The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 130

The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVI, No. 130 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Thursday, November 21, 2019

editorial PAGE 4

Editorial PAGE 4

sports PAGE 6

Offering first-gen students alumni knowledge is valuable

Column: Seeking discomfort from Thanksgiving at the Kong

Men’s basketball succumbs to Buffalo Bulls in second half

Grad Union Releases Its Proposals FAS Strengthens Grant Compliance Key Issues on the Table

By Jamie S. bikales and RuoQi Zhang Crimson Staff Writers

With fewer than two weeks until the deadline Harvard’s graduate student union has set to go on strike, both the University and the union’s bargaining committee have publicly released their contract proposals.

Earlier this week, Harvard released all of its proposals on a website devoted to the union negotiations. Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers released a selection of provisions on Wednesday related to compensation, health benefits, and grievance procedure for sexual harassment and discrimination complaints. These three issues represent the core disagreements at the heart of the impending strike.

While both sides have offered some insights into their proposals over the past year of negotiations, this week’s releases provide unprecedented detail on the most controversial contract provisions. They also demonstrate how far apart the two sides remain on these three issues.

Based on the proposals, conflict over the two sides’ approaches to adjudicating sexual harassment and discrimination complaints appears to have no

By Jonah S. berger and Juliet E. isselbacher

­

Crimson Staff Writers

$ Health Bennefits

Grievance Procedures

Compensation Camille g. caldera—Crimson Designer

end in sight. The union has continued to insist that its members be allowed to use a grievance procedure separate from Harvard’s current Title IX processes, and one that could lead to a third-party arbitration. The University, however, has maintained that these complaints be handled through its existing offices, arguing that there might be legal barriers to adopting the union’s proposal.

“We cannot have two different procedures on campus, I think, for dealing with Title IX complaints, depending upon a student’s status in a particular moment in time,” University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview earlier this

month.

The two sides also remain at an impasse over compensation.

The union’s compensation proposals include yearly salary increases substantially higher than those the University has offered. HGSU’s proposal would bring a salary and stipend increases of six to seven percent per year. The University’s proposal, by contrast, would bring a seven to eight percent wage increase over the next three years.

The two parties’ proposed minimum wages also vary substantially. The University offered a minimum wage for hourly teaching staff and research assistants of $17 and $15,

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is now giving faculty “mandatory training packets” on grant proposal disclosure responsibilities and will recommit to enforcing a rule that faculty submit their grant proposals early, Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said in a Tuesday interview.

The changes come as the National Institutes of Health investigates potential intellectual theft at more than 70 American universities.

The NIH has already reached out to Harvard about inconsistencies in grant proposals in the past academic year, according to Stubbs.

“Disclosure of effort and disclosure of intellectual entanglements is the key thing from a faculty perspective,” he said.

Harvard has also formed two committees to review and strengthen current guidelines for faculty research, specifically related to federal grants.

Stubbs first announced the creation of the committees earlier this month at a faculty meeting.

A University-wide body — ­

respectively, with annual raises. The union proposed a minimum wage for all hourly student workers ranging from $28 to $34, depending on academic discipline — nearly double the annual increase in the University’s proposal.

In addition to significant differences in compensation, the two sides also vary widely on their healthcare benefits proposals. All salaried or stipended student workers and hourly student workers working more than 90 hours per semester or summer term — an average of roughly seven hours per week — are eligible for benefits under

See Union Page 5

Sanctions Status Murky for Some

By Sanjana L. Narayanan Crimson Staff Writer

Though Harvard first announced its sanctions policy three years ago, the College has not yet decided whether to subject some student groups — including House Committees — to the penalties.

Associate Dean of Student Engagement Alexander R. Miller said in an interview Tuesday that the Dean of Students Office has only been “clear” about the sanctions’ effects on student organization leaders and pre-orientation program leaders.

The sanctions — which took effect with the Class of 2021 — prohibit members of single-gender final clubs and Greek organizations from captaining varsity athletic teams, holding leadership positions in campus student organizations, and receiving College endorsement for prestigious fellowships. ­

Miller said Tuesday that the College has “not had a conversation” about whether the sanctions apply to House Committee chairs and that the issue is “not on [his] radar.”

“On first impulse, House Committees are elected by the house communities,” Associate Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt ’01 said Tuesday.

“So I think there’s that piece of the process, that we want to be careful about in terms of this.”

Many student organizations that are subject to the sanctions elect their leaders.

