The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 34

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVI NO. 34 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

EDITORIAL PAGE 4

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 6

When it comes to inclusion, students have made themeselves clear.

The Washington Post’s Martin Baron wins a Goldsmith Award.

Harvard men’s lacrosse defeats Providence.

Union Alleges Contract Violation

OSAPR Launches New Program

This past week, five people were laid off at the Harvard Extension School allegedly without the school properly following union contract procedures.

JONATHAN G. YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

By JAMES S . BIKALES and RUOQI ZHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Harvard’s largest union initiated grievance procedures on behalf of several Harvard Division of Continuing Education employees who were laid off last week as part of the division’s efforts to make use of similar Faculty of Arts and Sciences personnel instead.

DCE laid off facilities and mailroom staff last week as a part of the restructuring, according to DCE teaching support employee Daniel P. Jeffs, who was not laid off. DCE Director of Operations Patrick F. Shea was among those laid off.

Other DCE employees have or-

ganized an email campaign raising concerns about the department’s handling of the layoffs, Jeffs said.

The Harvard Union of Technical and Clerical Workers — the union for some of the laid off employees — and DCE disagree over whether the Division followed its contractual obligation to notify HUCTW and affected employees ahead of time. That notification process includes a period of discussion to explore alternative job arrangements “when considering a layoff or possible job elimination,” according to HUCTW’s contract.

HUCTW President Carrie E. Barbash wrote in an email that the consultation “did not happen.”

“We fully support the affected members and are in close touch with them,” Barbash wrote. “Employment preservation is the core purpose of this process and it’s why layoff consultation isn’t something that we can skip or do a half-hearted job with – people’s livelihoods depend on it.”

Huntington D. Lambert, dean of the Harvard Extension School and Continuing Education, characterized the process differently, stating that the division has complied with contract provisions.

“Consistent with University policy and in coordination and compliance with the HUCTW contract, Harvard has provided advance notice, severance bene-

fits, and outplacement services, and the impacted employees are currently receiving support to apply for other positions across the Harvard community,” Lambert wrote in an emailed statement. “These individuals are valued employees, and I regret the impact this change has had on them and their families.”

Lambert wrote that the division restructured its personnel to support the growth of the division.

“The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) has grown significantly, with our physical footprint nearly doubling over the last ten years,” Lambert wrote. “This new model will

SEE UNION PAGE 5

OSAPR director Pierre R. Berastaín Ojeda ‘10 speaks about engaging directly with students. MARIAH ELLEN D. DIMALALUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

By MICHELLE G. KURILLA and TAMAR SARIG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

The Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response has transformed its approach to follow a “community engagement model” under the leadership of Director Pierre R. Berastaín Ojeda ’10, who took office last April.

Prior to Ojeda’s appointment, OSAPR had been without a director for more than a year.

At the time, it more closely followed a clinical model, which Ojeda characterized as being more responsive than proactive. Now, the office aims to be

a confidential space on campus for students that offers “pastoral care,” Ojeda said in an interview March 6.

“My philosophy in terms of doing this work, or my framework, is you go out in the community and you are a part of that community,” Ojeda said.

Ojeda said OSAPR intends to tailor its services directly to students’ needs and works to address the different faith backgrounds and sexual orientations of the College’s diverse student population. “So what happens at campuses oftentimes is they are — you end up

SEE OSAPR PAGE 5

Khurana Praises Educational 85 Percent of Beds in Tracy Comps, Calls Comps ‘Uneven’ Lowell to be Singles Smith to

By CAMILLE G. CALDERA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana spoke during the Cultural Rhythms performance on Saturday. AMANDA Y. SU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

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

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said he believes student organizations with transparent, educational comp processes demonstrate “effective leadership” in an interview Tuesday.

Many of Harvard’s 400plus student organizations run comps, which often comprise a series of exercises aimed at training prospective members.

Some groups accept all applicants, while others are famously selective — organizations including the Crimson Key Society and Harvard College Consulting Group have boasted acceptance rates of less than 12 percent in recent years. Khurana said that, while he acknowledges comps vary widely among groups, he believes many have room for improvement.

“I’ve been really impressed in recent years to see student INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

organizations take this leadership role in many different ways,” Khurana said. “For example, I know that there’s been increased transparency around what the organization is looking for. Other organizations offer feedback to individuals about how they can strengthen, say, an application process.”

Khurana’s comments come after a Feb. 14 meeting of the Committee on Student Life during which members floated the idea of a potential “audit” of student organizations’ comp processes. At the time, several committee members called comps “detrimental to campus culture.”

In the interview, Khurana called the current state of comps on campus “uneven” and said that barriers to entry can prevent some students from succeeding.

“From my perspective, right now, in our society, there’s too many barriers, both kind of formal, but also informal barriers

News 3

Editorial 4

that prevent very talented people from reaching their full potential because they might lack a connection or they might not have had some resources available to them, but actually have the talent and skills to actually do quite well,” he said.

Khurana said changes to comp culture should be student-led. He added that he supports recent changes to some comps that increase “transparency,” offer feedback to prospective members, and eschew selectivity.

“I think often many of the practices that we have, we often inherit them without actually critically interrogating them and that healthy organizations are always examining those processes and how they might be improved,” he said. “Student leadership and student autonomy are critical in terms of improving the students’ experience for each other.”

SEE KHURANA PAGE 5

Sports 6

Eighty-five percent of the 413 student beds in renovated Lowell House will be in singles, while just 15 percent will be in doubles, Joanne Aitken, the architect in charge of the renewal, said at a presentation to House affiliates Tuesday evening.

