The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 75

The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVI, No. 75 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | WEDNesday, september 4, 2019

NEWS PAGE 5

Advocacy group rates Harvard Medical School “C+” in diversity.

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Editorial PAGE 4

Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 named starting week 1 quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

Op-Ed: Putting Harvard on a pedestal obsures its imperfections.

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By alexandra a. chaidez and Aidan f. ryan

By alexandra a. chaidez Crimson Staff Writer

Crimson Staff Writers

After Harvard freshman Ismail B. Ajjawi ’23 was denied entry into the United States after traveling from Lebanon, University President Lawrence S. Bacow doubled down on his opposition to current U.S. immigration policies.

In an email to Harvard affiliates Tuesday that coincided with the first day of classes, Bacow highlighted his own family’s immigrant background and his concern for new policies that have made it difficult for some international students to attend the University. He also discussed how Trump administration policies favor wealthier and often more educated immigrants.

“Since May, the obstacles facing individuals ensnared in the nation’s visa and immigration process have only grown,” Bacow wrote. “Various international students and scholars eager to establish lives here on our campus find themselves the subject of scrutiny and suspicion in the name of national security, and they are reconsidering the value of joining our community in the face of disruptions and delays.”

Bacow’s parents came to the United States as Jewish Holocaust refugees around the time of World War II. Ajjawi wrote in a statement to The Crimson last week that U.S. immigration officials canceled his visa after interrogating him for hours at Boston Logan International Airport.

The 17-year-old freshman also wrote that an official left during questioning to search his phone and laptop.

“After the 5 hours ended, she called me into a room, and she started screaming at me. She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend[s] list,” Ajjawi wrote at the time.

The State Department declined to comment on Ajjawi’s case and a U.S. Customs and

See bacow Page 3

Members of Divest Harvard raised a banner calling on Harvard to divest its endowment from fossil fuel industries during University President Lawrence S. Bacow’s Convocation address Monday. kathryn s. kuhar—Crimson photographer

Crimson Staff Writer

Cambridge Mayor Marc C. McGovern apologized Monday after reports surfaced that he had accepted campaign contributions from a family that donated $20,000 to an anti-BGLTQ campaign in 2018.

According to records from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, David G. Stubblebine — the president of a Lexington, Mass. real estate company — contributed $20,000 to the “Keep MA Safe” campaign, which led a push to repeal protections against gender identity discrimination passed in a 2018 state referendum. The Massachusetts Family Institute — where he served as the Vice-Chairman on the board of directors — spearheaded the repeal campaign. Three members of the Stubbelbine family have contributed a total of $4,000 to McGovern’s campaign since September 2018.

Somerville resident Sophia Belle accused McGovern of accepting campaign contribu­

Inside this issue

Harvard Today 2

See divest Page 5

College Offers Free Peer Tutoring

By Shera S. Avi-Yonah and delano r. franklin Crimson Staff Writer

As the sun sat low in the sky, a student walked to shop a class in Littauer Hall Tuesday evening.

Crimson photographer

McGovern Returns Campaign Money By declan j. knieriem

Amid summer internships and vacations, members of Divest Harvard spent the summer recruiting incoming freshmen for climate activism during the school year.

Since the semester began, several of these new students have started organizing with Divest Harvard — a group that advocates for the University to divest its endowment holdings in the fossil fuel industry — most recently with a protest at Freshman Convocation Monday.

During the event, upperclassmen held up banners, and freshmen raised orange signs calling for divestment during University President Lawrence S.

By juliet e. isselbacher Crimson Staff Writer

As College students scrambled to set their shopping week schedules, some faced an additional hurdle: an extended outage on Harvard’s online course catalog Monday night. My.Harvard — the website that houses Harvard’s course registration system and a list of class offerings — was inaccessible to some users the night and early morning prior to the first day of courses. Multiple students said the technical issues made it difficult to make last-minute decisions on which courses to try out. Gabrielle A. Donaldson ’23 said she stayed up late into the night trying to access the site, since she had yet to select her courses.

“Hopefully, if they can avoid [outages] in the future, that’d be great. Especially for the students that have procrastination issues,” she said.

Tim Bailey, a spokesperson for Harvard University Information Technology, wrote in an emailed statement that HUIT staff are sympathetic to student dissatisfaction.

See mcgovern Page 3

See first day Page 3

Editorial 4

See tutoring Page 3

My.Harvard Outage Disrupts Shopping Week

tions from the Stubblebine family in a Monday post on the website Medium that described her experience protesting the Boston Straight Pride Parade this past weekend. She also specifically criticized the mayor in a Facebook post the same day.

Belle wrote the donations are “staggering” in the context of a local election.

“If Marc McGovern, who has run on progressive platforms, is really an ally, he will return this developer’s money,” she wrote.

In an interview Tuesday, McGovern said he has “denounced” the contributions and said he plans on donating the $4,000 sum to MassEquality, a BGLTQ advocacy group.

He responded to Belle by apologizing in several separate Facebook posts and thanked her for notifying him.

