The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 76

The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVI, No. 76 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Thursday, september 5, 2019

Editorial PAGE 6

sports PAGE 7

Editorial PAGE 6

People tend to express love in the way that they perceive it.

Katie Benzan ’20 will not return to Women’s Basketball for senior season.

A simple recording of the lecture is better than a traditional lecture.

The New Undergrad Ed Changes, Explained City Council Election Nears stead of taking one class in each of eight categories, students must take one class in each of four categories: Aesthetics and Culture; Histories, Societies, Individuals; Science and Technology in Society; and Ethics and Civics.

The new program also requires students to take three departmental courses spanning the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’s divisions: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences or Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Students can fulfill up to half of the new Gen Ed and distributional requirements on a passfail standard — a significant departure from the previous policy, which only allowed students to take one of eight Gen Ed classes pass-fail. Specifically, one of the four Gen Ed courses and all three of the distributional requirements can now be taken pass-fail.

Students pack into a crowded auditorium in William James Hall to shop the revamped class GENED 1154: “The Science of Happiness.” Amanda Y. Su—Crimson photographer

By Jonah S. berger and molly C. Mccafferty Crimson Staff Writers

As returning students begin another year at Harvard, many will confront different requirements for completing their degrees than those in effect when

the graduating class left last spring.

Those changes — including a revamped General Education program and a new data course requirement — will affect students differently depending on their class year. Though many administrators and professors

have praised the changes, the rollout has also sparked confusion among some undergraduates as they attempt to navigate the new requirements.

Course registration closes Monday, so here’s a primer on the new requirements and how students can fulfill them.

What are the new Gen Ed requirements?

The most significant change to undergraduate education is the debut of the College’s new Gen Ed program, the final phase of an overhaul four years in the making.

Under the new system, in-

Harvard Hall Renovations to Continue

By Brie k. buchanan and peter e. o’Keefe Crimson Staff Writers

Major interior and exterior renovations began June 4 on Harvard Hall — one of the oldest and most historic buildings in Harvard Yard — and will continue through the start of second semester, according to Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson Rachael Dane.

The nearly eight-month renovation will include updating the building’s wooden cupola, masonry façade, and classrooms, according to the FAS Learning Space Renovations website. Following renovations, existing classrooms will feature new audio and video technology, in addition to improved accessibility, lighting, and acoustics.

Eight representatives from administrative and College departments formed an advisory team to aid renovation design and program plans. The University also invited other faculty and students to share their opinions on effective classroom design.

“Because the project requires the entire building to be closed, it provides a unique opportunity to holistically re-imagine how innovative classroom design for the entire building can support Harvard’s teaching and learning environments, enriching the educa-

The road to the new program began in 2015, when a committee of professors reviewed the College’s program in Gen Ed and published a report declaring it to be “failing on a variety of fronts.”

In response, the Faculty formed a committee

See education Page 3

See Election Page 3

What prompted the new program?

there to get to the Johnston [Gate],” Lionel Hall resident Carol J. Cao ’23 said, referring to a path between her dormitory building and an entrance to the Yard.

Cao said she heard construction begin around 6 a.m. one day, which she thought was “very unreasonable” given that college students live next door.

Hollis Hall residents Julia C. Welsh ’23 and Gabriella A. Me-

stre ’23 also mentioned hearing construction begin early in the morning when they first arrived on campus.

“Initially it was pretty annoying because I think the first day it woke us up at 6:45 a.m.,” Welsh said.

“We didn’t even need our alarm clock,” Mestre said.

“That was our alarm clock.”

See Renovation Page 3

­

HAA President Sets Intl. Agenda Crimson Staff Writers

tional experience for students and faculty alike for decades to come,” the website reads.

Despite the promise of new classrooms and technology, freshmen in dorms neighboring Harvard Hall said they are less than thrilled about the ongoing renovations due to noise from the construction.

“It’s a little bit inconvenient during the day because we can’t walk through the walkway over

Crimson Staff Writers

With Cambridge’s Nov. 5 municipal election date on the horizon, campaign season for the city’s nine council seats is officially underway.

This year, 22 candidates — including eight incumbents and 14 challengers — have thrown their hats into the ring. Cambridge’s elections are held in odd-numbered years, with each elected councilor serving a twoyear term. Elections run under a proportional representation system, with voters ranking their chosen candidates in order of preference on the ballots.

Under the city’s electoral charter, adopted in 1940, the nine elected councilors form the legislative body, charged with setting policy on relevant issues — ranging from affordable housing, to sustainability, to transportation infrastructure. The mayor,

By Alexandra A. chaidez and Aidan F. Ryan

Harvard Hall, located in Harvard Yard, is currently undergoing renovations that will continue through the fall semester. Amanda Y. Su—Crimson photographer

By Declan J. Knieriem and Katelyn X. Li

Newly-elected Harvard Alumni Association president Alice E. Hill ’81 said she wants to bring a more international focus to the University’s alumni organization in an interview Wednesday.

Hill — the first Canadian and first Australian to serve as HAA president since its founding in 1897 — said she was motivated to join the HAA after making connections with Harvard alumni in nearly every continent across the globe.

“Every time I’ve moved, there’s been a Harvard community there for me, which is lovely, because you’re automatically a part of it, no matter who you are, and where you’re coming from,” Hill said.

The HAA board of directors serves as an advisory body to connect and increase alumni engagement around the world.

An HAA committee also nominates each year’s slate of candidates for both the Board of Overseers — the University’s second-highest governing body — and HAA directors.

