12 minute read
Editorial
THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD Riley Must Go
Last week, a Crimson investigation revealed an extremely troubling culture of discrimination and favoritism within the Harvard University Police Department. Twenty-one current and former HUPD officers attested — via interviews, multiple lawsuits, formal discrimination complaints, and meetings with University administrators among other means — to a work environment that can only be described as toxic. They allege, for instance, that HUPD officers have used racial slurs with little consequence, that female officers are passed over for promotions and face increased scrutiny, and that HUPD Chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley, at the center of these allegations, “rewards members of his inner circle while passing over officers who voice concerns.”
Condemning the alleged toxic, discriminatory culture these officers paint is necessary, but not nearly sufficient. These allegations are alarming to say the least, and they inevitably reframe how we think about past HUPD-related incidents, including the interaction between students of color in Romance Languages and Literatures Professor Lorgia García Peña’s course.
The University cannot reasonably expect its student body, and minority students in particular, to trust HUPD under Chief Riley — a man consistently identified as either creating or enabling this culture. Not only for this urgent practical reason, but also out of clear moral obligation, we call for his immediate resignation.
These events represent an egregious wrong that demands accountability. We extend our sympathy and support to those HUPD officers who have experienced (and may still be experiencing) acts of harassment and discrimination, particularly those who were forced to remain silent out of fear of retaliation and economic need.
Only with Riley’s departure can HUPD begin to mend the evident rifts within the department and its relationship with the student body.
Failing to ensure a good relationship between Harvard affiliates and HUPD threatens the safety of everyone on cam
pus by making effective communication with individual officers less likely. Indeed, Riley’s presence at the top of the department stains the public’s perception of the many fair-minded, conscientious officers that keep our campus safe, actively hurting both his force and the student body more broadly.
While Chief’s Riley’s resignation is vital, it is not, however, sufficient. Beyond Riley himself, the university bears significant responsibility for the events. Prior to Crimson’s reporting, top Harvard officials appear to have consistently ignored numerous signs that pointed at the problematic dynamics at play in the department. From filings with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, to settled lawsuits and unfruitful meetings, Harvard remained unfazed despite multiple red flags.
The University did not act in the students’ best interest by withholding information about many of these incidents and continuing to allow officers who had allegedly committed racist and sexist acts to continue interacting with students on a daily basis.
We condemn the top Harvard officials who were allegedly informed of the department’s culture and failed to take action, including Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay, Senior Advisor to the President John S. Wilson, ombudsman Lydia L. Cummings, and Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp, as well as any others not revealed by the Crimson’s reporting. We call for an investigation into the alleged negligence displayed by top leadership that reveals why so many complaints fell on deaf ears, and an appropriate response to its findings.
Harvard can’t erase the pain allegedly inflicted by Riley during his time as the head of the department. But we can — we must — strive to do better. That work starts with Riley’s resignation.
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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Reshini Premaratne PLAYING DEVIL’S ADVOCATE Oh, the Places You Should Go! COLUMN
Many people told me to cherish every semester at Harvard and not let a single one go. Yet — much to the dismay of my friends, family, and even thesis advisor — I instead made the unpopular decision to do exactly the opposite: to pack up my books, let go of Harvard, and fly overseas for a semester. And, you should, too.
I want to begin by expressing my rather unobjectionable support for the slim minority of Harvard undergraduates— in 2015, the Harvard Political Review reported the figure as less than 4.5 percent — studying abroad during any given semester. Despite study abroad being one of the highlights of many college students’ experiences across universities in the United States, it remains an extremely uncommon choice for Harvard students.
You may regret not studying abroad, but I doubt you will regret actually taking the plunge and doing it. Indeed, some iteration of this sentence has been whispered to me by many a former study abroad student who then proceeded to retell the whimsical travels, relief of academic stress, and forged friendships from their time in a foreign country, most often during their junior spring semester.
Since it is so uncommon for Harvard students, I think study abroad alumni try their best to avoid discussing the downsides of it. While I do think that all students should study abroad, I find it important to also mention the less glorious parts of the experience: loneliness, discomfort, unfamiliarity, and fear of missing out. I am studying abroad at the Jesus College of the University of Cambridge this semester.
Though it has only been a few weeks, there have definitely been some incredibly hard moments. I have felt completely lost and overwhelmed by being thrown into an entirely new environment in the middle of their academic year as well as mine; I have felt estranged from my closest friends and most comforting confidantes; I have honestly sobbed myself to sleep and begged to return home. And from casual conversations with other study abroad students, these kinds of experiences do not seem to be entirely unique.
The bigger picture, though, is that these tough moments, and the many more incredible ones that accompany them, have pushed me to grow in immeasurable ways academically, socially, and personally.
My experience thus far is entirely different than it has been for the past two and a half years at Harvard, and it prepares me well for life after graduation. I am living pretty much entirely on my own, including grocery shopping and cooking for myself. I am taking one-onone supervisions here at Cambridge, which means I don’t interact with any other students intellectually. Instead, I am spending an extremely personalized and tailored time with leading scholars in their respective fields. I have the unique opportunity to travel the world easily, seeing different cultures and peoples all across Europe on literally a weekly basis.