“I did not know of their involvement. I was doing a fundraiser and they contributed,” he wrote. “I don’t want their money and I appreciate your pointing it out. It was a mistake on my

News 3

kathryn s. kuhar—

­ arvard will now offer free H peer tutoring to undergraduates — a change which comes with the launch of the College’s Academic Resource Center.

The ARC, which opened in August, employs a different peer tutoring system from its predecessor, the Bureau of Study Council. The ARC primarily offers tutoring in free group classes, rather than charging students a fee for individual sessions.

“Under the previous model, students were charged a rate of $7/hour for one-on-one tutoring, while those receiving financial aid were charged a prorated amount commensurate with the amount of aid they receive,” Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Sindhumathi Revuluri wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Now, tutoring

services will be made available to all College undergraduate students at no cost.”

“This is a major step forward in reducing barriers to learning for our students,” she added.

Philippe Noël ’20, who worked as a BSC tutor for two years, wrote in an email that the availability of free tutoring solves a problem students just above financial aid cutoffs had faced under the previous system.

“Before it used to be ‘if you’re on financial aid, it’s free so you don’t care, if you’re very wealthy, you’re rich so you don’t care, but if you’re just at the border where you have to pay for it but aren’t that wealthy, it might be harder,’” he wrote.

Though students seeking help will not pay for ARC tutoring, some tutors will face a pay cut under the new system, according to the 2019-2020 tutor

Sports 7

Harvard Extension School class Physics I: “Mechanics, Elasticity, Fluids, and Diffusion” taught by Anna M. Klales meets in Science Center Hall B Tuesday, the first day of shopping week. kathryn s. kuhar—Crimson photographer

Today’s Forecast

t-storms High: 86 Low: 58

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Follow @TheCrimson on Twitter.

a king

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Grilled Reuben Sandwich Red Spiced Chicken Roasted Carrots and Lentils

For Dinner Grilled BBQ Pork Chop Red’s Best Fresh Catch Seitan Pepper Sizzle

TODAY’S EVENTS PHBA Fall 2019 General Open House Phillips Brooks House, 2-5 p.m.

IN THE REAL WORLD Florida, Georgia and South Carolina Await Hurricane Dorian

Feeling that urge to give back to the community? Find out about community service and public advocacy opportunities at the Phillips Brooks House, where you can explore over 80 programs ranging from afterschool tutoring programs to homeless shelters.

After causing unforeseen damage in the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian is heading northwest to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Although Dorian has weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 2 hurricane, its diameter has expanded, and torrential rain, gusts of wind up to 200 mph, and coastal flooding are expected through Wednesday night.

BGLTQ+ in the Yard: Panel Ticknor Lounge, 4-5:30 p.m.

Come to Ticknor Lounge from to hear student perspectives and campus resources on coming and being ‘out’, navigating family relationships and friendships, identity labels, and how to be a supportive friend. Students of all identities are welcome.

UK Parliament Passes Bill to Potentially Delay a No-Deal Brexit In honor of the first day of classes, students were able to pick up free flowers from the Smith Campus Center. KATHRYN S. KUHAR—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING After Harvard freshman Ismail B. Ajjawi ’23 was denied entry into the United States after traveling from Lebanon, University President Lawrence S. Bacow doubled down on his opposition to current U.S. immigration policies. In an email to Harvard affiliates Tuesday that coincided with the first day of classes, Bacow highlighted his own family’s immigrant background and his concern for new policies that have made it difficult for some international students to attend the University. In other news, members of Divest Harvard spent the summer recruiting incoming freshmen for climate activism during the school year.

The British Parliament voted in favor of a potential cross-party alliance to take control of the House of Commons, a possibility after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s party lost its majority. This vote will enable Parliament to vote on another bill to force the Johnson to delay Brexit until January, unless the majority of members of parliament vote for a no-deal exit.

Walmart to Stop Selling Ammunition for Smaller Firearms

In the wake of mass shootings in Odessa, Tex. and El Paso, Tex. — the latter of which took place in a Walmart store — the Arkansas-based company announced that it will discontinue the sale of handgun and short-barrel rifle ammunition once they run out of their current stock. Walmart will stop selling handguns in Alaska, and will request that customers around the country not carry weapons openly on their person in stores.

AROUND THE IVIES CORNELL Ithaca resident Cadji Ferguson was acquitted of disorderly conduct Friday, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. After Ferguson, who is black, was accused of attacking another man in the Ithaca Commons in April, his case drew allegations of racial profiling. Conflicting police and defense reports of Ferguson’s actions led to an acquittal due to lack of evidence, despite the existence of body camera footage that showed details of the attack.

Rose de Groat, another defendant in the incident, will face trial in November for a more serious felony of resisting arrest.

UPENN

University of Pennsylvania student government members are trying to increase internal diversity training and advocating for the release of diversity reports as some have been dissatisfied with how the organization addresses diversity, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. Members of the student government — which includes six different branches — specifically want to address diversity issues within leadership and membership positions. Elena Hoffman, a member of the student government, has called for “unconscious bias training.”