Hill said she hopes to build on the steps the HAA has taken to include Harvard alumni cur-

rently living overseas. She noted that the replacement of paper ballots in the Overseer and HAA Board of Directors elections has made it easier for international alumni to participate in the alumni network.

“There’s a joke about Harvard degrees and their value... which is the value of your degree increases the further you get from Cambridge,” Hill said.

“So we say in Australia, we have the most valuable degrees in the world.”

“In fact, international alumni are the most engaged alumni when we do survey work — when we do Alumni Engagement surveys — which is probably not surprising because to come here from Australia or South Africa or China, it’s a big decision,” she added.

Hill officially succeeded former HAA president Margaret M. Wang ’09 — the youngest-serving president in HAA history — at the organization’s annual meeting during University Commencement ceremonies in May. Hill said she chose the theme for her year — “people and place” — to reflect University President Lawrence S. Bacow’s view that “Harvard is its

See Alumni Page 3

Graduate Student Council Welcomes New Database for Student Groups

By Luke A. williams Crimson Staff Writer

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ Graduate Student Council announced its support for the Office of Student Services’ new online student group database at its first open meeting of the semester Wednesday night.

New this semester, the database — dubbed “Engage” — features all GSAS student group information on one website, hosting everything from club membership lists and events, Inside this issue

Harvard Today 2

to grant application forms and club renewal documents.

Office of Student Services Program Coordinator Janet Daniels spoke at Wednesday’s meeting, saying that her office hopes Engage will connect all student leaders in “one spot and one calendar.”

“Engage is a student leadership platform, a student engagement platform,” Daniels said. “No matter what campus you’re on, you can see what’s going on.”

Daniels touted the database’s back-end capability so

News 3

Editorial 4

that student group leaders can personalize their club’s profiles, news posts, and available information. Not all student groups are currently on the platform as the office hopes to stagger their integration throughout the semester.

“Right now the graduate student leaders and the GSAS Student Center Fellows are on Engage,” Daniels said.

“We’re going to bring in residential life, then the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity

See database Page 3

Sports 5

Zachary M. Hayworth, president of the Graduate Student Council, opens up the first council meeting of the semester. Amanda Y. Su—Crimson photographer

Today’s Forecast

mostly sunny High: 75 Low: 57

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september 5, 2019

Page 2

Harvard Today

For Lunch Grilled Chicken Thigh Grilled Pizza Sandwich Indonesian Soba Noodle Stir Fry

For Dinner Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry Spanish-Style Roasted Chicken Beijing Style Crispy Tofu

Today’s Events How to Work a Career Fair Office of Career Services, 12-1 p.m.

in The Real World

Learn how to prepare for and make the most of any upcoming career fairs at this presentation hosted by OCS. Students must register in advance to attend, so smash that RSVP button!

No General Election in U.K. ahead of Brexit

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suffered a double defeat after MPs rejected his motion for a general election and passed a bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Johnson had earlier proposed elections claiming that the clause to extend the date of Brexit made it difficult to negotiate with the EU. Under the bill, the PM has until Oct. 19 to pass a deal in Parliament, or get a majority to support a no-deal Brexit; beyond the deadline, he will have to request an extension until Jan. 31, 2020.

Today’s National Security Challenges with Congressman Will Hurd Institute of Politics, 6-7 p.m.

If you want to discuss contemporary threats to national security and strategies to combat such challenges, the IOP is the place to be. You’ll get to hear from ex-CIA Congressman Will Hurd and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Kennedy School Homeland Security Program Juliette Kayyem.

Shopping spree

Shopping week continues, with students surveying different courses.

Naomi s. castellon—Crimson photographer

Daily Briefing As returning students begin another year at Harvard, many will confront different requirements for completing their degrees than those in effect when the graduating class left last spring. The changes include a new General Education program, an additional data requirement, and the cancellation of the advanced standing program. The Crimson breaks down these changes and what they mean for undergraduates. In other news, Harvard Hall will undergo renovations through the fall and into the beginning of the spring semester.

White House Seemingly Attempts to Retroactively Validate President Trump’s Erroneous Tweet

After President Donald Trump incorrectly stated that Alabama would be affected by Hurricane Dorian (alarming many residents and prompting the National Weather Service to tweet a correction), the White House released a video with a cone of uncertainty of the hurricane’s trajectory showing that Alabama would be affected, seemingly drawn in with a permanent marker.

Trump declared that he did not know whether his chart had been altered.

Margaret Atwood Details the Downfall of Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale sequel “The Testaments,” sequel to Atwood’s 1985 work “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is narrated by three characters who were side or completely new characters, and is written in the style of court testimonies. The book deals with the fall of the regime, as Atwood notes that all dictatorships eventually fall apart. The TV adaptation loosely touches on some of the plot points of the sequel.

Around the Ivies Yale The Yale University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Senate approved the formation of an ad hoc faculty committee that will allow professors to be more involved in the undergraduate admissions process, the Yale Daily News reported Wednesday.

