The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 81

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVI, NO. 81 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

EDITORIAL PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 6

The end of the Bureau of Study Council comes with reservations.

Harvard women’s soccer fights off fatigue to beat U Mass 2-1

Allison Feaster ’98 joins the Celtics as the director of player development.

Leverett Deans Face Criticism

By SHERA S. AVI-YONAH and DELANO R. FRANKLIN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Leverett House residents aired concerns about newly off-limits House common spaces and a dearth of social events under the leadership of Faculty Deans Brian D. Farrell and Irina P. Ferreras in emails and a public document this week.

Students’ concerns included the recent closure of Leverett’s private dining room, sporadic house-wide events, new keycard access restrictions, changes to the Senior Common Room, and challenges booking social spaces. In a Google Doc shared among undergraduates, students listed their grievances and discussed bringing them to House management.

Farrell wrote in an emailed statement that he and Ferreras are aware of some of the students’ criticisms and are “very concerned” about students’ engagement in House life.

Leverett residents Nicho-

Freshmen Predominantly Wealthy

By SAMUEL W. ZWICKEL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER­

las E. Stauffer-Mason ’20 and Amalia E. Frohna ’20 both said they believe the House’s culture changed after former Faculty Deans Howard M. Georgi ’68 and Ann B. Georgi left in 2018.

“Basically as soon as they took over they took away access to a lot of community spaces that people use,” Stauffer-Mason said.

The Georgis continued to serve in an official capacity at Leverett last year as members of the Senior Common Room, a group of professors, administrators, and local professionals affiliated with the House.

At the start of this semester, though, they informed some Leverett residents they would transfer to the Lowell House SCR. Howard Georgi wrote in an email that they made the decision as a result of “disappointment” with changes Farrell and Ferreras made to SCR policies.

In particular, Howard

In the wake of a three-week trial challenging the legality of its admissions process, Harvard College’s student body is under close scrutiny from lawyers, academics, and aspiring applicants alike.

As confidential University files and internal emails came to light throughout the litigation, plaintiffs pointed attention to advantages conveyed on applicants with wealthy, well-connected families. Donor affiliation and a spot on the secretive “Dean’s Interest List” can boost admissions prospects, according to files unearthed in court.

At least 10 percent of the Class of 2019 was on such a list, and admissions rates for its members has historically been over 40 percent.

This year’s Harvard freshmen — like those who came before them — are an exceedingly well-off group relative to the country at large. More than 27 percent of members of the Class

SEE DEANS PAGE 3

SEE FRESHMEN PAGE 5

27%

Percent of freshmen from households making $250,000 or more per year

5%

Percent of American households making $250,000 or more per year

MARGOT E. SHANG—CRIMSON DESIGNER

Council Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing

Cambridge City Council candidates discuss the issue of housing. Some argued public housing has failed low income community members, citing high property prices in Cambridge. AMANDA Y. SU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

By DECLAN J. KNIERIEM CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Seventeen Cambridge City Council candidates fielded questions on affordable housing challenges and solutions at a forum Wednesday night.

The event — held in the Cambridge Public Library — was hosted by A Better Cambridge, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase affordable housing and tenant protections

in Cambridge. In order to participate, both new and incumbent candidates were required to complete a questionnaire on affordable housing issues facing the city.

ABC Co-Chair Alexandra Markiewicz said the goal of the forum was to foster an “informed discussion” on housing before the election in November.

“We wanted to put the forum on as an opportunity to educate

voters about what candidates feel on housing and what they think they would want to do to really address our housing crisis problems,” she said.

Moderator David E. Sullivan — a former city councilor — asked questions about Cambridge’s housing challenges, councilors’ current affordable housing proposals, and each candidate’s strategy to combat the issue. Jeffrey McNary criticized past policies for not do-

ing enough to address the crisis, and said more should have been done.

“This housing crisis just didn’t jump out of the Charles River like ‘The Creature From the Black Lagoon’ — this has been here for a long time,” he said. “And if you didn’t see that and plan for that, then you have got to own that.”

First-time candidate and recent MIT graduate Burhan Azeem said rising rents have

forced him to consider leaving Cambridge. He said the possibility was “haunting” to him as a resident.

Much of Wednesday evening’s discussion focused on a proposed affordable housing overlay. Introduced in March, the proposed zoning reform would incentivize developers to build affordable housing units in Cambridge by streamlining approvals processes and reducing costs. In a Monday meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to table the proposal after it became clear that they would not have enough votes. Tabling the measure brought an anticlimactic end to months of heated debate among councilors and residents alike. The council left open the option to revisit the proposal after it expires.

Current councilor Quinton Y. Zondervan defended the council’s actions during the forum, arguing that the proposal deserved more discussion.

“We’re all committed to building more affordable housing,” he said. “And again, it’s really important that we get it right. And in order to do that we need more time to address all the different parts.”

In addition to addressing the overlay, candidates also discussed original plans for addressing housing issues.

Candidate Adriane B. Musgrave said she would work to increase parking availability and commit $20 million to affordable

SEE COUNCIL PAGE 5

IOP Fall Fellows Kick Off Semester With Dialogue

By CAMILLE G. CALDERA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard’s Institute of Politics’ new class of resident fellows engaged in a lively conversation about civic life and bipartisanship on Wednesday evening to kick off a semester of study groups and events the fellows hold for students.

Former Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), kicked off the forum by recounting his lifetime of expeditions to remote islands with no food, water, or tools. He said he took one such trip with fellow Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and nothing but a machete, “to prove that Republicans and Democrats can get INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

along.”

