The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 100

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVI, NO. 100 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2019

EDITORIAL PAGE 6

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 7

We ask for more nuance following the DSO’s decision to discipline student groups

The NIH awarded Director’s Awards to 16 Harvard affiliates

Men’s tennis meets Ivy foes at Dartmouth Invitational

Grad. Union to Vote on Strike Authorization Gov. HGSU Will Selects Hold Vote on Strike Title IX Authorization Liaison

By JAMES S. BIKALES CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard’s graduate student union will hold a strike authorization vote, the group announced in an email to members Tuesday morning.

This step moves the union —Harvard Graduate Students-United Automobile Workers — one step closer to a strike, which could only follow an authorization vote backed by two-thirds of its voting members. The vote will begin Oct. 15, exactly one year after the contract negotiations with the University began, according to the email from the union’s bargaining committee.

HGSU bargaining committee member Cory W. McCartan wrote in an emailed statement that Harvard’s “intransigence” on harassment and discrimination protections led to the decision to wcall for a strike vote.

“Student workers demand fair compensation, improvements on our healthcare plans, and commonsense protections from harassment and discrimination, and we will go all the way to win a fair contract,” McCartan wrote.

HGSU organizers have voiced growing frustration in recent months over the state of contract negotiations, which began nearly a year ago. The union and the University have reached eight tentative agreements, but remain at odds on issues like the sexual harassment and nondiscrimination

By JONAH S. BERGER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

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SEE VOTE PAGE 5

Theatre.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Harvard’s Department for African and African American Studies and the 45th anniversary of the Du Bois Institute, according to Glenn Hutchins, chairman of the National Advisory Board of the Hutchins Center.

“The spirit of inquiry, truth-telling, activism, and reconciliation that gave birth to both is present in unique ways in each of the seven individuals we honor this year,” Hutchins said in the press release.

Singer and actress Queen

Government department leaders have appointed a new Title IX liaison and are in communication with the external committee tasked with reviewing the department, Government chair Jeffry A. Frieden announced at a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Roughly 60 Government affiliates attended the town hall, the first of a series of department-wide meetings aimed at addressing departmental culture. In May, the Government Climate Change Committee — formed after 18 women publicly accused former Government professor Jorge I. Dominguez of sexual misconduct — released a report finding a “prolonged institutional failure” by the department in providing a safe work environment.

The report outlined various recommendations for improving departmental culture, including regular town hall meetings, a new liaison position, and an external review. Last month, University President Lawrence S. Bacow appointed three academics to undertake the review.

He tasked them with investigating the factors that allowed Dominguez to sexually harass multiple women over four decades. The external review, however, will not examine the allegations themselves, according to Bacow.

After a year-long investigation, the Office for Dispute Resolution found that Dominguez had engaged in “unwelcome sexual conduct,” prompting Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay to strip him of his emeritus status and bar him from campus.

Frieden said at the Tuesday meeting he has been informed that the external review committee is combing through more than 1,000 pages of material, including the department’s climate report. “They have been trying to schedule a campus visit, which will mostly be oriented towards making contact with and speaking with people in and around the department” said Frieden said. Affiliates will likely not be able to share information with the external review committee anonymously, given that the committee seeks to verify details about departmental culture, according to Frieden.

The department also appointed Government professor

SEE MEDAL PAGE 3

SEE GOV PAGE 3

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On Tuesday, the Harvard Graduate Students Union announced it would hold a strike authorization vote next week. SARA KOMATSU—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

As HGSU Prepares for Vote, Organizers Rally for Support

By JAMES S. BIKALES and RUOQI ZHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

A s Harvard’s graduate student union gears up to hold a historic strike authorization vote beginning next week, it remains unclear how much support there is among its members for a strike.

The vote — which is expected to begin Oct. 15 on Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers’ oneyear anniversary of bargain­

ing with the University — will require two-thirds of voting members’ support in order to allow the negotiating committee to call for a strike if it deems necessary.

The union has designated all graduate and undergraduate students who are employed, have been employed, or expect to be employed by Harvard as eligible voters. Those voters will be required to sign a union

SEE STRIKE PAGE 4

Faculty Advised to Prepare For Possible Union Strike

By JAMIE S. BIKALES, MOLLY C. MCCAFFERTY, and RUOQI ZHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Following Harvard’s graduate student union announcement Tuesday that they would hold a strike authorization vote, University administrators are urging faculty members to prepare contingency plans in the event that a strike is authorized and ultimately enacted.

Associate Provost Doreen Koretz and University Director ­

of Labor and Employee Relations Paul R. Curran wrote in an email to faculty Tuesday that it is “critical” that faculty begin to plan for how they would teach in the event of a strike. Many graduate student workers help host class sections and grade assignments.

The strike authorization vote – announced by Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers organizers in an union-wide email

SEE FACULTY PAGE 4

NAACP Lawyers Discuss Queen Latifah Wins Admissions Lawsuit at Forum W.E.B. Du Bois Medal

By CAMILLE G. CALDERA

By AMANDA Y. SU

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Attorneys from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund discussed the next steps of Harvard’s admissions lawsuit and thanked students for their involvement in the case at a student-run forum Tuesday evening.

The event — co-sponsored by the Asian American Association, the South Asian Association, the Asian American Brotherhood, Chinese Students Association, and the Black Students Association — follows last week’s ruling in the case

Oscar-nominated actress Queen Latifah and Pulitzer Prize winning-poet Rita Dove will receive the W.E.B. Du Bois medal alongside five other recipients, the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research announced Tuesday.

The medal recognizes individuals who have made “significant contributions” to African and African American history and culture, according to a press release. The honorees will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Oct. 22 in Sanders

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SEE NAACP PAGE 5

Michaele N. Turnage Young speaks about what’s next in the SFFA v. Harvard admissions case. CAMILLE G. CALDERA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Lead Trial Lawyer for SFFA Criticizes Ruling in Admissions Lawsuit

By CAMILLE G. CALDERA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Students for Fair Admissions’s lead trial lawyer Adam K. Mortara denounced the recent ruling in the Harvard admissions lawsuit, arguing at a Harvard Law School event Tuesday that the judge had misinterpreted the case’s facts and legal precedents.

The event — co-sponsored by the Harvard Federalist Society and the Native American Law Students Association — marked the first time Mortara has publicly spoken about the ruling and attracted hundreds of law students.

Judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled Oct. 1 that the College is not liable for any of the four INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

counts alleged by anti-affirmative action group SFFA. Those counts include intentional discrimination against Asian Americans, engaging in racial balancing, using race as a determinative factor in admissions decisions, and inadequately exploring race-neutral alternatives to achieve diversity.

Just three days after Burroughs announced her decision, SFFA filed a notice of appeal. Mortara — who is listed as a “contributor” to the Federalist Society on its website — said Tuesday that he will continue to litigate the case throughout the appeals process.

At the event, Mortara said he believes Burroughs — an Obama appointee who Mortara called “dedicated” and “even-hand-

News 3

Editorial 6

ed” — made a “bad ruling” in this case. He categorized what he sees as her errors into “three buckets”: differences in interpretation of Supreme Court precedent, incorrect analysis of the facts, and “hugely troubling” statements.

Burroughs did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Wednesday morning.

During his speech, Mortara alleged that Harvard runs a “thinly disguised quota system”; the Supreme Court has ruled that racial quotas in admissions processes are illegal. He pointed to past statistics for admissions rates by race, arguing that they showed “remarkable stability”

SEE ADMISSIONS PAGE 3

Sports 7

Adam K. Mortara — head lawyer for Students for Fair Admissions — answers questions after speaking at an event hosted by the Harvard Federalist Society Tuesday afternoon. CAMILLE G. CALDERA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

TODAY’S FORECAST

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

october 9, 2019

Page 2

Harvard Today

For Lunch BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich Chicken Fingers Lo Mein

For Dinner Bulgogi Chicken Red’s Best Fresh Catch Four Macaroni and Cheddar

Today’s Events Harvard Art Museum Archives Open Hours Art Study Center (in Harvard Art Museum), 12-2 p.m.

in The Real World

Curious about the history behind some of Harvard’s coolest artifacts?

