The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVI No. 99 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | tuesday, October 8, 2019
editorial PAGE 10
News PAGE 8
sports PAGE 12
The Law School must commit to supporting less privileged students.
Counseling and Mental Health Services hires eight new counselors
Men’s water polo adds three more wins and sets win-streak record
Bacow Expects Harvard to Win on Appeal By alexandra A. chaidez and aidan f. ryan Crimson Staff Writers
University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview on Monday that he is confident an appeals court will uphold a federal judge’s recent ruling that Harvard does not discriminate against Asian American applicants in its College admissions policies. When it comes to Harvard’s chances at the Supreme Court, however, Bacow was less certain about the University’s prospects. “I thought that we would win in the First Circuit Court of Appeals because the First Circuit is obliged to apply the law as it exists, and we’re not violating the law,” Bacow said. “And then the case will go to the Supreme Court; we’ll see what happens there.” Bacow’s comments come nearly a week after federal judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled in favor of Harvard in a lawsuit brought by anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions, who alleged that the College’s race-conscious admissions policies discriminate against Asian American applicants by holding them to higher standards. In her decision, Burroughs wrote that she did not find any evidence of intention-
By simone c. chu and Iris M. Lewis Crimson Staff Writers
To this end, the building will be designed around having common areas with ample furniture, rather than “linear corridors and doors off the corridor,” according to Doyle. The building is designed around a central atrium that extends from two stories below ground to six stories above ground. SEAS spokesperson Paul Karoff said the building’s architect called it a “vertical Harvard Yard,” where different students could mingle. “You might be on the eighth floor and be able to see what’s
Harvard’s Title IX Office debuted an anonymous online reporting form on Monday designed to help students report sexual misconduct with greater comfort and logistical ease. The tool is HarvardKey-protected, but its responses are moderated by an external company, according to University Title IX Officer Nicole M. Merhill. Merhill said that no one in the Title IX Office will be able to connect reports back to individuals. Instead, once a Harvard affiliate fills out the form, they receive a unique login credential that allows them to communicate with Harvard’s central Title IX Office anonymously. The form’s questions are primarily opt-in, so that those who have experienced or witnessed a Title IX violation can reveal as much or as little information as they choose. Title IX is a federal anti-discrimination law designed to combat unfair treatment on the basis of gender that underpins Harvard’s anti-sexual misconduct policy. The questions on the form ask about the nature of the event, the people involved, the event’s location, and the reporter’s desired response from the Title IX Office. Ensuring anonymity was central to the form’s development, according to Merhill. The Title IX Office sought out feedback on the reporting mechanism from students. Merhill said the office heard that students wanted to be certain their complaints would be anonymous and feel as though that anonymity was a priority to the Office. “When they saw the original iteration of the form, they said, ‘Okay, if this is anonymous, why are you asking for names, email, and such?’ That was off-putting,” Merhill said. “So the very first question is,
See SEAS Page 7
See form Page 7
University President Lawrence S. Bacow has a conversation with a colleague in his office in Massachusetts Hall before an interview with The Crimson. kathryn S. kuhar—Crimson photographer
al discrimination and that a race-conscious policy was necessary to ensure that the College admits a diverse student body. SFFA had previously alleged that Harvard did not adequately explore other race-neu-
tral admissions policies. Three days after Burroughs ruled in favor of Harvard, SFFA filed a notice of appeal to the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals. Bacow said this move on their part was “not
surprising.” Far from its conclusion, experts believe the high-profile case is expected to drag on for several more years, and some say it may go to the Supreme Court.
The Court’s decision could then decide the fate of affirmative action at universities and colleges across the nation. If the case is appealed to
See appeal Page 11
Doyle Describes New SEAS Complex By rUTH a. hAILU and aMY l. jIA Crimson Staff Writers
Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Francis J. Doyle III speaks about the upcoming expansion into Allston in his office during an interview Monday. Kathryn s. Kuhar—Crimson photographer
Medical Professor Accepts Nobel Prize By aLEXIS k. bOLNER Crimson Staff Writer
arvard Medical School proH fessor William G. Kaelin won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research discoveries on how cells use oxygen. The prize was jointly awarded to Kaelin alongside Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, a professor of medicine at Oxford University, and Gregg L. Semenza, a professor at John Hopkins School of Medicine. The prize honored the professors’ research on “how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability,” according to press release from the The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet. “Thanks to the groundbreaking work of these Nobel Laureates, we know much more about how different oxygen levels regulate fundamental physiological processes,” the press release reads. “Oxygen sensing allows cells to adapt their metabolism to low oxygen levels: for example, in our muscles during intense exercise.” Inside this issue
Harvard Today 2
Title IX Office Debuts Form
Business Group Cuts Ties with Palantir
Kaelin described receiving the prize as “thrilling” in an interview Monday. “It’s of course thrilling when your colleagues, especially colleagues you admire, think that your work is worthy of any major scientific prize, let alone a Nobel Prize,” Kaelin said. “Obviously I’m on cloud nine that my colleagues around the world apparently thought this was a discovery that was Nobel Prize worthy, and I am thrilled to share it with my colleagues.” Kaelin — who said that he was rejected from Harvard College, the Medical School, and a residency program before being hired by the Medical School — said that he heard about the news from a phone call from Stockholm at 4:40 a.m. Monday. “I learned the news in the classical style, which is a very early phone call,” he said. Kaelin said that while the prize was an honor, participating in the research itself was “the real prize.”
The Harvard Undergraduate BGLTQ Business Society canceled a sponsorship with software firm Palantir Technologies last week after facing student backlash over the company’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HUBBS publicized the sponsorship with Palantir — which included an ethical decision-making exercise slated for Oct. 10 — over their email list Oct. 3. The next day, the organization announced they had canceled the event. Palantir has faced criticism from both immigration advocacy groups and its own employees for its work with ICE in recent moths. The firm supplies ICE with an intelligence-gathering system that critics allege enable agents to deport increased
See nobel Page 7
See palantir Page 11
News 7
Editorial 10
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ new Science and Engineering Complex in Allston — which officially opens in June 2020 — will house several collaborative spaces designed to bring together students across the University, Dean of SEAS Francis J. Doyle III said in an interview Monday. Doyle said he hopes these spaces will provide opportunities for “serendipitous collisions” between students and faculty members that will facilitate the exchange of ideas.
SEE PAGE 11
By Shera s. avi-yonah and Delano r. fRANKLIN Crimson Staff Writers
Sports 12
Chen Jian, a history professor at Cornell, spoke at the JFK Jr. Forum about China and its relationship with the U.S. myeongseo kim—Crimson photographer
Today’s Forecast
rainy High: 68 Low: 52
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