Flake’s anecdote set the stage for an evening of conversation about pursuing civility and bipartisanship in politics and public service.

Bob Cohn, the former president of the Atlantic, offered commentary on the state of the journalism industry.

“The industry itself — and journalists in particular — are under profound attack from this administration,” he said.

Alice Stewart, a former Republican campaign communications director and commentator on CNN, shared her experience being called out on Twitter

SEE IOP PAGE 3

News 5

Editorial 4

Current IOP Fellows discuss the role they have played in politics and how their experiences have contributed to their journey towards attaining the fellowships. NAOMI S. CASTELLON-PEREZ—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Sports 6

TODAY’S FORECAST

RAINY High: 68 Low: 54

UC Leaders Outline Plans Palaniappan and Huesa look to institutionalize new initiatives

By KEVIN R. CHEN and LAURA C. ESPINOZA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

After their first semester in office, Undergraduate Council President Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 and Vice President Julia M. Huesa ’20 said they will spend the remainder of their term institutionalizing initiatives they started last semester.

The duo piloted many programs during their term, including a community lunch during Junior Family Weekend, the First-Year Students of Color Welcome Event, and the First-Year Interfaith Welcome Event. Though the UC funded the events this year, Huesa said they hope Harvard offices like the Office of Diversity Education and Support will be able to manage and fund the events in the future.

“One of the things that we’re really focused on is continuity and understanding that it is important to run these types of programs, events, and initiatives, but it is even more impactful if they are able to continue far into the future,” Palaniappan said.

The pair’s recent measures have largely focused on inclusion, a major pillar of the platform they ran on. Beyond these events, Palaniappan and Huesa’s legislation to establish a Social Inclusion Grant passed the council Sunday. Each week, the grant will give up to $750 to one individual and one student group looking to host an open social event on campus.

The program is set to run for 10 weeks this semester.

The team also worked this summer to establish a $15,000 Public Service Travel Grant with the Office of Career Services to help students who cannot afford to travel to internship or job interviews at public service-related organizations.

Palaniappan also said that she and Huesa realized some of their campaign platform ideas

SEE UC PAGE 5

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese Saigon Bamboo Beef Moroccan Stew

For Dinner BBQ Salisbury Steak Grilled Chicken Breast Vegetable and Potato Curry

TODAY’S EVENTS Fall 2019 IOP Fellows Dinner in Annenberg Annenberg, 5:15-6:15 p.m.

IN THE REAL WORLD Trump Administration to Ban Most Vaping Flavors

This freshmen-only event gives you an opportunity to speak with numerous Institute of Politics Resident Fellows.

Drop by, have a conversation, and learn about IOP study groups on campus.

With new research pointing to the health risks associated with vaping, the Food and Drug Administration will take mint, menthol, and fruity flavors off the market. This move poses a threat to the fast-growing vaping markets that are estimated to reach $9 billion in sales this year.

Harvard Undergraduate BGLTQ Business Society Consulting Panel Fong Auditorium, 5-6:30 p.m.

Interested in hearing from representatives from all the big consulting firms that are also members of the BGLTQ community? Go to Fong Auditorium for the opportunity to talk to people involved in the field. Food is provided! Make sure to upload your resume to be included in the resume book.

Harvard Dems Intro Meeting and Democratic Debate Watch Party Sever 113, 7:15-10 p.m.

Interested in watching tonight’s debate? Head to Sever 113 to learn about how to get involved in a political group on campus and for a chance to watch the debates with a large group.

Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Plan to Curb Immigration

Students run through Harvard Yard, taking advantage of the warm weather. NAOMI S. CASTELLON-PEREZ—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING Leverett House residents aired concerns about newly off-limits House common spaces and a dearth of social events under the leadership of Faculty Deans Brian D. Farrell and Irina P. Ferreras in emails and a public document this week. In a Google Doc shared among undergraduates, students listed their grievances and discussed bringing them to House management. In other news, 17 Cambridge City Council candidates fielded questions on affordable housing challenges and solutions at a forum Wednesday night.

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump’s administration immigration plan to proceed. Now, people arriving to the U.S. via a third country must claim asylum in that country first before arriving at the U.S. border. Challenges against this ruling are ongoing, but the approval has allowed for nationwide enforcement.

Purdue Pharma Reaches Preliminary Settlements on Opioid Cases

Purdue Pharma has come to a tentative multibillion dollar agreement to settle lawsuits against them after being accused of helping fuel the U.S. opioid crisis. Many states, however, are not part of the agreement, so more legal action regarding the issue is possible in the future.

AROUND THE IVIES YALE Yale Law School will now accept the GRE in place of the LSAT, the traditionally required entrance exam, the Yale Daily News reported. Yale Law School will join several other law programs, including those at Harvard, Columbia, New York University, and the University of Arizona, that already accept the GRE. The Dean of Yale Law School hopes that this increased flexibility will enable as many students to apply to the program as possible.

PRINCETON

The Daily Princetonian reported that the director and chaplain of Princeton’s campus Catholic ministry, Father Gabriel Zeis, resigned from his position Wednesday following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. The allegation, dating back to 1975, is currently being investigated by Catholic Church authorities in Trenton who were notified of the allegation on Monday.

