

Wihtout steady hours, Dorm Crew members like Naomi Davy ’22 took new on-campus jobs.

“I’m now a rep in the Office

Dorm Crew was established in 1951 as the Student Porter Program. JULIAN GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

of Sustainability, and I really like that job,” Davy said. “But I don’t think I would have actually taken that job if Dorm Crew was still around. .”

Former Dorm Crew member Ryan J. Golemme ’23 said maintaining the program is not a priority for Harvard and fears for a loss of institutional memory.

“The longer that we’re waiting for [Dorm Crew’s return], the more of that institutional knowledge is lost, and the harder it’s going to be for us to reform again,” Golemme said. “To be honest, I think Harvard kind of knows that.”

Harvard spokesperson Michael Conner declined to comment on student criticisms.

According to Mercado, students will not have the opportunity to take part in Spring Clean-Up as normal this year.

The Fate of Dorm Crew In 2020, Dorm Crew Head

2026 FROM PAGE 1

Captains wrote a 17-page “Strategic Plan” outlining a future for the program beyond bathroom cleaning — which is the majority of Dorm Crew’s work.

Mercado said that moving forward, it is important to maintain opportunities for “meaningful, accessible, flexible student employment.”

Previously a Harvard Campus Services initiative, Dorm Crew found a new home this semester under Education Support Services. ESS encompasses the Language Center, teaching and learning support, and event and media production.Language Center director Andrew F. Ross, who will oversee Dorm Crew, said ESS is “enormously excited” about their new relationship with the organization.

“What’s of great interest to us is Dorm Crew’s long-standing ability to self-organize and to recruit and to train student leadership,” Ross said. “Our intention, really, for this semester

is to ensure Dorm Crew’s continuity, first and foremost.”

As early as next fall, some Dorm Crew members will begin doing audiovisual work for residential houses and classrooms, Ross said.

But former Head Captain Daniel I. Mendoza ’21 worries that there will be fewer opportunities for flexible and high-paying employment for Dorm Crew employees.

In spring 2020, Dorm Crew hired 150 students for termtime work. But, according to Ross, ESS could only hire as many as 45 students if each works 10 hours a week.

Mendoza said it is difficult to imagine the change but he is optimistic about the organization’s future under ESS. “They’re going to keep that spirit of Dorm Crew, even though it might not look the same,” Mendoza said. leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com

GAY FROM PAGE 1

Class of 2026 Reacts with Joy, Shock Gay Talks Ethnic receiving their Harvard acceptances.

Vasquez Romo, a prospective member of the Class of 2026 from Las Vegas, said she felt her college application process had high stakes because her family members have not attended college.

“Was I going to continue the cycle, or was I going to be one of the first to break it?” Vasquez Romo said.

After receiving her acceptance in December, she said her family’s reactions made her certain her work had “paid off.”

“My dad — he never cries, but he started tearing up and he had this huge smile,” she said.

A veteran admit from Delano, Calif., Ryan D. Garcia feared that being five years out of high school would hurt his chances of admission.

“It was a little bit different going through [the admissions process],” Garcia said. “It seemed like I was planning on climbing an uphill battle.”

Garcia said the moment he received a likely letter in midMarch was “surreal.”

“Being first-generation military, first-generation college — [Harvard] was the dream school,” he said.

“That was the American dream — my parents came, and that was the school that they thought we would be able to find success in,” he added.

Julia Santos de Alvarenga, an international student living in Texas originally from São Paulo, Brazil, said that it was a “very stressful process, especially as an international” applicant.

“None of my family members attended college here in the U.S., and my aunt was actually the only one who attended college back in Brazil,” she also said.

Alvarenga said despite the process’s stressful nature, she found it “fulfilling.”

“I learned a lot about myself and about the people around

me, how I relate to them,” she said.

Student activist and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks Marley E. Dias found it “socially validating” to be accepted knowing that her essays mentioned wanting to make change at institutions like Harvard.

“I hope to be an important voice for the changes that can be made in all institutions, particularly in predominantly white and predominantly incredibly wealthy and well resourced and less diverse communities,” Dias said.

“To know that they read that and were like, ‘We want her’ — it made me so happy because I wasn’t trying to shy away from my goals in disrupting things,” she added.

Mia A. Russ, a senior from Somerset, Mass., found her college application process “wild and crazy stressful,” but was “thrilled” when she got her acceptance.

It wasn’t until about 24

Music Scholars Discuss Legacy of Late Professor Eileen Southern

By RYAN H. DOAN-NGUYEN and CALEB H. PAINTER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Music and African American studies professors explored the legacy of Eileen Southern, the first African American woman tenured in Harvard’s FAS, at a virtual event hosted Thursday by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The “Black Music and the American University: Eileen Southern’s Story,” webinar was part of the Music Department’s Eileen Southern Initiative, which examines the pathbreaking scholar’s impact in helping form the Black music studies field.