Aitken, a Philadelphia-based architect with the firm KieranTimberlake, presented the faculty deans, administrators, tutors, and students with finalized floor plans and mock-ups of residential and common spaces.

“There’s always been the bias...that a small but private room is a lot better than a lot of doubles with more generous space, and there’s lots of generous common room space,” Aitken said.

The only house so far whose renewal project has spanned two years, Lowell is slated to

reopen by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

Lowell administrator Elizabeth G. Terry said she thinks the suite set-up is “a net improvement over old Lowell.”

“Every student in Lowell will be in some version of ‘n,’” Terry said, referring to a living arrangement in which the number of students living a suite is the same as the number of rooms. “There is only one room in the entire House that has any ‘n-minus,’ which means multiple one-room doubles in the suite. One room.”

Aitken also unveiled new floor plays outlining the student spaces that the renovated Lowell House will feature on its lower levels, including a squash court, a dance room, a screening room, a game lounge, a pool lounge, a party room, and band and opera-specific music rooms.

SEE LOWELL PAGE 3

be Chief Marshal

By ALEXANDRA A. CHAIDEZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

United States poet laureate Tracy K. Smith ’94 has been elected the 25th reunion chief marshal and will lead the 368th iteration of Harvard’s Commencement exercises, the University announced last week.

The honor is bestowed upon a member of each year’s 25th Reunion Class who has achieved career success, made notable contributions to society, and engaged in service to the College, according to the Harvard Alumni Association wesbite. In her role, Smith will represent the University’s alumni at Commencement, host an annual lunch for dignitaries in Widener Library, and lead the ­

SEE MARSHAL PAGE 5

SEE PAGE 3

A memorial honors the one-year anniversary of Marielle Franco’s killing in Brazil. Franco was a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro and an activist for women’s and BGLTQ rights. CHLOE I. YU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

TODAY’S FORECAST

PARTLY CLOUDY High: 45 Low: 31

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

MARCH 13, 2019

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Japchae Beef Bulgogi Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sub Spicy Tofu with Green Beans

For Dinner Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Bacon Multigrain Pizza Red’s Best Fresh Catch Wild Mushroom Ravioli

TODAY’S EVENTS Talking About Art, Music, and Social Justice with Yo-Yo Ma 5-6p.m.

IN THE REAL WORLD 50 Elites Charged in Admissions Scandal

Thirty-three business leaders and actors, as well as 17 college athletics coaches were charged with bribery and fraud for helping students gain admission to the nation’s top colleges, including Georgetown, Stanford, and Yale. In many of the cases, the students were not aware of their parents’ doctoring of test scores, submitting madeup disabilities, or buying them spots via athletic recruitment

Head across the Charles to Harvard Business School to hear Yo-Yo Ma and President of the New York Philharmonic Deborah Borda discuss art and music’s potential for social change. It’s a perfect way to hear from two amazing musicians and get some exercise in as a bonus.

Conversation with Governor Gina Raimondo 6-7:15 p.m.

Grab your politics-obsessed friend and head down to the Institute of Politics to hear Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo ’93 speak with Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf on how she approaches problems and makes tough decisions.

Panel for Opportunities in IdentityBased Studies 7-8 p.m.

Here’s something for all the humanities concentrators among us.

Join the Harvard College Women’s Center in Canaday B for a panel discussion on job opportunities for those concentrating in an identitybased study. Snacks will be provided!

Democrats to Hold Off on Pursuing Impeachment Setti Warren, executive director of the Shorenstein Center, presents nominees at the Goldsmith Awards Ceremony Tuesday. Each nominee received a round of applause for their reporting achievements. QUINN G. PERINI—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING Harvard’s largest union initiated grievance procedures on behalf of several Harvard Division of Continuing Education employees who were laid off last week as part of the division’s efforts to make use of similar Faculty of Arts and Sciences personnel instead. DCE laid off facilities and mailroom staff last week as a part of the restructuring, according to a DCE teaching support employee who was not laid off. In other news, the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response has transformed its approach to follow a “community engagement model” under the leadership of Director Pierre R. Berastaín Ojeda ’10, who took office last April.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the Democrats in the House of Representatives will not pursue impeachment unless there is a “compelling and overwhelming” issue to address.

This may be a strategy to prevent the development of a rallying point for conservatives, according to some news outlets’ analysis, until and unless the Republicans give their support for impeachment.

British PM Brexit Plan Rejected Again

The United Kingdom Parliament rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s revised Brexit deal to leave the European Union just 17 days before the imminent divorce. The options that remain for the U.K. at this point are to stay in the EU, hold a second referendum, or request an extension from the EU. This second defeat has also weakened May’s hold on Parliament.

AROUND THE IVIES YALE

A college admissions scandal charging 50 people with illegally seeking to gain students’ admissions to elite schools implicated Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith. Court documents said Meredith had accepted bribes to designate prospective students as soccer recruits, which allowed the students to gain admission to the college. Meredith was charged with two counts of wire fraud. Yale Department of Athletics Director Vicky Chun wrote in an emailed statement to the Yale Daily News that the university was fully participating in the Justice Department investigation.

CORNELL

New York Times White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman spoke to Cornell students Monday about her career path and covering the White House during President Donald Trump’s administration. Haberman started her career writing for the New York Post and bartending — a job Haberman said requires the same conversational skills as journalism. In 2016, she declined to break the news of Trump’s presidential bid because she didn’t believe the tip. “One of the most predictable things about the Trump era has been that it is unpredictable,” she said at the event.