DARTMOUTH

The Dartmouth reported that nine plaintiffs pursuing a sexual misconduct suite against Dartmouth University made their proposed settlement public Tuesday. The plaintiffs allege that three former professors had been committing sexual misconduct for more than 16 years as Dartmouth College turned a blind eye. Following the public release of the proposed settlement, Dartmouth has maintained its innocence, denying the plaintiffs’ allegations that the College broke multiple laws.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE

Associate Managing Editor Jamie D. Halper ’20

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

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

Associate Business Manager Amy E. Zhou ’20

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

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

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

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

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

Night Editor Norah M. Murphy ’20

Design Editor Margot E. Shang ’22

Assistant Night Editors Annie C. Doris ’21 Luke A. Williams ’22

Photo Editor Naomi S. Castellon-Perez ’21

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

Editorial Editor Daniel Kim ’21 Sports Editor Spencer R. Morris ’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.

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 | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

DEANS FROM PAGE 1

IOP FROM PAGE 1

Leverett Deans Face Student Criticism

IOP Fall Fellows Kick Off Semester with Debate

Georgi cited biweekly lunches SCR members held for students during his tenure.

“We hoped that something like this would continue and that we would be able to attend occasionally to keep in touch with our many student and SCR friends,” he wrote.

The role of the College’s 24 faculty deans has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of controversy over former Winthrop House Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr.’s decision to represent Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in his criminal trial. Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana dismissed Sullivan and co-Faculty Dean Stephanie R. Robinson in May after months of student outcry.

Khurana’s announcement came one day after The Crimson reported allegations that

by President Donald Trump less than 24 hours before the forum.

“Thank you for the nice words while on @CNN concerning the TWO big Republican Congressional victories,” he tweeted. “You’d be great on a network with much higher ratings. Keep up the good work!”

Later in the forum, Flake said that he hopes politics will return to an earlier era when respect and civility toward members of the opposite party was commonplace.

In response, LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the Black Votes Matter Fund, burst into song. “We who believe in freedom cannot rest, cannot rest until it comes,” she sang.

“I absolutely 1,000 percent disagree with [Flake’s] position.

I think the goal is never to backwards. It’s actually to go forward,” she said, following the

Sullivan and Robinson fostered a hostile work environment in Winthrop during their decade as deans. At one point, 13 Winthrop resident tutors threatened to quit, though they ultimately stayed.

Farrell and Ferreras sent an email to Leverett residents Wednesday night stating they believe student input is important.

“Our goal is a house culture where everyone feels empowered to shape their house experience. It is clear that we need to think how we can create such an environment for all,” they wrote.

“Leverett is already a vibrant, wonderful community.

It will be even stronger when all members feel they can share their concerns, voice their ideas, and together build the community we aspire to be, to-

gether.”

Frohna and Leverett resident Samantha J. Frenkel-Popell ’21 both said they think communication between students and Farrell and Ferreras could improve.

“I think actually, this has almost been good because you really see that a lot of people care about house life, and I would just love to see that harnessed,” Frohna said. “I think definitely we need to have more communication from the house deans.”

Change came quicker than people expected — and maybe it wasn’t explained — so people were kind of surprised by the way things used to be versus the new faculty deans,” Frenkel-Popell said. shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com delano.franklin@thecrimson.com

song. “The goal isn’t to retreat and fear and go back to a place of safety, because what was safe for some has not been safe for me.”

After the event, forum attendees called the exchange exemplary of the forum’s values.

“It was done in a very bipartisan, conversational way,” said Katherine A. Krolicki ’20, one of the co-chairs of the Fellows and Study Groups program. a ’23 said the fellows are role models for his generation.

“I think all of these fellows really believed in bipartisanship rather than hostility,” Hla said.

The forum also included a conversation about the different routes to politics and public service. For example, Deesha Dyer, an Obama administration Social Secretary, discussed how she went from dropping out

The T closes. We don’t.

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of college at 18 to holding a senior staff position in the White House.

Deyer said she will focus her study group, titled “Imposter to Impact,” on people like her

Never say never.

H.E Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado Former Vice President of Panama

“who had a very unconventional journey into politics.”

H.E. Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, the former vice president of Panama, also said she never dreamed of running for office before becoming a vice presidential candidate.

“Never say never,” she said. camille.caldera@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

PAGE 4

EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

COLUMN

Saying Goodbye to the BSC, With Reservations

Venturing Past Harvard Yard

T

he launch of Harvard’s new Academic Resource Center, meant to replace the old Bureau of Study Council, will be accompanied by a restructuring of services the BSC used to offer. The biggest differences?

Students will no longer pay for oneon-one tutoring — regardless of financial aid status — as the ARC moves to emphasize a group-session format.

The ARC also seems to shift away from the BSC’s broader mission of social and emotional academic support.

While we stand behind any move to increase socioeconomic accessibility to academic resources, we also worry that the ARC is neglecting a critical part of the BSC’s mission: giving students advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, dealing with high academic workloads, and offering individualized counseling.

Emblematic of that shift is that while the BSC used to offer a privacy policy, the ARC does not. On a campus where students feel they’re always performing, losing confidential resources is troubling.

It’s essential that the College work to support and maintain the intimate relationships and trust that students have built with counselors and other staff.

Moreover, it’s imperative that they continue to provide students, who have not yet developed those relationships, with opportunities to do so. Privacy is one assurance that is critical to that process.

To be sure, the ARC will offer students the opportunity to meet with academic coaches in 30-minute sessions.

But the scope is much narrower: Academic coaches will assist in identifying “ideal learning styles,” “customizing [students’] semesters,” planning around concussions, and finding other academic resources, according to the ARC’s website.

