The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 135

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The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873  | Volume CXLVI No. 135  |  Cambridge, Massachusetts  |  Tuesday, December 3, 2019

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news PAGE 3

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Both sides must make difficult choices if the strike is to end any time soon.

Students win award for ‘civic tech’ pitch at the Institute of Politics.

Men’s basketball ends Orlando Invitational with a loss to USC.

GradUATE Students Union Goes on Strike Graduate Students Union Began Strike at Midnight By James S. Bikales and Ruoqi Zhang Crimson Staff Writers

Harvard’s graduate student union began its strike Tuesday at midnight after more than a year of contract negotiations with the University. The widely anticipated strike, announced by the union’s bargaining committee last month, followed months of negotiations during which the two parties failed to come to agreements on key provisions, including health care, compensation, and sexual harassment and discrimination grievance procedures. The strike will last indefinitely, according to a union Facebook post Monday evening. “Harvard administration has failed to produce meaningful responses to our proposals for harassment and discrimination protections, comprehensive and affordable health care, and fair pay. Our indefinite strike begins at midnight tonight,” the union wrote in its post. Union members – teaching fellows, course assistants, and graduate research assistants – can choose whether to participate in the strike. Striking HGSU members

will halt their paid instructional work, including holding sections and office hours and grading assignments and exams, according to strike guidelines distributed by the union last week. Graduate research assistants on strike will withhold 20 hours of their paid research work not related to their academic program. During a bargaining session Monday, the union made substantial changes to its compensation and health care proposals but the two sides have not agreed to anything at this point. No additional bargaining sessions have been scheduled, according to University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain. Swain wrote in an emailed statement Monday morning that the University still believes that a strike is “unwarranted.” “Student workers have [a] vital role in fulfilling Harvard’s teaching and research mission, and with that in mind, the University is committed to addressing concerns that have been raised throughout this process,” Swain wrote. “A strike will neither clarify our respective positions nor will it resolve areas of disagreement.” Swain and union

See Strike Page 3

Graduate Council Issues Statement of Support By Luke A. Williams Crimson Staff Writer

See Unions Page 4

See HGC Page 4

The Graduate Student Union will have its “strike headquarters” in the Phillips Brooks House as it kicks off its strike tomorrow. Steve S. Li—contributing photographer

How HGSU’s Proposals Stack Up Against Other Harvard Unions’ Contracts By james S. Bikales and Ruoqi Zhang Crimson Staff Writers

Harvard’s graduate student union is officially on strike after more than a year of negotiations with University administrators. While the two parties have reached 12 tentative agree-

ments after 28 bargaining sessions, they remain at odds over key issues such as compensation, health care benefits, and grievance procedure. Several other unions on campus have recently offered their support for the striking graduate students, noting that many of the same provisions HGSU

Students Protest Prof.’s Tenure Denial By molly C. MCCafferty Crimson Staff Writer

History and Literature associate professor Lorgia García Peña was not granted tenure. Jenny M. Lu—Contributing photographer

is negotiating over are included in every union contract on campus. Below, The Crimson has analyzed how HGSU and the University’s compensation and benefits proposals compare to existing provisions in other unions’ contracts.

­ ours before the graduate stuH dent union strike, the Harvard Graduate Council voted to issue a last-minute statement regarding the ongoing contract negotiations at its last open meeting of the semester. After 13 months of negotiations, the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Automobile Workers is organizing a University-wide strike starting Tuesday in an effort to secure their contract demands more rapidly. The union has stated the strike will continue indefinitely. After two failed motions, and rejecting one proposed statement during almost 45 minutes of debate, the council decided Monday night to draft and release what multiple representatives called a “more neutral” public statement. “Upon clarification of Harvard University administration’s role in contracts and negotiations, we the Harvard Graduate Council call upon the Harvard

Roughly 50 students staged a sit-in at University Hall Monday evening to protest the tenure denial of Romance Languages and Literatures associate professor Lorgia Garcia Peña and to call on Harvard to create a formalized ethnic studies program. Garcia Peña was denied tenure Wednesday, according to an open letter students wrote to University Provost Lawrence S. Bacow, Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay. The letter — which 200 students and 30 student groups had signed onto as of Monday night — asks administrators to reverse that decision; publicly release correspondence about the final decision between Bacow, Gay, and department chair Mariano Siskind; and open an investigation into Garcia Peña’s case for “procedural errors, prejudice, and

discrimination.” A separate letter penned by Harvard affiliates and other academics had 972 signatures. The open letter also connects Garcia Peña’s tenure case to two incidents this semester which the authors claim the University has insufficiently addressed. In the first, someone left a note at Garcia Peña’s office insulting her ethnicity and challenging her right to be at Harvard. Harvard University Police opened an investigation into the incident, Bacow and Gay announced in September. In the second, Garcia Peña’s students were installing an art exhibit in Harvard Yard when Harvard University Police questioned the students and asked to see their IDs, engaging in a back-and-forth. At last month’s faculty meeting, Gay called the incident “painful,” adding that FAS

See Tenure Page 5

FAS to Search for Continuing Ed. Dean By Lucy Liu Crimson Staff Writer

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay announced the launch of a search for the next dean of the Division of Continuing Education in an email to FAS faculty members Monday. Current DCE Dean Huntington D. Lambert, who has held the position since 2013, announced his plans to retire at the end of the calendar year earlier this semester. While the search for a new dean is conducted, DCE associate dean and chief innovation officer Henry H. Leitner will serve as interim dean, Gay wrote. The DCE encompasses Harvard Extension School and its Summer School, as well as a variety of other academic enrichment programs. In her email, Gay discussed the role of the

DCE dean in advancing the mission of FAS. “The dean of the DCE oversees a powerful global education platform and the primary outreach arm for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), serving more than 30,000 part-time learners across the globe each year,” Gay wrote. “With a deep commitment to academic excellence and expanding opportunities for learning and educational innovation, the dean of DCE leads the division in its mission to extend Harvard to part-time and summer learners with the academic ability, curiosity, and drive to succeed in rigorous courses and programs” In the email, Gay announced the committee that would lead the search for Lambert’s successor and thanked him for

See Search Page 5

Mathew and White-Thorpe Inaugurated as UC President, VP By Kevin R. Chen Crimson Staff Writer

James A. Mathew ’21 and Ifeoma “Ify” E. White-Thorpe ’21 were inaugurated as the new president and vice president of Harvard’s Undergraduate Council Monday night. Mathew and White-Thorpe won the UC presidential election in November — beating four other candidate teams — after running on a campaign to promote inclusion, wellness, and safety on campus. Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair and Associate Dean of Student Engagement Alexander R. Miller swore in Mathew and White-Thorpe using “The Harvard Book” Monday night at the Council’s last meeting of the semester. Mathew and White-Thorpe swore to “diligently execute” their positions and serve as posInside this issue

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itive role models and voices for undergraduate students. The pair then took their seats at the front of the room and led the rest of the meeting. “I’m very, very excited to work with all of you, and we think it’s going to be a good year,” Mathew said to UC members at the meeting. Outgoing UC President Sruthi Palaniappan ’20 and Vice President Julia M. Huesa ’20 gave speeches at the inauguration, reflecting on their tenures on the council and thanking numerous people. Both Palaniappan and Huesa said during their speeches that the Council needs to improve its image among students. Huesa said that some students still see the UC as a joke and urged UC members to take their work more seriously so the Council can be taken more seriously.

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This year, Aditya A. Dhar ’21 and Andrew W. Liang ’21 — a Crimson business associate — ran for the UC presidency and vice presidency on a platform to abolish the UC and garnered the most first-place votes among students, but lost under the Council’s Borda voting system. Palaniappan and Huesa both teared up during their respective speeches while thanking each other for their support and friendship. “There’s no one else I would’ve done this crazy journey with other than you,” Palaniappan said to Huesa. The room gave Palaniappan and Huesa standing ovations after their speeches, and the duo signed their names in a copy of the “The Harvard Book,” a collection of writings about the

See UC Page 3

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The incoming Undergraduate Council president, James A. Mathew ’21, was formally inducted at the Inauguration Ceremony by Dean of Students Katherine G. O’Dair. camille G. Caldera—Crimson photographer

Today’s Forecast

Snowy High: 35 Low: 25

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