COLUMBIA

Representatives from Columbia’s Student Government Association met with officials from the campus’s Public Safety office on Monday to discuss officers’ role in responding to incidents of racism. This meeting was prompted by a December incident in which a Columbia sophomore made racist comments to a group of primarily black students. Students also voiced concern at the reported presence of Immigration Control and Enforcement trucks around campus. Officials clarified that though they can potentially conduct an investigation, a Public Safety officer does not have enough legal power to take action.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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

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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

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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

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.

Night Editor Kaylee S. Kim ’20

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Assistant Night Editors Ruth A. Hailu ’21 Oliver L. Riskin-Kutz ’22

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Story Editors Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20 Angela N. Fu ’20 Jamie D. Halper ’20 Kristine E. Guillaume ’20

Editorial Editor Emily A. Romero ’21 Sports Editor Connor J. Wagman ’22

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 | MARCH 13, 2019

Martin Baron Wins IOP Award

By JANIA J. TUMEY CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Martin Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post, received the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism at the Harvard Institute of Politics Tuesday.

Baron oversaw the Post’s 2014 reporting that revealed the National Security Administration was conducting widespread secret surveillance of civilians. Before joining the newspaper in 2012, Baron served as executive editor of the Boston Globe. The Globe’s 2003 coverage of clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church, which he supervised, earned the paper the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

The Goldsmith Career Award “recognizes an individual who has a profound impact on the media and the nation through their commitment to journalism at its highest forms,” Shorenstein Center Execu-

tive Director Setti Warren said during Tuesday’s event.

“It’s no understatement to say that Marty’s work, his mission to champion and safeguard free expression, and his unwavering pursuit of the truth have directly improved the lives of millions of people around the world,” Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele said.

After receiving his award, Baron spoke about the challenges of building trust in the media at a time when President Donald Trump has leveled criticisms of “fake news” against some media outlets.

“I do think there’s an effort these days not to portray your opponent strictly as an opponent, but actually as an enemy,” Baron said. “I think that’s the way some people view us.”

“What we would like to be, certainly at the Washington Post, is to be independent — to be activists only in service of finding out the facts, and finding out the truth,” he added.

Tuesday’s event also hon-

KHURANA FROM PAGE 1

cluded a team from ProPublica that reported on the separation of families at the United States-Mexico border and a group of Wall Street Journal reporters who covered White House hush-money deals.

“The journalists who reported these seven finalist stories are the true unsung heroes of our country,” Warren said.

The authors of three books also received the Goldsmith Book Prize — which recognizes academic and trade books that improve democratic governance — during Tuesday’s event. Matthew Hindman, author of “The Internet Trap,” and Margaret E. Roberts, author of “Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China’s Great Firewall” were presented with awards in the academic category. Harvard Government Professors Steven R. Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt won the trade press category with their book “How Democracies Die.” jania.tumey@thecrimson.com

LOWELL FROM PAGE 1

Khurana Discusses Comp Culture The Committee on Student Life has not formally begun any inquiry into comps on campus.

The committee’s exploration of the idea follows previous debate among Undergraduate Council members over the inclusivity of comps. In 2016, the Undergraduate Council’s Finance Committee passed legislation requiring clubs to have “legitimate” comps that meet an “inclusivity standard” to receive funding.

UC President Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 said in an interview last month that she and UC Vice President Julia M. Huesa ’20 proposed consideration of the topic to the Committee on Student Life because they worry comps promote a culture of exclusivity on campus.

Khurana referred a question

ored seven finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. Dallas Morning News reporters J. David McSwane and Andrew Chavez received first prize for “Pain and Profit,” an investigative series that exposed flaws in Texas Medicaid Managed Care.

The series highlighted the case of D’ashon Morris, a prematurely born infant. The fact that Morris did not receive aroundthe-clock medical care after his birth led to severe complications and irreparable brain damage, McSwane and Chavez reported.

“D’ashon’s story is one of many cases that Dallas Morning News reporters found of giant healthcare companies contracted by the state of Texas systematically denying life-saving drugs and treatments to the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” Warren said. “McSwane and Chavez shone a light on a deeply broken system.” Other finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting in-

about how an audit of comps would work to Associate Dean of Student Engagement Alexander R. Miller and the Dean of Students Office.

After the Committee on Student Life meeting last month, Katie Colleran, the DSO’s senior director of student organizations and resources, wrote in a emailed statement to The Crimson that the College is aiming to examine how comps affect the culture of Harvard College more broadly.

“We are hoping to look at the bigger picture of why organizations comp and how those processes contribute to their recruitment and community,” she wrote. shera.avi-yonah@thecrimson.com delano.franklin@thecrimson.com

85 Percent of Beds in Lowell to be Singles “It seemed really exciting,” Lowell House resident Emily R. Gordon ’20 said after the presentation. “I had really high expectations and it looks even nicer than I expected. I’m really excited about all of the common spaces like the screening room and the squash court and the party spaces, and all the rooms look really nice.”

Terry said the majority of Lowell residents she has spoken to have said they are satisfied with the renovations.

Aitken also said the tables inside common spaces in the renovated house will be built out of salvaged wood from elm trees that had to be cut down to complete the renewal process. After construction ends, the house will also feature wallpaper procured from a centuries-old French manufacturer that

matches the wallpaper originally in the Junior Common Room.

“The house has been lovely to work with all of these years,” Aitken said.

“House renewal is to make the buildings last for another 80 or so years and function properly, while keeping the best of everything that was already there.” “[The team] really is trying to keep Lowell a special House, different from Dunster, different from all the others,” she said.

“You haven’t lost your personality in there.”