The event featured Georgia State University professor Marva Griffin Carter, University of Pennsylvania professor Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr., and Yale University professor Braxton D. Shelley. Harvard Music professor Carol J. Oja moderated the webinar, which included a brief

tour of the Eileen Southern digital exhibition.

Southern, a musician and scholar focused on Black folk music, was the first Black woman in the country to earn a Ph.D. in musicology. At the event, Oja said Southern’s landmark 1971 book “The Music of Black Americans” helped jumpstart the Black music studies field.

“Eileen Southern laid the groundwork for the future studies,” Ramsey said. “If you had to get a lecture together, you start with Southern.

Southern’s work was disparaged at the time, per Carter.

“It was believed there was nothing to be learned beyond Jazz, perhaps, in a course,” she said.

However, Carter added, Southern’s work proved that untrue.

“She sort of dared to lead the way, as opposed to being worried about doing what was in fashion and following the scholarly modes of her day,” Oja said

in an interview. “And that’s crucial for any scholar to follow one’s own vision and have the courage to do so.”

Southern came to Harvard in the mid-1970s, where she taught classes in the Afro-American Studies Department. In 1976, she became the second chair of the department, now called the African and African American Studies Department. She was the first Black woman tenured in Harvard’s FAS. Oja said very little of Southern’s legacy at the school has been preserved.

“When I arrived at Harvard in 2003, I was just puzzled because there was just no trace of her anywhere,” she said.

This spurred Oja and other members of the Music Department to launch the initiative honoring her impact.

“While I think she’s being honored much later than she should have been, it’s still very gratifying to see it happening now,” Ramsey said.

hours later that Russ said “imposter syndrome” set in. Still, she added that she tries to remind herself that her Harvard experience will be about more than just academics.

“I don’t know how I’ll measure up to these people in a classroom setting, but it’s just nice to know that everybody’s human,” she said.

“We’re not all these robots who are really good at school — everybody has a personality, everybody has a story,” she also said.

Looking back on the experience, Dias said she learned to “remain confident in my capabilities, regardless of the outcome.”

“Now that it’s over, I feel a real contentment with who I am, what I’m capable of, and the communities that are out there for me in the future,” Dias alsosaid. rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

Studies Hiring “The hope is that between the permanent appointments that we’re making for the cluster search and these distinguished senior figures who will come and spend time both doing their work, doing their research, but also teaching and working with undergraduates, then we can really build a very dynamic intellectual community around the topic of ethnicity, indigeneity, and migration,” she said.

Gay doubled the Inequality in America two-year postdoctoral fellowship from two to four fellows a year. She said the fellowship would give an opportunity to scholars who recently completed a Ph.D. program to receive mentorship.

Gay said she hopes once the FAS recruits more ethnic studies faculty, the scholars will help create a concentration in ethnicity, indigeneity, and migration.

I’ve underscored the importance of starting by building faculty.

Claudine Gay FAS Dean

“From the beginning, I’ve underscored the importance of starting by building faculty, getting people here, building that critical mass, and then asking those faculty to come together to envision the best structure for their work,” she said. “I have not been shy about saying that my hope is that there will be an undergraduate concentration, and I think the interest is there.” ariel.kim@thecrimson.com meimei.xu@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

APRIL 8, 2022

PAGE 4

EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

COLUMN

More To Do in a Thrilling Aid Expansion

Dear Crimson Commenters

The financial aid expansion is thrilling, but there is more to do.

I

n an exciting turn of events, the College has just announced that starting with the Class of 2026, Harvard families whose annual income falls below $75,000 will not be required to contribute anything toward their student’s tuition, room, or board. This $10,000 shift from the previous $65,000 household income threshold will encompass families above the median U.S. household income. This expansion of financial aid is an accomplishment worth applauding, and we are extremely happy to see a lightening of the financial burdens of attending Harvard for lower-income students in our community.

The thrill of this development directly follows the announcement of the Class of 2026’s record-low admissions rate. The timing of this notification may raise a few eyebrows — the publication of sweeping elimination of tuition requirements has been known to drive plummeting acceptance rates like in the case of the tuition-less NYU Medical School. Hopefully, this development isn’t singularly aimed at enhancing Harvard’s brand of exclusivity.

Although the expansion of our full financial aid coverage should be celebrated, to blindly applaud the University would help paint an illusion of socioeconomic diversity at Harvard when in reality, Harvard is far from being economically diverse. Sixty-seven of Harvard students hail from the top 20 percent of the income bracket. Their median family income is $168,800. At a place that could be the most potent of social equalizers, only “1.8% of students at Harvard came from a poor family but became a rich adult,” according to the New York Times.