DSO administrators confirmed Tuesday that Peer Advising Fellows and pre-orientation program leaders are not subject to the sanctions. But the policy does apply to pre-orientation directors — like members of the Freshman Outdoor Program steering committee

See sanctions Page 5

By Shera S. avi-yonah and Delano R. Franklin Crimson Staff Writers

rampant inequality, and various infrastructure issues. In late October, approximately 1 million Chileans joined demonstrations in Santiago that have yet to cease.

Several students who participated in the program in past years said they are disappointed that others will not have the chance to go this year.

Annie Miall ’22, who attended the program in Jan. 2019, said she enjoyed the experience she had in Chile because it provided her a new outlook on medicine.

“I am really sad to hear that the program is cancelled because it was one of my favorite trips I have taken at Harvard,” Miall said. “And it really changed my perspective on what it means to be a physician.”

However, given the political unrest in Santiago, she said she sees the cancellation as a prudent decision.

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said he hopes the athletics review — which Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay announced earlier this semester — will center around improving student-athletes’ health and wellness.

He noted that Mercer — the outside firm Harvard tapped to lead the search — will conduct a “multi-method” review to gather a wide variety of feedback from student-athletes and Athletics staff.

The review, chaired by Khurana and top administrators including Gay and Athletics Director Robert L. Scalise, is currently underway and will examine the department’s culture and structure.

“The hope is that through those different methods, especially those that focus on the student-athlete experience, will allow us to both identify those issues, to give clarity and definition to them, and the contours of them, to understand where are areas that we need to improve,” Khurana said.

“I think that’s why for me, it’s quite important that the student-athlete experience and their health and wellbeing really be the sort of guiding star for us around that.”

Harvard launched the review earlier this year following a tumultuous period for athletics on campus and nationwide.

In March, federal authorities revealed a scheme in which parents of college applicants bribed coaches at elite universities like Yale and Stanford to recommend their children for admission as athletic recruits.

Harvard was not directly implicated in the scandal.

Soon after the admissions scandal broke, the Boston Globe reported that Jie Zhao — the parent of two current and former Harvard fencers — bought

See Chile Page 5

See Athletics Page 3

Harvard Dean of Students Katie O’Dair speaks about PAFs and sanctions in her office on Tuesday morning. naomi s. castellon-perez—Crimson photographer

By Elizabeth H. Gellert and Julia Kendall Crimson Staff Writers

The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies cancelled its January program in Chile due to ongoing protests in the country, according to the center’s website.

Since 2003, the DRCLAS program has sent 15 college students during winter break to work alongside Chilean students from a local university, Universidad Mayor, in a rural, indigenous region outside of the capital Santiago. Those undergraduates volunteer in several fields, including medicine, education, and agriculture.

Chile has been roiled by demonstrations since October, when students began protesting a price raise in the subway system. The protests have evolved to focus on an expansive range of social issues, with protestors claiming a high cost of living, ­

Above the mailboxes at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, posters depict some of the countries studied in the departmen. owen a. berger—Crimson photographer

Harvard Today 2

News 3

Editorial 4

See Grants Page 3

Athletics to Review Student Wellness

Rockefeller Ctr. Cancels January Chile Program

Inside this issue

assembled by the Provost’s office — will review potentially sensitive research collaborations, like those on a federally maintained list of “suboptimal” overseas organizations, according to Stubbs.

A second committee — specific to FAS and organized by FAS Dean Claudine Gay — will ensure “tactical grant complicance” among its constituents, he added.

Stubbs said he and Gay “mobilized” themselves last fall to clearly delineate the relationships between scientists, funding agencies, and the University against the “background of an evolving geopolitical context.”

In addition to distributing the training packets on disclosure responsibilities, FAS will now “thoroughly enforce” a rule that faculty members submit proposals five days before the agency submission deadline to make sure that “all the boxes are checked,” Stubbs said.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that nearly all of the incidents the NIH and FBI are reviewing involve Chinese and Chinese American researchers allegedly

Sports 6

Today’s Forecast

Sunny High: 49 Low: 37

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

November 21, 2019

Page 2

Harvard Today

For Lunch Butter Chicken Deconstructed Sloppy Joes Tofu and Pepper Curry Fry

For Dinner Roast Turkey Breast Honey Mustard Salmon Gnocchi with Butternut and Sage

Today’s Events Strawberries, Self-Care, and Scrapbooking Women’s Center, 7-9 p.m.

in The Real World

Join the Women’s Center tonight to partake in some self-care activities.

Learn more about the transition to college (whether you are a freshman or not) and eat some berries and chocolate.

A former Louisiana State University student was sentenced to five years in prison after a pledge to his fraternity died of alcohol poisoning. While other students took part in the hazing, prosecutors said Matthew Naquin was primarily responsible for the death.