YALE

The yield rate for the Yale University class of 2023 dropped 2.3 percent compared to the rate for the class of 2022, the Yale Daily News reported. Yield rates are the percentage of students that choose to attend a school after being accepted. The class of 2022, which posted a 72.4 percent rate, was the school’s highest yield rate in recent memory. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jeremiah Quinlan told the Yale Daily News this year’s yield rate was the fifth time in the past 12 years that the yield rate was above 70 percent.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE

Associate Managing Editor Jamie D. Halper ’20

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

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

Associate Business Manager Amy E. Zhou ’20

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

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

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

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

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

Night Editor Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20

Design Editor Camille G. Caldera ’22

Assistant Night Editors Laura C. Espinoza ’22 Aidan F. Ryan ’21

Photo Editors Mariah Ellen D. Dimalaluan ’20 Kathryn S. Kuhar ’20

Story Editors Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20 Andrew J. Zucker ’20

Sports Editor Joseph W. Minatel ’21

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

Copyright 2019, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.

Editorial Editor Jessenia N. Class ’20

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

PAGE 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

BACOW FROM PAGE 1

DIVEST FROM PAGE 1

Bacow Shares Immigration Views Divest Harvard Adds Freshmen

Border Protection spokesperson wrote that CBP found Ajjawi “inadmissible.”

Ajjawi arrived on campus Monday in time for the start of classes after efforts from University administrators and AMIDEAST, an organization funding his study at Harvard. With Ajjawi’s story attracting national attention, Bacow used the opportunity to reiterate his opposition to the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.

In addition to the letter, Bacow spoke to National Public Radio Tuesday about his concerns with the current policies and his lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. He said that as of his interview with NPR, he had spoken to 54 members of Congress one-on-one about issues of immigration.

Bacow also said students from colleges and universities beyond Harvard have faced similar issues when trying to enter the country.

“I think it’s important to understand that our nation’s academic institutions are in many ways magnets for the best and the brightest from around the world,” Bacow said in the NPR interview. “And we all benefit for the opportunity for students and scholars to come study and work here.”

Bacow noted during the interview that the presidents of Harvard, MIT, Princeton University, and Stanford University are all immigrants or children of immigrants.

In July, Bacow penned a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan to share his “deep concern” about uncertainty over the current immigration policies.

“Students report difficulties getting initial visas—from delays to denials,” Bacow wrote in the July letter. “Scholars have experienced postponements and disruptions for what have

previously been routine immigration processes such as family visas, renewals of status, or clearance for international travel.”

Bacow also mentioned that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status recipients at Harvard are vulnerable under the Trump administration’s current policies. DACA recipiemts — also known as Dreamers — are undocumented youth allowed to legally live in and work in the U.S. under the Obama-era initiative, while Tempory Protected Status is a program that gives legal protection to immigrants from countries.

Less than a week after he wrote the letter, Bacow met with several lawmakers — including members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation — during a trip to Washington, D.C., where he discussed some of the concerns raised in the letter, according to University spokesperson Jonathan L.

Swain.

Bacow’s predecessor, former University President Drew G. Faust, spent the last months of her tenure meeting with lawmakers to voice her support for immigration reform. A vocal advocate for undocumented students, Faust appeared on national television, penned letters to House and Senate leaders, and signed onto letters calling for protections for immigrants.

Bacow concluded his letter Tuesday by calling on Harvard affiliates to uphold the University’s values, even though difficult times.

“We must devote ourselves to the work of illuminating the world through word and deed, and we must continue to affirm and safeguard the values that underlie the finest traditions of this extraordinary nation, especially in turbulent times,” Bacow said. alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson.com aidan.ryan@thecrimson.com

FIRST DAY FROM PAGE 1

College Debuts New Gen-Ed Program “We understand the frustration this is causing and apologize for the inconvenience at such a critical time of the year,” he wrote. “There is a large HUIT team working aroundthe-clock to resolve technical issues with the my.harvard system.”

“We have significantly expanded server capacity to meet increased activity over the next week,” he added. “Contingency plans are in place in the event of further system disruption.”

This year’s first day of classes also marked the official rollout of the new General Education program — the “cornerstone of the Harvard College curriculum” according to its website. Several of this semester’s General Education courses are revamped versions of previous course offerings. The overhauled General Education program, which includes new

requirements, arose after a faculty committee tasked with reviewing the program in 2015 found it was “failing on a variety of fronts.”

Administrators announced last year they were delaying the rollout of the new program until fall 2019 — a year later than originally planned — to give faculty members more time to develop courses. General Education courses are interdisciplinary and “unusually explicit” in their connection to the “world outside the classroom,” according to the site. Several students said they are excited about GENED 1076 002: “Equity and Excellence in K12 American Schools” — which was rebranded from its former title, United States and the World 35. Lincoln F. Sorscher ’21 said that the lottery for the capped course — which garnered interest from hundreds of students

— made him uneasy.

“I don’t like my odds,” he said. “But I thought it was a really dope class. I was really ex-

“That’s the one downside to GenEds — there’s kind of a lot of people.”

Hannah R. Alton ’22 Student

cited about it.”

Hannah R. Alton ’22, who shopped GENED 1116: “Medical Ethics and History,” said she believes General Education courses offer opportunities to explore different fields.

