The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 96

The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVI, No. 96 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | thursday, october 3, 2019

editorial PAGE 4

Editorial PAGE 4

sports PAGE 6

Bacow’s apology for his comparison to slavery prohibition isn’t enough

Column: Too often, students are quick to opine without knowing the facts

Harvard and Howard University will face off at home on Saturday

Dean Gay Talks GSC Discusses Financial Concerns Athletic Review By luke A. Williams Crimson Staff Writer

By jonah s. berger and molly c. mccafferty Crimson Staff Writers

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ review of the athletics department is unrelated to the recent firing of former head fencing coach Peter Brand, FAS Dean Claudine Gay said in an interview Wednesday.

Rather, the review — which is “totally launched and completely underway” — was prompted by the centennial of the Athletics Department’s founding in 1926, according to Gay. A committee comprising top administrators including Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana and Athletics Director Robert L. Scalise is overseeing the review, which is examining the “student-athlete experience,” culture of individual athletics programs, and the structure and operations of the department as a whole, Gay said. “[The centennial] has been a really salient milestone in my mind, in the minds of many of the leaders in Athletics,” she said. “It’s about seeing it as an ­

opportunity for us to step back and begin to set our aspirations for the next century in a way that builds on what I think is broadly considered, and rightfully so, a century of successes.”

Harvard Athletics has suffered a series of scandals in the past few years. Most recently, Harvard dismissed Brand in July after an independent inquiry into the 2016 sale of his Needham, Mass. home to the father of a fencing recruit found that he had violated Harvard’s conflict of interest policy. In April, the Boston Globe reported Brand sold the house to Jie Zhao — the father of current and former Harvard fencers — for $300,000 above its assessed value. One of Zhao’s two sons gained admission to Harvard shortly after the purchase, while Zhao’s other son graduated from the College in 2018.

Though University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in April that the investigation into Brand included University-level input, Gay said Wednesday that the decision to

See athletics Page 3

Half of the respondents to a survey on graduate students’ perceptions of their economic security reported that they are “often” or “always” worried about “financial issues.”

The survey — administered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Student Council, formerly known as the Graduate Student Council — received 331 responses out of 4521 total GSAS students. The GSC presented the survey results Wednesday night at its monthly meeting, during which it also voted to consider publicly endorsing the graduate student union’s strike authorization vote.

Advisor to the GSC’s Executive Board Blakely B. O’Connor said that the survey’s response rate of 7.3 percent is “five or six times higher” than past surveys and that the distribution of respondents is representative of the larger graduate student population.

They survey found that disparities in perceived economic security exist between graduate students from ­

See finances Page 3

The Harvard Graduate Student Council discusses the recent Financial Wellness Survey conducted among the student body Wednesday evening. quinn g. perini —Crimson photographer

Lawsuit Against Harvard Bartley’s Dismissed to Expand Leave Benefits By brie k. buchanan Crimson Staff Writer

A lawsuit filed against Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage and Harvard for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act was dismissed earlier this fall.

The plaintiff in the case, Andres R. Melo, filed the initial complaint in federal court in February 2019.

Melo uses a wheelchair for mobility purposes and argued that the restaurant — and Harvard, which owns the building — discriminated against him by “denying access to, and full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and/or accommodations of the Facility.”

The complaint pointed out several alleged violations of the ADA within the restaurant, including an inaccessible front step at the entrance, no ramp or wheelchair lift to assist with ac­

The lawsuit regarding limited accessibility for customers with disabilities at Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers was dismissed. The burger shop is located along Massachusetts Ave. quinn g. perini—Crimson photographer

cess, and at least 5 percent of tables being non-compliant. The nine specific alleged ADA violations described in the complaint were also noted not to be “all-inclusive.”

On Aug. 9, Melo submitted a “notice of settlement” that requested the court dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that either party held the right to reopen the case within 30 days, according to the notice.

The same day, Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell ordered the case to be dismissed without costs or prejudice to either party.

Melo filed for “stipulation of dismissal with prejudice” on Sept. 3. Approval of the dismissal with prejudice permanently closed the case and removed the option to reopen the case.

According to the document filed on Sept. 3, each party is required to “bear their own attor-

See bartley’s Page 3

Boston-Area Vape Shops Struggle Under New Ban

By Ellen M. burstein and sydnie M. cobb Crimson Staff Writers

Harvard Square smoke shops are facing steep commercial consequences following the implementation of a new ban on the sale of vaping products in Massachusetts late last month.

Governor Charlie Baker ’79 announced Sept. 24 that Massachusetts is facing a public health emergency and will institute a four-month ban on the sale of tobacco and marijuana vaping products.

In recent months, states around the country have seen a sharp uptick in the number of reported vaping-related illnesses, particularly among young adults. Alabama saw a death from a vaping illness on Wednesday, bringing the nationwide toll to 17 individuals.

The Center for Disease Control announced last week that more than 800 cases of vaping illnesses have been reported in the United States.

A report from the Mayo Clin­

Inside this issue

Harvard Today 2

ic published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that young adults suffering from vaping-related illnesses have exhibited lung damage characteristic of chemical burns.