Student Sentenced in Hazing Death

Prince Andrew Stepping Back from Duties Due to Epstein Ties

Midday Organ Recitals Harvard Art Museums, 12:!5-12:45 p.m.

This is your last chance to hear one of the organ recitals that have been taking place at the Harvard Art Museums.

Come listen to beautiful music and enjoy a peaceful lunchtime.

Emo Night at The Sinclair The Sinclair, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Miss the good old days of straightening your side bangs and listening to pop punk while yelling at your mom that it’s not a phase? Come enjoy all of these early-aughts guilty pleasures at The Sinclair tonight.

son photographer

Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom has stepped back from his duties after backlash to a BBC interview in which he discussed his friendship with the deceased billionaire and sex offender.

Prince Andrew will no longer be seen in any royal capacity.

Daily Briefing

Turmoil Continues in Bolivia

Less than two weeks away from graduate students union’s deadline to strike, both the union and the University have publicly released their contract proposals. The three provisions representing the core disagreements are compensation, health benefits, and grievance procedure for sexual harassment and discrimination complaints. In other news, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is now giving faculty ”mandatory training packets” on grant proposal disclosure responsibilities.

Around the Ivies

The Harvard Business School campus is located across the Charles River. Kathryn S. Kuhar—Crim-

Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned nine days ago, and the country remains in a state of turmoil.

Recently, at least six people were killed in a violent incident involving a military unit, bringing the total casualties to 30 since Morales left office.

BROWN

Graduate students at Brown hosted a rally to reiterate their demands for a union contract that would improve benefits and delivered a letter to the office of Christina Paxson, Brown’s president, the Brown Daily Herald reported on Wednesday.

Graduate students at Brown voted to unionize a year ago on Tuesday and have been in negotiations with the University to reach a collective bargaining agreement. According to Assistant Vice President for News and Editorial Development Brian Clark, the University and the Union “have reached tentative agreements on a number of provisions important both to graduate students and to the University.”

princeton

A student at Yale staged a demonstration against a professor earlier this month and is planning a protest against another, the Yale Daily News reported on Wednesday. Zulfiqar Mannan ’20 is organizing a string of protests called “Do You Trust Your Educator?” as part of a human rights capstone project entitled “Paradise Sought.” Mannan is facing disciplinary action for the first protest, which interrupted a class. Mannan and four other Yale College students chanted, sang, and stomped outside the class before they distributed brochures calling the professor a war criminal. The protest faced fierce backlash from students in the affected class, and some Yale professors condemned it.

yale

The Cornell Interfraternity Council voted to ban alcohol and tighten rules at all spring rush events, the Cornell Daily Sun reported on Wednesday.

The changes are intended to reform what the IFC president called “laissez-faire” recruitment practices. The new rules forbid fraternities from serving alcohol at recruitment events and institute a curfew for freshman participating in recruitment.

The freshman who are participating in rush will be expected to sign in with their Residential Adviser, who will ensure that they are sober, before the curfew. Violation of the curfew could result in loss of recruitment eligibility. Changes come after the death of a freshman in October; he was last seen at a fraternity party on Oct. 24 before his body was found in a gorge on Oct. 26.

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

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Story Editors Alexandra A. Chaidez ’21 Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20

Editorial Editor Jessenia N. Class ’20 Sports Editor Ben Stern ’22

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 | November 21, 2019

grants From Page 1

Athletics From Page 1

FAS Bolsters Grant Compliance

Athletics Review Prioritizes Health

stealing information for the Chinese government.

Disclosure of effort and disclosure of intellectual entanglements is the key thing.

Christopher W. Stubbs Dean of Science

The probe has already led to concerns that Chinese researchers are facing discriminatory targeting, the Times noted.

Stubbs said Tuesday that he would seek to prevent the perception of unfair treatment at Harvard.

“We firmly stand behind the basic principle that in no instance should any member of our community feel any sense

of discrimination for any reason whatsoever be it national origin, religion, political persuasion, or other,” he said.

Stubbs said he is also concerned by an “emerging idea in the government” that there exists an area of “sensitive” research between classified work and open scholarship. He suggested quantum computing — which has the potential to break encryption — as an example of one such area.

“So the government would like to exercise some kind of control over that domain of scholarship — and like, well, we don’t want foreigners in your lab if you work on that,” Stubbs said.

“I would personally like for Harvard to stand firmly behind the idea that there’s classified and there’s unclassified, and don’t come and tell us that there’s this fuzzy stuff in between.”

He said he hopes the Uni-

versity-wide body would “push back” on the government if they attempt to reify this new category of “sensitive, but unclassified” research.