Lowell is the third House to be renovated as part of a renewal program spearheaded by the College. After Lowell’s renovation, Adams House will undergo a four-year renewal. camille.caldera@thecrimson.com

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Brazilian Politician, Activist Honored

By ALEXIS K. BOLNER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

A small gathering of protesters honored former Rio de Janeiro City Council member and activist Marielle Franco during a demonstration and seminar held Tuesday.

Tuesday’s events, called “The Other Side of Violence: Marielle Franco and the Struggle for Brazilian Democracy,” commemorated the one-year anniversary of her assassination in March 2018.

Franco, a woman of African descent who “represented hopes of political renewal for countless Brazilians,” advocated for the rights of BGLTQ people and poor populations during her career, according to a poster publicizing Tuesday’s events.

News reports following her March 14, 2018 killing suggested she was assisinated for her criticism of police violence in Rio de Janeiro’s poor neighborhoods.

The demonstrators stood in a circle outside Memorial Church, paying tribute to Franco with posters, bouquets of flowers, poems, and short speeches about her legacy.

After the demonstration, Mariana Cavalcanti, an anthropology and political studies professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, and Gero Augusto, professor of international and public affairs and Africana studies at Brown University, spoke to approximately 40 attendees in Robinson Hall about Franco’s accom-

plishments as a politician and activist.

Eduarda Araujo, a first-year graduate student in African and African American Studies who organized Tuesday’s events, said she thought it was important to honor Franco because the she was a “symbol of hope” in Brazil. She said Franco’s death represented “the beginning of the end of Brazilian democracy.”

“I think it’s symbolic because Marielle’s struggle was a struggle for black women to have a right to live, a right to produce knowledge, to be respected while doing so, to live with dignity, to have their reproductive rights respected, and for queer people to have the right to live and live as they want,” she said.

Cavalcanti also praised Franco’s activism on behalf of black women during her presentation, including her efforts to provide women with access to legal abortions and increase the availability of healthcare.

“She brought many black women into spaces formerly denied to them,” Cavalcanti said.

“Most of her projects attempted to build a better city for women.”

At the end of the presentation, Cavalcanti repeated the words that Franco’s closest friends spoke after her death.

“In killing her they buried a seed. She may be gone, but since she never walked alone, there are not enough bullets to kill her life’s work.” alexis.bolner@thecrimson.com

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 13, 2019

PAGE 4

EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

COLUMN

An Over-Checked Pulse

Provoking Thought, Not People

C

urrently, students’ Canvas dashboards for class assignments are overwhelmed by an advertisement for a ten question, three minute pilot “Pulse Survey.” The survey was one of several recommendations of a University-wide Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, which released its final report last spring under then-University President Drew G. Faust.

But that’s not the only request Harvard students have received over the course of the last couple weeks to complete a climate survey. Harvard College Institutional Research emailed the student body to ask that it complete a 10-to15-minute survey on “academic, social, and extra-curricular experiences over this past year.”

Some departments have asked their concentrators to complete a new Bureau of Study Counsel survey to gauge the need for improved student support services. And, in light of controversy surrounding Winthrop Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr.’s legal defense of former film producer Harvey Weinstein, the College has asked Winthrop House residents to complete a climate survey about their sense of inclusion in the House. In short, Harvard students — particularly undergraduates — have been inundated with requests for surveys. But to what end?

Harvard is overusing surveys. While we recognize that the administration is employing them as a tool to better understand the needs and feelings of students — especially in respect to diversity and inclusion — we believe that the high frequency of use has rendered surveys as both redundant and increasingly ineffective. When it comes to diversity and inclusion, students have made their perspective amply clear.

Among other such positions, this Board and other student groups have

consistently advocated in favor of a multicultural center. In fact, the 2015 report of a College working group on diversity and inclusion identifies that “cultural centers can have a positive impact on their institutions.” The report further details how many peer institutions have provided such a space for many years now. In comparison, Harvard lags notably behind. In 2017, the implementation committee for the College’s policy on single-gender social organizations pro-

Harvard is overusing surveys. While we recognize that the administration is employing them as a tool to better understand the needs and feelings of students — especially in respect to diversity and inclusion — we believe that the high frequency of use has rendered surveys as both redundant and increasingly ineffective. duced a report which once again called on the creation of a “multicultural agora.” The administration should not need another survey to realize that a multicultural center is long overdue.

The demands for ethnic studies department is another long-standing issue that students have been petitioning for the past 47 years. The latest petition and rally by students and alumni occured after the departure of two tenure-track professors specializing in Asian-American studies. Does the University really need more evidence of the need for this department?

Harvard can also show its commitment to taking students concerns of diversity and inclusion seriously by working to improve services for non-binary students and mental health services for the student body in general. In fairness, the creation of a working group comprised of the Harvard University Health Services and the Office of BGLTQ Student Life — following last year’s student health survey — constitutes a valuable first step. The specific mission of this group is to “gain a deeper understanding of the data and to develop data-driven interventions to improve the emotional wellbeing of BGLTQ students.”

A student health survey has already been completed. A working group has been established; students await concrete actions. Still, Harvard releases yet another survey.

Ultimately, the sheer number of surveys speaks to a pervasive institutional deafness. Harvard is eager to say that it hears students.

Indeed, the University has entirely adopted this claim as the title of its upcoming summit on gender equity, ”Harvard Hears You.” Yet ironically, this summit is set to coincide with the start of still another climate survey — now on sexual misconduct. This proclamation of hearing leaves us reminds us of our attempts to be heard.