The College’s financial aid, then, while incredible, only reaches those who overcome the near-impossible odds of gaining admission without the economic privilege that evidently, unjustly opens the door to this institution far wider. We are extremely glad to see Harvard take such an ambitious step

toward economic justice in one corner of its institutional project, but precisely because of this, we believe that the University surely can and should take equally ambitious steps towards economic justice in who it brings here in the first place.

For example, free-of-charge summer programs designed to extend high-quality educational opportunities to those without the economic means can contribute meaningfully towards closing the inequalities prospective applicants face in their time before college. To find a model for such a program, Harvard need only look a few miles down the Charles River, where MIT (virtually) hosts the MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community program, which provides an intensive sixmonth educational experience to many underserved students without any tuition. Such stop-gap efforts cannot break down the countless barriers to higher education and social mobility in a profoundly unequal society, but they are a good way to mitigate some of the issues.

Ultimately, Harvard must adjust how it evaluates applications altogether to critically account for the many ways in which economically disadvantaged applicants are prevented from presenting the most competitive applications.

As the promise of increasingly generous financial aid encourages more lower-income applicants to apply, this University must also remember that its obligation to these students does not end upon the delivery of their acceptance letter. To be clear, Harvard’s clarity in setting red-lines like $75k is certainly helpful for applicants that may otherwise be deterred by the costs of attending Harvard, even if they are able to overcome Harvard’s exceptionally low acceptance rates.

However, we hope that Harvard’s Financial Aid Office continues to tailor to the individual circumstances above the minimum financial aid that they promise and do more for the students who

have overcome tremendous odds to set foot on this campus. The inequalities that make Harvard’s financial aid program so remarkable also require similarly ambitious efforts to continually improve the experience of low-income students throughout their time on campus.

After all, economic inequalities that can lead to all sorts of disparities in student experiences are not simply eradicated by a financial aid award upon admission, even if it has become more generous.

Valuable initiatives like the start-up grant, which gives qualifying freshmen $1,000 to cover the unexpected costs of their first year at the College, demonstrate that Harvard can design creative and genuinely useful programs to ease the difficulties faced by low-income students. For the many upperclassmen facing similar struggles, though, it seems Harvard has chosen not to provide this same support — a mistake it must correct.

Much like Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzimmons ’67, we are also extremely thrilled about this ambitious step towards making Harvard a more accessible place for everyone. We have no doubt that this decision will meaningfully improve the lives of many families both in our community and yet to enter it. For now, we will celebrate. But in the back of our minds, we can’t help but ask: what else will Harvard do to further its commitment to economic diversity and open its gates to the greatest young minds all over the world — and treat them well even after they have arrived on this campus and contributed to the University’s brand of exclusivity and tremendous equalizing potential?

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

Two years ago, I was in the same position many of you are in now: admitted but unsure if Harvard was the right place for me. As I weighed financial, geographic, and academic factors, I remember waiting for a sign that there was something different, something better, about Harvard.

I thought that I found that sign during a Virtual Visitas Q&A. Amidst the standard replies to questions about food, concentrations, and classes, one answer stood out to me: When asked what their favorite part of Harvard was, a current student enthusiastically replied “the people.” This answer tipped the scales and instilled the confidence I needed to accept the offer of admission.

But after spending two years at Harvard, I have lost faith in that simple answer.

During my freshman year, I always assumed that “the people” referred to my peers. I imagined that I would be accepted into a supportive, accepting community of learners where every person is pushed to be a better thinker. In reality, I joined a hypercompetitive, toxic, and superficial community.

Harvard students love to compare themselves to each other. Exam scores, summer plans, leadership positions, and even the number of colors on your Google Calendar are all fair game — and obviously, every student wants to win.

Harvard’s grind culture is impossible to escape, and pausing to take a breath from your four to five classes and handful of organizations just means that you’re falling behind.

Of course, the feeling that you’ll never measure up to your peers is why many

students struggle with imposter syndrome. These culture problems would be made easier to bear with a strong group of friends, but so many relationships at Harvard are transactional. People interact to get a project or a problem set done, and when the work ends, the relationship often does as well. Combining these issues with blatant student racism and transphobia, it’s pretty clear that the students are not the high point of Harvard.

After spending two years at Harvard, I have lost faith in the answer that “the people” are the best part Maybe then, I reasoned, “the people” that make Harvard special are professors and administrators. Harvard’s professors are one-of-a-kind minds whose work has redefined their fields. Harvard administrators lead what is often regarded as one of the best universities in the world. Even if the students fall short, these adults must measure up.

Scandal after scandal has shown me otherwise. Some instructors use their knowledge to advance racist agendas. Others use their power to sexually harass students while the administration idly stands by. A lack of institutional support has proved common.