“I think the interesting part of it is standing firmly behind principles of academic freedom and free flow of scholars and ideas — and at the same time recognizing that, as a nonprof-

We do have an obligation to protect the national security interests of the country.

Christopher W. Stubbs Dean of Science

it institution, that is supported both directly and implicitly by the taxpayers in this nation, we do have an obligation to protect

the national security interests of the country,” he said.

In an incident separate from the ongoing NIH probes, Harvard has recently had to take action against a faculty member for inconsistencies in their disclosure record, according to Stubbs.

“I dealt with one instance of an individual who had a very complicated appointment at Harvard, and whose repertoire of activity wasn’t consistent with our expectations,” he said.

“And I terminated that individual’s appointment at Harvard.

Stubbs did not name the faculty member.

Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane declined to provide it after the interview.

“Harvard does not comment on personnel issues,” she wrote in an email. jonah.berger@thecrimson.com juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com

bought former head fencing coach Peter Brand’s Needham, Mass. home for hundreds of thousands of dollars above its

The Ivy League is an athletic conference, not, sort of, schools that have ivy — like the plant.

Rakesh Khurana Dean of the College

assessed value.

After examining the matter, Harvard found Brand had violated conflict of interest policies and dismissed him.

The case is now the subject of a federal grand jury probe.

In an interview last month,

Gay said the athletics review is unrelated to Brand’s case. She and Khurana both cited the 2026 anniversary of the naming of the first Athletics director as the driving force for the review.

Still, Khurana said the review will reaffirm the department’s values in a period of turmoil for athletics nationally.

“Recognizing the context is constantly changing for college athletics in the national discourse, how do we stay true to our Ivy League values that literally gave definition to what the Ivy League is?” he said.

“The Ivy League is an athletic conference, not, sort of, schools that have ivy — like the plant.” shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com delano.franklin@thecrimson.com

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | November 21, 2019

Page 4

Editorial The Crimson Editorial board

column

The First-Gen Experience, Firsthand

Thanksgiving at the Kong: Seeking Discomfort

E

arlier this month, the Harvard Alumni Association, in partnership with the First Generation Harvard Alumni shared interest group, released an inaugural non-class “class report,” offering reflections from first-generation alumni. The volume, formed in the style of the traditional Red Books issued to each graduating class once every five years, was unveiled at a Harvard Alumni Association ceremony to both contributing alumni and current first-generation students.

This is a much-needed resource for those who are learning to adjust and adapt to Harvard — those who might benefit from advice on navigating a complicated and often intimidating new environment.

We believe this publication is an important initiative by the Harvard Alumni Association to elevate the stories of traditionally underrepresented students on campus, containing helpful advice for current students, particularly on topics unique to the first-generation experience.

This is a much-needed resource for those who are learning to adjust and adapt to Harvard — those who might benefit from advice on navigating a complicated and often intimidating new en-

vironment.There is incredible value in introducing first-generation students to the wealth of knowledge that alumni have accumulated, as well as providing the beginning tools for how to network with people with whom they may have shared experiences.

We do not see this book as a homogenous collection of experiences reflecting one particular way of being at Harvard, and we hope that it will not define students by their first-generation identity. Rather, we hope they will convey a variety of experiences that might resonate with current students, exposing them to the full range of possibilities their futures might hold and giving them a sense of the tools at their disposal.

The tangible nature of this project provides yet another impactful statement — relating the permanence and investment that the University has made and will continue to make for students of first-generation backgrounds. Rather than a webpage or an electronic document, the volume’s printed nature gives it greater material significance. This unique Red Book is an encouraging attempt to institutionalize the telling of first-generation stories and their incorporation into the idea of the Harvard experience.

Moving forward, the advice contained in these volumes might best be delivered and received at the beginning of students’ paths at Harvard.

Making this book accessible to freshmen when they first matriculate is a key part of using it not only as a storytelling tool, but as a genuine source of advice.

We would love to see this initiative expand to other interest groups, identities, and aspects of student life.

Being a first-generation student is just one among the many challenges faced by students through their time here — challenges that begin well before students step onto campus, and that sometimes continue long after they have left.

Receiving alumni guidance on how various aspects of the Harvard experience have forged, affected, and influenced their identities can only serve to

This book will not level the playing field, but it gives firstgeneration and low-income students a playbook from which to start their journey. help students, current and future.

We applaud this, not as a solution but an important first step in greater access and inclusion. This book will not level the playing field, but it gives first-generation and low-income students a playbook from which to start their journey.

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.

Submit an Op-Ed Today!

The Crimson op-eds@thecrimson.com Op-ed

Money, Harvard, and Morals

By Woojin LIm and Justin Y. C. Wong

W

hen students call upon “Harvard” to take charge and be responsible for its morally questionable financial decisions, we often take the larger institution itself to be some kind of weighty moral agent that solely ought to shoulder the moral blame.

On billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein’s significant monetary contributions to the University, for instance, The Crimson Editorial Board opined that “Harvard must take meaningful action to demonstrate… that it recognizes the role the University played in [Epstein’s] legitimation.”

In a University–wide email about the donations, University President Lawrence S. Bacow wrote: “I profoundly regret Harvard’s past association with him.” Likewise, advocates of divestment raise the contention that “Harvard retaining its investments in the fossil fuel industry…is a form of completely unethical and unsustainable action” and that “Harvard enriches and is enriched by a [prison-industrial] system that keeps 2.3 million souls in shackles and millions more under surveillance.”

By placing the crux of moral burden solely on the greater “persona ficta” that is Harvard, we neglect a crucial moral question: What are our own individual moral duties and obligations that arise qua our status as spenders of the monies that Harvard receives?

As an institution that spans 12 schools, educates 36,012 students, hires 18,000 staff, and boasts 371,000 living alumni, it is hard to claim that any single affiliate of this colossal and organizationally complex institution should bear responsibility for the decisions of the University. Consequently, when students discuss

issues that concern the University, we often implicitly assume that Harvard acts separately from us.

This careless depersonalization — and the diffusion of individual responsibility that follows it — is natural. In fact, even Bacow has acknowledged that Harvard’s “decentralization” makes it difficult to review the University’s ties with Epstein.

And if the University’s president cannot — understandably — be cognizant of the institution’s connections with Epstein, it is plausible that we often fall into a similar trap of analyzing Harvard’s decisions from a par away from ourselves, as if we are distantly situated from its decision-making.

As a result, when The Crimson Editorial Board addresses issues like the gentrification of Allston or the pressure facing immigrant students, it often calls upon “Harvard” — an arcane, abstract, anthropomorphized personality — to respond promptly and morally, not ourselves.

Especially with regards to the ethical discourse surrounding Harvard’s sourcing of money, this depersonalisation is untenable.

As members of the Harvard community, our nexus of connection to Harvard’s immoral sources of funding — which have spanned, past and present, a wide gamut of donations from convicted sex offender Epstein, employment and company investments in the fossil fuel industry and related investments to the prison-industrial complex, companies involved in the South African apartheid regime, the tobacco industry which has targeted vulnerable youth and countries, the Sackler family which has profited from the nation’s opioid crisis — is the evident, resounding fact that we are

the designated and eventual spenders of this money.

The abstract issue of corporate moral agency trickles down to us.

“Harvard” itself does not enjoy the accommodations of newly renovated dorms that have cost over $873.9 million, nor does it receive any of the million-dollar compensations for University administrators. The revenue that Harvard gains, both from donations and investment returns, eventually benefits us — students, researchers, and faculty members.

As complicit spenders and direct beneficiaries of Harvard’s often immorally-sourced endowment, we should hold ourselves individually accountable in questioning where our resources come from and where our resources are (not) going towards, and more importantly, in understanding the moral implications of what spending this money means.

If we truly believe that “Harvard” should steer clear of unethical financing, we should also demand a reciprocal duty from ourselves. We should consider how often we tend to sidestep the hard moral considerations that fall upon us all, individually, as students, faculty, and affiliates. We must not forget our own involvements in this grander structure that is Harvard.

And no matter who is at fault or to blame, we should work together towards improving our community and upholding a kind of forward-looking, collective, reparative responsibility.

—Woojin Lim ’22, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Philosophy concentrator in Winthrop House. Justin Y. C. Wong ’22, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a joint Philosophy and Neuroscience concentrator in Dunster House.

Mohib A. Jafri REDESIGNING HARVARD

I

told myself I wouldn’t tell my kids these stories. And yet, posted today to the immutable internet, here are the stories of how my roommates and I ended up having Thanksgiving dinner at a Chinese takeout restaurant, and how we went without food and shelter in the mountains of rural China — two separate stories, of course.

It was my very first Thanksgiving away from home. Instead of family and my aunt’s savory turkey, it was my roommates and a d-hall Thanksgiving meal — I was stuck in Boston for the weekend.

But the worst part of that dinner was missing it entirely: we misread the emails and showed up too late. And by the time we made the bold move to have Thanksgiving dinner at the Hong Kong, a formidably fast fast-food takeout joint, I was in an Uber, racing to the suburbs of Boston to pick up my shift as a server for an affluent family’s Thanksgiving.