“I think Gen-Eds are a good way to explore academic areas that you haven’t had a chance to look at in too much depth and

potentially explore future careers,” she said.

“That’s the one downside to Gen-Eds — there’s kind of a lot of people. Usually during shopping week, it’s super packed.”

Several non-General Education programs proved to be just as popular. An introductory course in American Sign Language — which was reintroduced after two decades in 2017, and approved in fall 2018 as a means by which to fulfill the language requirement — also drew a sizable crowd. Arielle S. Rothman ’21 said in an email that the room was so full that she had to sit outside.

“I think it would be best if you found someone who actually got to see the professor, which is especially relevant for this class because it is ASL,” she wrote. juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com

Bacow’s speech.

Martha J. Denton ’23, who helped with the convocation protest, said she joined Divest Harvard because she sees divestment as an effective mechanism for combating climate change.

“One thing that was really, really pushed during orientation is that we are Harvard — like the students are what makes Harvard — so we have a right and an obligation to push for what’s right,” Denton said.

“And I think divestment is one of the best tactics to combat climate change.”

Over the summer, Divest Harvard arranged a conference call for new students interested in joining their ranks. Divest Harvard member Claire E. Pryor ’22, one of the organizers on the call, said the group wanted to build a base of new members to take part in early advocacy efforts and recruit them before they filled their schedules.

“Summer is a really good time to get people organized and thinking about the kind of activism they’re going to be doing in the upcoming year,” Pryor said.

“Incoming first years, in particular, aren’t doing much,” she added.

“They’re getting ready and excited for the school year.

They’re thinking a lot about what their life is going to be like at Harvard. It’s a pretty optimal time for us to reach out to them and ask if they’re interested in being involved with divestment activism.”

Pryor said she believes the group succeeded in this early recruitment by creating a “really, really solid base” of freshmen interested in fossil fuel divestment.

Henry N. Lear ’23, a student who took part in the summer call, said he first became aware of Divest Harvard during Visitas, the College’s annual admitted students weekend.

At the time Lear was touring the College, Divest Harvard was hosting Heat Week, a week filled with panels and discus-

sions about climate change that culminated in a rally in Harvard Yard.

“On my first day, I was walking through Tercentenary Theater, and there was an enormous demonstration full of people and signs and you know, just this huge kind of unavoidable sight,” Lear said.

“It illustrated to me what climate activism looks like on campus and then also a clear wa y to get involved.”

Both Lear and Denton said that freshmen are particularly interested in joining Divest Harvard because of escalating climate issues and the impact climate change is expected to have on their futures.

“For the University to be complicit in something that’s going to affect me, my peers and future generations hurts in a way,” Lear said. “I want to open up that dialogue, and I want to say to this administration that there is a clear path of action here.”

University spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in an emailed statement that Bacow, members of the Harvard Corporation, and other administrators have met with members of Divest Harvard and will continue to engage with them in the future.

Newton also referenced the University’s Climate Action Plan, which commits the school to being be fossil fuel-neutral by 2026 and fossil fuel-free by 2050, and noted that Harvard is tackling the issue of climate change through its scholarship and teaching instead of divestment.

“As it has done for well over a decade, the University will continue to support its faculty, students and staff as they pursue a range of innovative and ambitious efforts to accelerate the world’s transition to renewable sources of energy and to help mitigate the catastrophic consequences of climate change that are already being realized,” Newton wrote. alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson.com

TUTORING FROM PAGE 1

MCGOVERN FROM PAGE 1

ARC Offers Free Peer Tutors

McGovern Returns Donation

handbook.

Like the BSC, the ARC will hire both peer tutors and “peer tutor fellows,” who offer week-

­part and I apologize.”

McGovern said in the interview that he was initially made aware of the Stubblebine’s other contributions by Belle through her Facebook post. He also said he had no prior knowledge of the family beyond the fact they had donated to his campaign.

“The fact is, this happens in politics. The question is, what do you do when you find out?”

McGovern said. “There are some people who make an excuse and keep the money, and then there are some people who stand up and do the right thing.”

“I was going to return the money to the family, but I thought why not put it to better use,” he added. Stubblebine did not respond to multiple re-

­

“Now, tutoring services will be made available to all College undergraduate students at no cost.”

Sindhumathi Revuluri Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education

ly instruction hours for certain classes.

The BSC paid fellows $21 per hour and regular tutors $19 per hour.

The ARC will pay all student employees the same rate — $19 per hour.

Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh first announced the creation of the ARC in June following several years of changes to the BSC and its mission.

Revuluri said in June that administrators intend for the ARC to have a more academic focus than its predecessor, which once fell under the umbrella of Harvard University Health Services.

Frances Hisgen ’21, who has worked at the BSC and used its tutoring services, also praised the decision to offer free tutor-

ing.

She said, however, that she does not agree with the College’s decision to separate peer tutoring from mental health services.

“I think that’s fantastic.

I think that’s one of the best things about the new ARC,” Higsen said.

“Removing any barrier to access is really important and a great step for the College to take,” she added.