Students have made their opinions known; another survey is not a substitute for meaningful progress.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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Vandalism and Gender

By CHRISTOPHER KWON

T

his past month, there were two repeated acts of vandalism on a gender-neutral bathroom sign in Adams House. In a sign depicting male, non-binary, and female figures on a gender neutral bathroom, the female icon was colored in with black marker. After the sign was vandalized the first time, it was quickly cleansed; nevertheless, it was vandalized a second time within the month.

The incident reminds us that Harvard is not defined by the action of one individual but by the efforts of students and administrators to respond to the vandalism.

Harvard should promote the interpersonal discussions of gender in order to create a supportive environment for the BGLTQ community, especially in

Harvard should promote the interpersonal discussions of gender in order to create a supportive environment for the BGLTQ community, especially in light of the attacks they face. light of the attacks they face.

The vandalism of the bathroom sign brings back a personally troubling experience for me. My high school experienced racist graffiti on our bathroom walls in 2016. The message, painted on the backdrop of the crimson-colored bathroom stall door, contained hate speech and slurs targeting African Americans.

I had not been targeted before for being an Asian-American student at my school, or at least, I had not experienced the degree of hatred or specificity that this vandalism symbolized. But the racist incident made me feel anxious to go to school. To my disgust, the student who

vandalized the stall continued to attend to my school after a few months of temporary suspension.

Although maintenance cleansed the bathroom of the graffitti, erasing the black block letters did not diminish the student’s clear intention to inflict pain upon fellow students.

This incident continues to remind me today that our actions affect those around us through what we say and how we say it. Heavy repercussions could not completely undo the damage wrought by hate speech and vandalism.

Harvard, specifically Adams House, responded to the incident by hosting internal House discussion, surveying the students, and planning to collaborate with the Office of BGLTQ Student Life to “offer resources for students.”

Their apt response to the incident should be applauded. But, the University should have responded more broadly by promoting a supportive environment for the entire campus.

Coming to college, students should have the opportunity to safely explore their gender identities.

Through honest conversations with — not attacks against — other students, our community can develop a mutual understanding of what gender means to each individual.

Given that gender is widely considered to be a social construct (implying its fluid definition), understanding identity better can lead to a more truthful and fulfilling relationship to one’s own gender.

Students in the BGLTQ community continue to be marginalized. We cannot tolerate targeting on the underlying basis of exclusion due to the integrality of gender in one’s identity.

With students from various walks of life, we must look to understand one another with the intention to find strength in our differences.

Basing our actions with understanding amplifies our efforts towards inclusion in a subtle yet irreplaceable way. The BGLTQ community are welcome at Har-

vard and should be treated so.

Harvard should host University-wide discussions on gender and identity for students. I encourage the University to allow students to express their views honestly and openly discuss the nuances in how our understandings of gender.

One of the important purposes of secondary education is to prepare students

This incident continues to remind me today that our actions affect those around us through what we say and how we say it.

Aditi Sundaram ODDITY

W

hen I first decided to write this column, I was secretly excited to publish some of my most “controversial” views, hoping to draw eyeballs, and perhaps even gain some notoriety on campus. I hastily drafted an acerbic piece criticizing various political views with which a plurality of Harvard students identify. I proudly sent that, the first draft of my first ever newspaper column, to my father. Twenty minutes later, I received a text from him: “Your job as a columnist is to provoke thought, not people.”

He was, of course, correct, and it set me thinking about the whole enterprise.

There is a difference between calling attention to one’s work via its substance and deliberately riling one’s readership. The line between tabloid journalism and what one might consider more “reputable” media is vanishing, as we prioritize sensationalism over discourse.

To be sure, newspapers and other media are businesses in a highly competitive (online) landscape, and growing readership or viewership is of great importance.

There is a difference between calling attention to one’s work via its substance and deliberately riling one’s readership. The line between tabloid journalism and what one might consider more “reputable” media is vanishing, as we prioritize sensationalism over discourse.

It must be increasingly difficult to market balanced, long-form content when the average human today has an attention span shorter than that of a goldfish.

Nonetheless, a media market that sacrifices nuance in intellectual discussion and presents deliberately biased arguments with the hope or intent of going ‘viral’ is a race to the bottom.

This attitude permeates national discourse, as the terribly premature, incomplete and biased reporting on Jussie Smollett and Covington Catholic High School cases recently highlighted.

It is also of local importance: In Winthrop House Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr.’s recent email to Winthrop House residents, he condemned The Harvard Crimson for its one-sided coverage of his decision to represent media mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Indeed, there has been almost nothing by way of balanced discussion of this subject at Harvard (including in The Crimson) and some acts by students (ranging from vandalism to aggressive social media posts) have so vitiated the atmosphere that reasoned debate on a topic of importance has become almost impossible.

The Crimson Editorial Board’s public response to Sullivan’s email was, in some ways, an exercise in obfuscation; it provided grandiose platitudes about journalism and made feeble appeals to anti-Trump sentiment, but avoided treatment of Sullivan’s specific concerns almost entirely. This apparent reluctance to engage in real debate over controversial topics epitomizes much of our campus dialogue.

From Facebook comment sections to corners of house dining halls, differences of opinion often devolve into indictments of virtue and invocations of identity, ending only when one party decides that they have something better to do.

It is, of course, easy to identify the existence of these problems; finding a solution is far more difficult and I do not pretend to have one. Indeed, a Harvard Business Review study from over two decades ago raises these very issues without a single mention of the internet — one can only imagine how this has amplified since then.

More recently, some have argued for an increase in nonprofit media companies, but have failed to determine where funding for such initiatives would come from.

Others have pushed for regulation of social media platforms, often a source of “fake” and sen-

to face diverse thoughts and equip us with the tools needed to effectively communicate with those who hold opposing opinions.