In my experience, the social life here is much more centered around pubs than it is clubs, or Final Clubs for that matter, making it foreign but much more accessible.
In fact, my experience at Harvard will be so much richer because of the time I spent away from it, not in spite of that. My academic experience will be stronger because I have had to read and write at the level and in the style that Cambridge requires, while also participating in classes held that very much challenge my established rhythm.
I will be stronger socially and more appreciative of the close-knit community that Harvard offers. I will also be more independent because studying abroad inherently forces an uncomfortable, but meaningful degree of solitude. Lastly, I will be re-energized to return to Harvard after spending six months focusing on personal and academic growth, with the comfort of also knowing that classes are pass/fail.
Despite all of the hard moments that there have been, I have never once regretted my decision to leap across the pond for my junior spring semester. Harvard, in all its glory and in all its stumbles, is fairly consistent. Incremental change and progress are indeed always happening, but nonetheless it is a predictable place. Over the course of a fouryear undergraduate experience, the difference between having seven or eight semesters living in the Houses and going to class in the Yard does seem rather negligible.
In fact, I feel better suited to return to Harvard for my senior year, with a newfound appreciation of all that Harvard provides that other esteemed institutions like Cambridge do not.
Indeed, I will be armed with the knowledge and reflection that six months of being away from the Harvard bubble has given me.
I will be ready to come back and fully take advantage of Harvard, as a re-energized senior who missed the sense of home elicited by Harvard, but grew immensely because of that. While many people will tell you to not let go of a single semester at Harvard, I believe that studying abroad is not only a valuable experience in and of itself, but also makes every other semester at Harvard so much better.
It may be unpopular, but study abroad is worth it. And, while there is no certainty that it will be easy — indeed, it probably won’t be — the one thing anyone who has gone abroad can guarantee is that you will never regret it. —Reshini Premaratne ’21 is a joint concentrator in Social Studies and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in Currier House. Her column appears on alternate Mondays. I have felt completely lost and overwhelmed by being thrown into an entirely new environment in the middle of their academic year as well as mine.
What Comes Next? OP-ED
Nearly two years ago, when I first arrived on the campus I now call home, I faced the daunting question that meets everyone who walks through Harvard’s gates: What comes next?
For the first time in my life, I had a place to start, but no finish line in sight. When I was young, the finish line was clear: the top of the tree in the backyard (or, in hindsight, a branch no more than 5 feet off the ground). I grew a bit older, and the finish line shifted: get straight A’s, make the team.
High school came and the finish line grew more distant: top of the class, good college. After four long years, I crossed that finish line and enjoyed the victory lap that is senior summer. Since then, while I have wondered about the next big finish line, I have not truly sought it.
Freshman year at Harvard is too much of a whirlwind to deeply ponder your next great goal; By JAMES M. ROGERS
Freshman year at Harvard is too much of a whirlwind to deeply ponder your next great goal; you make new friends, move into a new home, and experience new challenges and triumphs on a daily basis.
you make new friends, move into a new home, and experience new challenges and triumphs on a daily basis. Eventually, the newness of it all settles down, and it is somehow sophomore fall: time to pick a concentration! Advisors and peers alike tell you it’s no big deal, it’s not a binding contract, and it’s not a lifelong commitment. And yet you cannot help but feel the gravity of picking a direction.
Of course you can change your concentration down the line, but it is suddenly more difficult to explore. You see the sheer number of classes you must take to complete the requirements, and wonder how there is any possible way to start down one path and then reach the finish line of another.
When it was time for me to pick, I questioned everything. I loved computer science, but was it truly my favorite field of study? I can’t even an
swer when asked my favorite movie or book. There are so many stories I love; how can I choose between Harry Potter and the Avengers? And yet, like everyone else, I made a decision, and I am now quite comfortable with it.
Even with my concentration settled, the next big finish line is utterly unclear. Do I want to go to graduate school or go straight to work? Am I studying computer science to program forever or to hone it as a technical skill for a different field? In the short time since I started this piece, I have already decided to switch out of a computer science class I thought for sure I must take this semester.
Indeed, everyone around me is taking different paths, made clear by summer plans already settled in January — high caliber internships to pad
When I share my uncertainty with my closest friends, I realize that only a lucky few know where their next finish line is. The majority, however, are stepping blindly. The myriad of paths taken by students at Harvard can be intimidating, but it should be viewed as a manifestation of the petrifying perplexity everyone feels.
the resume, jobs at the grocery store to pay tuition and save for the future, more classes to get credits out of the way. I find it difficult to pick which path to tread, knowing not what my future holds.
After all, I have always taken my steps with a specific goal in mind. Now it seems each step is into an abyss of uncertainty, hoping the light of clarity and purpose is on the other side.
When I share my uncertainty with my closest friends, I realize that only a lucky few know where their next finish line is. The majority, however, are stepping blindly. The myriad of paths taken by students at Harvard can be intimidating, but it should be viewed as a manifestation of the petrifying perplexity everyone feels. If there was a clear finish line of success and happiness and an obvious path to get there, we would all walk it together.
Instead, we wander about, hoping to stumble into a path that suits us. So perhaps it is time to stop fretting about this uncertainty. For now, all we can do is embrace not knowing what comes next.