This past year, graduate students called for non-discrimination protection and raises adjusted for inflation, leading to a three-day strike — and it was only after eight months of negotiation and a second strike threat that the administration and the graduate student union

D

ear You, Sorry, I don’t really know your name.

Yes, I am talking to you. You, the reader.

Or more importantly you, the commenter. You are finally getting the platform that it seems that you want.

This article is all about you! I haven’t been a member of the Crimson for very long, nor have I been reading Crimson articles that long either, but yet, somehow you have made an imprint in my mind.

I first got introduced to you last semester. As I was comping for the Crimson Editorial Board, I had a friend who was comping for the News Board– they met you much earlier than I did.

I was a little bit in shock when I read her comments, as she was just reporting the news — simply objective.

But still, her name, her peers’ names, were called out by you. We talked about you – about how you were intimidating and how we were afraid to poke the bear.

So, I became a little nervous about what would happen when I started writing about subjective things, things that pertained to my identity and personality. Writing on this board must come with some vulnerability.

I struggle to decide if you matter or not, to put it bluntly. For all I know, you could be a 40-year-old man cooped up in his room, bored and full of hatred for a young college kid.

Or maybe you’re some student at Yale, living out our rivalry to its full extent.

Every time one writes, they leave a piece of themselves out there. I began to take my opinions more seriously and think critically about what I wanted to put online.

The second time I met you was when I was first published.

Despite my hesitancy and fear, I still decided that I would remain strong and still confront you.

I was so proud of what I created; what I put time, effort, and passion into.

I smiled as my parents linked my article on their Facebook and as my friends reposted it on Instagram. However, the next morning, when I read all the things you had to say, is when I started becoming progressively less and less excited about publishing.

After that morning, I became more and more obsessed with you. My article did not even have that many comments, but I kept re-reading them to see what I could interpret from what you had said. I have always kept up with reading the Crimson, but now, reading your comments became added to my routine.

It came to the point where I could recognize some of your screen names, due to how much time you spend reading and commenting on these articles.

And I could always find you under the articles discussing race and gender.

There was an article written back in 2018, titled “Who Can Be Racist?” which was the crux of it all. Three hundred and seventeen comments of critiques, insults, and much more. I wondered what it felt like for the writer to see all of you guys.

You are the heart of what opinion journalism is — having the freedom and the platform to speak your mind

To Harvard’s Class of 2026

By LIBBY E. TSENG

By ANGIE GABEAU

finally reached an agreement. Additionally, although Harvard undergraduates have significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression than the national average, Harvard’s Counseling and Mental Health Services fail to meet this demand.

I’m not sharing my recollection of the past two years to convince you that the people of Harvard are exceedingly bad.

I would just argue that they are exceedingly average.

Toxic culture, apathy, abuse of power, racism, and sexism exist everywhere that people exist. The Harvard community inevitably reproduces these issues.

We aren’t better, and we certainly aren’t immune. The word “Harvard” carries with it a certain social weight, supported by billions of dollars and hundreds of years of history. But, truly, this power is undeserved. Before you accept (or decline) the offer of admission, you need to come to terms with this reality.

Regardless of where you attend college, be ready to hold your peers, professors, and administrators accountable.

Be selective with your friends, and keep in mind that their beliefs, attitudes, and choices affect you. Hold onto the people and groups who bring you joy.

If you were to ask me now what my favorite part of Harvard is, I would say the HUDS oatmeal raisin cookies because I no longer know how to answer the question in any other way. I hope that in the next two years, my answer will change.

Welcome to Harvard, Class of 2026.

A transformative college experience —Libby E. Tseng ’24, a Crimson Editorial Comp Director, lives in Pforzheimer House.

I struggle to decide if you matter or not, to put it bluntly.

For all I know, you could be a 40-year-old man cooped up in his room, bored and full of hatred for a young college kid. Or maybe you’re some student at Yale, living out our rivalry to its full extent.

This is how my friends and family would describe you at least — as they attempted to convince me to disregard the things that you say.

But, I can’t just ignore you.

You are the heart of what opinion journalism is — having the freedom and the platform to speak your mind.

I will always be an avid supporter of spreading knowledge and having equal access for all voices to be heard. So who am I to stop you from doing exactly what I love?

In the spirit of exercising their freedom of speech, I have seen some online vigilantes attempting to fight back against the rude and demeaning comments that you write on the Crimson website.

But yet, you remain the same — consistently commenting on each post with your criticisms. So, what is left to do is just live with you.

We writers just have to understand that you’re a part of the package. I get to say my piece, you get yours.

Oddly enough, this is an appreciation letter. I appreciate those of you who actually provide constructive criticism, but I also appreciate those of you who make my backbone stronger – whipping me into shape.

I appreciate how you remind me of the privilege that I get to speak my mind on this platform as I choose.

So, get comfortable, because it seems like we are both here for the long run.

Love, Angie Gabeau —Angie Gabeau ’25, a Crimson Editorial Editor, lives in Pennypacker Hall.

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

APRIL 8, 2022

TROTTER FROM PAGE 1

Harvard Celebrates William Monroe Trotter’s Legacy become one of the most radical and prominent civil rights activists of the early 20th century, but is today lesser-known than some of his contemporaries.

Brooks believes it is time for Harvard to claim Trotter more prominently.

“Harvard needs to ask itself, ‘What can we do to lay hold to, and to lift up, and to push forward this legacy of social activism, and advocacy, and social justice represented by literally the first Black member of Phi Beta Kappa from here at Harvard?’” Brooks said.

“Harvard has a once-in-alifetime opportunity to seize his legacy,” Brooks added.

Great Expectations Trotter, who grew up in Boston, was the product of wealthy and prestigious parents.

His father, James Monroe Trotter, was born into slavery in Mississippi, but raised in freedom. James Trotter was a Civil War veteran, serving in the Massachusetts 55th Regiment, composed of Black volunteers.

After the war, he married Virginia Isaacs in Ohio, where William Monroe Trotter was born.

In Boston, James Trotter received a federal appointment

to serve in the United States Post Office, where he was the first Black employee. He later became the highest-earning federal employee in Washington, D.C., after President Grover Cleveland appointed him to serve as the city’s “recorder of deeds.” “[William Monroe Trotter] was a well-connected young man,” Brooks said. “He grew up in a household of relative power and influence, and a household in which national and global affairs were discussed on the regular.”

When James Trotter died, he left his son almost the equivalent of $1 million, according to Kerri K. Greenidge, an assistant professor at Tufts University.

Greenidge said Trotter’s family had a rich history of “armed protest,” explaining that James Trotter was a leader “in fighting for equal pay for Black soldiers” while serving in the Union Army. James Trotter later left his job in the Post Office because Black men, unlike their white colleagues, were not given promotions beyond their initial appointment.

“Trotter’s family was definitely rooted in this idea that just because you were a Black person who had some money or

IOP FROM PAGE 1

some status, you had an obligation to use that — and use your position — to assist others,” Greenidge said.

‘Romantic Rivals’ It was William Monroe Trotter’s status as a Harvard College student that allowed him to meet another future leader of the civil rights movement — W.E.B. Du Bois, a Harvard graduate student at the time.

According to Brooks, Trotter and Du Bois became close during their time at the school.

“They dined together, they went to plays together,” Brooks said. “Du Bois took a fancy to Deenie Trotter, who became Trotter’s girlfriend, and subsequently his wife.”

“They were like romantic rivals,” Brooks added.

While the two future civil rights activists became close to each other at Harvard, Brooks believes that Trotter fit in a lot better at the University than Du Bois did.

“Du Bois felt like he was in — but not of — Harvard,” Brooks said. “Trotter, having grown up here, just took it as a matter of course that people would accept him.”

Today, every email Brooks

sends from his Kennedy School account ends with a quote from William Monroe Trotter: “Harvard was an inspiration to me because it was the exemplar of true American freedom, equality, and real democracy.”

“I think he became a little less sunny as he grew older,” Brooks added. “But at that point in time, as an undergraduate — pretty sunny disposition.”

The friendship that Trotter and Du Bois developed at Harvard led them to help found the Niagara Movement together in 1905. Trotter left the organization in 1907 and Du Bois went on to create the NAACP. The NAACP, Brooks said, was “essentially an integrated, multiracial group of people dedicated to racial justice.”

“Trotter, on the other hand, thought that organizations dedicated to racial justice for Black people should be led by Black people,” Brooks explained, saying Du Bois and Trotter diverged on the question of “who needs to run the organization dedicated to Black uplift.”

Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely, Trotter’s great-niece, attributed the split, in part, to Trotter’s personality.

“Trotter was a person who spoke his mind, and he was not

very compromising,” she said.

“He wasn’t someone for gradualism, he wanted to see things made different right away.”

“Trotter was definitely someone who believed you had to be in the streets talking to people and figuring out what they wanted,” Greenidge added.

‘Black Twitter Before There Was Twitter’ Trotter was able to speak his mind to ordinary people through the Guardian, a radical newspaper he self-funded and published alongside his wife and his sister.

According to Greenidge, Trotter believed that “the main goal of the press was that it was the voice of the people.”

Brooks described Trotter as an “activist journalist” who used the Guardian to make cases of injustice go viral.

“I would argue, Trotter was Black Twitter before there was Twitter,” Brooks said. “Anyone with an iPhone and an attention to social justice is seeing what Trotter pioneered 100 years ago today.”