Visit the Art Study Center (inside the Harvard Art Museum) to closely view a selection of historical objects, photographs, and more. Members of the archive staff will be there to tell you the stories behind these artifacts and answer questions you may have.

As the impeachment inquiry continues, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, said yesterday that he would not cooperate with House investigators. In a similar vein, the State Department refused to allow a key figure in the controversy surrounding Trump and Ukraine to testify.

Senator Jeff Flake’s Study Group with Senator Chris Coons Wexner 332, 4:30-5:45 p.m.

Join former Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who is a resident fellow of the Institute of Politics this year, and Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) in Wexner 332 at the Harvard Kennedy School to discuss ways to find common ground in Congress. This is the fourth installment of Flake’s study group on “The Future of Conservatism.”

White House Will Not Cooperate with Impeachment Inquiry, Letter Says

Kurdish Militia Says It Will Attack if Turkish Forces Enter Syria

Students sit by Widener Library Sunday afternoon. Naomi S. Castellon-Perez—Crimson photographer

Daily Briefing Harvard’s graduate student union will hold a strike authorization vote, the group announced in an email to members Tuesday morning. This step moves the union — Harvard Graduate Students-United Automobile Workers — one step closer to a strike, which could only follow an authorization vote backed by two-thirds of its voting members. The vote will begin Oct. 15, exactly one year after the contract negotiations with the University began, according to the email from the union’s bargaining committee.

The commander of an Kurdish militia has warned that they will retaliate against an invasion by Turkish forces into northeastern Syria after a statement by the Turkish president indicated that such an endeavor will happen soon. This news follows President Donald Trump’s agreement to move U.S. troops away from the Syrian border in preparation for the invasion.

Brexit Deal ‘Impossible’ After JohnsonMerkel Call

Following a private phone call between the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a source within 10 Downing St. reported that the chances of the United Kingdom achieving a deal with the European Union before next week to put a stop to Brexit are very slim. Many have reacted with anger, including Donald Tusk, co-president of the European Union, who warned Johnson not to stake the nation’s future on a “stupid blame game.”

Around the Ivies BROWN This semester at Brown, undergraduate teaching assistants and undergraduate head teaching fellows will receive a 10 and 15 percent increase in wages, respectively, the Brown Daily Herald reported. Prior to the raise, undergraduate teaching assistants made $10.60 an hour, and head teaching fellows made $10.86 an hour. Wage increases for undergraduate teaching assistants and fellows are limited by budget constraints.

Though Brown raised around $10 million for the undergraduate teaching assistant program in the last few years, the number of students concentrating in CS doubled over the course of the fundraising campaign.

PENN

The University of Pennsylvania’s undergraduate student council called for administrators to dismiss law professor Amy Wax after she argued that the United States might be better off with a majoritywhite population, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. University of Pennsylvia Law School Dean Theodore Ruger criticized Wax after she made the comments at a conference in July but did not publicly call for her removal. The unanimous resolution asked Penn’s Board of Trustees to remove her, and to institute mandatory sensitivity training for the university’s faculty and staff.

yale

Anti-semitic graffiti appeared on a Yale Law School building on Saturday night, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Yale Daily News reported. The graffiti depicted a swastika above the word “Trump.” It was covered up by Sunday afternoon, and has now been completely removed. Yale Law School is currently investigating the incident and, along with other Yale University organizations, offering support to students.

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

Night Editor Luke Xu ’20

Design Editor Matthew J. Tyler ’22

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

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

Assistant Night Editors Shera S. Avi-Yonah ’21 Andrea M. Bossi ‘21 Lucy Liu ’22

Photo Editor 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

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.

Story Editors Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20 Lucy Wang ’20 Michael E. Xie ’20

Editorial Editor Shireen Younus ’20 Sports Editor Stuti R. Telidevara ’20

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

Page 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | october 9, 2019

HKS Talks Chinese Infrastructure

By Joshua C. fang and aisha c. abdelhamid Contributing Writers

Harvard Kennedy School research fellow Phillipe Le Corre led a discussion about China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its impact on Europe Tuesday.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a colloquial term for two Chinese infrastructure investments: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century Maritime Silk Road.

Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the initiatives revolve around investment in railways, energy pipelines, sea ports, and highways stretching across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Le Corre, a research associate in the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, described the complex strategies China has used to expand investment and the mixed reaction it has elicited from many European countries.

His roughly 30-minute lecture drew approximately 100 attendees.

“What’s really important here is the new definition of this relationship and the fact that a number of large European influencers are now considering China a rival,” Le Corre said.

More than 60 countries have signed on to Belt and Road Initiative projects to date, according to a recent report from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ash Center Director Tony Saich, professor of international affairs, moderated the event. ­

Harvard Kennedy School research fellow Philippe Le Corre speaks about the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiatives at a lecture at the Kennedy School Tuesday. KATHRYN S. KUHAR—Crimson photographer

Saich began the discussion with an overview of Le Corre’s research, which examines Chinese investments in Europe.

Le Corre then delivered his lecture, detailing the ways China forged partnerships with other countries and made various “friends” as a “political move” in the process.

He said that research on European Union-China relations regarding the Belt and Road Initiative is relatively new.

The backlash to China’s initiative in many European countries parallels the criticism China has received in countries where it has already set up in-

frastructure projects, like Sri Lanka and Malaysia, accord-

A number of large European influencers are now considering China a rival.

Phillipe Le Corre HKS Research Fellow

ing to Le Corre.Though some attendees were students or researchers at the University, many were not affiliated with Harvard but were interested in

Le Corre’s research.

Thomas P. Cavanna, a Tufts University professor who attended the event, said he thought Le Corre’s presentation brought a new perspective to research about the Belt and Road Initiative.

“I think the key insight… is that you have to decouple Belt and Road from broader Chinese activities conducted on the European continent,” he said. “If you look at the technical contours of Belt and Road… you realize there are some disappointments in some European countries about what China has offered but has not delivered.”

medal From Page 1

Latifah, Dove Win Du Bois Awards Latifah is known for her role as the prison matron “Mama” Morton in the movie “Chicago,” for which she earned an Oscar nomination.

She also won a Grammy for her single “U.N.I.T.Y.” from her album Black Reign, and received an Emmy nomination for her role as Bessie Smith in the HBO film “Bessie.” In 2003, the Harvard Found tion For Intercultural and Race Relations named Queen Latifah their Artist of the Year.

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie G. Bunch III also received a Du Bois medal this year.

Bunch previously served on the Commission for the Preservation of the White House and as the founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

He was one of four recipients of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Medal on Saturday.

Bunch received an honorary degree from Harvard in 2019.

Pulitzer Prize winner and

ADMISSIONS From Page 1

Gov. Dept. Lead Trial Lawyer for SFFA Discusses Criticizes Ruling in Admissions Suit Title IX at Town Hall a nd did not change drastically until SFFA sued Harvard. At that point, Mortara argued, the number of admits increased.

More than 25 percent of admitted students to the Class of 2023 were Asian American. In comparison, in the Class of 2018 — the last class admitted before SFFA sued Harvard in late 2014 — 19.7 percent of admitted students were Asian American.

“Stability over 10 years and a remarkable increase by nearly 30 percent in the number of Asian Americans on campus after they got sued — what does that prove? It proves they have control,” Mortara said.

Harvard College spokesperson Rachael Dane declined to comment on the event. Mortara also described Burroughs’s interpretations of the facts of the case “facially absurd and wrong.” The lawsuit has exposed thousands of pages of internal documents, shedding light on the College’s famously secretive admissions process.