I missed Thanksgiving dinner back home, at Harvard, and even at the Kong. My Thanksgiving dinner at 10 p.m. consisted of a handful of breath mints and half a family-sized bag of Funyuns.

It took experiences like my freshman Thanksgiving and Huangshan — experiences where my control was heavily limited by the environment — for me to be comfortable giving up control.

We continued to make the best of this odd Thanksgiving.

After feeding a floormate’s pet fish in their common room, we decided to overstay our visit and watch a movie on their TV. You know it’s been an odd Thanksgiving when you fall asleep on the bed of a near-stranger, platonically cuddling with your best friend for warmth as he confides in you about a recent breakup.

There was something wrong with every part of that night. But we found a way to have unforgettable Thanksgiving, and it didn’t cost a dime.

I wasn’t able to put it into words, but I knew I craved for more experiences like that night.

Two years later, in the mountains of rural China, that feeling resurfaced. Allow me to paint the picture.

Six college students, two parts brave and 98 parts dumb, spend a summer night in the Huangshan mountains, with no hotel, hostel, or even a tent prepared in advance.

Armed with one meatstick per person and a singular loaf of bread, they find a clearing in the forest and try to sleep on a stone slab by a cliff.

As temperatures drop, temperaments rise, and one sleepless traveler nearly runs off the edge of the cliff in hysteria. They move camp and break into an abandoned shack for some shuteye.

Two hours later, stomachs rumbling, eyes sunken, they summit the mountain to witness a beautiful East Asian sunrise. Of course, they promptly pay the price with a hungry 14 kilometer trek back down to civilization.

I’m often in disbelief that I am of the (un)lucky six who experienced Huangshan this way. I used to be a huge control freak: it was once anxiety-inducing to not know where I was, where I was headed, and why I was headed there. It took experiences like my freshman Thanksgiving and Huangshan — experiences where my control was heavily limited by the environment — for me to be comfortable giving up control.

By accepting a loss of control and leaving it to fate, or God, or quantum randomness — whatever name fits you — I found a lot of peace in being unprepared.

Investor and author Tim Ferriss argues that a great way to judge situations of high uncertainty is through fear-setting: playing out precisely what the worst-case scenario looks like.

An untraditional Thanksgiving wouldn’t destroy my social connection with my family.

A night out in the mountains would probably get me sick, but the path to recovery is clear. It was by realizing that the worst case scenario was not so bad that the experience became de-risked, leaving me happy to give up control.

As the YouTube group Yes Theory often discusses, there is one primary question we need to ask more often: What makes you uncomfortable?

They contend that most personal growth occurs by deliberately venturing outside your comfort zone.

By accepting a loss of control and leaving it to fate, or God, or quantum randomness — whatever name fits you — I found a lot of peace in being unprepared. Before, this statement would have shaken me to my core, but now I’m actively working on honing my ability to take on the grey areas with a new calmness.

Maybe it didn’t have to take a near deadly overnight hike in China or even a soiled Thanksgiving to discover the rush in pursuit of seeking discomfort.

Still, I take away the value of keeping a high spirit in embracing the ugly uncertainty of life.

—Mohib A. Jafri ’21 is an Electrical Engineering concentrator in Quincy House. His column appears on alternate Thursdays.

Page 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | November 21, 2019

Chile From Page 1

Union From Page 1

Center Cancels Jan. Chile Trip

Graduate Union Sanction Status Releases Proposal Murky for Some

“It is probably best, due to the political instability in Chile right now, for students not to partake just for this year,” Miall said. “But I think in future years, I really hope that it is not cancelled so that more people can get to enjoy and learn from that experience.”

The program’s facilitators said they were similarly disappointed. Pilo Mella, the program manager for the Chile trip, noted that the current instability would complicate organizing the trip properly — one of the main reasons for its cancelation. She added that Universidad Mayor ultimately made the decision to cancel the trip.

“Their decision is not unreasonable given that the coordination required to organize the

HGSU’s proposal. Their dependents would also enjoy the same benefits.

Under the union proposal, the University would be required to provide physical, mental, dental, and vision care as well as prescription drugs with “no premiums or fees” to eligible student workers. This would include all in-network mental health specialist visits, medically-approved in-network specialist visits exceeding $35, and gender affirmation medical treatments.

The University’s healthcare proposals include an annual $275,000 health insurance premium support fund, $275,000 child care support fund, $85,000 dental health plan support fund to be distributed at the union’s discretion among its members.

program takes several weeks,” Mella said. “I understand why they canceled the program but it’s unfortunate…the decision was based on the uncertainty we are still living in in Chile.”

Despite this year’s cancellation, Mella pointed out the learning opportunity that studying in Chile will present to students in the future. As of now, the decision to cancel the January trip only applies to this year’s program.

“This is a great opportunity for future students to come, to study and understand the social protests, the demands of the people and the proposed changes to the constitution and public policies and also how human rights violations have been handled here in Chile,” she said. ​​​​

Sanctions From Page 1

The University also proposed a 2 percent increase in both 2020 and 2021 for its existing Parental Accommodation and Financial Support program, which currently provides Ph.D. students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences a one-time stipend of $6,624 for newly born or adopted children and up to 12 weeks of family leave.

In an email to union members Wednesday, HGSU bargaining committee member Cole M. Meisenhelder wrote that the union will deliver “solidarity letters” to Bacow at his office in Massachusetts Hall Friday, half an hour before negotiators convene for another bargaining session. jamie.bikales@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

— and Eagle PAFs, who serve as student leaders of the PAF program.

PAFs are upperclassmen chosen by the College to advise freshmen. Similarly, pre-orientation program leaders guide freshmen during the week leading up to move-in day.

Kate Colleran, who serves as assistant dean of student engagement and leadership in the DSO, wrote in an emailed statement that the guidelines for pre-orientation programs is consistent with the rest of the sanctions policy, and that administrators and students are aware of these guidelines.

“Having sanctions apply only to the steering committees of the Pre-Orientation programs is in line with the practice for all other student organizations regarding sanctions.

(With ISOs, for example, it would be officers or executive board as detailed in the groups’ constitutions.) The Pre-O directors have been informed of this and will be working within their groups to be in line with the policy,” Colleran wrote.

Miller said Tuesday that students should consult administrative bodies like the Office of Undergraduate Education if they have questions about whether the social group penalties apply to a specific program.

“I would invite them to go to their supervisors who manage them on a regular basis to figure out because these are expectations that should be communicated as part of their employment,” Miller said. sanjana.narayanan@thecrimson.com samuel.zwickel@thecrimson.com

Proud to cover Harvard for 146 years and counting.

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The Crimson thecrimson.com

Sports

Weekly Recap

SCORES

Men’s Squash vs. MIT W, 8-1 ___________________________________________________________

woMen’s squash vs. tufts w, 9-1 ___________________________________________________________

no. 9 women’s Hockey Vs. Bu L, 6-2 ___________________________________________________________

men’s ice hockey Vs. yale W, 6-1 ___________________________________________________________

Women’s basketball vs. rutgers L, 74-46 ___________________________________________________________

women’s volleyball vs. columbia L, 3-2 ___________________________________________________________

women’s rugby vs. army west point w, 18-7 ___________________________________________________________

men’s basketball

Harvard Basketball Falls to Buffalo in Second Half

By Amir mamdani Crimson Staff Writer

Fans of Harvard men’s basketball might have hoped that a return from No. 11 would spark the Crimson to victory at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario.

But despite the first appearance of the season for senior guard Bryce Aiken, Harvard was swept away by a second half barrage from beyond the arc by the Buffalo Bulls. The Crimson (3-2) eventually fell by an 88-76 score after surrendering 48 second-half points.

Despite Harvard dominating most of the first-half, a buzzer-beating three-pointer from nearly half-court by Jayvon Graves gave Buffalo (2-1) a 40-38 lead entering the half, proving to be a harbinger of things to come after the intermission. In the second half, the Bulls drilled triple after triple on kick-out passes and behind screens.

Saturday afternoon’s defeat was particularly disheartening for an Amaker-coached team which hangs its hat on defensive ferocity. Coming out of halftime, Buffalo knocked down 57 percent of its three-pointers in the final 20 minutes, led by an outstanding effort by sophomore guard Ronaldo Segu.

The Orlando, FL., native had an ultra-efficient 6-of-7 afternoon from the floor, converting on all three of his three-point attempts, and hitting all six of his free-throws in the building that Toronto natives still call the “ACC”. Segu finished with 21 points, along with five rebounds and six assists, out-dueling Aiken in his return to the old Air Canada Centre court.

The Randolph, N.J., native’s return to the floor was a welcome sight for Crimson fans and Coach Amaker. Despite playing only 20 minutes, Aiken led the team with 18 points, drilling 2-of-4 three-pointers, but turned the ball over five times in his first taste of live action of the 2019-2020 campaign.