Academic counselors at the BSC had a mandate aimed to assuage students’ anxieties not only about their academics but about the intersections between their academics and their wider experience of life.

As the BSC website noted, in bold no less, “Academic counseling is conversation about life and learning.” The question we have to ask is who is filling that prodigious gap.

At Harvard, many students have a problem less with the actual content of their academic work as with balancing the stresses, social, emotional, and otherwise, of completing that work in a highly competitive and often isolating environment.

And how do we find a sense of purpose and meaning in the piles of articles and lines of code that just keep going?

Students don’t need “coaches”; they need counselors.

Between classes, extracurriculars, and the oft-forgotten notion of fun, how should we manage our time?

How should we prioritize our efforts, when we have so much to care about and so much we really don’t?

And how do we find a sense of purpose and meaning in the piles of articles and lines of code that just keep going? Students don’t need “coaches”; they need counselors.

Helping students deal with those pressures and questions was a vital part of what BSC did and what made it such a special service.

It’s a shame to see the University abandon that approach to helping students. We are concerned that abandon-

ing this aspect of the BSC’s mandate in favor of more narrowly defined — though commendably free — academic services will do a disservice to the students who relied on other aspects of the BSC’s support structure.

That said, we are hopeful that the new ARC will deliver free tutoring to students who need it and that increased access will help students achieve higher academic results and perhaps even a healthy work-life balance.

To accommodate what may be significantly increased demand for tutoring services given the elimination of fees, the ARC should consider surveying people who used those resources in the past or even tutors who conducted sessions under the BSC, so as to get a better sense of what classes and disciplines they should expect to have the highest demand for tutoring.

These efforts should be coupled with diligent work to ensure that the ARC has enough resources to support students in those classes and fields.

As the BSC restructures into ARC, administrators should take advantage of the opportunity to market their changes to both students and tutors.

Only by working to hire a comprehensive and academically diverse set of tutors can the ARC hope to achieve its goal of meaningfully increasing access to vital academic resources for students all across the College, regardless of socioeconomic status.

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!

Mohib A. Jafri REDESIGNING HARVARD

L

eaving the gates of Harvard College was the best decision I’ve made in my college career.

When tourists and overzealous high school seniors ask what your favorite part of Harvard is, the “right” answer is that it’s the people who make Harvard worthwhile. But what does that translate to in practice? There are people, good and bad, at literally every institution, by definition. Why is Harvard worth fighting for over many other colleges? Three years into my time here, I’m happy to report that Harvard isn’t terribly special: It’s everything that the College enables that makes Harvard the place to be as an undergraduate.

Aside from the weird flex, the stories of VHacks and Gravity Industries are an invitation to question your time at Harvard: Where can you take a risk?

I am thankful to have learned this lesson early on: Eight weeks into freshman year, after I had just joined the organizing team of HackHarvardCollege, an annual hackathon, a group of 10 Business School students approached me and my co-organizers with a pitch. They wanted our expertise to create an event like no other: a social impact hackathon held at the Vatican City with the support of the Catholic Church.

This was quite an oxymoron to me: Hackathons — events of innovation and rapid iteration — are the antithesis of the Vatican City — a theocratic bureaucracy known for being anything but innovative and iterative. The expenses, logistics, language barriers, and newness of it all made it a recipe for disaster. We foresaw months of planning, weeks of pursuing what would become dead ends, and days of insurmountable stress to bring life to this oxymoron.

And yet, we saw what it could be: a future in which the Catholic Church, an organization with a reach on the order of billions, champions new technologies as a vehicle for social change. There was so much for the world to gain, and a lot for us

With guaranteed food and shelter, access to jobs and internships, and that sweet, sweet grade inflation, the College is comfortable.

The Crimson

op-eds@thecrimson.com OP-ED

Limiting PAFs Is Limiting

By ORLEE G. S. MARINI-RAPOPORT

O

ver the past week, freshmen have been lingering in Annenberg after dinner, sharing with their new friends what classes they want to shop, what clubs they might want to join, and more. Students at Harvard learn about and explore all the resources and opportunities that the University affords them by talking to their peers. Collaboration of this sort seems to be Harvard’s goal. Hence, I was surprised to discover that Harvard’s new policy states that Peer Advising Fellows should limit or eliminate discussions about course selection with their freshmen advisees.

These new guidelines seem at odds with Harvard’s broader emphasis on the importance of collaboration and discussion amongst students as integral to the community. Moreover, they unfairly disadvantage students who cannot find that peer-to-peer academic advising through other avenues.As a freshman who came from a high school that sends a handful of students to Harvard each year, I had several established connections to upperclassmen before setting foot on campus. Throughout the summer, I texted two friends who had just finished their first year at Harvard. Most of my questions surrounded course selection. How early should I complete my General Education requirements? I wondered. Do you like the History and Literature concentration? Do you have any tips about getting into application-based seminars?

What was your favorite class during your first year?

These discussions and their opinions were invaluable as I began to navigate the process of creating a new world for myself on campus while simultaneously navigating the beginning of my academic career and first shopping week. And even after a string of texts with these upperclassmen, I still had a million questions that I wanted to ask my PAF about course selection.But many students, and,

I would imagine — a disproportionate number of first-generation students or students who come from high schools not well-represented at the Ivy League schools — are not as lucky as I was. These students might not have someone to text when they’re confused about the freshman seminar application process or when they want advice on what Humanities 10 is like. They may need guidance navigating Harvard’s curriculum and not already know any Harvard upperclassmen to help guide the way.A

We are here for academics; our classes and course of study are on every freshman’s mind.