Under the new system for academic tutoring, peer tutor fellows will focus their efforts on in-demand courses in the Computer Science, Economics, and Math departments. shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com delano.franklin@thecrimson.com

quests for comment. In the interview, McGovern also defended his record on BGLTQ rights, which he said includes securing funding for a BGLTQ organization at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and obtaining permission for Cambridge birth certificates to include a “Gender X” option.

He said he was an “outspoken leader” in supporting the gender identity protections in the 2018 referendum. Nadeem A. Mazen, a former city councilor, said in an interview that the success of McGovern’s campaign is “predicated” on contributions from “special interests.”

“Mayor McGovern’s comments on this particular developer are part of a larger prob-

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lem that he has accepted special interest donations,” he said.

“Marc McGovern has not been the progressive that he claims to be.”

In an emailed statement, McGovern responded to the criticisms from Mazen by saying he stands by his “progressive record.”

“I’ve been fighting for progressive policies, both as a city representative and as a social worker, for my entire adult life,” he wrote. “I have never put any interest above serving the people, particularly the most vulnerable, of my community — I have literally devoted my life to it.” declan.knieriem@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

PAGE 4

EDITORIAL OP-ED

OP-ED

Two Bad Strawberries

Buying Into Harvard

By CHLOE A. SHAWAH

I

n my beautifully sleepy hometown in Connecticut, two Protestant churches stand squarely on opposite sides of our town green. One of these churches holds an annual Apple Festival on the green during the fall, the other a Strawberry Festival in the beginning of the summer.

This summer, as my friend and I walked into the Strawberry Festival towards the white tents where local artists sell homemade handiwork, two middle-aged women approached us with a clipboard.

In January 2019, Edward “Ned” Lamont Jr. ’76 became the 89th Governor of Connecticut after a contentious race; Lamont garnered 49.2 percent of the popular vote, with his opponent falling just shy with 46.2 percent.

Some of Lamont’s new proposals, especially his plan to bring highway tolls to the state, have been met with opposition, including among these women at the Strawberry Festival.

“Would you be willing to sign a petition opposing Lamont’s proposal to add tolls to Connecticut highways?”

Having been away at school for the year, my friend and I were not caught up on our state politics. Curious, we asked if they knew what the toll revenue would be funding. We’d rather not have to pay to drive on I-95, but if we knew that the money would positively impact our schools, for example, we could get on board. The two women scoffed at us, replying something along the lines of, “I don’t know, probably whatever Lamont feels like spending it on.”

Seeing that we were unamused with their answer and thus increasingly unwilling to sign their petition, they then said something along the lines of, “Don’t worry, you’re young. One day you will understand the importance of getting involved.”

Before I begin my critique, let me make this clear: Activism and civic participation are extremely important.

Our world, our country, and our campus need people who are willing to fight for something bigger than themselves, who are dedicated to combating oppression and injustice, and who are brave enough to take on institutions and individuals of power. Engaging in activism is an action that I almost always consider to be selfless, even noble, whether or not I personally agree with the cause.

I will not, however, bestow that distinction upon these two ladies.

While activism is absolutely essential, it must be informed, and it must not be patronizing. To ask me to sign a petition to protest a toll without knowing where

Engaging in activism is an action that I almost always consider to be selfless, even noble the money is going is much more likely to turn me away from your cause than to get me to join it.

It’s basic argumentation 101: understand the counterargument, concede when appropriate, and then refute.

Had the two women told me something along the lines of: “While the toll revenue would be earmarked for fixing roads and bridges around Connecticut, the state has tried to do this before with a gas tax with little to no noticeable improvement,” (a defensible argument) they would have made an infinitely stronger case for themselves.

At Harvard, I’ve had similar experiences with this “blind activism;” one of which was a fellow student asking me to stand with them against Harvard’s ethically questionable land holdings without a clue of where these land holdings were located or how they were acquired.

I think it’s common sense that an activist should understand the details of their own cause, but it is also never be-

neath an activist, or any citizen for that matter, to understand the arguments, plans, and details of those whom they disagree with.

I’m not suggesting that activists become all-knowing before asking me to agree with them; that would be impossible. However, when asked a question they can’t answer about their position or their opponents’, activists should lose the patronizing tone. Don’t laugh it off, look it up.When activists choose to patronize instead of educate, they run the larger risk of alienation. People lose interest in the cause.

It’s self-defeating. Before even looking at the merits of the women’s cause, my friend and I felt as though we already sided against it based off of their arrogant yet uneducated patronization.

And what bothered me most of all was that the two women laughed off Lamont’s plan as if it was beneath them to even understand the policies of a politician they dislike, and I fear that this may be reflective of politics in this country at a larger scale.

We seem to assume that the people on the other side of the aisle are wrong before we even read their proposals. We exist in silos of ideology with no effort to consider or understand other ideas, close-minded to the point of blindness.

Maybe you noticed that I never mentioned the two women’s or Ned Lamont’s party affiliation: That was intentional.

It’s because I know this problem of blind activism is equally present in both parties. Perhaps the two women were a particularly egregious example — two bad strawberries if you will — but they are not alone, and Harvard students are not exempt from the trap they embody.