Despite any rust that he had to shake off, Aiken was the most ­

POINTING GUARD Junior Rio Haskett is pictured here in prior action against Northeastern. The Richmond, V.A., native is averaging 7.3 PPG on the season. TIMOTHY R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer

explosive player on the court for Harvard.

In the first ever regular season Division I basketball game played in the province of Ontario, Amaker started his three Ontarians, with freshman Luka Sakota, sophomore Noah Kirkwood, and junior Danilo Djuricic all taking the court at tip-off.

Kirkwood played 36 minutes in his return to the lineup after missing the game against Siena with an illness. The Ottawa, Ontario native scored 10 points but mis-fired on all three of his triples.

Djuricic, a native of Brampton, also scored 10 points and secured nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Djuricic and Kirkwood were amongst five Harvard players to score in double figures, but ultimately the outcome of the game was determined by Buffalo’s three-point shooting and the team from Western New York’s opportunistic points off of turnovers.

The Bulls were able to convert 17 Crimson turnovers into 27 points, outscoring Harvard by 12 points in that department, matching the margin of victo-

ry for Buffalo. Turnovers are a problem that have frequently plagued the Crimson early in the past few seasons, an issue that proved to be one of the differences at Scotiabank Arena.

Coach Amaker acknowledged the team has to adjust to who they’ll be now that Aiken is back, given how the dynamic has been different without him in the rotation.

“We all have to give of ourselves a little bit more, including him, of course, to figure out how our team can become better...certainly he’s a dynam-

ic scorer,” Amaker said postgame. “We also have to learn how to play with him and he’s going to learn how to play with us because it’s his first game...so we’re not in sync, and hopefully we’ll find the rhythm that we need going forward.”

The Crimson are slated to play Texas A&M in the first round of bracket play on November 28. The winner will face the victor of Maryland and Temple in the semifinal the next day. USC, Davidson, Fairfield, and Marquette round out the rest of the eight programs

competing.

This next week of practice will be important for the team to regroup and rest after several players went into the game “banged up” according to Amaker.

“I’m hopeful that our leadership will show up at this time to right the ship for our team after tonight,” Amaker said.

The Crimson’s next home game will be on December 7 against Massachusetts after their stint of away matchups. amir.mamdani@thecrimson.com

men’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer Moves on From Lehrer, Starts New Chapter

By Eamon mcloughlin Crimson Staff Writer

Pieter Lehrer, The Virginia B. and James O. Welch ‘52 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Soccer, will not be returning to ­

coach the Crimson next fall.

Lehrer spent seven seasons at Harvard, accumulating a 42-5813 record during that period.

Bob Scalise, The John D. Nichols ‘53 Family Director of Athletics, announced the news

Monday in a letter to the Friends of Harvard Soccer.

“In order to be good stewards of the program, we believe it is in the best long-term interest of soccer at Harvard to look broadly and to do a full and thorough

search for the next head coach.”

Scalise said in the letter.

The search for Lehrer’s successor will be headed by Assistant Director of Business Development Erin West, and include Scalise, Associate Director of

Athletics Duane Reeves, and The Branca Family Head Coach for Harvard Women’s Soccer Chris Hamblin. The committee aims to find a candidate that will “maintain the competitive excellence we have all come to ex-

NEW START Coach Pieter Lehrer coached the men’s soccer team for seven seasons. He led the team to a 42-58-13 record overall, and he departs after a disappointing winless season for the Crimson. TIMOTHY R. O’Meara—Crimson photographer

pect of our athletic programs” and “honor the commitments of the athletes to academic excellence”.

Lehrer’s departure comes at a time of continued adversity for Harvard men’s soccer. The Crimson failed to win a single game in 2019, scoring just eight goals on the way to finishing 0-14-1. Harvard has won just five games in the past three seasons, going 5-37-5.

Lehrer took the helm of the Crimson in 2013, joining a team which had not won an Ivy League game in two years. In his first season, he went 7-8-2 and led Harvard to a 5-2-0 Ivy League record, good enough for second place in the Ancient Eight. The team finished 11-4-2 overall in his second season before going 9-6-2 in 2015, both times tabling second in the Ivy League.

The 2016 season made national headlines after The Crimson reported that the 2012 team produced a “scouting report” which ranked members of the Harvard women’s soccer team based on their appearances. After an Office of General Counsel review found that the reports continued into 2016, Scalise cancelled the remainder of the season.

During his tenure, Lehrer produced 21 All-Ivy Selections, while three players were drafted into Major League Soccer under his leadership — Ross Friedman ‘14, Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu ‘17 and Sam Brown ’18.

Coach Lehrer could not be immediately reached for comment. eamon.mcloughlin@thecrimson.com