The discussions should be supervised by a willing medium (administrator or student) with the focus on stirring thought rather than coming to direct conclusions.

Specific pubbing efforts reaching out to everyone including those formerly without experience in the BGLTQ community.

This method of reflection requires intense introspection while discussing gender and gender identity with our peers.

Yet, open, community-driven discussions, supported by Harvard administrators and the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, surrounding the integral role that gender plays in each of our lives can advance a nuanced understanding of gender and quell the phenomenon of frustrated outbursts.

These discussions can help make Harvard a safer, more welcoming campus environment for the BGLTQ community.

sationalist news, but this would only hide such stories temporarily, not eliminate them altogether. In a study analyzing business incentives and possible solutions for media sensationalism, Business School Professor Bharat N. Anand simply concluded that “voluntary efforts at restraint by well-meaning journalists won’t work” due to competitive advertising business models.

Perhaps. But perhaps not. Maybe what the exhausted majority want is nuanced arguments, not rants.

Maybe online media culture can mature into a style more valuable than the extremes that garner eyeballs. Maybe generating more heat than light is not the best way to win converts and influence people.

We won’t know until we try.

—Christopher Kwon ’22, an inactive Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Massachusetts Hall.

—Aditi Sundaram ’19 is a joint concentrator in Mathematics and Philosophy in Eliot House. Her column appears on alternate Wednesdays.

From Facebook comment sections to corners of house dining halls, differences of opinion often devolve into indictments of virtue and invocations of identity, ending only when one party decides that they have something better to do.

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 13, 2019

OSAPR FROM PAGE 1

MARSHAL FROM PAGE 1

OSAPR Starts New Engagement Model

Tracy Smith Elected 2019 Chief Marshal of Alumni

having a one-size-fits-all approach,” Ojeda said. “And when you do that, you end missing a lot of populations because it ends up being a one-size-fitsnone.” One way OSAPR has attempted to engage students is by reaching out to students who have recently organized rallies at the University on sexual assault, according to Ojeda. As a University office, OSAPR cannot take a position on these rallies.

“But what we can do is be visible, and say that we are here as a resource,” Ojeda said. “So for all of the rallies, we offer to the organizers that we can go to the rally and have a table separate from the rally and just offer hot chocolate and donuts and resources for people who want them. It’s a way to kind of let people know that we’re here.”

Recently, students protested against Winthrop House Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sulli-

van Jr.’s decision to represent Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in his sexual abuse trial. At the protest, which drew more than 50 attendees, students called on College administrators to remove Sullivan from his position as faculty dean. OSAPR set up a booth at the protest and handed out snacks and pamphlets detailing the office’s resources for students.

Though Ojeda did not directly mention Sullivan’s name during the interview last week, his office issued a statement on its website about the controversy surrounding Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein.

“We’d like to take a moment to recognize that the recent news surrounding Professor Sullivan’s legal representation of Mr. Harvey Weinstein has created ripples among our Harvard community, and that some of you might want to pro-

UNION FROM PAGE 1

Union Alleges Contract Violations bring enhanced support for all of DCE’s physical resources needs.”

Barbash rejected Lambert’s claim that the division has followed its obligations in layoffs.

“DCE and FAS HR notified us,” Barbash wrote. “They did not take part in the consultation process described in our contract where we, together, make every effort to preserve employment of the affected employees, including providing us with relevant data to assist with those discussions, among other things.”

“Over the last 30 years, Harvard departments and schools have initiated these conversations on many occasions, and almost always they do follow the consultation process laid out in our contract,” she added.

“This time stands out, and is being discussed, because they did not.”

The re-alignment, announced by the division’s Associate Dean of Administration Margaret A. Mahoney last Tuesday in an email sent to the division’s employees, transfers the operations of DCE’s buildings and facilities to FAS’s Office of Physical Resources and Planning.

The announcement, however, did not mention that several employees previously responsible for those operations would be laid off, which led to concerns among employees.

“The communication was just abysmal from our senior leadership,” DCE employee Jonathan A. Singer, who was not involved in the layoffs, said.

“We had two full days between when word started to spread that the layoffs were occurring before there was even an acknowledgement that this was happening from leadership.”

Singer, who serves as the division’s enrollment services team coordinator, said the speed and lack of communication that characterized these layoffs left him uncertain about his own job security.

“I’m concerned that Dean Lambert’s response to valid fears from staff of future layoffs is to trust him that none are planned,” he wrote in an email.

Singer organized an open letter campaign to DCE administrators last week after he learned of the layoffs. Fifty-six people have signed the open letter to the DCE administration, according to him.

In the letter, Singer criticized the division for laying off “employees who are hard-working, valuable, and highly respected by their colleagues” in violation of contract provisions and wrote that “these actions by management are not in line with the values we hold as an organization and as individuals.” james.bikales@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

cess your feelings with a confidential resource,” the OSAPR staff wrote on their website in a message addressed to the student body.

“Our staff is available to meet with individuals in oneon-one sessions as well as with groups in shared spaces.”

OSAPR has also created a student advisory council in an effort to more closely involve students in OSAPR’s planning.

Ojeda said this was a vital part of OSAPR’s new model.

“I’m kind of tired of administration — and I don’t mean Harvard administration, I mean administration of colleges and universities throughout — that creates programming for students and students are expected to participate in them, as opposed to the students suggest programming,” Ojeda said. michelle.kurilla@thecrimson.com tamar.sarig@thecrimson.com

afternoon’s alumni procession.