To prohibit peer advisers from discussing academics, then, does a disservice to all first years. logical conclusion might be that a freshman’s academic adviser should serve as the main contact for students seeking this guidance. And, as has been the case for many others, my academic adviser has been nothing but supportive. She is knowledgeable about Harvard’s curriculum and willing to get any specialized information I ask for through her various contacts across campus.But no matter how strong the freshman advising program is, students serve as an invaluable resource to one another that simply cannot translate in a fair way to the new system in which academic advisers serve as the primary resource for freshmen to gain information about academics.

Even beyond all the nuanced course selection advice that PAFs might be more equipped to give, having gone through it themselves, there’s a wealth of information that is simply not appropriate for adult advisers to provide. A PAF, for example, is much more likely to give hon-

est information about professors’ teaching and grading styles than an academic adviser, whom I imagine would be unlikely to criticize their colleagues. Further, for many Harvard students, the academic and social realms of campus are inextricably connected. To assign a peer adviser to serve as a mentor and de facto friend, to allow that person to talk about clubs, activities, and sports, but then to discourage or forbid that person from talking about academics, which connects the other aspects of our lives and brings us together, is puzzling. We are here for academics; our classes and course of study are on every freshman’s mind. To prohibit peer advisers from discussing academics, then, does a disservice to all first years.

By removing the opportunity to talk about such an integral part of our lives, especially during orientation and shopping week, Harvard has created an artificial divide between PAFs and freshmen that only serves to remind the freshmen that their PAF is paid to help them within the constraints of their job description. The relationship seems artificial and transactional, instead of convivial.

If a freshmen can’t relate to their PAF in a way that seems organic and natural, if asking a question about academics is met with a stock referral to someone else, then the relationship is forever tainted.

The new guidelines merely limit freshmen’s access to critical information, especially during a shopping week that has been full of unexpectedly-stressful General Education lotteries and issues with my.harvard.

To address any concerns or questions surrounding the role of PAFs, provide them with training on the right way to contextualize advice about course selection and then allow our relationships to grow naturally, even if that means we talk about academics.

—Orlee G. S. Marini-Rapoport ’23 lives in Greenough Hall.

college students to lose. So, of course, we bit.

We somehow did it. We found 120 of the brightest minds across every continent and flew them all out to the Vatican in less than six months’ time.

While it was great proving to the world that faithbased institutions like the Church have both the ability and the obligation to lead global humanitarian efforts, I learned another equally profound lesson: Business School students are rockstars.

With their marketing and business experience and our hackathon logistics experience, we made the perfect team. The larger Harvard community, where ideas and skills merge to form a collective power, is strongest together. In navigating Harvard’s cutthroat pre-professional scene, I also found that the most rewarding opportunities can from the most unlikely of places. In the lull of the sophomore-slump life, I found myself scrolling mindlessly through Facebook videos until I stumbled upon a video of a man flying a jet suit.

Flying humans — I felt another oxymoron brewing. It was time for another rodeo: this time in a term-time engineering co-op at Gravity Industries, a U.K.-based startup building jet suits.

Five micro-jet engines (two on each arm, one on the back), a bladder of A1 kerosene jet fuel, and some fancy electronics give you the experience of untethered human flight. I didn’t earn any course credit, money, or Iron Man fantasies fulfilled during my time at Gravity — but every minute at

In navigating Harvard’s cutthroat pre-professional scene, I also found that the most rewarding opportunities can from the most unlikely of places. this company focused both on future modes of transportation and inspiring the youth through STEM education was worth it.Aside from the weird flex, the stories of VHacks and Gravity Industries are an invitation to question your time at Harvard: Where can you take a risk?

Where can you do something stupid and crazy where failure is likely the only option? What can happen if you succeed? And, most importantly, how bad will it be, really, if you fail? As I see it, Harvard is the safety net that should enable us to reach far past the gates of Harvard Yard. With guaranteed food and shelter, access to jobs and internships, and that sweet, sweet grade inflation, the College is comfortable. But being comfortable is dangerous — it can either make us very risk-tolerant, or very risk-averse. I implore you to choose the former. In pursuing my off-beaten path at — or more precisely, outside of — Harvard, it is because of this safety net that I’ve felt confident to venture into new lands (and air).

The College is just the beginning: As remarkable as it may appear, a look outside the hobbit-hole reveals something greater.

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

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

FRESHMEN FROM PAGE 1

COUNCIL FROM PAGE 1

Freshmen Largely From Wealthy Families

ABC Hosts Housing Debate

of 2023 who answered a question about parental income in a recent Crimson survey said their families make $250,000 or more per year — earnings higher than 95 percent of American households.

While Harvard continues to await a ruling in the federal lawsuit alleging it illegally discriminates against Asian American applicants based on their race, more Asian American freshmen stepped through the gates of Harvard Yard on Aug. 27 than any time in the University’s history. Whether the University or Students for Fair Admissions — the anti-affirmative action group acting as plaintiff — wins the case, the verdict will almost certainly be appealed.

As freshmen settled into their dorms and adjusted to their new lives in Cambridge, roughly 55 percent of them responded to a Crimson email questionnaire about their backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles.

The anonymous survey explores topics ranging from political ideology to alcohol consumption to perspectives on current campus controversies.