One such document was a 2013 report by Harvard’s Office of Institutional Research, which found that Asian American applicants consistently receive lower personal ratings — numerical scores assigned to applicants based on abstract qualities like “humor” and “grit.” At the event, Mortara questioned why Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 did not act on these findings or alert other top administrators about them. Mortara asked why Burroughs took Fitzsimmons’s response on face.

“Doing nothing about this is not an indicia of being completely innocent, to say the least,” Mortara said. “Yet Judge Burroughs — my friend — said that he knew this couldn’t be true.”

At the trial in October, Fitzsimmons said the admissions office did not make any “fundamental” changes following the 2013 report. Mortara also challenged Burroughs’ tacit acceptance of the discrepancy in personal ratings as insufficient evidence of discrimination. ­

Alistir Iain Johnston to serve as the department’s new Title IX liaison. Johnston has already undergone multiple hours of training in responding to sexual harassment allegations, though his mandate is more expansive.

He will also work to address affiliates’ concerns about “worklife balance” and other personal issues. “He has been doing a wonderful job,” Frieden said.

“He has been setting the standard and precedent for how future Title IX liaisons can perform.”

The department also hired a “data fellow” to help bolster recruitment of graduate students and faculty who come from diverse backgrounds by compiling information about prospective recruits from around the country. At the meeting, Frieden also updated department affiliates on ongoing hiring efforts. In the May report, the climate change committee highlighted gender disparities within the department’s faculty. In the past 25 years, only two women have gone up for tenure in the department, and just one of them was promoted. In the May report, the department requested the ability to conduct two faculty searches — one in gender and another in race and ethnicity — to help address what the committee saw as a lack of course offerings in these fields.

Frieden said that administrators had only granted them the ability to hire one junior faculty member. He said the department has worked to reach a diverse pool of applicants for the position. “We placed expensive ads in places we don’t usually advertise in to get as wide a pool as possible,” Frieden said. At the meeting, Government affiliates also shared concerns about the way in which office space is doled out. They specifically discussed situations in which a department affiliate is uncomfortable with a shared office space arrangement. Government professor Christina L. Davis said at the meeting that she wants to ensure there are procedures in place to address harassment or other misconduct.

“It needs to be clear that the office space is conditional on professional behavior,” Davis wrote in an email after the event. “In some cases, the Title IX office could help to address a concern raised by a student about conduct of another student in the shared space.” jonah.berger@thecrimson.com

“No one — not Judge Burroughs, not Harvard — has ever explained how it is that African Americans and Hispanics just have much better objective personal qualities than white and Asian applicants,” he said.

“They’ve never done it.”

“I guess there’s just something more personally appealing about African American and Hispanic applicants,” Mortara quipped. In response, at least a dozen students in the crowd voiced their agreement, shouting, “There is!”

Mortara drew attention to the facts on “privilege preferences” — the College’s stated preference for athletes; legacies; children of faculty; and students on the Dean’s and Director’s lists, which often contain children of donors or prominent individuals. He argued that they advantage white applicants and that without these preferences, there is substantially less cause for race-based affirmative action. In her decision, Burroughs said that eliminating these preferences “come at considerable costs,” including adversely affecting Harvard’s ability to attract high-quality faculty and to “achieve desired benefits” from relationships with alumni.

Mortara also conjectured that Burroughs had conflated “liability and remedies” in the case. Mortara said he thinks she was unwilling to rule in favor of SFFA because the remedy they seek is so extreme: the end of race-conscious admissions policies. After Mortara spoke, Law School professor Randall L. Kennedy — who studies race relations — delivered a response in defense of race-conscious admissions policies.

“I’m against all sort of invidious racial discrimination,” Kennedy said. “[Racial discrimination is] not the same thing as having a policy that adversely affects a group in the effort to effectuate a reasonable — and in this instance, an admirable — mission.”

Kennedy also spoke about the “history of so-called reverse

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discrimination claims” dating back to the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which sought to extend minorities the rights to enter into contracts, to testify at trials, to sue, and to be sued. Even the most “classic civil rights” were contested on the basis that they gave “discriminating protection to the colored people,” Kennedy said.

“I think affirmative action is just like any other social policy.

It has good elements to it, I think it has weaknesses to it,” Kennedy said. “I’m not saying that everybody was against the racial affirmative action is racist. I am saying that a lot of people who are against affirmative action are racist.”

Kennedy and Mortara both agreed that Supreme Court jurisprudence on affirmative action is currently inadequate.

Though Mortara bemoaned its inconsistencies and vagueness, Kennedy said that the law’s exclusive focus on the value of “diversity” — rather than social integration or reparatory justice — is “ridiculous.” The Supreme Court has previously ruled that promoting diversity is one of the few acceptable reasons for a race-conscious admissions policy.

After the 45 minute event, Mortara promised to stay at the Law School to answer questions. Over the course of two and a half hours, he fielded questions from dozens of students over whether society “needs” racial affirmative action.

Despite the recent loss in district court, Mortara said at the event he believes race-based affirmative action in higher education is “dying.” He predicted that either the Supreme Court will strike down race-based affirmative action, or that the lawsuit against Harvard will expose a “morally repugnant system of privilege preferences,” leading to extreme backlash.

“Historians are going to say that Harvard itself struck the mortal blow,” he said. camille.caldera@thecrimson.com

amanda.su@thecrimson.com

16 Affiliates Win NIH Director Award

By Juliet E. Isselbacher Crimson Staff Writer

Sixteen Harvard affiliates received Director’s awards from the National Institute of Health under its High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, the NIH announced in a press release Oct. 1.

The program awarded a total of $267 million to 93 “trailblazing” and “out-of-the-box” research proposals, whose uncertain outcomes can disadvantage them in the “traditional peer review process,” according to the NIH site.

The program manages four categories of awards: the Pioneer Award, for those at all career levels; the New Innovator Award, for early career investigators; the Transformative Research Award, for those at the intersection of disciplines; and the Early Independence Award, for junior scientists.

In total, NIH granted 11 Pioneer awards, 60 New Innovator awards, 9 Transformative Research awards, and 13 Early Independence awards this year.

Chemistry and Chemical Biology assistant professor Brian Liau received a New Innovator award for his novel approach to understanding the relationship between the structure and activity of pharmaceutical drugs.

Rather than simply altering the structure of the drug, he said his team uses gene editing tools to change the “other side of this equation” — namely, ­

gov From Page 1

former United States Poet Laureate Rita Dove will also be recognized at the awards ceremony.

In 1993, she became the youngest person and the first African American to be named U.S. poet laureate.

Dove won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize with her third book of poems “Thomas and Beulah” and is the only poet to receive both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts.

Harvard granted her an honorary degree in 2018.

University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center, said this year’s awardees represent a spirit of perseverance and excellence.

Past winners include Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou.

Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg, and Chinua Achebe.

Last year, Harvard honored athlete-activist Colin Kaepernick, comedian Dave Chappelle, and portrait artist Kehinde Wiley.

We have a technology that allows us to take a drop of somebody’s blood, and ultimately be able to get a window into all of the infectious diseases they’ve ever been exposed to.

Michael J. Mina Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health

the structure of the drug’s target protein.

“If we could use this type of information to build a better drug, or to target proteins that are thought to be undruggable, I think that would be ultimately what we’re most interested in,” Liau said.

“Having this seed money in place is really important for allowing us to take risks and really embark on our most ambitious ideas,” he added.

Harvard Medical School assistant professor Sichen Shao, who also received a New Innovator award, will examine how ribosomes — the cell’s protein-making machinery — maintain quality control.

“We’re hoping that by understanding the fundamental mechanisms of how cells recognize aberrant, or incorrect, ribosomes, that we will be able to understand the basis of how the defects of these processes lead to disease,” she said.