Most notably, Trotter used the Guardian to organize a boycott of “The Birth of a Nation,” a film that offered a pos-

itive depiction of the Klu Klux Klan. Michael A. Curry, a former president of the NAACP’s Boston branch, called the film “white racial pornography.”

Curry said though Trotter was a journalist who believed in the First Amendment, he understood the importance of preventing “The Birth of a Nation” from being shown.

“He knew that releasing that film would empower America and glorify the KKK and anti-Black movements across the globe,” Curry said. “So he waged a war against those images.”

Through the Guardian, Trotter managed to get “one out of every two Black men in New England” to join his protest of “The Birth of a Nation,” Greenidge said.

Harvard’s programming celebrating Trotter will run through Friday. But “the most important celebration of Trotter’s legacy,” Brooks said, “is not on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday.”

“That’s the first day after the 150th anniversary celebration of his birth in terms of Harvard reclaiming — or claiming — his legacy,” he said. miles.herszenhorn@thecrimson.com

DRAFTS FROM PAGE 5

Trotter Celebrated University Releases Anti-Bullying Policies at IOP Forum we celebrate [Trotter’s] life. But it’s also a special day because of what happened today,” he said.

“Because of the life of another Harvard graduate — not a Harvard man, a Harvard woman — Ketanji Brown Jackson, confirmed as a justice.”

Bacow read from an essay Trotter wrote for his 30th Harvard reunion.

In the essay, Trotter narrates his experiences working to advance civil rights.

“I will tell you that is a glimpse of a life truly devoted to Veritas, truly devoted to truth — a life truly devoted to social justice,” Bacow said of Trotter. “He was an extraordinary man, and he was a Harvard man — a person of outstanding talent that we proudly claim as one of our own.”

Tokya E. Dammond, a family member of Trotter, said in an interview after the event that he appreciated Bacow’s inclusion of the letter.

“I think that, to us, was the most valuable part of his speech, and I thank him very much for that,” Dammond said.

The event featured a panel with other members of the Trotter family, including civil rights activist Peggy Trotter Dammond Preacely, journal-

ist Mary Ellen Butler, filmmaker and producer Lalou Trotter Dammond, Asian Pacific Consortium in Employment member Christopher Trotter Day, and student activist Skylar Aldridge.

Blain recounted how Trotter was inspired to champion civil rights after witnessing a white barber in Cambridge refuse to serve a Black Harvard student.

She explained how Trotter founded the Boston Guardian, a newspaper she called “an important element of Black radical activism.”

Blain lauded Trotter for working to hold former President Woodrow Wilson accountable. After criticizing the president’s “role in deepening” racial inequality, Trotter was barred from future meetings with Wilson, she said.

“Trotter’s actions expressed an unwavering commitment to racial justice,” Blain also said at the event.

“Trotter used his seat at the table to attack the root of the problem by calling out the hypocrisy of a president who didn’t mind securing the votes of Black Americans as long as he didn’t actually have to do anything to improve conditions for Black Americans,” she said.

synthesizing recommendations into a report for President Lawrence S. Bacow, Garber, and the deans of Harvard’s 11 schools.

All four reports were submitted to Harvard administrators fall 2021.

Non-Discrimination & Anti-Bullying Recommendations

Currently, Harvard’s non-discrimination policy covers several identifying categories protected under federal and state law, including race, religion, and national origin.

It does not cover disability issues, which would be processed by the University Disability Resource Center Grievance Policy, or sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination, which falls under the Title IX and other sexual misconduct policies.

The proposed new policy defines discrimination broadly as “adverse treatement of an individual based on one or more of the protected characteristics listed in this policy.” It goes on to specify two main forms: discriminatory disparate treatment and discriminatory harassment — singling out individuals for less favorable treatment and offensive conduct, respectively.

The proposed anti-bully-

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER ­

Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92, an alumna of Harvard College and Harvard Law School who sits on the University’s second-highest governing board, was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, making her the first Black woman in history to sit on the bench.

Jackson currently serves as a federal appellate judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to her appointment, she served as vice chair and commissioner on the United States Sentencing Commission — a bipartisan agency that oversees sentencing guidelines for federal courts — and as counsel for the private firm Morrison & Foerster.

Since 2016, she has served on the Harvard Board of Overseers, the University’s second-highest governing body.

Her six-year term will expire this spring.

Jackson was confirmed by

the U.S. Senate in a 53-47 vote.

Three Republican senators — Susan M. Collins (R-Maine.), Lisa Murkowsi (R-Alaska), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — voted for her nomination, alongside all 50 Democrats.

Jackson will replace Justice Stephen G. Breyer after his retirement at the end of the court’s summer session.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer ’71 (D-N.Y.) praised Jackson’s confirmation Thursday.

“Even in the darkest times, there are bright lights,” he said on the Senate floor. “Today is one of the brightest lights. Let us hope it’s a metaphor, an indication of many bright lights to come.”