Of 1,666 students comprising the Class of 2023, 919 freshmen responded. The Crimson did not account for potential selection bias in its analysis of the results. Due to rounding, reported statistics may not total exactly 100 percent.

The opening segment of The Crimson’s three-part introduction to the Class of 2023 takes a close look at the demographic profile of this year’s College freshmen, analyzing the interplay of factors like gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. ­

DEMOGRAPHICS

As has been typical for entering Harvard classes, this year’s freshman matriculants are predominantly white, wealthy, straight, suburban, and from coastal areas of the country.

Of students who responded to The Crimson’s survey, roughly 52 percent identified as female, 48 percent as male, and 0.2 percent as non-binary. Separately, approximately 0.2 percent identified as being transgender.

• Among participants who answered a question about ethnicity, 47.2 percent identified as white, 22.6 percent as Asian, 11.1 percent as Hispanic or Latinx, 10.1 percent as Black or African American, 5.8 percent as South Asian, 1.2 percent as American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.8 percent as Pacific Islander.

• 76.2 percent of surveyed freshmen were 18 years old on the first day of classes last week. 11 percent were 17 or younger, 10.2 percent were 19, 1.7 percent were 20, and 0.9 percent were 21 or older.

• Of those who responded to a question about sexual orientation, 79.4 percent indicated they identify as straight, 7.2 percent as bisexual, 5.1 percent as gay or lesbian, and 1.7 percent as some other sexual identity.

Roughly 4.8 percent of students said they are questioning their sexuality.

As in past years, a majority of surveyed members of the Class of 2023 come from the east or west coasts of the United States — 40.3 percent hail from the Northeast and 14.8 percent from the West. Meanwhile, 13.2 percent come from the Midwest, 10.5 percent from the Southeast, and a meager 6.4 percent from the southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

• The distribution of students who report coming from urban, suburban, and rural communities remained roughly consistent with last year’s group.

About 10.1 percent of sur-

•

veyed freshmen said they come from rural communities, while a majority — 58.9 percent — indicated suburban origins. The remaining 30 percent of these students came to Cambridge from urban areas.

14.5 percent of respondents said they come from another country, marking an increase over the roughly 12 percent who reported international residency last year.

FAMILIES & FINANCES

In addition its academic preeminence, Harvard is ranked among the world’s most expensive undergraduate institutions. The total cost of attendance for a Harvard College student enrolled for the current academic year is $69,607 — marking the second year in a row that University administrators have raised tuition faster than the pace of inflation.

Roughly 61.1 percent of surveyed students reported receiving financial assistance from Harvard’s need-blind aid program, a moderate bump up from approximately 55.4 percent of aid-receiving respondents last year.

About 14.6 percent of Class of 2023 respondents said they are legacy students, defined as having one or more parents who attended Harvard College as undergraduates; they comprise roughly the same share as legacies among last year’s freshmen.

• 24.6 percent of surveyed freshmen who identified as white also reported being legacy students. Among Hispanic and Latinx respondents, 11.6 percent indicated the same, 9.8 percent of Black and African American respondents did so, and roughly 15.1 percent of those who identified as Asian reported being legacy students.

•

Among self-reported legacy students who answered a question about their family income, more than twothirds indicated their parents make at least a combined $250,000 per year, with 40 percent raking in $500,000 or more. Less than 12 percent of these legacy respondents report a combined parental income of $124,999 or less.

The percentage of survey participants who described themselves as first-generation college students rose again this year — increasing from 17 percent to 18.2 percent.

• 37.5 percent of Hispanic or Latinx respondents indicated they were the first in their families to go to college, as did 21.6 percent of Black and African American students, 15.9 percent of Asian students, and 12.2 percent of white students.

• First-generation freshmen reported much lower family incomes than non-first-generation matriculants in this year’s survey. About 6.7 percent said their parents make a combined $125,000 or more each year, while just over half reported an annual family income of less than $40,000.

• Nearly all first-generation students surveyed — 97.4 percent — said they receive some form of financial aid from Harvard.

THE PATH TO HARVARD

Admission to Harvard College was once again the most competitive it’s been in the University’s history; only 4.5 percent of 43,330 applicants secured spots in the Class of 2023. This was the fifth consecutive year that the admission rate has dropped from the cycle before.

Admitted students were as eager as ever to stake out a claim on the Charles; 81.7 percent ac-

cepted their offers, marking the second-highest matriculation rate in five decades.

• Harvard was the topchoice school for a substantial majority — 72.5 percent — of surveyed freshmen.

• 36.3 percent of respondents applied to Yale as well. Among these students, 44.8 percent were also accepted at Harvard’s New Haven rival.

• Just under 19 percent of respondents reported receiving help preparing college applications from a privately hired counselor. Of these students, 53.4 percent of those who disclosed their parents’ financial status reported a combined family income of $250,000 or more; 4.9 percent reported a parental income of less than $40,000.

• A majority of survey participants — 60.9 percent — said they attended a non-charter public high school, 34 percent indicated they went to a parochial or non-religious private school, and 0.5 percent reported being homeschooled.

• Students who reported legacy status were much more likely to attend a private high school than students who do not have a parent who attended the College.

• 68.5 percent of respondents reported attending secondary schools that reported class rank. Among these students, 75.7 percent said they graduated among the top 2 percent of students in their graduating classes.

60.6 percent of self-reported legacy students at such schools said they were in this top cohort of academic achievers, while 48.9 percent of recruited athletes indicated the same. samuel.zwickel@thecrimson.com

housing each year, calling funding a “major limitation.”