The decision — following last year’s nationwide Varsity Blues admissions scandal — is meant to offer faculty members more insight into how the university selects its incoming class.

brown

Brown University announced at a Tuesday faculty meeting that it will host a community forum this fall to discuss replacing the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, which considers moral responsibility in the University’s investments, according to the Brown Daily Herald. The announcement comes on the heels of a semester filled with intense discourse concerning the school’s investment policies.

penn

The University of Pennsylvania Student Government is pushing for internal reform, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported Tuesday. The proposals, which include organizing diversity training and releasing diversity reports, call for more transparency about diversity within the student government and leadership positions.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

The Harvard Crimson Kristine E. Guillaume President Angela N. Fu Managing Editor Charlie B. Zhu Business Manager

Staff for This Issue

Associate Managing Editor Jamie D. Halper ’20

Arts Chairs Kaylee S. Kim ’20 Caroline A. Tsai ’20

Design Chairs Elena M. Ramos ’20 Akhil S. Waghmare ’20

Associate Business Manager Amy E. Zhou ’20

FM Chairs Norah M. Murphy ’20 Abigail L. Simon ’20

Multimedia Chairs Kathryn S. Kuhar ’20 Kai R. McNamee ’21

Editorial Chairs Jessenia N. Class ’20 Robert Miranda ’20

Blog Chairs Lorenzo F. Manuali ’21 Trula J. Rael ’21

Technology Chairs Nenya A. Edjah ’20 Theodore T. Liu ’20

Night Editor Andrew Zucker ’20 Assistant Night Editors Delano R. Franklin ’21 Amanda Y. Su ’22 Story Editors Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20 Jordan E. Virtue ’20

Sports Chairs Joseph W. Minatel ’21 Henry Zhu ’20

Copyright 2019, 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.

Design Editor Margot E. Shang ’21 Molly E. Chiang ’22 Photo Editor Naomi S. Castellon-Perez ’21 Editorial Editor Ari E. Benkler ’21 Sports Editor Eamon J. McLouglin ’21

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.

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | September 5, 2019

education From Page 1

renovation From Page 1

Undergrad Ed Undergoes Changes Harvard Hall Renovations Start to recommend changes to the program and voted to approve an overhauled system in May 2016. But the rollout of the new program proved complicated, at one point being pushed back a year later than originally announced to give professors more time to develop courses and to solicit student feedback.

Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda J. Claybaugh wrote in an email that the new system is meant to simplify the Gen Ed requirements and offer a wider array of options to fulfill them.

“Over the last few years, the rules governing Gen Ed were quite complex, but now students need to know only this: you take one (great) course in each of the four Gen Ed categories,” Claybaugh wrote.

Who is affected by the changes to the Gen Ed program?

Current sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be able to use former Gen Ed courses as well as new ones to fulfill their requirements, while freshmen will follow the new requirements exclusively.

Several professors who taught Gen Ed courses under the previous program have had to retool their classes to fit the new program. Some courses, including popular standards Culture and Belief 23: “From the Hebrew Bible to Judaism,” have been eliminated altogether.

History of Science lecturer Soha Bayoumi, who is teaching a new Ethics and Civics course,

said she and other faculty have been “operating with a lot of uncertainty” as the semester begins and they find their footing within the new program.

“There’s the uncertainty of shopping week, the uncertainty of this being an entirely new course — so we have no data to go off of to guide our sense about what enrollment would look like, what profiles the students would bring to the course, that kind of thing — and the uncertainty of this being a new Gen Ed program as well,” Bayoumi said.

“I’m very fortunate that the Gen Ed program has a lot of embedded supports to support faculty who are developing new courses or revising old courses,” she added.

What is the Quantitative Reasoning with Data requirement?

While most of the changes to the Gen Ed program were decided upon in 2016, the Faculty voted last semester to finalize the last piece of the puzzle: the Quantitative Reasoning with Data requirement.

A class must prompt students to “think critically about data” to count, according to the original Faculty committee proposal for the requirement.

Students in the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 can choose to fulfill the new requirement if they wish, or they can take a class that fulfilled the previous Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning requirement instead. Under the previous crite-

ria, mathematics-heavy classes without a significant data component counted towards the requirement. For instance, ECON 1010A: “Intermediate Microeconomics” will not fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning class but fulfilled the Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning requirement.

“We have courses at all levels, from the most introductory to the most advanced, and in an array of disciplines, taught by faculty who are really committed to the work of helping students think critically about data,” Claybaugh wrote.

What happened to Advanced Standing?

Previously, undergraduates seeking to obtain a master’s degree while at the College could choose to activate an academic program called Advanced Standing, which allowed those who completed enough advanced coursework in high school to enter Harvard with a year of college credit. Students could then choose to earn a bachelor’s degree in three years or both a master’s and a bachelor’s in four.

That program was axed in favor of a new “concurrent degree program” starting this semester.

Unlike Advanced Standing, the new program has no high school prerequisites — any student can apply to obtain a master’s degree in four years. Participants will double-count four undergraduate courses towards that master’s degree while also

taking classes at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The three-year bachelor’s degree option, meanwhile, was eliminated.

Though the program begins with students in the Class of 2022 and beyond, current juniors and seniors who did not qualify for Advanced Standing but are “uniquely qualified” can petition to apply, according to a proposal voted upon by the Faculty in March.

But for those considering opting into the new program, Claybaugh cautioned against thinking of it as merely the “highest of the hoops they might jump through.”

“It’s *one* way that a student might shape an academically rigorous experience at Harvard, but it’s not the only way, nor is it necessarily the best,” she wrote.

Is Shopping Week changing, too?

In short, the answer is no.

Shopping week, the scheduling quirk which allows students to sample classes at the beginning of the semester prior to enrolling, will remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Despite considerable debate last year among faculty members and statements from administrators that shopping week could be ditched in favor of a pre-registration system, the Faculty will not make any changes until at least 2022. jonah.berger@thecrimson.com molly.mccafferty@thecrimson.com

election From Page 1

City Council Election Approaches elected among the councilors once they are sworn into office, presides over the council.

A variety of hotly contested issues are at stake this election cycle, and candidates have sought to differentiate themselves in a crowded field with a nonpartisan municipal ballot.