During the confirmation hearings, Jackson said she would recuse herself from the high-profile challenge to affirmative action the court is set to take up in the fall.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who presided over the vote, said to reporters following the

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Under the new proposed policies, once a complaint is filed, the Local Designated Resource would review the complaint. If the complaint proceeds, the Local Designated Resource would assign a Harvard-trained investigator to organize a full investigation and submit a final report to a panel, which would make a final determination. At least one of the panelists would have to come from outside of the school involved.

Parties may appeal decisions to the Local Designated Resources or the central office.

Consent Definition

The working groups recommended that Harvard adopt a new definition of consent requiring an “active, mutual agreement” — as opposed to its former definition of “assent, approval, or permission.”

The rollout of the University’s sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination policies will be partially dependent on the Biden administration’s announcement of new Title IX reforms, which are expected later this month.

The administration previously said it would revisit Trump-era procedures on sexual misconduct — including a controversial feature requiring schools to allow respondents

and their representatives to cross-examine complainants.

Next Steps The University will now commence a “comment phase” in which Harvard affiliates will be able to provide feedback on the new policies, per Garber’s Thursday announcement. The phase will be open until the end of September.

After the comment period closes, school deans and University administrators will finalize the policies before forwarding them to the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — for a vote, according to Harvard spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain.

Garber wrote in Thursday’s announcement that he hopes input from Harvard affiliates will strengthen the drafted policies.

“There will be a wide range of views about how best to approach such important and challenging issues, but I firmly believe that the process of deliberation and debate will help us craft a set of policies that reflect and reinforce our values and advance our aspirations as a community,” he wrote. cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com

Conversation on Peace and Power in Palestine Held at Divinity School

Senate Confirms Jackson ’92 to the Supreme Court, 53-47

By ISABELLA B. CHO

ing policy does not limit its protections to specific categories, serving instead to fill in gaps left by other policies. The policy would define bullying as “harmful interpersonal aggression by words or actions that humiliate, degrade, demean, intimidate, and/or threaten” individuals.

Both new proposed policies would include informal and formal resolution processes.

“When appropriate and possible, members of the Harvard community are encouraged to speak directly with one another about any concerns,” both policies read, adding that individual schools and work units as well as the Harvard University Ombuds Office have resources for informal resolution.

Under both policies, anonymity would only be an option under informal avenues.

To file a formal complaint under either policy, a complainant would have to notify “Local Designated Resources” — point people in specific schools and units individuals can reach out to — or the “Central Office” overseeing non-discrimination and anti-bullying procedures.

Both proposed policies recommended a central office to handle complaints, but offered few details about what the entity might look like.

By KENNY GU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER­

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92.

PHOTO COURTSEY ROSE LINCOLN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

voting process that she is “overjoyed” and “deeply moved” by the confirmation.

“There’s so much about what’s happening in the world now that is presenting some of the worst of this moment and human behaviors,” she said.

“And then we have a moment like this.” isabella.cho@thecrimson.com

Kennedy School lecturer Marshall L. Ganz ’64-’92 and Rutgers University associate professor Noura Erakat discussed power and decolonization in Palestine and Israel in a virtual conversation hosted by the Divinity School on Wednesday.

The event was a part of a series hosted by the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative at the Divinity School, where Erakat is a fellow. Hilary Rantisi, the associate director of the initiative, introduced the speakers.

Ganz kicked off the discussion by questioning how people mobilize around their struggles. He responded to his own question by referring to the teachings of the Protestant theologian Walter Brueggemann, who wrote about the relationship between criticality and hope.

“One, [Brueggemann] calls criticality, which is a clear view of the world’s need, of its pain,

of its hurt, coupled with hope — that sense of its promises, possibilities — and that one without the other goes to despair or irrelevance,” Ganz said.

“The tension, together, can inspire transformational change.”

Erakat drew on her background in activism to answer the question.

“My greatest education — like you, Marshall — was not from my institutions of academic excellence, so to speak, but have actually come from the ground, have come from community, have come from struggle,” Erakat said.

“My greatest teacher about power was being a student activist at UC Berkeley.”

Erakat also described how her family and friends in Palestine had pushed her to engage in “a more traditional form of power” through the political establishment.

Still, Erakat said she felt that there was a need to address other forms of power — “how we’ve captured institutions,

or how we’ve created cultural shifts, or how we’ve introduced language.”

Ganz emphasized the importance of accompanying discussions of power with action.

“The intellectual work of deconstructing ideas that are problematic, I think, is important. But it’s also got to be accompanied by the constructive work of building power and not simply identifying the sources of a lack of power,” Ganz said.

“That, to me, is the challenge.”

Erakat concluded the conversation by calling on the audience to endorse Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions — a Palestinian-led movement advocating for boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel.