Notable alumni who have held the position include former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ’86, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92. Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo ’93 served as last year’s chief marshal. A committee of members of the Class of 1994 selected Smith for the position from among a group of nine other alumni nominees.

Smith, a former Crimson editor, graduated from the College with a degree in English and African American Studies. She then pursued an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and went on to write several award-winning books of poetry. Smith is now a professor in the humanities at Princeton University and directs the school’s creative writing program. Smith won the Pulitzer ­

Prize for Poetry in 2012 for her book “Life on Mars.”

The Library of Congress appointed Smith as the 22nd U.S. poet laureate in June 2017. She is currently serving a second term in that role.

In addition to serving as chief marshal, Smith will receive the Harvard Arts Medal from University President Lawrence S. Bacow in May. The medal is awarded annually to alumni of Harvard or Radcliffe for their achievements in the arts. Past recipients include Margaret E. Atwood ’62 and Matt P. Damon ’92. In an interview with the Harvard Gazette Thursday, Smith said it is a “privilege” to serve as chief marshal.

“I am eager to join with my fellow alumni as we celebrate the graduates’ impact on Harvard and the many ways Harvard has readied them for bright futures,” she said.

Smith credits her time as a student at Harvard for her love

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of poetry, according to the Harvard Alumni Association’s website. In addition to the College’s creative writing program, she cited organizations including The Crimson, the Harvard Advocate, and the Dark Room Collective — a prominent African-American poetry group in Boston — as influences on her career. “I came to understand that poetry is a means of making deeper and more complex connections with the wider world, and of wrestling more satisfyingly with my many private questions, anxieties, and concerns,” Smith wrote.

This year’s Commencement exercises will take place in Tercentenary Theatre on May 30.

Angela D. Merkel is scheduled to deliver the principal address at the ceremony.

Angela D. Merkel is scheduled to deliver the principal address at the ceremony. alexandra.chaidez@thecrimson.com

SPORTS

WEEKLY RECAP

SCORES

MEN’S BASKETBALL AT COLUMBIA W, 83-81 (OT) ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S WATER POLO VS. NO. 24 BUCKNELL W, 8-6 ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. COLUMBIA W, 69-56 ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S WATER POLO VS. NO. 11 UC DAVIS L, 10-11 ___________________________________________________________

SOFTBALL VS. HOWARD W, 10-2 ___________________________________________________________

MEN’S FENCING NCAA REGIONALS 1ST ___________________________________________________________

WOMEN’S TENNNIS VS. ST. JOHN’S L, 3-4 ___________________________________________________________

MEN’S LACROSSE

Mullin Comes Up Big as Harvard Defeats Providence

MARVELOUS MULLIN Sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Mullin nabs a shot from Providence. The West Chester, Penn., native notched a career high 20 saves in Saturday’s match against the Friars. BRENDAN J. CHAPUIS—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

By BEN MORRIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

They’ve been raving about him all year, and, once again, sophomore goalie Kyle Mullin got it done. Mullin not only recorded a collegiate career high 20 saves, but his presence in goal was essential in Harvard’s 9-8 win over the Providence Friars (2-4) on Saturday.

Despite being outshot 47-33, three of which came for the Friars in the final 15 seconds, the Crimson was able to hold on for a much needed win and move to 2-3 on the year heading into conference play.

Harvard (2-3) was at an immediate disadvantage going into the game, as the team was without senior defenseman and tri-captain Spencer Daniel, junior attackman and tri-captain ­

Kyle Anderson, junior attackman and top goal scorer Ryan Graff, and junior defenseman David Strupp, who were all out with injuries.

Providence (2-4, 0-0 Big East) was looking to make up for a tough 17-16 loss against Sacred Heart in its previous game. The Friars are led by senior attackman Brendan Kearns, who was recently selected 60th overall in the Major League Lacrosse draft by the New York Lizards.

The high-intensity first quarter ended with a 5-3 lead for the Crimson. Junior midfielder Nigel Andrews led the early attack for Harvard, netting two of the five goals.

“I thought that we played some of our best lacrosse of the season at moments throughout the game, both on the defensive and offensive side of the ball,”

Andrews said. “What we need to work on is being able to consistently play that well throughout the whole game. If we can figure that out, we can play with anyone in the country.”

Consistency has been a focal point for the team this season, as the Crimson has given up a few close games.A Feb. 23 home game against UMass saw a slight lack of concentration on the Harvard end lead to three goals in a matter of minutes for UMass that ultimately led to a loss. The next game against Holy Cross on Feb. 26 saw the Crimson give up a 10-3 lead and eventually fall 11-10 in double overtime.

Despite the tough losses, the team has been committed to staying focused and not letting some unfortunate games early in the year impact the rest of

the season. Already up 5-3 at the end of the first quarter against Providence, the Crimson was determined to see this game all the way through to its end.

Harvard kept up the tough pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Friars 2-0 to go into halftime up 7-3. One of the two goals was scored by freshman attacker Austin Madronic, who has proved an incredible addition to the team this season.

Heading into the game, Madronic had been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, his second time receiving this honor in the first three weeks of his collegiate career.

The third quarter followed the same pattern as the second.

Harvard’s phenomenal defense was able to shut out the Friars in back-to-back quarters, and sophomore midfielder Kyle

Massimilian continued to win valuable faceoffs for the Crimson.

Goals from sophomore attackman Myles Hamm and sophomore midfielder Kyle Salvatore — his third of the day — gave Harvard a 9-3 lead heading into the final quarter.

Whereas most would see this as a comfortable lead, the Crimson has learned that the game is not over until the final whistle blows.