“We are an incredibly welloff and wealthy city, we are a high opportunity city, it is our collective responsibility to make sure that others who start off with less have access to live here,” she said.

Three candidates — John Pitkin, Sukia Akiba, and Ilan Levy — and Councilor Dennis J. Carlone failed to complete the mandatory questionnaire and were not invited to the forum. Councilor Timothy J. Toomey was invited, but did not participate.

“I shouldn’t have to answer their questions in order to participate in a public forum. That’s odd,” he said. “They have the right to ask whatever questions they want, if they want to make endorsements. But I decided when I saw their platform that it wasn’t something I was going to seek.”

Markiewicz responded to the criticism by saying she understands the complaint, but that the guidelines were “clearly delineated.”

“I completely understand that a candidate would be frustrated by not not being able to speak on a forum on one of the most important issues in the city,” she said. “But also, we have to respect the fact that we laid out the rules for everyone.

We want to follow through with that.”

A Better Cambridge Action Fund plans to announce endorsements in the council race within the next week, according to Markiewicz. declan.knieriem@thecrimson.com

UC FROM PAGE 1

UC Leaders Share Semester Plans were unfeasible once entering office.

“There will be initiatives that you thought were going to very well be possible, and it’s okay that not everything is going to always pan out as expected,” Palaniappan said.

Huesa said that the UC’s rules committee has hindered their ability to perform their duties as president and vice president.

Enough representatives changed their votes the week following the meeting, however, to nullify the group’s establishment, leaving the president’s and vice president’s powers in the council uncertain.

“It made the barebones execution of a lot of our platform items — or also just items that the entire UC was trying to pass last semester that had the ultimate objective of improving student life — exceedingly difficult,” Huesa said.

UC Secretary Cade S. Palm-

er ’20, a member of the rules committee and a former Crimson Sports Chair, rejected Huesa’s characterization of the committee’s work.

“The Rules Committee did not disenfranchise the executive, but has simply attempted to resolve the constitutional crisis,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “The effort, beset on all sides by individual members of the council, has thus far failed.”

Palaniappan and Huesa will leave office at the end of the semester after the UC presidential election in November.

The UC will also hold elections in the coming weeks as all UC representatives – except for juniors and seniors who serve as committee chairs, treasurer, or secretary – must run for re-election. Voting will take place between Sept. 17 and 19. kevin.chen@thecrimson.com laura.espinoza@thecrimson.com

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SPORTS

WOMEN’S SOCCER

ABOUT THE TEAM

2018 Overall Record 7-7-1 Shots per Game 12 UPCOMING GAMES ______________________________________ ______________________________________ _________________________________ 2018 Conference Record 4-2-1 ______________________________________ Goals per Game 2.00 Women’s Soccer vs. San Francisco ______________________________________ Friday, Sept. 13, 3 p.m. at Harvard 2019 Overall Re cord 3-1 ______________________________________ Assists per Game 2.75 ______________________________________ Games

2 Women’s Soccer vs. Connecticut ______________________________________4 Shutouts ______________________________________ Shots 48 Shots on Goal Percentage .583 Sunday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m. at UConn ______________________________________ ______________________________________

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Allison Feaster ’98 Joins Boston Celtics’ Front Office

By HENRY ZHU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Since leaving Cambridge as the most decorated scorer in program history, Allison Feaster ‘98 has traversed the world, playing 10 years in the WNBA and nine more across Europe.

A trailblazer in numerous ways for Harvard Basketball, Feaster is now back in familiar territory — and unsurprisingly — breaking new boundaries again.

This past week, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge announced the hiring of the former Crimson standout as the team’s new director of player development. Feaster follows new assistant coach Kara Lawson as the team’s second woman to join the basketball operations side this offseason.

“It’s more so about providing opportunities and opening doors for two of the best qualified candidates they possibly could get,” Feaster said.

“Kara [Lawson] obviously has a wealth of knowledge in basketball and she’s doing an awesome job on the floor with our guys now. I’ve been in this game for a long time… and I’ve gotten the opportunity to learn from the experts at the Celtics, influence our players and try to blend my years of experience with their journeys.”

For Feaster — who previously worked in personnel relations for the NBA’s developmental league, the hiring by the Celtics marks a “full-circle” moment since her first days in New England as a college freshman. ­

“It’s a surreal moment. I remember the first time my mom dropped me off at Harvard Square and the culture shock,” Feaster said. “Now it doesn’t feel as strong of a change for me, but it’s very humbling and simply amazing to be able to join the Celtics organization and to be back here as well...You just take the call [from Ainge] and you can’t say no.”

The hirings of Feaster and Lawson come during an era in the National Basketball Association when women have earned their first seats on the bench.

Since Becky Hammon became the first female full-time assistant in 2014 for the Spurs, seven other female coaches have been hired as assistants, with three brought on this offseason.

Similar progress has been made in the front office: the Memphis Grizzlies, for example, employ five female vice presidents. Numerous league executives including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver have openly expressed their desire to see greater diversity in basketball operations leadership.

“I think that the biggest thing is I believe men and women are different and they bring a different perspective,” said Ainge at a WBUR event on Friday. “ … (Lawson and Feaster) are very, very well-educated, experienced in the world of basketball, and I think they’re going to bring great perspective to our coaching staff and to our entire organization.”

One perspective that may soon be introduced at Boston Landing will come from none other than long-time Har-

FEAST ON OPPORTUNITY Former standout Allison Feaster ‘98 will join Danny Ainge’s reputable front office for the Boston Celtics as the new Director of Player Development. She embarks on this new chapter after a two-decade career in professional basketball. COURTESY OF HARVARD ATHLETICS

vard women’s basketball coach Kathy Delaney-Smith, who has long made team mental fortitude and grit a core component of the program.

“Kathy’s philosophy, Kathy’s coaching style, her mentorship are what guided me in a plethora of different environments

across the globe,” Feaster said.

“We always joke about her mantra, ‘Act as If’, but it’s so applicable in any team setting. You really have to embrace your role and do it to the best of your ability. It’s definitely something I’m going to take to our guys.”

Feaster’s hiring is the lat-

est connection between Harvard and the Celtics. Former C’s strength coach Bryan Doo served in an advisory capacity for the men’s program the last two seasons, while guard Jaylen Brown publicly expressed his desire to take classes in Cambridge during a 2018 talk at the

Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prominent executives including Managing Director Steve Pagliuca and Assistant GM Mike Zarren also hold advanced degrees from Harvard. henry.zhu@thecrimson.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Harvard Withstands Late UMass Push to Survive, 2-1

By LEV COHEN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard women’s soccer had to fight off fatigue, a late goal from Massachusetts off a corner kick, and even a fallen drone on a windy night, but the Crimson won its third straight game anyway, capitalizing on two first half goals Tuesday night and remaining undefeated at home.

The first half was a tight affair, with the Minutewomen (32-1) consistently attempting to play the ball out from the back by using quick combination passing — their forwards often playing with their backs to goal and laying the ball off for mid­

fielders. But Harvard (3-1) was ready for it, pressing up higher defensively and cutting down passing lanes before trying to counter attack.

“We watch video and we know what they’re trying to do,” head coach Chris Hamblin said. “So we have an approach we want to take, and we wanted to counter attack them, so when we won the ball we wanted to be able to get it back quickly and go at them. So we were able to catch them out on a few occasions, which was great. But it’s one of those situations where you have to kind of take your chances.”

While Massachusetts outshot the Crimson, 7-3, in the

first half, most of their shots were from distance and unthreatening. Harvard had the two best chances of the half and made them both count.

Both goals came after passages of play in which Harvard had not seen much of the ball. Seventeen minutes in, junior forward Murphy Agnew, who looked lively throughout the game and provided much of the Crimson’s attacking threat, sent in a dangerous driven cross. First-year midfielder Hollyn Torres collected the ball and slotted it into the bottom right corner for her first Harvard goal in her first start.

She wasn’t the last player to score her first-ever goal. A min-

ute before the end of the first half, after another period in which Massachusetts had enjoyed the majority of the ball, junior forward Lauren Raimondo found a wide open Courtney Rabb, who had time to compose herself, take a few dribbles, and hammer the ball into the back of the net from close range.

“I saw the buildup coming from the transition,” the Tennessee native said. “I saw Lauren was going to get a good cross in, so I just wanted to be there for her, and I’m really glad I could stay composed and convert that goal at such a critical time for our team and help out.”

The sophomore defender had taken just two shots in

11 games last season and was playing in her first game of the year, so she made for an unlikely scorer. The Crimson’s bench erupted when the ball found the back of the net, and Harvard was able to get to halftime with a more comfortable two goal lead.

The Minutewomen came out of the gates strong in the second half, peppering a few early shots on goal and forcing first-year Hannah Gardner, who came on to play goalie in the second half, to make some saves. But the Crimson quickly tightened up defensively and again looked a threat on the counterattack, although many of its counters ended in offsides

FLIP THE SCRIPT After opening the 2018 season with losses in four of its first six games,Harvard is building momentum early in 2019 behind three straight wins courtesy of stingy defense.

Harvard will take on San Francisco on Friday as it looks to avenge last year’s defeat at the hands of the Dons — one of those four early losses. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

calls, to the credit of Massachusetts’ high defensive line.

It wasn’t until the 79th minute that the Minutewomen broke through. A corner from first-year Olivia Gouldsbury led to sophomore Lauren Bonavita’s third goal of the season, leading to a nervy final 10 minutes.

“I think it’s disappointing to give up a goal on a set piece,” Hamblin said. “It always is.

And I think that with 11 minutes left in the game it left a really frantic ending, which we want to try and avoid. And so I think we’ve got to do a better job of that, making sure that we don’t let other teams back in.”

The late Massachusetts goal was the first Harvard had allowed since a 4-1 loss at Northeastern in its first game. While the Crimson conceded 15 shots, few of them were dangerous and the defense generally looked assured again despite the fact that Harvard is a relatively young team, with just two seniors playing on Tuesday.

“They carry me, honestly,” captain Kimaya Cole, one of the two seniors to play Tuesday, said. “They’re so energetic all the time and they want to win, so that’s what keeps us going all the time. We don’t really have to give them a push, we just all want it together.”

The collapse of the drone was definitely the strangest moment of the night. With a shade under nine minutes to go, as the Minutewomen were pushing for an equalizer, the small white aircraft fell near midfield on the Crimson’s left wing, narrowly missing the heads of two startled players. The referee quickly stopped the game, allowing for the drone to be removed. A few deep breaths and nine minutes later, Harvard could celebrate a tight win.

It was the second game in three days for Harvard, which has another quick turnaround coming. The Crimson will face San Francisco on Friday at Ohiri Field as it tries to build on its mini winning streak and stay unbeaten at home. lev.cohen@thecrimson.com