Page 3
THE HARVARD CRIMSON | February 20, 2020
Kennedy From Page 1
Caroline Kennedy Steps Off of Institute of Politics Board Harvard affiliates alleged that the tension between Kennedy and Elmendorf in part derived from the committee’s unsolicited involvement in IOP management. The IOP’s website states that the advisory committee “works closely with the Institute to fulfill its mission to inspire Harvard students to pursue pathways in politics and public service,” though no specific duties are listed. IOP Director Mark D. Gearan did not respond to multiple requests for comment Wednesday evening. Kennedy School spokesperson James F. Smith declined to comment on The Post’s specific allegations. In an emailed statement Smith provided to The Crimson Wednesday evening, Elmendorf recognized Kennedy’s contributions to the institute. “Caroline Kennedy is a distinguished public leader with an exemplary record of service
to her country,” he wrote. “I am extremely grateful for the extraordinary dedication and commitment she has shown to Harvard Kennedy School over many years.”
Caroline Kennedy is a distinguished public leader with an exemplary record of service to her country. Mark D. Gearan IOP Director
Duberstein, who also recently resigned, had worked with the IOP for the past two decades, sitting on panels as well as participating in its bipartisan orientation for newly elected U.S. Representatives.
He did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening. Elmendorf commended Duberstein on his dedication to the institute. “We greatly appreciate his absolute commitment to encouraging students to enter public life and for his tireless efforts to strengthen the IOP to support and inspire those students,” he wrote. In her resignation letter, Kennedy reflected on her participation at the institute since her years at the College. “When I enter HKS, I am reminded of my mother, my uncles and my brother, who all served on the SAC. I share their belief that inspiring the next generation of leaders to enter public service is the best way to honor my father’s memory,” she wrote.
—Staff Writer Sixiao Yu contributed reporting. ema.schumer@thecrimson.com
Physicist Brian R. Greene ’84 Discusses Universe in Talk By Natalie L. KaHn and Jing-Jing shen Contributing writers
Theoretical physicist and Columbia University professor Brian R. Greene ’84 emphasized humanity’s unique place in the cosmos — despite occupying a miniscule sliver of space and time — at a Science Center talk Wednesday night. In his presentation, organized by the Harvard Book Store, Greene gave the audience a preview of his new book “Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe.” Greene said he hopes his readers can “recognize the wondrous, perhaps frightening to me, exciting fact that we occupy a little minute oasis in the cosmic unfolding.” Greene began the talk by comparing the history of the universe to a year-long calendar, with the human race only coming into being at 11:40 p.m. on December 31. To describe the future of the cosmos, he used the analogy of the Empire State Building, with each floor representing a duration ten times that of the previ
Brian R. Greene ‘84 describes the history of time at a presentation about his new book — Until the End of Time — in the Science Center on Wednesday. Aiyana G. White—Crimson photographer
ous floor. At the eleventh floor, one hundred billion years from now, the sun will grow over 200 times in size and possibly swallow the earth, according to Greene. “By floor 38, we believe it’s likely that protons, the very heart of matter, will disintegrate, showing us once and for all that diamonds truly are not forever,” he added to laughter from the audience. Even if humans still existed on the fiftieth floor, Greene explained, that the very act of thought would emit so much heat that they would effectively combust. “If you think, you fry,” Greene said. Greene also suggested that due to the rapid expansion of the universe, galaxies would move so far away that their light would never reach Earth. Astronomers in the distant future, Greene posited, might look into the night sky and see total darkness. “To lose contact with distant galaxies is to lose contact with the very evidence for the structure of the universe as we currently understand it,” Greene said. Harvard Book Store owner
Jeffrey Mayersohn ’73 said he admired Greene’s energetic delivery, even as the presentation delved into abstract possibilities. “It started off with the very concrete and went into incredible speculation,” Mayersohn said. “He took us along and we were with him every step of the way.” he added. Greene refuted the possibility of humans having free will; thoughts and actions are simply interactions between elementary particles, which are bound to obey mathematical equations. Yet he said that a deterministic conception of the universe need not preclude hope. “We are made of these exquisitely ordered, wonderfully choreographed particles of nature governed fully by the physical laws, no free will whatsoever,” Greene said. “And yet even in that environment, our particular arrangements can through a flitting burst of activity, create beauty, illuminate mystery, experience wonder.” “The fact that particles can do that fills me with a sense of gratitude that really borders on reverence,” Greene added.
letter From Page 1
Khurana From Page 1
Bacow Writes WH On Travel Ban
Khurana Says New Gen Ed Lottery Is Better
the US,” Bacow wrote. “As the purview of these orders has expanded, students, faculty, and scholars from other countries worry that their immigration status could be revoked at any time — and with no consideration of their conduct or intent.” The White House could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The travel ban drew intense criticism after its announcement and faced challenges in multiple federal courts, leading to a legal battle in front of the Supreme Court. The Court ultimately upheld the ban in 2018. In the letter, Bacow wrote that the bans have “prevented” or “hindered” universities from recruiting students, faculty, and scholars. He added that the bans have made collaboration with other universities more difficult. Bacow wrote he supports and appreciates federal efforts to keep the nation secure, but believes the government should pursue alternatives to this particular policy. “I believe we can respond to those challenges in a way that echoes the founding ideals of our country — countless people have looked to us for hope, for the chance to learn, to contribute, and to lead better and safer lives,” Bacow wrote. “My father and my mother were two of them, and they taught me that this country is great because its doors are open to the world.” Before the announcement, the travel ban barred entry from seven countries to varying degrees. The updated travel ban will prohibit some types of immigrant visas — but not student visas — from the newly added countries. Harvard has consistently
lobbied for immigration-related proposals in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Since the start of 2019, Harvard’s Office of Federal Relations has worked on immigration reform issues, student visas, and issues pertaining to international students and scholars, according to the office’s disclosure under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
I believe we can respond to those challenges in a way that echoes the founding ideals of our country. Lawrence S. Bacow University President
“Immigration issues like OPT, DACA, TPS and the concerns of international students are a focus of the University’s federal activities with engagement with policy makers and key administration officials,” University spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in an emailed statement. Bacow closed his letter by encouraging the president to enact policies that would make America the “destination of choice” for top scholars across the globe. “I hope you will do more to advocate for the United States as the destination of choice for the world’s best students, faculty, and scholars, regardless of nationality — and enact policies that make that possible,” he wrote. michelle.kurilla@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com
to try to at least improve the system,” he added. Under the new lottery system, students can rank up to five Gen Ed courses on their my.harvard online student portal. The Gen Ed office then uses a unified ranked-choice system to assign students to their highest possible preferences. Khurana characterized the lottery’s launch as highly successful, pointing to the fact that roughly 87 percent of undergraduates participating in the lottery were granted either their first or second-ranked course choice this semester. The Gen Ed office began working to create a new lottery system last summer with Harvard University Information Technology, the Advising Pro-
grams Office, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar’s Office, and the Office of Undergraduate Education. The initiative to revamp the system came after College administrators observed that some students successfully lotteried into multiple overflowing courses while others failed to lottery into any. The new Gen Ed lottery complements a broadly refreshed Gen Ed program, which was unveiled in the fall of 2019 after a four-year-long overhaul. The Gen Ed office caps its courses at a maximum of 250 students, though professors can choose to impose stricter enrollment caps if they wish. The office implements lotteries for courses if interest exceeds
the cap. Khurana said he sympathized with students who do not get seats in desired courses — Gen Ed and otherwise — because the College faces a perennial problem of overflowing classes. “I still have enough of a memory of how frustrating it was as an undergraduate not to get a course with someone that you really liked, or wanted to take,” he said. Still, Khurana said he thinks some professors must limit their course sizes to successfully engage a small group of students in more intensive discussion. “I think we really respect the faculty’s creative expertise and decisions on doing that,” he said. “One of the hallmarks of
Harvard College education is that opportunity to take some of those smaller classes that allow you to have that interaction with your peers, as well as with faculty, in a kind of smaller setting,” he added. Khurana also suggested some potential methods to maintain face-to-face instruction while also meeting student interest, including adding more course sections, finding other instructors to take over for professors on sabbatical, and experimenting with classroom formats. “Our goal is to allow students to take full advantage of the Harvard College curriculum,” he said. juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com amanda.su@thecrimson.com
lawsuit From Page 1
Prison Divestment Activists File Suit Against Univ. and to make “such practices” illegal. The graduate students listed as plaintiffs — Ismail A. Buffins, a student at the Divinity School; Amanda T. Chan and Anna L. Nathanson, students at the Law School; and Jarrett Drake and Citlalli Alvarez Almendariz, doctoral students in Anthropology — held a press conference at the Suffolk County Courthouse upon filing the lawsuit Wednesday morning. The plaintiffs explained how their suit differed from a 2014 lawsuit that a group of seven Harvard student activists filed against Harvard; that lawsuit also alleged the University’s investment in fossil fuels violated the school’s charter. Chan said the 2014 suit was
dismissed for lack of standing because the student plaintiffs did not have a “special position or enough of a stake in the endowment.” “But today, we do not just stand here as students who are working in agitating for abolition and for divestment. We’re standing here as donors to Harvard University,” Chan said. “So somewhere floating around in that $40.9 billion endowment is $20 of my hard-earned debt money, which means that under the charter, the University has to consider my will and has to consider its charitable purposes.” The complaint itself notes that the Harvard Charter “requires accountability to donors surrounding the use of funds.” It also cites a ruling in a previous
case in which a judge found that the individuals who contributed to a charitable organization had standing to sue.
We’re standing here as donors to Harvard University. Amanda T. Chan Law Student and Plaintiff
Though noting that he donated $12.24 to the University, Drake said in remarks at the press conference that the notion of “moral standing” was more important to him than legal standing in pursuing the lawsuit.
“I’m a descendant of enslaved people in this country. My ancestors built courthouses like this. They built statehouses like the one on Beacon Street. They built universities like Harvard,” Drake said. “And as a descendant of enslaved people, it’s impossible to see our system of mass imprisonment, and not see the relationships — the direct, direct relationships.” “I’m here today, standing, literally, on the moral and the physical infrastructure that my ancestors, the ancestors of other people — enslaved people, exploited people — have built,” he added. “And that, to me, matters as much, if not more than, the legal standing.” camille.caldera@thecrimson.com