And to the women at the Strawberry Festival: You did inspire me to get involved.

Just not in the way you intended.

—Chloe A. Shawah ’22, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Cabot House.

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op-eds@thecrimson.com OP-ED

Nobody ‘Deserves’ Harvard

By K. CATHY SUN

“K

yle Kashuv deserved a spot a Harvard, they shouldn’t have rescinded him.”

“Those Asian applicants should have gotten into Harvard, their scores were more than enough.”

“I’m sure those students got in with affirmative action, they couldn’t have earned their spots otherwise.”

Any of this ring a bell?

In dialogues about the admission and rescission policies of Harvard and similarly elite educational institutions, the concept of “deserving” admission is frequently raised, with the implicit assumption that college admissions are an ideal meritocratic system.

Time and time again, this notion of entitlement — that somehow surpassing an unnamed threshold of accomplishments attains an irrevocable claim to a cap and gown at Harvard University’s graduation ceremony — resurfaces to be leveraged in any new controversy regarding Harvard’s admissions system, be it the ongoing discrimination lawsuit, Kyle Kashuv’s rescission, or a passing conversation about the merits of affirmative action.

The ability to earn and accumulate credits in order to reach a vaguely-defined meter bar and, with it, a ticket to the Ivy League, is a concept rooted in a belief about the meritocratic nature of higher education admissions.

At its core, it is a reflection of the American “bootstrap” work ethic — everyone gets what they work for.

And certainly, a meritocratic admissions system is what all of our higher education institutions should strive for.

But this sense of entitlement hurts, rather than helps, in creating this meritocratic system.

To begin with, the idea of “deserving” admission is usually associated

with a limited set of academic qualities.

Often individuals who buy into the idea of “deserving” admission believe these academic qualities should be the only intellectual criteria for college admissions.

It is not hard to immediately identify what these qualities are — a high grade point average, an ambitious course load, flawless scores on the SAT. The problem with this mindset is that it completely discounts the systemic disadvantages and differences that exist across the educational landscape.

Implicit in the notion that everyone gets what they work for is the belief that everyone has the equal opportunity to do so, and unfortunately, that is not a practical reflection of reality.

The truth is that it is simply much easier for someone raised in the Upper East Side — or any upper middle-class district in America — to afford and access tutoring services, multiple takes of the SAT, and even a readily available, comfortable environment to study than someone from a single-parent family below the poverty line.

It does not make sense to measure academic achievements as they appear on a standard scale. They need to be contextualized.

But to step even further back, the idea that entitlement to a seat in higher education should be constricted to simply these academic achievements is questionable, and misses the point of admissions criteria.

The fact is that a student with a beyond stellar academic record is never entitled to a place at Harvard.

Why? Because any admissions system should account for traits beyond those that can be minimized to empirical numbers — they ought to consider per-

sonal character, basic values, and capacity for compassion.

The goals of our most elite higher education institutions are not to create self-superior, exclusive enclaves grounded in limited highbrow perspectives.

They are to nurture vibrant communities that facilitate civil and ethical exchanges of diverse ideas, opinions, and experiences in order to create future generations of critical, creative, and conscientious leaders.

When we think more sharply about the goals of institutions like Harvard, it is not difficult to recognize why admissions criteria should not be limited to a checklist of academic statistics, and why they must account for qualities like personality and social behavior.

In short, in mainstream discussions of college admissions, the idea of “deserving” admission can only be used if one assumes a level playing field — which does not exist.

This notion reinforces a wrong and unrealistic vision of meritocracy — one in which the way merit is defined and evaluated is unbalanced and unfair.

Moreover, the concept of entitlement also fails to account for the actual aims of admissions systems, instead limiting the scope of what it takes to be “deserving” to a checklist of intellectual or scholastic accomplishments.

To truly move meritocratic systems forward — and I fully acknowledge that institutions like Harvard have a long way to go in realizing such systems — we must first discard this notion of “deserving,” and start by reconsidering what purposes and outcomes admissions criteria exist to serve and create.

—K. Cathy Sun ’22, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Currier House.

By MICHELLE I. GAO

W

hat can’t Harvard put its seal on?

The butter is the craziest item, I think. I understand the Veritaffles, which have become a Sunday routine. And at least waffles are large enough for the seal to show up in all its glory. But tiny discs of butter? All that fits is the outline of the seal, too generic to clearly signify Harvard. So I’ve always had a good laugh at formal dinners where the Harvard butter makes an appearance.

One could argue that it’s reasonable enough to be constantly reminded of Harvard at the University itself, but Harvard merchandise has also seeped into my home. My family has decided that they should not flaunt Harvard gear outside, quite sensibly.

Less sensibly, their alternative is to turn inside. Every time I go back to school, they ask me, completely seriously, to bring back as much merchandise as possible — shirts, pens, mugs, from any club, House, or sport, so long as it is recognizably from Harvard.

As I’ve proven to be only a semi-reliable dealer of Harvard goods, they have taken the matter into their own hands, ordering items including Harvard tumblers and a Harvard chair.

Yet I also wonder if that is the problem: going beyond the premise that Harvard is the symbol of success to putting it on a pedestal it doesn’t deserve.

I have struggled to deal with this veneration of Harvard merchandise so close to home. It’s not like I don’t get it. This is yet another incarnation of the same narrative: To my family, as to many others, Harvard has always been a symbol of success. That we have achieved it, even if to no small degree fortuitously, is worth celebrating.

Yet I also wonder if that is the problem: going beyond the premise that Harvard is the symbol of success to putting it on a pedestal it doesn’t deserve. I’m disappointed that proximity to Harvard hasn’t changed this mindset of worship.

To be fair, it’s not only my family. I’m just as complicit. I still derive validation from being the “Harvard kid” within my extended family and the Chinese community, where dropping the name can make everyone from distant elders to the barber treat me differently.

I still catch myself making judgments about other people’s schools. I do these things even though I know from experience that Harvard isn’t worthy of all this.

Harvard lives up to its name in many ways, of course. But putting it on a pedestal obscures the imperfections that it, like any other institution, has.

It isn’t the world leader in every academic field.

Its administration can make questionable decisions about student life.

Its culture can leave students overwhelmed and feeling alone.

Too often I’ve heard the argument that such things shouldn’t matter: If the experience is disappointing, you must be the problem. But purveyors of this argument have bought too deeply or blindly into Harvard. There’s no point in blaming Harvard, but neither is it a golden ticket or revolutionary experience by default; it’s what you make of it.

You can also make Harvard an entire lifestyle.

Both the name and the network are large enough that you can choose to associate only within the circle and lead a successful life.

That would be a shame, though. Harvard isn’t

The name and the network are Harvard’s greatest gifts to its graduates, but the real opportunity they provide is the opportunity to experience more of the world, not less.

To gain perspective, not to lose it. the whole world. To state the obvious, plenty of people who will be successful do not get into Harvard, and on the flip side, plenty of people who do not deserve it get in.

And yes, the name and the network are Harvard’s greatest gifts to its graduates, but the real opportunity they provide is the opportunity to experience more of the world, not less. To gain perspective, not lose it.

Of course, it’s easy for me to preach that you should care less about Harvard when I’ve already gotten what I wanted. It also seems worse than easy — almost insulting — to dictate what Harvard should or should not symbolize to people who have worked much harder and sacrificed much more than I ever have in my life.

I’m around the age my parents were when they came to America probably knowing more about Harvard than of English; so I can wax poetic about perspective, but what have I really seen?

Which is why I haven’t had these conversations about Harvard with my family. I do think their trips to the Coop every time they come to Cambridge are a bit excessive, but I also do try to get them items I think they’d like. Rather than trying to patronize them, I think all I can focus on is keeping my own perspective.

So for me, I don’t want to buy too deeply into the Harvard mindset, but I will try to enjoy it. Put another way, I don’t want to be the person who decided that the Veritas butter was a good idea.

I want to be the person who will always have a good laugh when I see it on the table.

—Michelle I. Gao ’21, a Crimson Associate Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Adams House.

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

Med School Given ‘C+’ for Diversity

By ALEXIS K. BOLNER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

­ arvard Medical School reH ceived a “C+” on a report issued Monday by advocacy group White Coats for Black Lives evaluating diversity, inclusion, and integration of minorities at 17 medical institutions across the country.

The group’s Racial Justice Report Card evaluated schools including Yale University of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins.

The report evaluates schools on metrics such as minority student and faculty representation, patient access, campus policing, and staff benefits.

Last year, Harvard received a B- from the organization.

“The Racial Justice Report Card (RJRC) serves not only as an organizing tool for justice-oriented medical students, but also as a set of standards

for medical schools aspiring towards transparency and progress in cultivating an anti-racist environment,” according to the report.

While the school earned a C+ overall, evaluators awarded the Medical School a C for some criteria assessed in the report, including student and faculty racial representation, recognition, grade disparities, campus policing, anti-racist training and curriculum, marginalized patient protection, equal access for all patients, and staff compensation and insurance.

The “C” grade was designated for areas where the Medical School did not meet the standards or there was no publicly available data, according to the report.

The Medical School did not receive any “A” grades.

The Medical School’s student body comprises 7.1 percent black students, 0.1 percent Native American students, 9.5

percent Latinx students, and 2.9 percent multiracial students. The report card’s criteria for sufficient underrepresented minority enrollment was at least 13 percent black students, 1 percent Native American students, and 17 percent Latinx student, which are the proportions of these racial categories in the United States population.

Medical School spokesperson Gina Vild wrote in an emailed statement that the school is working to improve its diversity.

“We welcome the ongoing discussion with White Coats for Black Lives and take seriously our responsibility to champion social progress that will benefit our students, and through them, the people for whom they will ultimately care,” she wrote.

“In recent years, HMS has made significant advances in this area. We acknowledge that there is more work to be done, and we will be unwavering in

our commitment to continuing the progress.”

Since last year’s report card release, the Medical School has held dialogues on diversity to address the issues of diversity and inclusion brought to light with the Racial Justice Report Card.

White Coats for Black Lives reiterated in an emailed statement that the group’s members hope the report card will advance efforts for better racial representation at medical institutions.

“White Coats for Black Lives hopes that the Racial Justice Report Card will highlight best practices and encourage academic medical centers to direct their considerable power and resources towards addressing the needs of students, patients and healthcare workers of color,” White Coats for Black Lives wrote in an email. alexis.bolner@thecrimson.com

Harvard, from the Law School to Longwood.

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CAMILLE G. CALDERA—CRIMSON DESIGNER

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

The latest on student life.

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PAGE 6

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

Sports this week’s HOME

SLATE

September 4, 2019

Wednesday ______________________________________

friday ______________________________________

SaTURDAY ______________________________________

Women’s Soccer vs. Quinnipiac 7 p.m.

Field Hockey at Sacred Heart 4 p.m.

Women’s Rugby vs. Army 12 p.m.

Football

Former Harvard Star Named NFL Week One Starter By joseph w. minatel Crimson Staff Writer

Amid a flurry of trades and other roster moves over Labor Day weekend, the Miami Dolphins found themselves under widespread scrutiny. Despite the fervent denials of head coach Brian Flores, many media outlets and fans have accused the Dolphins of tanking their 2019 season. Days after the trades of household names left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills, the internet was abound with rumors and accusations of the Dolphins intending to lose this season in order to improve its future position.

It would be hard to deny that the front office has the future in mind, as it acquired multiple future draft picks in these trades and gave up players that would likely help the team win this season. Whether the “Fish Tank” theory is correct or not, there is one man on the Dolphins roster that will undoubtedly not be playing to lose: new starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Before the Dolphin’s first regular season matchup against rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, Fitzpatrick was named the team’s starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick ‘05 has had a long and tried career in the

NFL. The 36-year-old journeyman quarterback finds himself preparing to start a game for his eighth team in a roller coaster of a 15-year career. In his many seasons of service, Fitzpatrick has found himself on a number of struggling teams. He has never appeared in a playoff game despite playing in 141 career contests. In 2015, after setting career highs in wins, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, his 10-6 New York Jets missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This coming season, the depleted Dolphins offer little hope that the aging quarterback will finally find his way to the promised land.

Due to Miami’s current state and future plans, many currently see Fitzpatrick as a placeholder for newly acquired second-year quarterback Josh Rosen. The 22-year-old struggled in his first season for the Arizona Cardinals, and it is widely expected that Fitzpatrick was brought in to give Rosen direction and time to develop as a more accurate passer.

His abysmal rookie completion rate of 55.4 percent is lower than any mark that Fitzpatrick has posted in his entire career.

With the seemingly ageless Tom Brady still playing for the division rival New England Pa-

triots, the Dolphins are hardly alone in thinking about their quarterback of the future.

While it is unlikely that they consider Fitzpatrick that answer, the Harvard product has recently shown that he still has the ability to excel in the league.

Last season, in a run dubbed “Fitzmagic,” the 2004 Ivy League Player of the Year started the season on as high of a note as possible. With Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback Jameis Winston suspended for the first four contests, Fitzpatrick was enlisted to step in.

Despite his penchant for running, the first Harvard quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards started to sling the ball in a historic stretch that paced the NFL. Over the first three games of the season, Fitzpatrick threw for over 400 yards in each contest, totalling a mind-boggling 1,230 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns. Following a poor showing in week four and a bye in week five, however, Fitzpatrick was quickly replaced with the Buccaneer’s current franchise quarterback, Jameis Winston.

Even though his magical ride occurred nearly an entire calendar year ago, Fitzpatrick still showed throughout the entire season that he deserved to be

under center. He played in four more games over the course of the season, totalling a respectable 2,366 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions for a rate that would have shattered his previous career-highs in yards and touchdowns. Even at the age of 35, the gunslinger posted career highs in completion percentage, touchdown percentage, yards per attempt, and yards per completion.

Analysts have been quick to point out that the Dolphins are focused on the future, writing off Fitzpatrick before the season has even started. He is not without his own accuracy issues: Fitzpatrick has thrown at least 8 interceptions in every season except for 2016 in which he has started at least one game, reaching the double digits in picks in eight of 15 campaigns.

However, his penchant for interceptions has always been a concern, and his age seems to stay out of the way. Fitzpatrick’s best season occurred at the age of 33, and last year he showed that his advancing age has not taken its tear.

Even Fitzpatrick’s legs have not slowed down, as the quarterback totalled 4.2 yards per carry and scrambled for two touchdowns last season. This preseason, Fitzpatrick excited the internet by trucking through a defender on the Buc-

FITZMAGIC 2.0 Fitzpatrick, the 121st captain of the football team, will start another chapter of his career. Joseph L. Abel—Crimson photographer

caneers, one of his many former teams, to gain a first down.

Briefly, the internet stirred of Fitzmagic hopes.

Even if the Dolphins season proves to be as disastrous as

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expected, the former Harvard quarterback will surely hope to create some more magic for his team. joseph.minatel@thecrimson.com

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