Fifty seconds into the fourth quarter, Providence netted a goal to end an incredible 36 minute, 16 second shutout run

by Harvard. After giving up a third goal to the Friars with 5:26 left in the first quarter, Harvard had outscored Providence by 6-0. This first providence goal of the final quarter, to close the Crimson’s lead to 9-4, would not

be the last for the Friars.

Providence picked up the pace in a major way through the rest of the fourth as the team gave its all in a comeback effort.

With 5:16 left in regulation, the Friars had nearly come all the way back, finding themselves down by a single goal, 9-8.

“Providence really started to come alive in the fourth quarter and make a run,” Mullin said.

“They were pushing the gas on offense and scoring goals.”

The game was following a script similar to what the Crimson was used to, but this time, the team was set on writing a different ending.

With 48 seconds left in the game, Providence called a timeout after launching four shots in the previous minute, two of which Mullin saved, and one that deflected off the post.

Mullin had been big all game, but the Crimson needed him just one last time.

Following the timeout, the Friars took the field with fire, rattling off three consecutive shots in the final 15 seconds of the match. Thanks to Mullins’ efforts, none were able to find the back of the net. The incredible saves gave Harvard its second win of the season and valuable momentum heading into Ivy League play.

The team was very aware of the situation they were in and how important it was to close the game out strongly.

“Before Providence, we’ve had two games where we had a lead and the other team came back late,” said Mullin, speaking of the UMass and Holy Cross games. “The last minute of the fourth quarter on Saturday was a situation we had been in before, and we were confident that we were gonna make the stop. Thankfully, we did and were able to get our first win at home.”

It will be a while until the team returns home for a matchup with Albany on March 27, but Kyle Mullin and the Crimson will be plenty busy until then, with games against Brown, Boston University, and Dartmouth to fill the void in the meantime.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Harvard Falls to No. 11 Denver in Roller-Coaster Week

By BEN STERN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

The inflatable sports bubble over Harvard Stadium protected both teams from a cold, gray drizzle on Sunday, but it could not protect Harvard from No. 11 Denver’s blistering attack in the second half.

The Crimson (3-3, 0-1 Ivy) played the Pioneers (6-1, 0-0 Summit) nearly stride-forstride in the first half, which ended with the score at 6-4, but Denver came out of the break firing on all cylinders and ripped off a 10-1 run to ice the contest.

Tri-captain attacker Keeley MacAfee notched a goal at 26:28 in the second period to bring the score to 7-5 before Denver pulled away. Freshman midfielder Grace Hulslander recorded a first-half hat trick, and junior attacker Hannah Keating added a pair of scores to round out Harvard’s total.

The game was Hulslander’s third multi-goal effort on the year. The freshman sits in second on the team’s leaderboard for most goals, with 10.

Hulslander kicked off the game’s scoring at 27:54 in the first stanza, with a slashing cut down the center of the crease.The Jamesville, N.Y., native flung down her stick in celebration as Harvard took a 1-0 advantage, one of two leads it would hold in the game.

“It was really awesome,” said Hulslander of her team’s strong start. “I think this team has been waiting for a moment like this to prove who we are and, you know, wear that chip on our shoulder. Obviously, we didn’t come out with the win today, but I think we fought very hard

in the first half.”

Denver peppered the net relentlessly in the second half.

Sophomore attackers Bea Behrins, Quintin Hoch-Bullen, and Elizabeth Radochonski led the way with four, three, and three goals respectively. The trio of classmates combined for 12 points on the day. Senior attacker Kendra Lanuza pitched in five more points for the Pioneers.

Denver’s precise, organized offense yielded 28 shots on goal in all. Sophomore goalie Grace Rotondo managed to save 11 of them from the Crimson, but the defense proved too porous for Harvard to mount a real comeback.

The game meant a little extra to Harvard rookie head coach Devon Wills, who hails from Denver, Col., and coached at the University of Denver for two years from 2010 to 2011.

Wills, though, said she wasn’t particularly moved by the chance to play against a familiar uniform.

“I think there’s been enough time and distance that, you know, it doesn’t really matter that much, but I do have a ton of respect for [Denver head coach Liza Kelly] and the staff and the program that she’s built there,” Wills said. “So I think she’s done a great job with it.”

Wills noted that she treats games against highly ranked opponents as opportunities to grow and credited the Pioneers for their success to date.

“You know, I think if you want to be the best, you got to play the best,” she said. “Denver is a great team, one of the top teams in the country, and

they have definitely earned that ranking. And I think they’re a totally different look from any other team we’ve played so far.

So there’s always things that we can get better with.”

Wills identified a couple of areas of improvement for the Crimson going forward.

“They were really good at

pressuring our attackers, and I don’t know if we were necessarily ready for that,” she said. “The draw controls were part of it too.

So it’s just one of those things where we can really think about focusing on the basics and not letting them exploit our weaknesses. I think they came in wanting to compete for the full

60 minutes, whereas we kind of competed for, you know, I’d say 70 percent of the game.”

The loss followed a thrilling double-overtime 9-8 victory over Boston University last Wednesday.

Sophomore attacker Madison Conklin led the charge in that showdown, tallying four

assists and three goals, including a game-winner with 3:59 left in the second overtime.

Harvard will look to bounce back against Binghamton on Saturday. Conference play resumes on Tuesday, March 24, with a home game against Yale. ben.stern@thecrimson.com

(TRI-)CAPTAIN KEELEY Tri-captain Keeley MacAfee contributed three goals on the week as the Crimson went 1-1, finishing off a 9-8 nailbiter against Boston University before dropping Saturday’s match to No. 11 Denver. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER