The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVII, NO. 5 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020
EDITORIAL PAGE 4
NEWS PAGE 3
SPORTS PAGE 6
Harvard Forward will enable the University to combat climate change.
Bankrupt stationary store Papyrus closes its store in Harvard Square.
Women’s ice hockey reaches a pivotal point in its season.
Chemistry Chair Arrested for Lying to Feds Court Strikes Down Pot Rule By JAMES S. BIKALES and KEVIN R. CHEN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Chemistry department chair Charles M. Lieber has been placed on an “indefinite” paid administrative leave after being charged in federal court with failing to disclose funding from the Chinese government, according to University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain. Lieber was charged with “making materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to U.S. government agencies, according to an affidavit filed Monday. The charges come as both the United States government and Harvard embark upon a campaign to curb “academic espionage,” a process by which researchers funnel academic information to foreign governments. Lieber reportedly lied to the Defense Department and the National Institutes of Health about ties he allegedly had to China’s Thousand Talents Plan, per the affidavit. The TTP was established in 2008 by the Chinese government to attract scientists from across the world. The federal government, however, has designated the pro-
gram a danger to national security. Lieber also allegedly led Harvard to inaccurately tell the NIH that he had no affiliation with the TTP. Lieber and his lawyer, Peter Lovitt, did not respond to requests for comment on the case. Swain wrote in an emailed statement that the University is conducting its own review of the allegations against Lieber. Lieber is not allowed on Harvard’s campus and will not continue his teaching and research duties, according to Swain. “The charges brought by the U.S. government against Professor Lieber are extremely serious,” Swain wrote in an emailed statement. “Harvard is cooperating with federal authorities, including the National Institutes of Health.” Swain declined to specify the scope of the University’s review. The affidavit alleges that Lieber signed contracts beginning in 2011 to participate in Chinese government research programs at Wuhan University of Technology. In return, he received millions in cash and
SEE LIEBER PAGE 5
By MARIA G. GONZALEZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
adding that the portfolio often reaches “very near full occupancy.” “Harvard engages in efforts to provide students with access to diverse and well managed properties in convenient locations, as well as programming designed to foster community and strengthen the bonds with University colleagues,” Newton wrote. Many graduate students still find Harvard housing unaffordable. Shannon G. Bryant, a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics, wrote in an email that she and her partner decided against renting a University-owned apartment because they determined the cost would be prohibitive. “We simply could not justify the price tag of a Harvard-owned property,” Bryant wrote. “It seems that it is not in the University’s interest to provide
A Middlesex Superior Court judge lifted Cambridge’s twoyear moratorium on certain cannabis sales permits in a ruling Friday. The moratorium — passed by the Cambridge City Council in September 2019 as part of the Cannabis Business Permitting Ordinance — gave “economic empowerment candidates” a two-year window to be the sole operators of recreational marijuana shops in the city. The measure was intended to help businesses run by people who have been disproportionately harmed by past marijuana laws — primarily individuals from “Black, African American, Hispanic or Latino descent” — according to the Cannabis Control Commission. The Commission is the state-level entity tasked with overseeing the use and distribution of medical and recreational marijuana. Massachusetts voters approved the sale and regulation of medical marijuana in 2012. “Adult-use” or “recreational” marijuana was legalized in 2016. Cambridge approved full marijuana legalization by an “overwhelming majority of 71.6%” in 2016. In October, medical marijuana dispensary Revolutionary Clinics filed a lawsuit against the City of Cambridge in order to block the moratorium, arguing that “Cambridge exceeded its express limited authority to regulate cannabis business” when the City Council passed the ordinance in September. In an interview Tuesday, Revolutionary Clinics CEO Keith W. Cooper ’83 said the moratorium interfered with existing laws implemented by the Commission. According to Cooper, stores that entered the business early to serve medical patients — at “pretty high risk” — benefited from the ability to convert their stores into recreational marijuana shops. Cooper said the previous rule was a “reward for both the investment in the medical
SEE RENTS PAGE 3
SEE RULING PAGE 3
Chemistry department chair Charles M. Lieber was charged in federal court on Tuesday afternoon for failing to disclose funding from the Chinese government. RYAN N.GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
University To Raise Housing Rents By CALLIA A. CHUANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Rent for University-owned apartments is slated to increase by an average of one percent — with increases ranging from zero to two percent on a unitby-unit basis — for the 20202021 academic year, Harvard University Housing announced Friday. To determine revised “market rents,” HUH hired a private consultant to analyze three years of data for more than 13,500 apartments — both Harvard-leased and private properties — in Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville. HUH evaluates rent for its each of its 3,000 units individually. Tenants will be notified of any updated rates that have been determined in March. University spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in an email that HUH can provide housing for up to 50 percent of Harvard graduate students,
Holden Green is a University-leased housing complex on the border of Cambridge and Somerville. JONATHAN G. YUAN —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
HLS Students Criticize Green Initiative Prosecutor in Wis. Case Takes on College By KELSEY J. GRIFFIN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Harvard Law School chapter of the National Lawyers Guild published an open letter to District Attorney Michael D. Graveley of Kenosha, Wis., in December, calling on the prosecutor to drop all charges against 19-year-old Chrystul Kizer. Kizer faces arson and first-degree homicide charges after confessing to the murder of Randy Volar, a 34-year-old man who had allegedly sexually abused Kizer since she was 16 years old. Police arrested Volar in Feb. 2018 but released him without bail the same day. Shortly after, Kizer allegedly shot Volar twice, lit his body on fire, and fled the scene in his BMW. The Law School student’s letter called Graveley’s decision to prosecute Kizer a “cause for concern” and a “breach” of professional responsibilities. “She deserves empathy and
By AMANDA Y. SU and JULIET E. ISSELBACHER CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
A small, vocal group of Harvard College freshmen has spearheaded a many-pronged effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastics on campus. The decade-old Green Think Initiative — housed under the Office for Sustainability — is an environmental advocacy organization geared toward freshmen. Over the past year, its members have appealed to Harvard University Dining Services, Harvard Student Agencies, and the Undergraduate Council to collaborate on reducing major outputs of single-use
SEE GREEN PAGE 5 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
News 3
Editorial 4
support for the horrible abuse she suffered at the hands of a grown man, not criminalization,” the letter reads. “‘Sound discretion’ and ‘justice’ in this case would clearly look like dropping the charges so she can move on with her life and recovery.” In a Monday interview, Graveley disputed the research National Lawyers Guilds students had conducted on the case. He said the students did not contact him for information prior to disseminating the letter. “From my perspective, if you accuse an attorney of being unethical, that’s kind of the professional equivalent of accusing someone of a crime,” he said. “I would suggest that before you use an esteemed university’s name and before you cast judgment on the ethics of an attorney, that the least you can do is be sure you’ve diligently investigated all sides.” The authors of the open
SEE LETTER PAGE 5
Sports 6
Students gather Tuesday morning in Wasserstein Hall at Harvard Law School.
RYAN N.GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHO-
TOGRAPHER
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