Assistant HMS Professor

Seth Rakoff-Nahoum said he is curious if — and how — mammals select for beneficial microbes.

His proposal to discover these positive selection mechanisms won him a New Innovator award.

We can potentially learn how to change microbiome for health, if we learn how we can get certain microbes to stay in there.

Seth Rakoff-Nahoum Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School

“We can potentially learn how to change microbiome, for health, if we learn how we can get certain microbes to stay in there,” he said. Assistant HMS Professor Brian L. Edlow — another recipient of the New Innovator Award — said he ultimately hopes to speed up consciousness recovery in patients with brain trauma by targeting their “specific conductivity phenotypes.”

“We’re going to perform advanced MRIs to map the structural and functional connection of brain networks,” Edlow said.

“And we’re going to try to identify patients who are likely to respond to targeted therapies that upregulate dopamine signaling within the brain,” Edlow added.

At the population level, Michael J. Mina, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, received an Early Independence award for his proposal to use antibody-profiling technologies in early epidemic detection.

“We have a technology that allows us to take a drop of somebody’s blood, and ultimately be able to get a window into all of the infectious diseases they’ve ever been exposed to,” Mina said. “Can we actually start screening random blood samples for all these different antibodies, and use this early outbreak detection at the population level?”

“I figured that I’d have a shot at the NIH. But with these kinds of things, you never know,” he added. “I was extremely grateful.”

HMS instructor Courtney Yuen also proposed a project in public health, for which she was granted a New Innovator award. She said her grant will allow her to investigate the epidemiological impact of tuberculosis prevention programs that Partners in Health — a Boston-based nonprofit health care organization — has undertaken in Peru. Yuen added that she experienced “total confusion” when she was informed of her award. “Surprise is an understatement,” she said. “It’s like a beauty pageant. Like who knows what they’re judging based on?” she added. juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

October 9, 2019

faculty From Page 1

Harvard Advises Faculty to Prep Tuesday morning – will start Oct. 15 on the one-year anniversary of the University’s first contract negotiation session with the union.

If two-thirds of eligible voters cast ballots in favor of authorizing a strike, HGSU’s bargaining committee will be empowered to call a strike any time it deems necessary. Though it is not certain exactly what a strike would entail, students could choose to stop working for pay without being penalized by the University. Harvard would still expect them, however, to show up for their enrolled classes and complete coursework to fulfill their degree requirements.

Koretz and Curran wrote Harvard takes the prospect of a strike “seriously,” and told faculty members to consider the effects of a potential strike on teaching, class locations, and research support.

The email also directed faculty toward an extensive University website with additional guidance on strike planning. On the site, the University recommends that faculty members reevaluate their courses’ grading criteria or final exam formats in the event that student workers – who are usually responsible for grading assignments and administering exams – go on strike.

The website also states that faculty must pick up any extra work their teaching fellows stop doing during a potential strike, and that it is the University’s “expectation” that undergraduate classes would not be cancelled.

The University will not revoke teaching fellow appointments for student workers who go on strike, according to the guidance. Student workers who go on strike, however, may not receive back pay after its end.

Harvard did not rule out the possibility of hiring additional staff during the strike to make up for the work impacted by the strike, writing on tis website that faculty should “consult” with department administrators to ensure compliance with

hiring policies.

Several faculty members said Tuesday that they would support their teaching assistants’ right to strike in the event the vote passes, but hope that a strike can ultimately be avoided.

Professor David L. Howell, who chairs the department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, wrote in an email that he would be “torn” between obligations to undergraduate teaching and a “desire to respect the strikers.” Still, he said he would not consider hiring replacement teaching assistants or graders in the event of a strike or discourage his teaching assistants from participating.

“I do hope that, if there is a strike, it will be brief and organized with a clear exit strategy in mind from the get-go,” he wrote. “There’s no reason to punish students in the College for disputes between the University administration and the graduate student union.”

“Whatever conflicts faculty in my department face, I will do what I can as department chair to help them follow their own consciences in responding to the strike. I’ll be especially vigilant in doing what I can to protect my non-tenured and nontenure-track colleagues,” he added.

Koretz and Curran also cautioned faculty members against questioning student workers’ strike plans or encouraging or discouraging them from participating in the strike.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said in an interview last week that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is “actively engaged” in planning for the possibility that HGSU-UAW members hold a strike.

“We obviously take a strike potential very seriously,” Gay said. “We can appreciate what the impact of that would be on our teaching mission.”

Page 4

IOP Hosts Panel on Voter Suppression

By Jasper Goodman Contributing Writer

Co-hosts of podcast “In the Thick” Maria Hinojosa and Julio R. Varela ‘90, Boston Globe Associate Editor Renée Graham, and Institute of Politics Resident Fellow LaTosha Brown discussed the role of voter suppression and the importance of minority voter turnout at the IOP Tuesday evening.

The event, titled “2020 Election and Engaging Communities of Color,” doubled as an episode of “In the Thick.” Hinojosa and Varela moderated the panel, which covered a wide array of topics, including next year’s Democratic presidential primary and the mainstream media’s coverage of presidential campaigns.

Brown, who is also the co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, was the first panelist to bring up voter suppression, which she described as the “black-brown elephant that’s in the room.”

“Wherever there are brown and black people, I can guarantee you there’s voter suppression,” Brown said. “We see voter suppression as the voter suppression that happens on election day. There is a spectrum of voter suppression. Anything that prevents people from having free and fair access — open access to the ballot — that’s voter suppression.”

The rest of the panelists agreed that voter suppression is a pertinent issue for people of color. Graham said the lack of press coverage that voter sup­

Tuesday at the IOP, Maria Hinojosa, Julio Ricardo Varela, LaTosha Brown and Renée Graham discussed the engagement of communities of color within the 2020 election. Quinn G. Perini—Crimson photographer

pression and gerrymandering have received from the mainstream press is problematic.

“You can write about what has happened in Georgia, in 2018, where all of these polling places were being closed. You can write that story,” Graham said. “The problem is that story isn’t sexy.”

The panelists also said that, despite an early polling lead, former Vice President Joseph Biden is far from a shoe-in for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“If you were to take the vote

right now, I do believe Biden would win,” Brown said. “But that does not necessarily mean that the person who’s with Biden now could not be persuaded to not be with him a month from now.”

Graham added that “the polls right now mean nothing.”

“We’re still not close to the primaries yet,” she said.

“There’s so much that can still happen.”

Many attendees of Tuesday’s event raised their hands when asked if they listen to “In the Thick,” described on its website

as a podcast “where journalists of color tell you what you’re missing from the mainstream news.”

“It’s good to have an event that mentions the role that people of color are going to have in this election — to have people of color actually share their perspective,” Harvard Kennedy School student and event attendee Chidinma A. Agu said.

“Lots of great points were made, particularly the point about voter suppression being a lot more than just what happens on election day.”

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STRIKE From Page 1

Organizers Rally for Support for Strike Authorization Vote authorization card to be able to cast their ballot.

When HGSU held its unionizing vote in April 2018, roughly 56 percent of the 3,400 student workers who voted supported unionization.

Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, an HGSU bargaining committee member, said that union members have “overwhelmingly supported” a strike authorization in initial discussions.

“People are tired of waiting for fair wages and protections from harassment and discrimination and tired of having to settle for inadequate health benefits,” Kennedy-Shaffer said. “We’re voting now so Harvard administrators can hear our voice and start giving us proposals which are acceptable to student workers.”

University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain wrote in an emailed statement that HGSU’s calls for a strike are “unwarranted.”

“The University continues to approach these negotiations in good faith and has offered substantive proposals that address the concerns raised by HGSU-UAW throughout these negotiations,” Swain wrote.

Swain added that the University has not changed its approach at the bargaining table since the union began organizing for the strike authorization.

In July, HGSU-UAW supporters penned an open letter to administrators from its members supporting a strike authorization vote, which was presented during a bargaining session.

The open letter – signed by more than 300 student workers – included supporters across schools, with the majority of signatories coming from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, according to a Crimson analysis.

In the past several weeks, union organizers in departments across the University have posted fliers, held information sessions, and engaged in one-on-one conversations with student workers to drum

up support for the strike authorization, according to Denish K. Jaswal, a union organizer in the Philosophy department.

Jaswal said these conversations have allowed the union to get a “foot in the door” with members who may not have been regularly following the union’s communications, and to make sure these student workers do not feel “disconnected” from the union’s efforts.

“The first thing is just getting people up to speed on the conditions, like how bad the conditions really are, such that the strike authorization vote seems necessary,” Jaswal said.

“Ultimately, it’s supposed to be a democratic process.”

Jaswal added that meetings with student workers have allowed her to address many union members’ concerns about potential faculty retaliation if they decide to strike.

Striking student workers would be legally protected from retaliation by the National Labor Relations Act. But Jaswal said that her colleagues are concerned that faculty could take retaliatory action in more subtle ways.

“They can exercise power in ways that are not really accountable,” Jaswal said, referencing possible actions like scheduling fewer meetings with student workers or not providing timely feedback.

Marisa J. Borreggine, lead HGSU organizer in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said she has heard similar concerns during the weekly “tea time” information sessions she holds in her department.

“Having a conversation with your adviser, it can be scary, because a lot of advisers don’t have a lot of information about this kind of stuff,” Borreggine said.

She said she has started to have conversations with faculty in her department about the possibility of a strike.

Not all union members, however, may support the strike.

More than 70 percent of School of Engineering and Applied Sci-

ences voters and the majority of students in the Sciences voted against the bid for unionization in the first place, according to a Crimson exit poll during the unionization vote last year.

Though 86 of the 300 signatories to the open letter are in Sciences departments, only 5 percent of all signatories come from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Petitioners studying Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences roughly comprise a combined 60 percent of those who signed the letter.

The Crimson’s exit polling during the unionization election showed much stronger support for unionization among Humanities and Social Sciences students, and Borreggine acknowledged that support for the strike authorization vote is stronger among Humanities students.

“Humanities generally seem more supportive, but honestly, our support has really grown since the election,” Borreggine said. “I think that there’s support growing in STEM.” Jaswal said it is harder to connect with students in the Sciences because many of them are “siloed off to their individual labs,” and they tend to have slightly better wages and benefits. Louis Robert “Bobby” Hollingsworth IV, a research assistant in Structural Biology, said the contract provisions the union is fighting for would be “fantastic,” but disagrees with the mechanism of a strike.

“As a STEM student, especially because my research is somewhat, if not very, competitive, I think it’s only to my disadvantage to strike,” Hollingsworth said. “It could mean my project getting scooped, it could mean me delaying my graduation times.”

Hollingsworth said the research targets in his field are “pretty well-defined,” so if any competitor beats him to a discovery, he will be out “years and years of research.”

“It’s hard to justify me going on strike because I hold back

my own prospects, but also scientific progress in my field by skipping out on work,” Hollingsworth said.

Kennedy-Shaffer acknowledged that a strike authorization is a “huge decision” and that going on strike remains a choice that “no one” wants to make.

“Strikes are disruptive in many ways, which is why we have tried so many other avenues to convince Harvard to agree to a fair contract,” Kennedy-Shaffer said. “The bargaining committee would not call for a strike authorization vote or a strike except as a last resort.”

“We as a bargaining committee will continue working to secure these crucial protections without the need to resort to a strike,” he added.

A strike would not mean that the participants completely cease all work on Harvard’s campus. Student workers would continue with their “academic efforts” even if they strike during their paid work time commitments, according to Kennedy-Shaffer.

Borreggine said that cer-

tain STEM research assistants could still continue in their labs during a strike, categorizing that work as student time rather than worker time. Those students could strike during the roughly 20 hours they are considered employees.

“When you’re a student, and when you’re a researcher, it’s very blurred,” Borreggine said.

“So you still would be able to — if you’re someone who’s in biology, and you have to deal with your cultures and like need to come in — you still do have those 20 hours a week to come in as a student and tend to your research.”

Former National Labor Relations Board Chairman William B. Gould IV said that student workers would likely continue their “academic duties” during a strike. Gould said he was unsure of how protections under the National Labor Relations Act against retaliation for a strike would apply at Harvard.

He said he would be “surprised” if HGSU appealed to the NLRB to enforce the protections, given that it would give the NLRB a chance to review its 2016 deci-

Matthew J. Tyler—Crimson Designer

sion that allowed graduate student workers at private universities to unionize. Some believe that ruling may be overturned by the current board members if given the opportunity.

“An underlying problem here is that in order for anybody to be protected, you’d have to go to the Labor Board,” Gould said.

“But the union undoubtedly does not want to go to the Labor Board because the Labor Board would use that as an opportunity to say that graduate students are not employees within the meaning of the Act.” James L. Warner, a Biological and Biomedical Sciences student at Harvard Medical School, said he has not made up his mind yet on whether to support the strike authorization.

“I’m not fully convinced that this isn’t just sort of posturing on both sides,” Warner said. “Because I think highly of both sides on this argument, it’s a little confusing to me that they can’t actually sit down and get something done.” jamie.bikales@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

Page 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | october 9, 2019

HBS Panel Talks ‘Future of Cities’

By Ellen M. Burstein Crimson Staff Writer

Climate experts and Harvard Business School lecturers discussed the consequences of climate change on urban development and the world in a panel discussion sponsored by the HBS Global Initiative on Tuesday afternoon.

The event was part of Harvard’s third annual Worldwide Week, an event held to highlight international research conducted by Harvard faculty and to promote discussion of global issues.

In recent years, climate change has been a hot button issue for domestic and international policymakers.

In September, Harvard affiliates and students went on strike to protest perceived climate denial and inaction on the part of governments around the world. Graduate School of Design Dean Sarah M. Whiting introduced the panel, saying that water, “pardon the pun, saturates the curriculum” at GSD. Whiting added that one of the goals of the panel was to “stimulate research on our campus and beyond.”

John D. Macomber, senior lecturer at the Business School, began the conversation by highlighting the “dissimilar” and often “contrasting” repercussions of climate change on international communities.

Macomber added that different regions may face different environmental consequences — extreme heat versus extreme cold, for example — and as such ­

vote From Page 1

Grad Union To Hold Strike Vote proposal and the economic proposals. University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain wrote in an emailed statement Tuesday morning that University administrators believe the union’s calls for a strike authorization vote are “unwarranted.”

“The University believes that calls for a strike are unwarranted,” he wrote. “The University continues to approach these negotiations in good faith and has offered substantive proposals that address the concerns raised by HGSU-UAW throughout these negotiations.”

This month’s strike authorization vote will require approval by two-thirds of those voting to pass, according to the rules set out in the United Automobile Workers constitution. HGSU’s bargaining unit comprises roughly 5,000 members, including undergraduate and graduate teaching fellows, teaching assistants, course assistants, and graduate research assistants.

Ratification of the strike authorization would not immediately trigger a strike, but rather would permit the bargaining committee to call for a strike when it sees fit.

HGSU first threatened to organize for a strike authorization vote in an open letter addressed to University President Lawrence S. Bacow in July. Organizers delivered that letter — which was signed by more than 300 union members — to the University during a July 15 bargaining session. The bargaining committee wrote in its Tuesday email to members that the University has “refused to budge” since the union delivered their ultimatum in July.

“We have waited long enough,” the email reads. “That ­

John E. Fernandez, Director of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, speaks about water resources during a panel titled Future of Cities: Water. Kathryn S. Kuhar—Crimson photographer

require different approaches to solving the problem of climate change.