Massachusetts is the fourth state to institute a ban on the sale of vapes and vaping-related products.

Jeremy Hardy, an employee at Boston Smoke Shop in Harvard Square, says that he believes the ban does not appropriately address pressing public health concerns like cigarettes.

“I think the ban is absurd,” Hardy said. “They say it’s for health reasons, but I have a ton of cigarettes over there. We know those kill tons of people every day.”

A spokesperson for Baker’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

David E. Bershad, one of the owners of local vape product chain Vape Daddy’s, said his business model has suffered

See vape Page 3

News 3

Editorial 4

Massachusetts’s emergency ban on the sale of all vaping products will affect businesses like Boston Smoke Shop, which is located on JFK Street near Harvard Square. kathryn s. kuhar—Crimson photographer

Sports 6

Today’s Forecast

cloudy High: 57 Low: 52

By james S. bikales and ruoqi zhang Crimson Staff Writer

Harvard will significantly expand paid family and medical leave benefits for eligible employees beginning in January 2021, in accordance with Massachusetts’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, which went into effect Tuesday.

Under the law, if Harvard administers its own benefits in a manner at least as generous as those in the legislation, it will be exempt from contributing to a statewide fund to finance paid leave packages.

University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain wrote in an email that Harvard has been provisionally approved for an exemption based on its proposed expansion of benefits.

The University will negotiate with its unions to finalize the particulars of the plan, Swain said.

Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers Director Bill Jaeger called the new law “very impressive” and said it will require “new programming” from the University to fulfill its paid family leave mandate.

“HUCTW members have sort of a limited ability to take paid leave to care for sick loved ones, but what. . .the new state law is introducing is more significant than that, it’s more generous than that,” Jaeger said.

Employees covered by Harvard’s new paid leave benefits can take a maximum of 26 weeks of paid medical or family leave in a benefit year, according to a memo distributed to employees Monday.

Within the 26-week limit, recipients can take up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave when a serious health condition leads to an inability to complete their tasks. Employees can also take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave for scenarios including caring for a family member facing a serious health condition, or bonding with a newborn or adopted child, the memo said.

Each of these limits aligns with ­

See leave Page 3

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chaotic

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

October 3, 2019

Page 2

Harvard Today

For Lunch Grilled Pizza Sandwich Indonesian Soba Noodle Stir Fry Teriyaki Chicken with Scallions

For Dinner Beijing Style Crispy Tofu Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry Spanish Rice

Today’s Events Master Class with BD Wong Agassiz House Horner Room, 5-6:30 p.m.

in The Real World Vintage Plane Crashes

Tony-award-winning actor BD Wong is offering an acting master class this evening. You may already know him as Li Shang in “Mulan,” George Huang in “Law & Order,” or Dr. Henry Wu in “Jurassic Park.” Stop in at the Agassiz House’s Horner Room today to hear what advice he has to share on creativity and developing characters.

A World War II-era B-17 bomber crashed into an airport building while trying to land at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn. At least seven were killed and seven more injured. The National Transportation Safety Board will be in Connecticut to investigate the crash over the next week.

FBI Runs Russian Ads in Washington, D.C.

Initial Reactions to the Affirmative Action Decision Fong Auditorium, 7-8 p.m.

Head to Fong Auditorium this evening, where Harvard’s Asian American Association is hosting a discussion on the ruling released this earlier this week about Harvard’s affirmative action policies. NAACP Legal Defense Fund Senior Counsel Michaele N. Turnage Young will be videoconferencing in.

Pedestrians on Mt. Auburn street brave the rain Wednesday morning. quinn G. perini—Crimson photographer

Daily Briefing The Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ review of Harvard Athletics was prompted by the department’s upcoming centennial — and not the recent fencing coach scandal — according to FAS Dean Claudine Gay. She added that the review is examining the “student-athlete experience,” the culture of individual athletics programs, and the structure and operations of the department. In other news, half of the respondents to a survey on graduate students’ perceptions of their economic security reported that they are “often” or “always” worried about “financial issues.”

The FBI is running Russian Facebook ads in Washington, D.C. — a move some say appears to be an effort to recruit Russian spies. Some of the ads are awkwardly phrased, suggesting they were not written by native speakers. A former CIA agent said that he thinks the ads are a good idea since most Russian spies are “walk-ins” to the FBI.

Trump Campaign Raises $125 Million in Third Quarter

The Trump Campaign and Republican National Committee have raised $125 million in the year’s third quarter - bringing their annual total over $300 million. After the recent impeachment inquiry announced against Trump, new donors have been pouring in. At this point in 2011 when Obama was running for reelection, he had raised less than half this amount. Bernie Sanders’ campaign reported a third quarter total of about $25 million.

Around the Ivies columbia Columbia’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports — released Tuesday — revealed that reported incidents of sexual assault have increased in the University’s on-campus student housing this past year, according to the Columbia Spectator.