What are the issues on the table?

The scope of issues across campaigns will be broad, likely including everything from bike safety to recreational marijuana. Several prominent issues, however, are poised to dominate the election conversation.

Affordable housing has long been a contested topic in Cambridge. The most recent effort to address the city’s housing crisis is a proposed affordable housing overlay. Initially proposed in March of this year, the overlay has seen heated debate from councilors and residents alike for months. The proposal would reform zoning law and incentivize developers to build more affordable housing units in Cambridge.

David E. Sullivan, a former councilor, said in an interview this summer that the affordable housing crisis in the city is “by far” the most important issue to Cambridge voters, given that the cost of housing is “totally out of control.”

Another pair of issues on nearly every candidate’s platform are environmental protection and the impacts of climate change. Over the past months, the council has discussed conservation-related proposals at length and passed legislation in February aimed at protecting Cambridge’s tree canopy.

Sullivan said that though he

does not anticipate major disagreements on many issues such as climate change, he said affordable housing promises to be an exception.

“Frankly, there aren’t many issues on which candidates disagree. Everyone likes trees, everyone likes bicycles, everyone wants to do something about climate change, everybody wants to have a more livable city,” he said. “You will find differences on affordable housing, and specifically on the overlay.”

Who’s looking to keep their seat on the City Council?

Eight of the nine current City Council members are looking to keep their positions and hope to build momentum from their current term in office.

Marc C. McGovern’s first term as mayor saw him champion issues like affordable housing and immigration, while also using his position as a platform to speak about larger national issues.

Craig A. Kelley, a seventh term incumbent, said in an interview this summer that his top priority is “good governance.”

“We need a government that is effective, that’s transparent, that communicates well, that listens to people, that comes to balance reasons, outcomes, and decisions,” he said.

Incumbent councilor Alanna M. Mallon said that listening to the needs of Cambridge residents — particularly through her work in human services — is one of her top priorities.

“When I talk to people about why to re-elect me, it’s not just about the issues, it’s about the way that I work...the way that

I’m able to connect with residents on their issues,” Mallon said.

Councilor Dennis Simmons — who became the nation’s first black, openly lesbian mayor in 2008 — is running for her tenth term in office. Simmons currently serves as Chair of Civil Unity and Co-Chair of the Housing Committee, along with Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui, who is also seeking reelection.

Other councilors looking to retain their seats include Quinton Y. Zondervan, an environmentalist centering his campaign on combating climate change; Dennis J. Carlone, a former urban planner and architect; and Timothy J. Toomey, who has previously worked to expand transportation and affordable housing options.

The only council member who will not be pursuing re-election this November is Vice-Mayor Jan Devereux. Devereaux announced her intent to opt out of running for a third term in mid-May, citing the decision as “personal, not political.’’

Who’s looking to gain a seat for the first time?

November’s ballot will also feature 14 challengers, including four of whom have run for City Council at least once before.

Charles J. Franklin, an engineer and first time challenger, said he will focus on tenant displacement in his campaign.

He also said he is concerned that some Cambridge neighborhoods are losing their demographic diversity.

“I want to use my skills and

Harvard, from the Law School to Longwood.

The Crimson thecrimson.com

my knowledge and my ability to talk to people, my willingness to hear what they need, to try and help the underserved the voices that aren’t being heard,” Franklin said.

Adriane B. Musgrave, a second time challenger, said she will push for early childhood legislation, calling it the “next wave” of progressive government. She also said climate change would feature prominently in her campaign.

Burham Azeem is another new contender for City Council. A recent MIT graduate and a Pakistani immigrant, he said in an interview this summer that his campaign will focus “first and foremost” on climate change.

He also said he plans on mobilizing the youth vote in Cambridge.

“We have a special subset of our campaign, which is developed around getting students to register to vote and vote in the general election in November, as well as targeting — in Cambridge — people who voted for the first time in 2017 and 2018,” he said.

Over the past several months, other challengers — including Patricia “Patty” M. Nolan ’80 and Ilan Levy — have also spoken up at City Council meetings, voicing their opinions and looking to differentiate themselves from their fellow candidates.

There is no early voting for municipal elections, but absentee voting is available until Nov. 4 and polls across the city will be open Nov. 5. Residents can find their polling locations on the Cambridge city website.

After they went to their proctor to complain about the noise, however, Welsh and Mestre said the situation improved a bit.

“It starts at, like, 7:30,” Mestre said.

“Which is a little better, but then all the guys are out there like stretching and yelling before they start,” Welsh added.

“That’s a little interesting.”

Other Hollis Hall residents, though, said that the construction did not pose a significant disruption to their daily schedules. Kareese N. Akinloba ’23

said the construction started late enough to not interfere with sleep.

“Usually they don’t start until like, eight-ish or nine-ish so I’m already awake and my roommates are usually awake too, so that’s not really a problem,” Akinloba said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Harvard Hall is expected to re-open for the Spring semester on Jan. 27, 2020, according to Dane. brie.buchanan@thecrimson.com peter.o’keefe@thecrimson.com

alumni From Page 1

HAA Pres. Talks Intl. Emphasis people.”

“Harvard’s better after you leave, because you have this really lovely cohort here, but I keep saying imagine having access to everyone who ever graduated from Harvard, and not just from the college, but from all the schools,” Hill said. “It’s an amazing community. And they are wherever you go, they are there.”

As HAA president, Hill noted she hopes to “acknowledge country” by highlighting the history and importance indigenous populations.