Macomber urged the audience to remember that the consequences of climate change may be “small inconveniences for some of us… but for others this is an existential threat.”

In a wide-ranging conversation that lasted over an hour and a half, panelists discussed the repercussions of flooding in urban areas, public health, and the impact of climate change in the developing world, among other subjects.

Other panelists included Joyce E. Coffee, president of Chicago-based consulting firm Climate Resilience Consulting; John E. Fernández, professor of architecture at MIT; James Matheson, senior lecturer at the Business School; Efosa Ojomo, senior research fellow at the think tank Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation; and Loreta Castro Reguera, professor of architecture at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

Anna Demina, a Masters student in urban planning and pol-

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icy at Northeastern University, said that she felt that the event effectively touched on issues affecting countries with developing infrastructure as well as urban cities and developed nations.

“A lot of people who are talking about climate resilience, about water resilience, they are thinking more about how we can protect cities and developed countries, and I don’t see much discussion about developing countries,” said Demina. ellen.burstein@thecrimson.com

is why the union bargaining committee is asking members to authorize a strike if necessary.”

Times and locations for the vote will be announced Friday, and there will be options for absentee voting, according to the union’s email. All student workers who have signed a union card will be eligible to vote, and union cards will be available to sign at the polls, the email said.

HGSU declined to comment on when the vote is expected to close. Former National Labor Relations Board Chairman William B. Gould IV said in an interview Tuesday that the strike authorization vote announcement raises the negotiations “another notch in terms of pressure,” but does not necessarily mean a strike is imminent.

“What the union will do when they get a vote, if they get an affirmative vote, is, of course, use it as a means of pressure,” Gould said. “It’s hard to know whether a strike is likely to follow or not.”

Thus far, the University and union have tentatively agreed to contract provisions on severability, union recognition, accessibility to employment records, and resources for professional development. In August, the two sides reached three additional agreements on intellectual property, health and safety, and the formation of a union-management committee. On Sept. 9, they agreed on a provision for travel reimbursements.

Provisions on sexual harassment and nondiscrimination, wages, and medical benefits, however, remain unresolved after 23 bargaining sessions. james.bikales@thecrimson.com

NAACP From Page 5

NAACP Attorneys Discuss Verdict between Harvard and anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions.

Federal judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled that the College’s race-conscious admissions policies are legal and do not intentionally discriminate against Asian Americans.

All of the co-sponsoring groups are signatories to the amicus brief filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in support of Harvard last year. Twenty other student and alumni organizations also signed onto the brief.

Michaele N. Turnage Young, senior counsel at the NAACP LDF, answered students’ questions about the forthcoming appeals process. SFFA filed its notice of appeal on Friday — a move experts say could extend litigation for several years.

“At this point, we’re waiting for the clerk of the First Circuit Court of Appeals to issue a briefing schedule,” Turnage Young said. “The briefing schedule will determine when SFFA’s appellate brief is due, and when Harvard’s appellate brief is due.”

Turnage Young estimated that the briefing stage would take about six months, though the timing varies depending on whether the judge grants extensions. After that, a hearing would occur within three to four months, according to Turnage Young. A few months after the judges should have a decision, she said.

“At that point, we anticipate that probably one party or the other party is going to try to appeal to the United States Supreme Court,” she said. “The United States Supreme Court does not take every case that people want them to take so the United States Supreme Court will have to decide whether or not to hear the case and then go from there.”

Turnage Young also told students that they could continue on as amici in the appeals process.

“We’d love to continue to represent you, so we will be in touch with your leadership soon about whether you’d like us to continue to represent you for the appeal,” she said.

AAA Co-President Amy Zhang ’21 said she found the information about next steps use­

ful.

“That’s something that’s very hazy for many students,” she said. “Most people in cultural organizations on campus have been having conversations about race and how this lawsuit impacts them personally, but I think it was so helpful having them come in and really talk about the legal and logistic side.”

Zhang and AAA Co-President Samantha G. Um ’21 said they personally support their organization continuing to be an amici, but they noted that it is up to future AAA leaders to determine the group’s stance and level of involvement.

Turnage Young also thanked the students present for their involvement with the case. She highlighted the fact that Bur-

I think it was so helpful having them come in and really talk about the legal and logistic side.

Amy Zhang ’21 AAA Co-President

roughs referenced student and alumni testimony multiple times in her 130-page decision.

“It’s been our complete honor to represent all of you. It’s been so inspiring to see all of you come together across differences to weigh in on this case,” Turnage said. “You contributed in a huge way to the factual record. The factual record — the evidence and testimony that was presented — is what the judge based her decision on and it absolutely will be the basis of how this case moves forward on appeal.”

Multiple students at the event said that they were “relieved” upon hearing the outcome of the Oct. 1 decision.

Um said she wanted to have the discussion after the trial to provide students of color on campus “a platform to voice their differences.”

“Bringing the community together after a big decision like this, that affects everyone in the community, was an important thing for us to do,” Um said. camille.caldera@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | october 9, 2019

Page 6

Editorial The Crimson Editorial board

op-ed

Still Waiting for Nuance

The Age of ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’

T

he Dean of Students Office has made an unprecedented change in the policy guidelines provided to student organizations, saying that they will now discipline extracurricular groups whose leaders or board members are members of unrecognized single-gender social groups.

This is the first time that the College has formally introduced a disciplinary process for student organizations whose members do not comply with the sanctions against single-gender clubs since they were announced in 2016. Though there is no formal process for filing complaints, they cannot be anonymous and must be filed by a member of the Harvard community. When the sanctions were first unveiled in 2016, we were in support of addressing the culture of exclusion and sexual entitlement that plagued and continue to plague Harvard’s all-male final clubs.

Still, as we have long asked but have little been obliged, the College’s policies and the goals of those policies need more nuance. In particular, we expressed concern that the blanket sanctions on all single-gender clubs would strip women of empowering social spaces and leave much to be desired in terms of promoting racial and socioeconomic inclusivity in the clubs. Now, following the DSO’s decision to discipline student organizations who elect members of these so-

cial clubs via tips from other students, we ask for more nuance once again. Not only do our initial complaints remain unresolved, but we believe the DSO should consider more carefully how this seemingly simple solution to enforcement may have more complicated implications for student life beyond the mansions of Mt. Auburn Street.

When we asked the College to clarify its stance and provide an actionable, effective way to administer its sanctions, this is not what we meant. To penalize members of student groups who, per-

As we have long asked but have little been obliged, the College’s policies and the goals of those policies need more nuance. haps unknowingly, elect members of unrecognized single-gender social groups by relying on a non-anonymous reporting system without a formal process is far-reaching and paternalistic.

As it stands, this policy has the potential to be intensely disruptive to student organizations — indicative of the DSO’s increasing paternalism over social organizations and student life on campus as well as unfair to students who rely on

those organizations as social outlets.

Though Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair said the DSO does not expect students to take on the responsibility of enforcement, we have trouble imagining how this policy might have any sort of impact whatsoever if they don’t.

By its very nature, this policy asks students to testify against their peers, engendering a toxic culture of turning student against student, sowing mistrust within extracurricular organizations, and all but ensuring that what enforcement there is will be inequitable.

One might speculate that discipline will be determined by whose friends keep silent and whose do not and might only lead to a more exclusive, cultish, and opaque final club culture.

The College should reflect on its initial intentions before continuing to tread halfheartedly down this path.

This policy is not a nuanced approach to a complex issue; if anything, it appears to us like a witch-hunt.

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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This Land is Not Your Land — It’s Our Land Gabrielle T. Langkilde Pasefika presence

L

and. To many people, this word is equivalent to the word “property.”

It is something to be owned, something to be conquered.

Land is something that we must extract from and make use of.

It is something from which we must take, but never something that we must give back to.