The number jumped from five reported rapes in 2017 to nine in 2018, reversing the strong downward trend from 2016. The report also indicated that incidents of drug-related discipline have increased slightly from 178 in 2017 to 192 in 2018, continuing the upward trend from 2016.

Alcohol-related discipline, by contrast, declined this past year, despite its whopping 135 percent increase between 2016 and 2017.

Yale

Yale University Provost Benjamin Polak will step down from his position at the end of the semester, the Yale Daily News announced Wednesday. Polak served as an economics professor at Yale before becoming provost in January 2013. After this semester, he will return to full-time teaching in the economics department. His contributions to Yale as provost include investing in the sciences and enacting cost-saving policies to reduce the University’s deficit. Yale University President Peter Salovey has begun the search for the new provost.

brown

Brown University students staged a sit-in to protest the appointment of Charrise Barron, a presidential diversity postdoctoral fellow, as the interim director for the Brown Center for Students of Color on Tuesday, the Brown Daily Herald reported. Students said they felt that they not been sufficiently consulted in the hiring processes, and added that they felt the circumstances surrounding the previous director’s departure remained suspicious. The former director, Joshua Segui, left in June after seven years in his position at the Center.

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 Lucy Wang ’20

Design Editor Camille G. Caldera ’22

Assistant Night Editors Juliet E. Isselbacher ’22 Sanjana L. Narayanan ’21

Photo Editors Quinn G. Perini ’22 Jonathan Yuan ’22

Story Editors Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20

Editorial Editor Robert Miranda ’20 Sports Editor Eamon J. McLoughlin ’21

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.

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 | october 3, 2019

finances From Page 1

vape From Page 1

GSC Talks Financial Wellness

Vape Shops Face Issues Under Ban

different academic divisions.

Seventy-five percent of respondents in the humanities reported that they are “often” or “always” worried about finances, while nearly 30 percent of respondents in the sciences reported feeling the same. Just over half of SEAS students and just over half of social sciences students answered “often” or “always.”

The survey also revealed differences in perceived economic security based on the number of years spent in a graduate program. Less than 50 percent of respondents in their first and second years — G1s and G2s — said they worried about financial issues “often” or “always.”

For G3 and G4 respondents, this figure increased to nearly 50 percent, and for G5 and G6 respondents, over 50 percent.

Furthermore, over 80 percent of respondents entering their seventh and eighth year at GSAS answered “often” or “always,” while 100 percent of stu-

dents over their eighth year answered likewise.

“I really felt some of the emotion that was coming through in different people’s responses,” O’Connor said. “While it might be obvious that your financial security decreases as you get into those higher g-years, there’s a small number of people that are very, very worried and anxious about their current financial situation and have mounting insecurity about their future job outlook.”

The survey also asked students to indicate areas in which they feel most financially secure. The most popular answers were food, housing, and daily expenses, which each garnered more than 40 responses.

When asked what areas cause the most financial stress, more than 50 students answered rent, over 40 answered savings, and nearly 40 answered healthcare.

The survey also found that nearly 55 percent of respon-

dents do not have a “dedicated, tax-sheltered” retirement savings plan.

O’Connor said the GSC plans to tailor their spring event series on financial wellness to address students’ most pressing needs.

She also said the GSC will bring the data to GSAS deans to discuss possible remedies.

Two representatives from the Harvard Graduate Students’ Union-United Automobile Workers also spoke at the meeting and presented a proposal to the GSC to consider issuing a public statement in support of the union’s strike authorization vote.

The union first announced its intention to hold the vote in a July letter to University President Lawrence S. Bacow that had over 300 signatures at the time. The letter cited frustration with the state of contract negotiations, which began nearly a year ago.

Graduate student union representatives Sarah E. Loom-

is and Erik Baker called on the GSC to reaffirm its April statement of support over the “No Carve Out” issue, a debate over whether the contract’s sexual harassment policy will allow for third party investigators.

“We’re coming back to the GSC to say, you know, you called on the University to do the right thing on this important piece of the contract fight in the spring,” Baker said. “They have very publicly and adamantly refused to do the right thing. So, will you come back now and endorse this next piece of our ongoing fight here?”

The GSC voted to consider the union’s proposal. They then approved to vote on issuing a statement next month.

The GSC also voted Wednesday to change the language in its bylaws to gender-neutral expressions where necessary and to allocate $18,000 to more than 15 GSAS student affinity groups. luke.williams@thecrimson.com

Proud to cover Harvard for 146 years and counting.

under the new ban.

“We have nothing to sell,” Bershad said. “Ninety-five percent of what we sold was vaping-related, specific to nicotine.”

Prior to the ban, Bershad and his co-owner oversaw four locations of Vape Daddy’s across the greater Boston area.

Just a week after the ban was implemented, Bershad and his co-owner have already had to close three of their four vape shops. Their Framingham, Mass. location is the only one that remains.

“We’re not going to wait out the ban, we’re just going to close,” Bershad said. “Who can survive four months without selling anything? I’m sitting on $80,000 worth of inventory that I paid for that I can’t sell.”

Boston Smoke Shop has faced similar issues with continuing to meet the demands of its patrons.

“Vaping products are just short of 50 percent of what we sell,” Hardy said. “People would

come in here and buy things along with their vape stuff, and now they are just not coming in at all.”

Peter L. Laskin ’23 said he thinks the ban is an appropriate measure until researchers can identify the health risks associated with vaping.

“There hasn’t been a lot of research on the long-term effects, and given that there is a concern now about health effects, I think it’s a reasonable thing to do,” said Laskin.

Chet A. Ellis ’23 said that despite the risks associated with vaping, he is worried that individuals who have used vaping products to beat cigarette addictions will fall back on their previous habits in the wake of the ban.

“Now that they don’t have access to vaping, they have to go back to more scientifically-proven harmful methods to get their nicotine fix,” said Ellis. ellen.burstein@thecrimson.com sydnie.cobb@thecrimson.com

Leave From Page 1

Harvard to Add Family Medical Leave Benefits the new state law.

Employees taking paid leave can receive a weekly maximum payment of $850, according to the notice.

According to the law, which Governor Charlie Baker ’79 signed into law in June 2018, if an employer offers a paid leave package that is “at least as generous” as the one stipulated by the law, it is eligible for an exemption to contributing to the fund.

Swain added that Harvard already provides family leave to some of its employees, but the proposed changes would expand that benefit. Harvard currently allows its non-unionized regular employees to accrue one sick day for each completed

working month, and provides 12 weeks of unpaid family leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. While Jaeger praised the new program, he said medical leave benefits in particular were already relatively good for his union’s members.

The paid medical leave program that HUCTW won in its first contract negotiations in 1989 already provides an “important backstop” similar to what the new law calls for, Jaeger said.

“It doesn’t perfectly match the new state program, but it’s quite close,” he said. james.bikales@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

bartley’s From Page 1

Keep the old sheet flying.

Lawsuit Against Bartley’s Dismissed by the Parties in the settlement agreement.” The provisions of the settlement were not disclosed.

Melo is represented by attorney Edward N. Garno of Lowell, Mass. and attorney Todd W. Shulby of Weston, Fla. Garno and Shulby did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Janet E. Faulkner, counsel for Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, declined to comment on

the settlement.

University spokesperson Brigid O’Rourke wrote in an emailed case on behalf of Margaret C. LePage — Harvard’s attorney in the case — that the University is “pleased” with the resolution.

“Harvard is pleased to have recently reached a resolution to the litigation that satisfied all parties,” O’Rourke wrote. brie.buchanan@thecrimson.com

athletics From Page 1

The Crimson thecrimson.

Gay Discusses Athletics Review terminate Brand ultimately rested with the Athletics Department, though she was also consulted.

“The Athletics Department concluded that Peter Brand should not be a coach anymore, and I’ve supported that,” she said.

Other teams within the department — which includes 42 varsity teams, the most of any NCAA Division I school — have faced their own scandals. Last fall, head diving coach Chris Heaton resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct.

In 2016, the Office of the General Counsel reviewed the men’s soccer team and the men’s cross-country team after The Crimson reported that members of both teams separately circulated spreadsheets with sexually explicit comments about members of the women’s soccer and cross-country teams.

The new review will encompass “every set of constituencies in the athletics orbit,” according to Gay, including students, coaches, faculty, and faculty deans, among others. Almost

1,200 undergraduates — roughly 20 percent of the student body — are on Harvard’s varsity sports teams.

The committee overseeing the review will use a mix of focus groups, interviews, and surveys to gather its data.

Harvard’s review comes as other schools across the country grapple with the fallout of a nationwide college admissions scandal that has thrust athletic recruitment into the national spotlight.

Yale, Stanford, and the University of Southern California are conducting audits and implementing more stringent oversight of their athletics departments after an FBI investigation revealed dozens of parents had helped their children fraudulently gain admission by manipulating schools’ athletic recruitment systems.

Harvard has not been implicated in that scandal. Gay said that its review will not touch upon the College’s admissions and recruitment practices. jonah.berger@thecrimson.com molly.mccafferty@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | OCTOBER 3, 2019

Page 4

Editorial The Crimson Editorial board

column

Bacow’s Apology Isn’t Enough

U

niversity President Lawrence S. Bacow recently apologized in an email to staff members for his recent comments at an Alumni Affairs and Development staff meeting last week, in which he analogized Harvard’s inability to control its donors to the prohibition of slavery by the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

While Bacow’s comments have not been released verbatim, his admitted usage of the 13th Amendment to explain that Harvard’s schools cannot “own” their alumni has received widespread coverage, and rightly so. Harvard’s presidency is a powerful position with wide-reaching influence, and such insensitive analogies are certainly not to be expected. We condemn Bacow’s comments, which demonstrate a sense of racial thoughtlessness, and are unmoved and unimpressed by his apology.

We do not believe this comment was made with racist intentions, but we do believe it has racial impacts.

Regardless of how Bacow meant his comments to be understood, the history of slavery in America should not be used as a casual rhetorical device. The fact that he would think to use it as such is baffling. It goes without saying that slavery was one of the U.S.’s most brutal and egregious sins.

But beyond the base horrors of slavery itself, the political institution of slavery must be understood as the starting point for race relations between black and white Americans in the U.S. From this position of complete subjugation in society, the experiences of

black Americans in the U.S. have improved and evolved, but we cannot neglect the historical connection between slavery and current racial inequalities.

The history of slavery still lives with us, and Bacow’s unprompted, offhand, and off-color analogy demonstrate a lack of respect for this fact.

It’s improper for anyone to make comments of this nature, but we are particularly disappointed that they come from our university president, given his obligation to represent all of Harvard.

We do not believe this comment was made with racist intentions, but we do believe it has racial impacts.

That obligation requires constant reflection on how one’s words will be interpreted by those watching Harvard.

This analogy does not demonstrate that reflection, it does not represent the University well, and it does not reflect the beliefs of its current students and other Harvard affiliates who, through rigorous study here, seek to become the “citizens and citizen-leaders of the world.”

We should expect better of those future leaders, as we expect better of Bacow today.

Of particular concern to us is the extent to which we find Bacow’s current apology insufficient. He apologized not for the comment itself, but merely for the offence that his audience took with

it. His stated regret for causing offence is not a constructive response, and cannot be considered acceptable in the context of such a problematic public statement from the University’s highest officer.

If Bacow sincerely wishes to meaningfully understand why people found his comments distasteful and to learn from the experience we implore him to do more than just issue a lackluster email apologizing for his audience’s emotions.

To start, he could earnestly attempt to grapple with Harvard’s storied history with racism, including past presidents owning slaves and professors perpetuating racially-based theories. As Bacow inherits and builds upon this history, he should work to address this past in a constructive way.

Instead, his bizarre comments about slavery do nothing but stymie reparative efforts.

Former University presidents, notably Drew G. Faust, have taken up the noble work of grappling with Harvard’s complicated racial past, and working to reconcile it with a more equitable future.

Bacow would do well to recognize the power of his words, speak responsibly, and to follow that example.

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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Not Harvard’s Culture

By PATRICK C. BARHAM QUESADA and James l. walkingstick

L

ast Friday, Harvard students crossed the river and enjoyed Harvard football’s first home game of the year, with our Crimson beating Brown University handily. Ahead of the game, Harvard Athletics’ Assistant Director of Multimedia and Production posted a video on Instagram to get students and fans excited for the game. The video is indeed exciting – featuring closeup video of the players, fast cuts between shots, and footage from Harvard football’s history, but underneath the images plays a soundtrack that is ill-fitting at best.

Almost the entirety of the 50-second video uses the track “Electric Pow Wow Drum” by A Tribe Called Red, a soundtrack that gradually intensifies with traditional drumming. Given Harvard’s own history with Native American nations, this is extremely inappropriate, and the video should be taken down immediately.

Harvard’s disrespect for Native Americans and their nations goes back to a few years after the founding of the College, when in 1655, the Indian College was established. This initiative was borne out of financial necessity and cooperation with local churches, in a deal that meant increased revenue for the College if it would admit and house Natives in an effort to anglicize and assimilate them.

Through this, Harvard played an active role in the colonization of Native Americans that would lead to land grabs, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Natives, and the social death of entire tribes.

Despite the existence of the Indian College, some might say that Harvard’s role in Native colonization is greatly overstated. If it is, those same people would have to turn a blind eye to the symbol the College used to represent itself – the Pilgrim.

The Pilgrim, an icon associated with the genocide of millions of Native Americans, was used as both a noun and an adjective associated with the school, and its official mascot, John Harvard, is still depicted in Harvard Yard wearing the traditional dress of an English pilgrim.

Remnants of this term still exist through the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a Harvard-affiliated non-profit health services company which dates back to 1969. Harvard is not alone in this respect: Dartmouth had an Indian as its mascot until 1969.

This incident demonstrates the need Harvard has to better educate its students, faculty and staff on our troubled past.

The school’s transgressions on this topic are not limited to extracurricular matters. Nineteenth and 20th century archaeologists like Alfred V. Kidder were sent out on Harvard’s behalf to seize Native artifacts and even to bring back burial remains, such as the Pueblo bodies Harvard kept in its possession until the 1990s. Today’s guidelines would never allow for such expeditions, of course, but the study of archaeology on our campus is still taught by a cadre of professors that includes only a handful of Native American scholars.

Progress on this issue has been slow, to say the least. Though some might tout that the University has made strides to hire tenure-track Native faculty members in recent decades, we cannot ignore that the endowment still has investments tied to indigenous genocide in Brazil and burial site destruction in Australia.

We live on stolen Wampanoag land and it is incumbent on each and every one of us to acknowledge and recognize this.

This is not done when we appropriate in-

digenous art to promote our school or our athletics department. In light of this school’s history, it’s insensitive and unbelievable that a member of its staff would post a video that appropriates Native culture for the promotion of something as trivial as football.

The video is even more unseemly when you consider the intentions and activism of the musical artists behind the song. A Tribe Called Red, a First Nations electronic group that seeks to dispel the idea that Natives are remnants of the past by adding traditional drumming to modern electronic music, has itself asked its fans not to appropriate Native culture and art when they attend their shows and has backed civil rights lawsuits that challenge instances of appropriation. This staff member’s use of this song is an open act of appropriation, disrespecting Native culture and the artists themselves.

The video, which includes images of Spartan warriors and fighter jets, perpetuates what A Tribe Called Red is fighting against: the view and stereotype of Native Americans as bloodthirsty, war-like fighters.

Perhaps Harvard is unaware of this video. If so, we hope Harvard encourages its employee to take down the video and to replace the background music with something more respectful and appropriate. Harvard must also more closely monitor how its image is portrayed to the outside world. This incident demonstrates the need Harvard has to better educate its students, faculty and staff on our troubled past, because though this particular instance might seem small to some, it can deeply affect and perpetuate insecurities and issues of identity within Harvard’s Native community.

—Patrick C. Barham Quesada ’21, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Pforzheimer House. James L. Walkingstick ’21 is a Social Anthropology concentrator in Pforzheimer House.

Can Objectivity Exist at Harvard?

Jessenia N. Class and Robert Miranda OPINING FROM THE CHAIR

T

hese days, it’s all about quick takes. Opinions are formed and expressed all across campus at a fever pitch, especially in an environment as newsworthy as Harvard. Each time a new, even mildly controversial article appears, an equal and opposite Twitter thread or group chat emerges almost instantaneously, quick to critique and condemn. While sometimes the topic in question appears to lend itself to a simple judgement, too often students are quick to rush to opine without knowing all the facts. Opinions are made on the basis of a single headline without even thinking about the larger story and editorial decisions behind them. It is nothing less than a cancel culture, hell-bent on swallowing ledes and handing down verdicts without appeal.

Part of this is because of our campus. The many ambitious students — otherwise known as future “citizen-leaders” — who form our community tend to come down hard on an issue, often to display the depths of their knowledge, perspective, or subjectivity. This is not to say that these opinions are not valuable on our campus.

(It would be blasphemous for us to even think so, and write it in an opinion piece, no less.) This desire also isn’t absolute: It does not happen with every student, or on every issue. But it’s important to see what this opinion-based pressure implies: a lack of objectivity within our campus.

It’s sad to say, but it’s nearly impossible to be objective at Harvard. All too often, it seems many students don’t often consider the values of being objective and neutral in reading an article or considering an opinion.

There are many possible reasons for this. We might feel pressure to make our opinions performative to conform to expectations. We may fear tone-policing or wish to avoid the shame of holding an unpopular or marginalized opinion. Perhaps most likely — and most dangerously — we’re simply unwilling to engage with the time-consuming process of reviewing all the facts of a given story and subsequently coming up with a wellthought-out opinion.

The effects of this constant pressure to be subjective are troubling. Stories abound of our peers fearing others’ reactions to their viewpoints, or buckling to pressure for fear that they be judged or critiqued. Stories of an echo-chamber reverberate, and promise to suffocate.

When we feel a knee-jerk reaction to stand with or for a cause, we lack the important step of approaching incidents with the objectivity they need. There is certainly value in being able to quickly read an article, dissect it, analyze its claims, and weigh its pros and cons. But we feel most students don’t do this. Instead of looking at something with an open mind, we tend to rush to the nearest possible conclusion that fits our preexisting conception of what our world is, or should be.

This is risky, because it skips so many critical steps in between for the sake of immediate gratification of having said something. Fact-checking, dialogue, and debate are incredibly important; these tenets of sound opinion-making cannot be cast aside in favor of superficial and trendy soundbites.

News stories, facts, and events must be approached with objectivity and an eye for the facts for us to then construct our opinion on. Calling things out to call them out undermines the severity of such charges. When we speculate on values and intentions, when we say something is racist, sexist, prejudiced, or bigoted, these words must be deeply considered.

The cost of these statements are too high to make, especially if they are made on the basis of quickly skimming an article.

Harvard in some ways recognizes this critical attention to opinion-making falling out of favor. The Dean of Students’ Office recently rolled out a policy for extracurricular organizations at the College, requiring a moderator to be present when hosting “controversial speakers.” These moderators are even given the power to shut down events under certain circumstances. Yet, even these policies are fashioned from the wrong intention. These policies prioritize damage control over dialogue; image over ideals; and convey a lack of trust for students here to figure out for themselves the best way to disagree and form their opinions.

Is this lack of trust wrong? We hope so.

This University’s values show a desire to challenge its students, to help them grow and learn in the light of higher education. But it doesn’t seem that’s the case with this new policy. Instead of allowing students to form environments where the opportunity for substantive debate is at least possible, this moderation policy almost certainly will stifle that.

We firmly believe in the importance of holding debate and forming opinions, however controversial or marginal they may be. But as counterintuitive as it may be, the only way to form a nuanced, subjective view is to embrace a sense of objectivity.

Of course, this isn’t the easiest metric for one to hold themselves to.

But we believe it’s more important than ever, especially in an age of “fake news” and “cancel culture,” for our world’s future “citizen-leaders” to hold themselves to task and look at the facts, openly and honestly, before rushing to judgement. Otherwise, we will only cancel out more and more until there’s little left.

—Jessenia N. Class ’20, a Crimson Editorial Chair, is a Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology concentrator in Quincy House. Robert Miranda ’20, a Crimson Editorial Chair, is an English concentrator in Pforzheimer House. Their column appears on alternate Thursdays.

Page 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | October 3, 2019

There’s nothing like the winning basket.

The sights and sounds of Harvard, every day.

The Crimson thecrimson.com

Sports

Weekend Weekly event Recap

schedule SCORES

Friday saturday sunday ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Men’s Basketball vs. BU W, 18-17 ___________________________________________________________ woMen’s swimming ivy league championshp 2nd ___________________________________________________________ Women’s Volleyball @ Yale Women’s Volleyball @ Brown Men’s Water Polo @ No. 17 St. Francis woMen’s Heavyweight Crew Vs. Yale L ___________________________________________________________ golf Vs. princeton W ___________________________________________________________ 7:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

10 a.m.

Football vs. University of Vermont L, 42, 36 ___________________________________________________________ men’s wrestling vs. penn state L, 42, 36 ___________________________________________________________ Men’s Soccer @ Yale Football vs. Howard Men’s Water Polo @ Iona Fencing New England Championship 15th ___________________________________________________________ 7 p.m.

1 p.m.

3 p.m.

football

Around the Ivies: Harvard Faces Howard at Home

By Cade Palmer Crimson Staff Writer

I’m not one for pretense. Let’s get to the picks. ­

DARTMOUTH AT PENN

If there is a problem with Ivy League football, it’s that it simply isn’t exactly the type of thing people who go to Ivy League schools tend to care about. Few students show up to the (professional, college, high school, intramural flag, lawn) football games and when they do rarely venture a glance from their phone to the field in front of them. Penn seems to somehow be immune from the disorder.

Two weeks ago, a Philadelphia Eagles fan was televised just before a commercial break disagreeing with a call on the field. The video of the fan on Twitter garnered over a thousand retweets and more than seven thousand likes. The fan, as it turns out, is the University of Pennsylvania dean of admission, Eric Furda. The video was picked up by local newspapers and then, Stephen Colbert. While we’ll never know what the dean was saying (read a lip-reading analysis here) we can be absolutely sure, the Penn administration really cares about football.

But sometimes passion isn’t enough. The Eagles dropped the contest to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Penn is going to lose to Dartmouth on Friday — just don’t tell Dean Furda.

Dartmouth by 24.

COLUMBIA AT PRINCETON

Sure the University of Pennsylvania administration looks good right now, but no one looks better than Columbia’s administration. Why? They disbanded the university’s band, replacing them with a high school

group. Not even Boston winters are that cold.

I’ve never had more respect for a university administration in my life.

Yeah, Princeton is probably the best team in the Ivy League.

Yeah they’ve got a great shot at winning the division. Yeah, you could probably replace the Columbia team with a random high school squad to the same effect as replacing the band.

Some things, however, can’t be quantified on paper. Swagger is one of those things. Columbia — at least the administration — has swagger.

Columbia by 1.

HOWARD AT HARVARD

This has already been dubbed the battle for the real HU, and not without reason. The Harvard University and Howard University football programs have been intertwined since the start, despite never actually meeting on the gridiron.

Legend has it, when the Howard program began in 1893, it was under the direction of English professor Charles Cook.

The uniforms? They borrowed those from Harvard.

Now, on Saturday, the two teams will meet in regulation for the first time in football history. The two conferences — the Ivy League and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Football — hardly cross paths, so it’s somewhat difficult to guess at the comparative strength of schedules. Thus far, Howard seems to be struggling, having dropped four of its opening five games. Though, that’s three games more than Harvard has played.

Additionally, Howard’s star quarterback, Caylin Newton, has entered the transfer portal after opting not to play in last week’s contest. Yes that last name is Newton, as in the younger brother of the 2010

SMITH CENTER Junior quarterback Jake Smith has been quick to get going in 2019, breaking two personal records, one for yards and one for touchdowns, in the first two games of the season. He’ll have a chance to make it three in three on Saturday. Timothy R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer

Heisman Trophy winner and professional quarterback Cam Newton. Howard’s now starting a true freshman in Quinton Williams.

On the contrary, Harvard’s quarterback woes that typically plague the beginning of the season have disappeared in junior Jake Smith’s maturation. The third-year is straight slingin’, and broke two personal records as many games, one for yards and one for touchdowns.

Forget real, I’ve got my money on the original HU. Harvard by 21.

RHODE ISLAND AT BROWN

Perhaps, like me, you forgot

that Rhode Island was large enough to have more than one city. Perhaps, like me, you forgot that Rhode Island had the resources to supply two Division I programs. You would be forgiven for forgetting all of the above. The state’s two teams, after all, are not good.

However, the nation’s smallest state does indeed host intrastate rivalry dubbed the Governor’s Cup. While the “rivalry” likely boasts the lowest attendance of any rivalry game in the nation, it does in fact exist.

Over the course of the last century and then some, Brown and the University of Rhode Island have met 103 times to duke it out for the Governor’s Cup. Brown, surprisingly, leads the

series 73-28-2. I fully expect the Bears to continue to lead the series for the next 46 years, until Rhode Island’s 46th consecutive win, or the inevitable disbandment of all Ivy League football programs.

Rhode Island by 6.

FORDHAM AT YALE

I hate Yale.

Fordham by 3.

GEORGETOWN AT CORNELL

This might legally qualify as heresy but I actually think Georgetown might have a good football program for probably the first time ever. The Hoya’s

lost their first game of the season to Davidson — the college of Steph Curry so that probably translates at least a little to adeptness at football — and has since massacred opponents, out scoring them 136-13.

Cornell doesn’t seem terrible either and has the added benefit of hosting the contest. No one can travel to the desolate wasteland sometimes called Ithaca, N.Y., without being negatively affected in some way.

If the game is played anywhere but Ithaca, Georgetown wins by 21.

Georgetown by 7. cade.palmer@thecrimson.com

women’s Volleyball

Women’s Volleyball Seeks Stronger Start to October

By Eliot Min Contributing Writer

A s the calendar turns to October, Harvard Women’s Volleyball will look to rebound from an uneven start to the season. After winning two of its first three matches, the squad dropped its next seven games and finished September with a ­

2-8 record.

Harvard began the season at the Harvard Invitational, with a tough loss at the hands of Colgate University sandwiched in between strong victories over Sacred Heart University and the University of Rhode Island. After falling behind two sets two one against Sacred Heart, Harvard rolled through

the fourth set by a score of 2512 and used the momentum to pull through in the fifth set, 1513. Senior middle blocker Sope Adeleye led the charge with a career-best 14 kills. Adeleye only committed three errors during the course of the match, which was good for a sterling .478 kill rate.

Despite fighting its way back

in the third set to force a fourth against Colgate, Harvard was unable to complete the comeback and ultimately fell three sets to one. Although the squad received strong all-around performances from several of its starters — junior co-captain Evelyn Gray registered a career-high 14 kills and .276 hitting percentage, and Adeleye

BLOCKED After winning two of its first three matches of the season, Harvard has fallen on tough times, now sitting at 2-8. The team will be looking to pick up its first win in eight games as it takes on Yale this Friday night in New Haven. Timothy R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer

recorded an impressive seven blocks — the team put up a miniscule .183 kill percentage and committed 22 attacking errors en route to the loss. The squad managed to rebound in the next match, however, recording a 3-1 victory over Rhode Island to close out the invitational. Gray put up an impressive 13 kills, while Adeleye and senior outside hitter Grace Roberts Burbank each contributed strong performances with 12 kills apiece.

Unfortunately, Harvard was unable to turn the momentum from its successful weekend into a winning streak. The team lost its next three matches at the Thunderdome classic in San Diego, California. Harvard dropped its first two matches in straight sets against La Salle University and the University of San Diego, and managed to win just one set against UC Santa Barbara before eventually falling 3-1.

Despite the losses, the weekend was highlighted by strong performances by some of the squad’s younger players — firstyear setter/hitter Ashley Wang and sophomore setter/outside hitter Bella Almanza combined to dish out 92 assists across the three games. “[Wang and Almanza] are directing the offense, and they’re doing a fantastic job,” said Burbank.”I’m excited for them to keep it up and keep coming into their own as young players. I think it’s exciting that they’re already having this much success, and I know that there’s only more to come for them.”

The following week, Harvard continued its skid with three tough losses, two of which came in the New England Challenge. The team lost a heartbreaker against Boston College to open the event; after forcing a decisive fifth set, the squad

came up just short and dropped the final set 18-20. The squad was unable to recuperate from the gut wrenching loss in time for the match against Northeastern, which it dropped three sets to one.

To close out non-conference action at home, Harvard dropped a match against Syracuse three sets to one. Junior outside hitter Mindie Mabry continued her strong offensive season by leading the team in kills for the third straight match and hitting a strong .435. It was not enough though, and Harvard’s losing streak stretched to six.

Harvard’s most recent match, which took place against Dartmouth last weekend, was a closely-contested thriller that came down to the final set.

Dartmouth stormed back from a two-game deficit and took advantage of a fatigued Harvard squad, sealing the victory with a 15-6 win in the fifth set. Sophomore right side attacker Jaimie Rao turned in a sparkling performance on offense, recording a career-high 19 kills and 20 points — but it was not enough to propel Harvard to a victory in its first Ivy League matchup of the season.

“It’s been a hard preseason.” said Burbank. “I think our team has learned a lot through adversity and I think we’re well equipped to move into this first half of Ivy League’s and have some good experience playing some good teams under our belt”.

Harvard continues Ivy League play when it takes on the Yale and Brown squads in consecutive away matches this weekend. In October, the team will also face off against Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, and UPenn. Harvard will close out the month with a rematch against Dartmouth.