“It’s actually really important for the members of our community who are First Nations people that we acknowledge them,” Hill said. “But it’s even more important for us as a com-

munity that we recognize our deep history and our connection to place. And so that’s sort of an Australian tradition that I’m going to bring to the HAA this year.”

Hill also encouraged current students to take part in the HAA even before they graduate.

“Recognize that there is a big community that wraps around the University, and that you will always be part of it,” Hill said.

“Whether or not you’re here at the college, or whether you’re at the graduate schools, or whether you’re out in the community, there is not a country in the world that does not have a Harvard graduate.” alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson.com aidan.ryan@thecrimson.com

database From Page 1

GSC Holds First Meeting This Fall and Inclusion Fellows, then the departmental graduate student group organizations in October.”

Wednesday night’s meeting also saw the Graduate Student Council reiterate its cooperation with the Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers.

Near the start of the meeting, GSC President Zachary M. Hayworth presented a graphic last used during the spring semester’s push for union-GSC cooperation.

The graphic demonstrates the overlapping GSC and union constituencies, and Hayworth was quick to mention the two groups’ shared duties. “[The union] represents somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 student-workers at any given time. And those students can be GSAS and the Law School and the College and the Business School, anywhere where Harvard students are also student-workers,” Hayworth said. “About 2,000 of the students that the union represents are GSAS students at

any given time.”

The GSC also elected four new members to its executive board Wednesday night.

Harshil M. Kamdar was elected to serve as the GSAS representative on the Harvard Graduate Council and its External Action Committee, the HGC’s lobbying body. The Harvard Graduate Council comprises representatives from each of Harvard’s 12 graduate schools.

Brian Park and Rebecca A. Stern were unanimously voted to serve as at-large representatives for masters students and for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, respectively. Elizabeth W. Tarbell was elected to serve as the GSC’s parliamentarian.

The GSC concluded its meeting by unanimously approving its budget for the 2020 fiscal year — $160,424 total. The council will allocate $48,000 to student research grants and $56,500 to student-group funding. luke.williams@thecrimson.com

declan.knieriem@thecrimson.com katelyn.li@thecrimson.com

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | September 5, 2019

Page 4

Editorial Op-ed

Op-Ed

What’s Your Love Language?

I’ll Take Mine To Go

By Romy dolgin

P

hysical Touch. Words of Affirmation. Quality Time. Acts of Service.

Receiving Gifts.

According to New York Times bestselling author Gary Chapman, we each understand love in one of these five ways. Some feel loved most strongly when a partner holds them close or a friend provides a supportive pat on the back. Others need to hear verbal expressions of praise, while some feel appreciated when you clear space in your busy schedule to spend quality time together.

Kelly might know her boyfriend appreciates her when he surprises her with a freshly cleaned dorm, and Mark might feel appreciated when they open their birthday presents. These five categories of appreciation are subconsciously prioritized differently by each individual and shape our unique definitions of love.

This theory may seem too simplistic to explain the complicated, messy, confusing emotion that is love, but this slight shift in perspective can lead to significant change in action and perception. The simple ideology holds potential to alleviate one of the biggest problems Harvard students face: loneliness.

While the love languages apply to all forms of love, they offer the most value not to the romantic sphere but to the platonic. Friendships are built on platonic love. When a friend shows us they care, we grow to trust them. Regular assurances of love are necessary to maintain healthy, active friendship. As young adults, in fact as humans, most of us are insecure. Without the periodic reassurance that our friends are still there for us, it can be hard to believe they really are.

However, in my observation, people

tend to express love in the way that they perceive it. According to a handy online quiz, I discovered that my dominant love language is quality time. If someone makes time for me and meaningfully engages while we are together, I will read that as a sign of love. In exchange, I don’t necessarily compliment the people I care about or buy them presents, but I try to spend as much time together as possible. I give love the way I understand love.

The downside is that I might not understand that my friends love me when

If we learn to look for love in all of its forms, we may be better able to start building the relationships that matter. they provide me with acts of service or give me a hug. If my friends don’t regularly make time to hang out with me, I tend to assume they don’t care for me as much as I care about them. If I don’t understand their ways of communicating love, my insecurity can seep in, making it harder for me to express how I value them.

Without the knowledge that our friends value us, any display of attachment risks appearing needy. But if we don’t show our friends we care, they too might fear exposing their emotions.

Such distancing feeds upon itself, causing isolation.

Emotional vulnerability is incredibly difficult. Taking that first step is never easy. But there’s a chance your potential friend has already taken that step

without your noticing it. If your friend speaks a different love language, attempts at friendship may be getting lost in translation.

Maybe when that guy from your Chemistry class helped you with your pset, this act of service was his way of saying he values you. Since you operate on words of affirmation, you were waiting for a verbal assurance that would never come. Such missed opportunities could be flying past us all the time. If we learn to look for love in all of its forms, we may be better able to start building the relationships that matter. Keener awareness, recognizing the signs of affection that are not native to you, will smooth the path to new friendships.

Pre-existing friendships can also benefit from a course in the love languages. Take the online test together with your friends. Find out what their dominant love language is and try to start communicating in it. Physical touch may come naturally to you, but if your roommate doesn’t value it, try scheduling weekly lunch dates instead.

“Learn to communicate effectively” may be the most cliched relationship advice of all time, but taking these practical steps toward understanding others helps build communities. Treating platonic love with the respect, effort, and gravity we expend on romantic love is necessary to break out of loneliness. It takes bravery to show love and bravery to accept love. The very least we all can do it make sure we recognize it when it comes our way.

—Romy Dolgin ’21, a Crimson Editorial Comp Director, is a Linguistics concentrator in Lowell House.

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Acceptance To Harvard, Impostor Syndrome, and What It All Means

By Lucas y. woodley

“C

W

hile sitting in the auditorium for my last strategy and conflict lecture, I looked around at the handful of other present students. It seemed that the amount of people present at lecture had peaked in the first week of class. I have noticed a trend in every lecture course: the number of students in attendance on a given day dwindles throughout the semester until only a fraction of the original class remains at the final lecture. Even those present seemed to unengaged with what was being taught. In the final lecture, most of my classmates were shopping on Amazon or checking Facebook. I for one was too busy thinking about why nobody cared about lecture to even remember what the professor talked about that day.

Lectures are a mainstay at Harvard and colleges around the world, yet students rarely show up, and when they do, they are often disengaged.

Recently, this issue has been confronted by professors who have created policies that regulate students’ usage of electronics in class. These policies range from a total ban of electronics to designating particular sections of a room in which to use laptops and other devices. However, this fails to address the root of the problem: the nature of the lecture itself.

Traditional lectures are ineffective and largely waste the valuable time of college students. In fact, students being taught with traditional lectures are 1.5 times as likely to fail as their counterparts being taught with more active learning models. It is more effective to convey information to students by embracing the technologies of the 21st century than by lecturing at them in traditional formats.

A simple recording of the lecture is better than a traditional lecture due to their effectiveness as well as their increased inclusivity. As more colleges have begun recording lectures and posting them online for students to access at their leisure, there has been increasing resistance to this move by instructors, and many instructors believe that recording lectures depresses classroom attendance.

While these instructors are partially correct, the benefits of having an easily accessible version of the lecture outweigh the marginal decreases in attendance. A 2019 study at the University of Leeds highlighted the minor reduction in attendance that is often seen when lectures are recorded.

This study found that unrecorded lecture had an 86.1 percent attendance rate, and recorded lectures had an 84.6 percent attendance rate.

While this is a statistically significant difference, other studies have found that there is a similarly

Traditional lectures are ineffective and largely waste the valuable time of college students.

Op-ed

ongratulations! I am delighted to inform you…”

Reading these highly sought-after words often triggers a period of overwhelming euphoria. While the moments that follow begin to diverge, as each admit responds to news of their acceptance differently, for most there exists at least one evening of celebration as one’s friends and family are alerted to the news.

This celebration comes with good reason too: their hard work has been rewarded, their goals achieved, and their anxiety replaced with a certain security found in knowing their immediate future. However, despite that first joyous evening, at some point, a new day begins. It is towards that new day where we might look in order to gain insight into the realities of the human experience.

Nevertheless, at some point in the following days, weeks, or months, we all find new facets of life to anxiously obsess over. We so often move on from that first joyous evening in favor of new worries: the logistics of moving sometimes thousands of miles; the stress of leaving behind one’s friends, family, and childhood; the habitual comparisons between oneself and his or her peers or those who’s stats seem more impressive but who were nonetheless denied admission; and the pressure too often placed on us by our communities, our families, or ourselves to succeed and be a constant role model for those around us.

Now, these are not always negative things as some are simply realities of becoming independent and moving into life’s next stages, however there exists a point where we begin to lose sight of ourselves and the things that made us so unique in the first place. And what happens when we’ve lost our sense of self and can no longer see the ways in which we might contribute to the world? Well, in some cases we already know.

Left only with the pressures of grand success, be them self-imposed or placed upon us by others, and surrounded by peers who all seem more outgoing, put

By Colton j. carpenter

together, successful, and happy, students can all too often feel like an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong, an impostor. This “impostor syndrome” can manifest in a number of ways, from minor feelings of self-doubt or worry to more serious feelings of depression, or even suicidal tendencies. This isn’t just speaking hypothetically either; it’s a real problem facing schools like Harvard. Both Harvard and MIT have suicide rates well above the national collegiate average with respective rates of 11.8 and 12.5 suicides per 100,000 students, compared to the national average on college campuses which sits at between 6.5-7.5 suicides per 100,000 students.

Why might this be? Why do we so frequently focus on our own missteps and inadequacies, ignoring our aptitudes?

Why, sometimes in a matter of days, do we cast aside an achievement that many of us worked towards for months or even years? Why do some of the world’s brightest and most-capable students face a suicide rate almost twice that of the national average? The answer may be twofold, containing both a habitual and a psychological component.

First, the habitual component. This component can be defined as a habit which positively affects one’s chances at external success and achievement (also thought of as a more “traditional” picture of success), and can be characterized through the generation of wealth, prestige, and popularity. An individual’s drive to constantly pursue ambitious goals and to fully utilize his or her potential would exemplify such a habit, because although this positively affects a person’s ability to achieve their external goals, it also requires a certain dissatisfaction with one’s existing accomplishments. This method of framing accomplishments, where the focus is always placed on that which is not yet achieved and past accomplishments are quickly cast aside and taken for granted, is especially common for Harvard-caliber students. Why? Because we are selected, in part, on the basis of such qualities. It is that same hunger for the

pursuit of new goals and unwillingness to rest on one’s laurels that often lies beneath our sustained success and differentiates us from our competition. And while to some extent this is an admirable quality, it can very quickly transform into an unhealthy obsession and prevent us from feeling contentment or satisfaction in our lives. Now, the psychological component. The Law of Hedonic Asymmetry, one of the 12 laws thought by some to govern how we experience emotions, states that positive emotions always fade over time, regardless of the initial intensity.

The same does not hold true for intense negative emotions. This insight into the fleeting nature of positive experiences may explain why we tend to focus on our inadequacies and hardships: if positive emotions are destined to fade over time, all that remains are the most intense of our negative emotions.

So, what can we do about all this? We must first recognize that it is easy to focus on our own inadequacies, to negatively compare ourselves to our accomplished peers, and to lose sight of the unique experiences and gifts that we each carry; that may be what we’re used to doing and it may be our natural inclination as humans. However, we must also make a concerted effort to remind not only ourselves but each other that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed at times and that we each have our own areas in which we struggle.

To those who are currently struggling with feelings of inadequacy or undeservedness, know that you are not alone.

Harvard is a place meant to make us all struggle, but only so that we may grow and better help those we may encounter later in life. And with each of us striving to bring up our peers, learn from one another, and be part of a community where we all can talk openly about our struggles rather than feeling forced to wear a mask of perfection, we can become the people capable of bringing those changes to the world at large.

—Lucas Y. Woodley ’23 lives in Pennypacker House.

small or statistically insignificant change in attendance.

Once this minor decrease in physical attendance is factored against the extra time students spend watching recorded lectures, the net result is that students attend more class — including physically and recorded online — when there is an option to view recorded lectures.There is also evidence that students who view recorded lectures score higher on exams than their counterparts who do not view recorded lectures. This effect is strongest when the lectures are viewed close to exam dates and demonstrates how the flexibility of recorded lectures allows students to tailor their learning and studying schedules around already busy lives.

Recorded lectures also make courses more accessible. For many students who are handicapped, a traditional format lecture is not conducive to effectively taking notes. Recorded lectures help make course accessible for students with hearing impairments or other disabilities.

The ability to pause and replay certain portions of lecture allows many who may struggle to understand what the lecturer is saying to hear it a second or third time.

Moreover, at a university that has students from 156 different countries, traditional lectures can present an unfair challenge to many students who speak English as a second language.

The ability to pause and replay certain portions of lecture allows many who may struggle to understand what the lecturer is saying to hear it a second or third time. Furthermore, since more than half of users who utilize captions on videos are not hearing impaired, captions would benefit both the hearing impaired and as well as ESL students. Recorded lectures allow many ESL students to have the same opportunity to learn the lecture material as their cohorts.

There are numerous benefits to be gained from an increased use of lecture recordings at Harvard. They can raise exam grades, allow for greater flexibility, and increase lecture accessibility. The major fear associated with their broader implementation, that recorded lectures will decrease in-person lecture attendance, is almost entirely unfounded. Whatever minor decrease in lecture attendance that occurs from recording them is greatly offset by the many benefits offered. Harvard has partially embraced recorded lectures, but student experience will be vastly improved if all lectures at Harvard are recorded for online student viewing.

—Colton J. Carpenter ’20, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Eliot House.

Page 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | september 5, 2019

Sports this week’s games

preview

Friday ______________________________________

Saturday ______________________________________

Sunday ______________________________________

Men’s Soccer @ No. 20 UNC 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs Colgate 1 p.m. vs Rhode Island 7 p.m.

Men’s Water Polo vs. Cal Lutheran 10 a.m.

Women’s Basketball

Katie Benzan Will Not Return to Play Senior Season

By Lev Cohen Crimson Staff Writer

K atie Benzan ‘20, Harvard’s point guard and leader in points and assists last season, will not return to the women’s basketball team for her senior season.

“Katie has been a remarkable player in our program for three years,” head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said in an emailed statement. “After much discussion with the coaching staff, she has decided to step away her senior year.”

Benzan made a tremendous impact for the Crimson with her long range shooting, setting the single-season mark for three pointers made in her freshman season with 85 before subsequently breaking her own record twice, culminating with 103 triples in 201819. In her junior season, the Wellesley, Mass. native set Harvard’s all-time record for career three pointers made, cruising past Erin Maher ‘92’s then-record 261 and breaking the Ivy League record of 273 before finishing with 287, a total which it now appears she will not have a chance to extend further this season.

The point guard will also end her abbreviated career as Harvard’s 14th leading scorer after both she and fellow starting guard Madeline Raster ‘19 became the 20th and 21st Crimson players to reach the 1,000 point plateau last season. Her averages of 13.7 career points and 4.1 assists rank seventh and sixth respectively on Harvard’s alltime lists.

Benzan was a consistent leader on the floor from her freshman season on. She led the Crimson in minutes, points, and ­

assists all three seasons of her college career and played in all 89 possible games, starting 87 of them.

The guard’s arrival helped boost a team that had gone 1414 in each of the two years before her arrival. While Harvard was not able to get past Ivy League titans Penn and Princeton in any of her three seasons, it posted records of 21-9, 18-11, and 17-13 after Benzan’s arrival and won two total games in the WNIT, the Crimson’s first postseason wins since the 2013-14 season.

“It will definitely be a different feel, because [Benzan], you know, is a senior and has been around for a long time,” senior forward Jeannie Boehm said, “but what we’re really focused on this year is team chemistry, and so I think bringing in a lot of — five new players — we’re going to have to work really hard at team chemistry.”

In the absence of Benzan and graduated senior guards Raster, Sydney Skinner, and Nani Redford, Delaney-Smith’s entire guard rotation will be turned over. Senior Mackenzie Barta and sophomores Tess Sussman and Maggie McCarthy are the returning Harvard guards with college experience, but the trio averaged just nine, eight, and seven minutes per game respectively last season.

With none of the top four guards from a season ago returning, Delaney-Smith will likely give early minutes to incoming freshmen guards Gabby Donaldson, Lola Mullaney, Sara Park, and Annie Stritzel. Given the growing pains that can often accompany the jump from high school to college basketball, it is fair to wonder wheth-

EARLY EXIT Senior guard and 2018-19leading scorer Katie Benzan will not return to the Crimson for her senior season. The Wellesley, Mass. native led the Crimson in points, assists, and minutes in all three seasons of her college career. Timothy R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer

er the Crimson may get off to a slow start in the upcoming season.

“I think the biggest learning curve for incoming freshmen as well as younger players is that experience portion and just being in tight situations down the

stretch,” Boehm said. “But it’s definitely something I’m looking from a leadership perspective is to use my experience and my seniority to help us win.”

Until Harvard’s new guards get up to speed, the Crimson could make returning forwards

Boehm and junior Jadyn Bush the focal points of the team.

Boehm and Bush powered Harvard to a +8.1 rebounding margin in league play last season and finished second and fourth respectively on the team in minutes per game. They are joined

by fellow forward Rachel Levy, a junior who averaged 15.9 minutes, as the only returning Crimson players who played at least 10 minutes per game last season. lev.cohen@thecrimson.com

Women’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer Finds Victory, 3-0, in Home Opener

By Connor J. Wagaman Crimson Staff Writer

A powerful front moved through the Boston area Wednesday evening, delaying Harvard’s home opener by 90 minutes. The storm cell would not be the last powerful front to ­

light up Johnson field Wednesday night, as for 90 more minutes the Crimson trio of freshman forward Angela Caloia, junior forward Murphy Agnew, and sophomore midfielder Sophie Hirst combined for three goals and five assists to give Harvard the win in its home

opener against Quinnipiac.

With the victory, the Crimson (1-1) advanced its all-time record against the Bobcats (31) to a perfect six undefeated matches, disrupting Quinnipiac’s effort to extend a win streak of their own. The Bobcats entered the game one win shy of

their 4-0 start in 2012, which, with the loss, will be entered into the record books as their second-best start of the decade.

Holding tightly to a 1-0 lead, Harvard broke open the match in the 31st minute of play with a powerful drive up the field orchestrated by the triumvirate of

CLEANING UP Sophomore defender Lara Schenk looks to find a teammate as she is pursued by an opposing striker. The Seelze, Germany native helped Harvard to its first clean sheet of the season as it cruised past Quinnipiac 3-0 on Wednesday. Henry Zhu—Crimson photographer

Caloia, Agnew, and Hirst.

Caloia picked up the ball in the Crimson backfield and pushed it to Agnew, who dribbled up the turf. Skirting defenders, Agnew passed to Hirst, who picked up the ball just beyond the fingertips of Quinnipiac freshman goalie Meaghan Phillips. With Phillips out of position, Hirst saw Agnew in front of the goal mouth, open for a tap-in. Playbook-perfect? No. Two goal lead? Yes. “Angela [Caloia], Murphy [Agnew], and Sophie [Hirst are] very dynamic and dangerous players,” said Harvard coach Chris Hamblin. “We just want to get them in positions to have opportunities to score… I think they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

The Crimson’s first-half finish contrasted sharply with the start of the game. Although Harvard was hot at the beginning, putting up a shot five minutes into the match and sweeping the ball across the front of the Quinnipiac goal just minutes later, overall, the initial 20 minutes elapsed in a decidedly undecided manner.

Then, the Crimson committed a foul, and momentum shifted as the Bobcats flexed their as-yet-undefeated muscles.

Carefully tapping down the field, Quinnipiac kept the ball largely on Harvard’s side for the next ten minutes, notching two shots before relinquishing control to the Crimson.

The next minutes’ offensive flurry of Harvard breakaways, an offside call, and a diving save from Phillips offered a foretaste of the Crimson goals to come.

23 minutes into the first half, sophomore midfielder Taylor Nielsen chipped the ball toward the net. Hirst swept in, taking the ball to the back right corner of the penalty area. Turning, she saw Caloia on the left edge of the goal, who evaded a defender and fired for the first goal of the game. Seven minutes later, Agnew’s goal made Har-

vard’s lead 2-0.

“We probably should have scored more than we did in that first half,” coach Hamblin said.

“We said to the group after, this is great, we’ve got to celebrate it, but of course you’ve got to recognize that against great teams you’re not going to get that many chances, you’ve got to be more clinical.”

The Crimson opened the second confidently, keeping any Quinnipiac offensive efforts from getting off the ground. Twelve minutes in, Harvard found another breakaway, again spurred by Hirst.

An arching pass from midfield found Caloia, who, pressured by defenders, quickly settled and tapped to Agnew. One-on-one with the Bobcats goalie, Agnew shot around Phillips for her second goal of the night.

“It’s so fun to play with those girls up there,” Agnew said. “I think all the pieces are starting to come together. We still have a lot more work to do, but the potential’s there. We’re scoring goals, which is awesome.”

With a 3-0 lead, the Crimson defense worked for the next half hour to seal the victory. A diving grab in the 11th minute from senior goalie Kat Hess — who split the game with sophomore goalie Samantha Schmitz — preserved the shutout.

“I thought we did a really good job of defending,” Hamblin said.

“A lot of our possessions started with them playing through the Quinnipiac pressure, and then we were able to get our midfielders on the ball faced up and have a lot of opportunity.”

With a victory in the books, Harvard will look to continue its winning ways against Northwestern, an NCAA tournament regular.

“Big Ten Conference, they play a great schedule,” Hamblin said. “They’re a great team, and I think we’re up for the challenge.” connor.wagaman@thecrimson.com

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