But for the indigenous peoples of the Pacific, there exists a much deeper connection to our land and our oceans.

Our land and oceans are so much more than just property.

They represent our collective histories, our heritages, and our legacies.

Our relationship to our lands and oceans are reciprocal, for we are raised to love, to care for, and to respect them — not only to continually take from them.

And every day that we are on this campus, we have a duty to recognize that the land we currently stand on and its benefits come at the cost of the displacement of indigenous people.

Our deep connection to our lands and waters goes back generations.

Through the masterful Pasefika tradition of oral history, our origin stories and our histories have been passed down — from creation stories like those told through the Hawaiian Kumulipo chant to stories of our Pasefika ancestors skillfully navigating the Pacific Ocean to travel from island to island.

Our lands hold the histories and legacies of our families.

For example, in the Samoan culture, many elders and matai’s (or chiefs) are able to recall specific family histories and lineages based on the names of certain villages.

And from a young age, we are taught to have a deep respect and love for our lands and oceans, which is evident through the way we respectfully enter the oceans when we are swimming and

fishing to the way we carefully treat the lands we take our taro and pick our mangoes from.

But historically, our lands and our oceans have been taken away from us and treated merely as property, handled carelessly and without respect.

The last sovereign queen of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, was forcibly dethroned and in 1898, the Hawaiian islands were unwillingly annexed to the United States of America, while Native Hawaiians were displaced from their lands and prohibited from speaking their native tongue.

In 1900, the Samoan islands were split between Germany and the United States of America for strategic military purposes.

Over Guam’s history, it has been occupied back and forth from Spain to the U.S. to Japan to the U.S. again, resulting in the loss of many of their cultural practices. And in the 1950s, the Marshall Islands were literally used as a testing site for nuclear missiles by the U.S., completely disregarding the fact that people actually lived there. But this continual disrespect for our lands and oceans still continues today. The effects of toxic radiation still persists in the Marshall Islands and have caused major health problems for their native people.

With tons of garbage being dumped into our oceans mostly from land-based activities in Asia and North America, our oceans are dying and our connection to it is becoming weaker.

And most recently, the Kānaka Maoli (the native people of Hawaii) are currently defending the sacred Mauna a Wākea — and have been for years now — from the government’s attempt to construct a Thirty Meter Telescope for the purpose of science, which would uproot and destroy much sacred land.

What most don’t understand is that our lands and our oceans are not just a means to an end to us. They are integral to our histories, our identities, and our livelihoods.

An attack on our lands and our oceans is an attack against us.

Not only does the theft of our lands unfairly displace us from our homes, but

it literally threatens to erase our histories and our beautiful, vibrant cultures.

The stories connecting us to our lands and our ancestry to our oceans will be forgotten. Our family ties to our villages will be wiped from memory.

And soon, our lands and oceans will not even be ours to reside in and raise our families.

So with next week Monday being Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I push you to not only participate in the celebration of all indigenous people and their beautiful cultures, but also reflect deeply about the oceans you have traversed and the land you are currently occupying — as well as the lands you have occupied in the past.

In occupying that land, who have you displaced?

What most don’t understand is that our lands and our oceans are not just a means to an end to us. They are integral to our histories, our identities, and our livelihoods. An attack on our lands and our oceans is an attack against us.

Every time you travel to and from a beautiful Pacific island “vacation spot,” or any other Instagram worthy “vacation spot,” think about whose histories you have aided in erasing and whose identities have you been complicit in threatening.

And every day that we are on this campus, we have a duty to recognize that the land we currently stand on and its benefits come at the cost of the displacement of indigenous people.

We have a responsibility to respect the land and oceans, and recognize its connection to indigenous people so that we may prevent their erasure.

—Gabrielle T. Langkilde ’21, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a joint concentrator in Sociology and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Eliot House. Her column appears on alternate Wednesdays.

By Shreyvardhan Sharma

I

n light of the recent incident involving a Harvard faculty member’s office door being vandalised with “hateful and obscene” language, one must stop to wonder what such acts of bigotry — and to be clear, this was an act of bigotry — hope to achieve. As was reported, the note insulted the faculty member’s “ethnicity and immigrant status, challenged her right to be at Harvard, and wished her ill.”

The perpetrator of this attack, for all their resentment of the faculty member’s ethnicity and immigrant status, and her right to be at Harvard, could not have possibly hoped to impact either of those things.

Rather the message was simple: You might be here, but you’re not welcome — not in this country, and not at Harvard.

As appalling as this incident was, immigrants and people of color are no strangers to such messaging. Indeed, in an environment where differences are often the basis of discrimination or exclusion, their very identities morph into an unshakeable, constant companion; an undesirable breach of homogeneity that they are painfully aware of.

Being black or brown or yellow, speaking with an accent, conversing in a different language — any one of these traits might be used to target them. Incidents of police brutality or being told to “go back to Mexico” for speaking Spanish prove that such fears are not unfounded.

Rhetoric of the “go back to where you came from” variety has long been used to target religious minorities, immigrants, people of color, and refugees and asylum-seekers.

Although intended to threaten and suppress, such rhetoric is often itself borne out of fear. Indeed, it betrays an insecurity in the strength of one’s own identity that makes one fear heterogeneity.

Rather than engage and constructively criticize, those that one might disagree with, such taunts express an intolerance for anybody who is different. They espouse a form of hatred devoid of context and steeped in superficiality: You look different, talk different, dress different, or love different; you do not belong.

Unfortunately, this hostility towards immigrants, refugees, and minorities is far from isolated, and has only increased as of late — both in frequency and scale.

In July, President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation for a series of tweets asking four Democratic lawmakers of color to “go back and fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Three of those representatives happened to have been born in the United States. Last month, the acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services seemingly reinterpreted the 136-year old poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, implying that the phrase “huddled masses” referred only to “people coming from Europe.” The statement came as he attempted to justify a new rule barring immigrants from utilising public assistance benefits, such as Medicaid and food stamps.

And in case anybody was under the illusion that such rhetoric is “harmless” and devoid of ramifications, it is now believed that the gunman behind the El Paso mass shooting in August posted an anti-immigrant manifesto shortly before the attack.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations announced recently that it would be investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.

Closer to home, a Harvard freshman was recently detained and denied entry to the U.S. after allegedly spending hours answering questions not only about his religious practices, but also his friends’ alleged “anti-American” social media posts. The student was later allowed to enter after the University intervened.

In July, University President Lawrence S. Bacow penned a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing his concerns over immigration policies “driving anxiety and fear” on campus.

In such a scenario, Harvard, with all the influence and power it wields institutionally, must continue to stand up for a diverse, open, and inclusive society that offers equal opportunity to all, in the spirit of the American Dream; and must resist attempts to induce bigotry towards immigrants and minorities both on and off campus.

Equally importantly, however, as a university with the stated mission of “educating citizens and citizen-leaders for our society,” Harvard must ensure that this education encompasses an understanding of not just American society, but the world around it.

Students should examine not only the circumstances that lead immigrants to migrate and refugees to flee their home-countries, but also understand and appreciate the extraordinary values — tolerance, openness, diversity — on which this nation was founded.

It is no longer enough to simply condemn bigotry. As instances of hateful rhetoric and harmful actions increase in frequency — and risk being normalised — there is an urgent need for a change in approach.

Acts of bigotry must be prevented by actively addressing their root causes, reinforcing a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and creating safe spaces where concerns surrounding race, nationality, and immigration can be addressed with respect, tolerance, and understanding.

Harvard owes it to its student body — and the larger global community it aims to serve — to lead the way in this effort.

— Shreyvardhan Sharma ’22, a Crimson Editorial comper, lives in Eliot House.

Page 7

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | October 09, 2019

Sports

Weekly Recap

SCORES

Men’s WATER POLO at IONA W, 19-9 ___________________________________________________________

no. 19 field hockey vs. penn w, 6-2 ___________________________________________________________

football Vs. howard W, 62-17 ___________________________________________________________

sailing stu nelson trophy 2nd ___________________________________________________________

no.

19 field hockey vs. no. 13 liberty W, 2-1 ___________________________________________________________ sailing coed showcase 2nd ___________________________________________________________

Feature

Leading Together: Six Captains in a Blocking Group

By ISABEL A. LEVIN Contributing Writer

­ wenty percent of Harvard T undergraduates play a varsity sport. Of these, only 41 undergraduate women captain varsity sports teams. Six block together, meaning an astounding 14.6 percent of all female varsity captains live in the same suite in Adams House. How exactly did this group come to be, and what’s it like living there?

The group consists of tennis co-captain Lexi Milunovich, squash co-captains Amelia Henley and Gina Kennedy, soccer co-captains Meghan Tveit and Kimaya Cole, and fencing co-captain Natalie Yang. Hailing from California to the United Kingdom and anywhere in between, each is high-achieving in their own right.

Last year, Henley and Kennedy both finished their squash seasons undefeated. Both were named first team All-Ivy, and Kennedy won the women’s individual national champion.

Meanwhile, Yang finished 14th in the NCAA Championships in foil, the Crimson’s best finish since 2006.

Milunovich bounced back from an injury last season to help bring the tennis team to second place in the Ivy League.

Cole helped the soccer defense to six shutouts last season. Tveit represented Harvard at the 2019 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Together, they form an incredible group of elite student-athletes.

The girls met during their freshmen year and connected through their mutual love of sports and their shared passion for improving the athletic community.

Due to their similarities, Milunovich explains, “we naturally gravitated toward each other.” They grew closer through-

out their freshmen year and created an amazing support system for one another. All six wanted to get involved in the student athlete community at Harvard.

“We laughed when we showed up at the same meeting representing our teams on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee […] We had a lot of suggestions!” Milunovich recalls.

A mutual desire to enhance student-athletes’ college experiences helped the group bond, as each wanted to find ways to improve student-athlete life at Harvard. The transition from high school to college athletics, while exciting, can also be daunting.

In high school, Milunovich competed in junior tennis at a national level. She loved both the physical challenges of the sport and the intellectual strategy.

While many people balk at the notion of high-pressure situations, Milunovich enjoys performing under pressure.

She also loves the camaraderie that comes from both playing doubles and being part of a team.

“It was never a question of if I would play [tennis] in college, only where,” she says.

“Being a college athlete means balancing [sports, academics, and extracurriculars] while staying committed and dedicated to your team,” Cole says. Despite the struggle of performing such a balancing act, the rewards outweigh the difficulties.

While time management and course scheduling can be particularly challenging, Milunovich emphasizes how inspirational it is to play “for something bigger than myself.”

Though all varsity athletes at any university have the unique perspective of representing

O CAPTAINS Megan Tveit, soccer co-captain, is just one of six blockmates and fellow captains in Adams House. quinn g. perini—Crimson photographer

their institution both to their peers and to the nation, captains especially play a central role in publicizing their team to the school body, and their college to the rest of the world.

“One of the most valuable things I’ve learned from my roommates about being a leader is leading by example and modeling the ways you want the rest of the team to act,” says Cole.

As leaders, captains shape the dynamic of the team. Each girl learns valuable leadership skills from the others, and all their teams benefit.

“We learned from each oth-

er and still are learning,” Milunovich says.

The most valuable skill her roommates have taught her is resilience. Last season, Milunovich missed time due to an injury.

She emphasized how supportive her roommates were, since they all understood how difficult an injury can be, both physically and mentally. Having such a close group of roommates who share similar experiences helped create that uplifting environment.

The girls do try to attend one another’s games and match-

es, though during their seasons their schedules can get hectic.

Sometimes they play at the same time or are travelling with their teams. However, they always find time to catch up on one another’s seasons later.

“All of my roommates excel not only in their sport, but also in academics and within their other extracurriculars, and still find time to hang out with friends,” Cole says.

Considering the twenty plus hours a week they spend on athletics alone, this is quite a feat.

Now heading into their senior year, this Adams House

blocking group prepares for one last season of collegiate athletics.

The soccer team is currently 7-2, with an upcoming game against Yale. The tennis team is preparing for the ITA All-American Championships after a strong performance at the Harvard Fall Classic.

Squash matches will begin in December, while fencing kicks off with a November 16th tournament.

Milunovich, Cole, Tveit, Henley, Kennedy, and Yang are all excited and ready to lead their teams to winning seasons.

Men’s Tennis

Men’s Tennis Plays Foes at Dartmouth Invitational

By Mackenzie Condon Contributing Writer

“­ I’d rather lose after being the more aggressive guy in the match than win by getting

lucky with playing it safe.”

Those words came from Harvard junior Constantin Zoske going into the men’s singles final on the last day of the three-day Dartmouth Invita-

tional this past weekend. Zoske was up against Dartmouth’s Anders Gibbons after consecutive wins on days one and two.

Despite Zoske’s bold attempts to go to the net more

and take strategic risks, he was never able to close the gap on his opponent throughout the match, eventually losing 6-2, 6-4.

The Crimson men’s ten-

PRACTICE RALLIES The tennis team will treat the fall off-season as time to tune up its moves. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—Crimson photographer

nis team used the weekend to build upon improvements made over the past month of tournament play. Along with Zoske, two other members represented Harvard at the Invitational: sophomore Bo Leschly and freshman Alan Yim. The invite included many squads from the northeast including Ivy League teams Cornell, Dartmouth, and Yale.

For sophomore Bo Leschly, a highlight of the weekend came on the first day in a thrilling match against Yale’s Camille Kima. Leschly decisively overpowered Kima in the first set, making the match look like it would be easy to tie up.

But Kima was not to be overlooked. Leschly gave up the second set after making more errors and giving up some crucial points, making the match score 6-2, 4-6, going into a ten-point tiebreaker.

“The second set was close but I lost my mental edge a bit.

Going into the tiebreaker, I had to hunker down and from there I stayed mentally tough and was able to pull it out,” said Leschly, who topped Kima 10-6 in the tiebreaker, securing the win against his Ivy League opponent.

Leschly had another win on day two, this time in straight sets. He also paired up with Yim and then Zoske for two doubles matches on day two, but could not reach victory in either one.

“We definitely had a better showing in our singles matches this weekend. We couldn’t put all the pieces together in our doubles matches, and we’ll be looking to work on that going forward,” Zoske said.

Yim, who entered the tournament with a strong 6-1 record, also had his own Ivy League singles victory on Day

3, defeating Dartmouth’s Peter Conklin 6-4, 6-2.

But with spring being the true collegiate tennis season, the Crimson will be even more focused on trouncing its Ivy League opponents then. More than anything, the fall off-season is a time to hone in on new skills and to improve weaknesses.

“It’s fun of course to beat players in our league but the fall is about practicing more than anything,” Leschly said. “In the spring we will really look to get after it in terms of wins and losses, especially when it comes to Ivy League play, but right now there’s a lot of skill work going on and these matches are practice for that.”

“In the fall our coach gives us certain goals and we focus on things to fix or change about our game,” Zoske said.

“The matches now are really a time to try that stuff out whereas in the Spring the hope is that the changes have been made and that we aren’t consciously thinking as much about our game. That’s when we are concerned with championships and rankings” For Zoske that means working on improving his percentage of successful first serves, placing the ball more strategically in the court, and taking control early and often in each point. For Leschly that means staying mentally tough throughout matches and working on new patterns of play.

Whatever the goal, there is much more time to practice and to perfect as the team gears up for the spring season. Next up for Harvard is the International Tennis Association Championship regionals from October 17 to 21 at the University of Pennsylvania.

Page 8

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | October 9, 2019

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