“There is a way that you can be involved and be a part of helping us to grow more, and be a part of that change and changing power,” Erakat said. kenneth.gu@thecrimson.com

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SPORTS

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Men’s Volleyball vs. Charleston 7:00pm, at Malkin Athletic Center

Track and Field 12:00pm, at Cuyler Athletic Complex

Baseball vs. Penn 12:30pm, at O’Donnell Field

Women’s Water Polo vs. Princeton 11:00am, at Blodgett Pool

Men’s Tennis 1:00pm, Ithaca

SOFTBALL

Harvard Sweeps Ivy Rival Columbia on the Road

By ELIZABETH PACHUS and LUCY CONNOR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Despite a sluggish start against out-of-conference opponents, Harvard softball (12-15, 6-3 Ivy) remains in the hunt for the 2022 Ivy League Championship this spring. The team is heating up, most recently with its threegame sweep over Columbia this past weekend, which moved it to second place in the conference standings.

Chasing a three-peat after raising the trophy in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the team has moved into the sprint of the season, facing tough competition within the Ivy League each week, where each game has a massive impact on the final rankings.

Recent games against the Princeton Tigers (13-12, 6-3 Ivy) and the Columbia Lions (7-18, 4-5 Ivy) gave the Crimson the chance to flex its prowess in several back-to-back matchups.

Harvard dropped a nail-biting series to Princeton at home, and most recently handedly swept Columbia on the road.

Last week, the Crimson faced off against Princeton in a three-game weekend at home on March 26 and 27. Harvard pulled a strong opener, with a 2-1 win, but fell later in the afternoon and on Sunday 5-4 and 5-1 respectively. Princeton remains first in the Ivy Rankings.

While the grueling start to the season was marked by constant travel to play against some of the strongest programs in the country, the team has continued to find their groove with each passing week. An impressive increased offensive push in play is noticed, and the team has consistently scored earlier in its games than the first half of the season.

In a three-game series against Columbia on the road on Apr. 2 and 3, Harvard showed up early to take charge. Opening Game 1 with three runs in ­

SHINING JEWETT Looking to three-peat as Ivy League champions, the Crimson will Junior pitcher/first baseman Brianna Jewett prepares to pitch in a 5-0 loss to Boston University on April 5.

The Crimson’s two losses stalled the momentum it gained from a sweep over the weekend against Columbia . OWEN A. BERGER—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

the first inning, the Crimson set the pace for the weekend, where they deftly swept the Lions handedly winning all the games by large margins, in 9-1 in five innings, 8-6 in six innings, and 4-1.

A double steal of second by sophomore infielder Molly Dickerson and home by junior centerfielder/Utility Teagan Shaw in Game 1, further boosted morale for the team -- representative of the Crimson energy Columbia could not compete with. Sophomore infielder Kendall Jean recorded four RBI

in Game 2, which marked a career high, and Lauren Bobowski earned a personal best with three runs.

With 10 hits in the second game of the Columbia series, Harvard again drew from the depth of the offensive lineup, with several players heating up on scoring streaks. Junior catcher Allison Heffley continues to remain hot, recording hits in all three games of the series.

Leading the charge has been senior captain Morgan Melito, who sits on top of the leader-

board with hits and 18 RBI for Harvard players. The depth of the team is evident, as close behind is Heffley with 18 hits, and Jean with 11 RBI. Harvard’s pitching also remains a core component to the play, with sophomore pitcher Anna Reed opening and closing the series with full games of play against Columbia, putting her on the leaderboard for pitching six full games this year.

Additionally, first-year pitcher Katie Arrambide completed her third full game in Game 2, earning a shutout as she prevented

the Lions from scoring a single run.

This week, Harvard returned to home competition for a local weekday showdown on Apr. 5. A doubleheader against the Boston University Terriers from across the river ended in a pair of tough losses for the Crimson at home, 5-0, and 8-1 in six innings.

Current 2022 Ivy League Softball Standings have Princeton (13-12, 6-3 Iv) inching past Harvard (12-15, 6-3 Ivy) to the top of the leaderboard, but the close margins and ample games

left in the season will make this a tight race for the Crimson. Big upcoming tilts against The University of Pennsylvania on Apr. 9 and 10 at home, and Cornell on Apr 16 and 17 on the road will further define how the end of the season rankings shake up.

The team is focused on its upcoming Ivy weekend, as it hosts the currently ranked third team in Ivy Standings, University of Pennsylvania on Apr. 9 and 10th on Soldiers Field. elizabeth.pachus@thecrimson.org lucy.connor@thecrimson.org

REIGN OF TERRIER A Harvard player slides into third base during a 5-0 loss to Boston University on April 5. Despite falling to the Terriers, the Crimson has been on a hot streak as of late. OWEN A. BERGER—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER