The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVI, No. 36

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVI, NO. 36 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019

EDITORIAL PAGE 6

MULTIMEDIA PAGE 4

SPORTS PAGE 8

Harvard should assess its impact on local communities.

In photos: students celebrated Housing Day festivities Thursday.

Men’s hockey will face Dartmouth in the ECAC quarterfinals.

HGSU Lists Fiscal Hopes

By JAMES S. BIKALES and RUOQI ZHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

University negotiators are now considering the full set of economic proposals outlined by Harvard’s graduate student union for its first contract — including issues such as wages and benefits — according to University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain.

Harvard’s negotiators received the last of Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers’ economic proposals during a bargaining session Feb. 22. Before then, only some proposals were offered, and University negotiators tabled conversations while awaiting the full set.

Harvard negotiators will now start preparations for a counter-proposal, Swain wrote in an emailed statement.

Swain described the union’s economic proposals’ fiscal impact on the University as “significant” and said that Harvard is analyzing the total financial impact of those proposals on all of its schools.

Evan C. MacKay ’19, a HGSU-UAW bargaining committee member, wrote in an emailed statement that Harvard’s $39.2 billion endowment means the University should offer union members more benefits.

“There is no reason that student workers at the wealthiest university in the world should struggle to make ends meet,” he wrote.

Ashley B. Gripper, another HGSU-UAW bargaining committee member, wrote in an emailed statement that the union has made its proposals with “guidance” from its members.

“We hope that the university will promptly respond to our economic proposals and that we will be able to work together productively to ensure that all student workers can afford to study, work, and live at Harvard,” she wrote.

Swain wrote that the University wanted to consider HGSU’s economic proposals as a ­

SEE PROPOSAL PAGE 5

Freshmen Receive Housing Day Assignments

By SANJANA L. NARAYANAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Upperclassmen waving banners and sporting House apparel — from face paint to full-body house mascot costumes — congregated in Harvard Yard to welcome freshmen to their new residences Thursday morning.

Harvard’s annual Housing Day informs freshmen living in the Yard of their placement into one of Harvard’s 12 residential houses for upperclassmen for the coming three years.

Many of the upperclassmen ­

“dorm-stormers” awoke early to get breakfast with their Houses, dress in House gear, and blast music before making their way to the Yard. With the crash of a gong at 8:30 a.m., House Committee chairs emerged from University Hall with letters informing freshmen of their new Houses. Then, excited groups of students charged into freshman dorm rooms to deliver the news.

As freshmen poured out of their dorms to share their House placement with friends,

SEE HOUSING PAGE 3

Dunster residents chanted in Matthews Hall while distributing housing assignments. KAI R. MCNAMEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Letters containing housing assignments were distributed on the steps of University Hall before upperclassmen stormed freshman dorm rooms. KAI R. MCNAMEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Firm Funds New Drug Research

By JONAH S. BERGER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

The healthcare investment firm Deerfield Management has committed $100 million as part of a new alliance with Harvard science researchers aimed at promoting drug innovation.

As part of the deal, Deerfield will form a private company called Lab1636 — owned solely by its affiliates — to support Harvard researchers’ projects in “various stages of drug discovery and development,” according to a press release. The University’s Office of Technology Development coordinated the new partnership.

“We envision the Harvard-Deerfield collaboration as a powerful means to fuel translational research across the University, enabling promising innovations to advance beyond ­

SEE COURT PAGE 3

In Homeless Court, Another Chance

their laboratory roots,” University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 said in the release.

Deerfield has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into drug research at prominent universities around the country.

The hedge fund also previously pledged more than $50 million to the Broad Institute — a Harvard-MIT research collaboration — to advance “therapeutic research projects,” according to the Institute’s website.

In recent years, Deerfield has found itself in hot water following criminal convictions against two former partners and allegations that the firm’s policies around the use of confidential information were too lenient.

The firm agreed to pay $4.6 million in 2017 to settle claims

The court is an alternative to prosecution for some individuals experiencing homelessness.

By EMA R. SCHUMER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

On the first Monday of every month, defendants and their lawyers file into Judge Roanne Sragow’s courtroom in Harvard Square’s First Parish Church.

She wears the same robe there as she does behind the bench in Cambridge District Court, but at the church she sits behind a plastic table on a folding chair.

This nontraditional setting, however, does not make her work there any less important to those who come before her.

Sragow is the presiding judge for the Cambridge Dis­

SEE DEERFIELD PAGE 5

trict Homeless Court, which offers these monthly sessions to adjudicate on misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges, as well as outstanding warrants, against people experiencing homelessness in the Cambridge area. The court does not sentence the defendents but instead recommends resources for rehabilitation and sometimes requires them to check back in on their progress over the course of multiple hearings.

The court’s most recent session — scheduled for March 4 — almost didn’t happen. After heavy snowfall the night before, Sragow and the defendants’

HSA Helps Pilot New ‘Direct-to-Dorm’ Snack and Drink Delivery App HOPP

By ANISSA R. MEDINA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard Student Agencies will help launch the HOPP app — a “direct-to-dorm” snack and drink delivery service — on Harvard’s campus during the week following spring break.

Dev — HSA’s web and mobile software development program — built the phone application after being approached with the idea by a client, HSA President James N. Swingos ’20 said. The client was a team of a “dad and his son.”

During HOPP’s initial launch period on campus, Harvard students will be able to order select items from a fulfill­

HER’S DEBUTS NEW ALBUM

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Liverpool band Her’s performs their debut album ‘Invitation to Her’s’ this Sunday at the Middle East Club in Cambridge. RACHEL D. LEVY—CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard Today 2

News 3

Editorial 6

Sports 8

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLOUDY High: 61 Low: 45

ment center, according to Nicholas W. Bunn ’19, CEO of Studio 67, HSA’s on-campus marketing agency and the group in charge of HOPP’s rollout. In the app’s early phase, items will be sold at 10 percent off retail price and with no delivery fee.

Bunn said the client approached HSA asking the group to launch the idea on Harvard’s campus as a “beta-test” to gather data for an eventual pitch to investors.

Swingos said the father and son pair who had the idea, are “direct manufacturers” for some of the products that will be sold through HOPP and reached out to HSA “through a connection in our alumni base.”

“They came to us and were like, ‘We want to launch a direct-to-dorm delivery service for some of the products that we make,’” Swingos said.

He said the father-son team also wanted to debut the delivery service “for some products that are close partners” of what they make.

Though Bunn said he recognizes HOPP is similar to some other food delivery apps, he said he believes HOPP’s ability to directly deliver to Harvard dorm rooms — by employing Harvard students as couriers — will give it a competitive edge.

“The added benefit to this

SEE HOPP PAGE 5

VISIT THECRIMSON.COM. FOLLOW @THECRIMSON ON TWITTER.

guacamole

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

MARCH 15, 2019

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Chicken Schnitzel with Sour Cream & Chive Mayo Red’s Best Fresh Catch Fried Onion Rings

For Dinner Buttered Shrimp with Olive, Tomato & Anise Sauce Salisbury Steak Vegetable Potstickers

TODAY’S EVENTS The Bauhaus and Harvard Law School 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

IN THE REAL WORLD Beto O’Rourke Announces Presidential Campaign

Mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus movement by grabbing a friend and checking out an exhibition detailing Harvard Law School’s connections with the artistic movement. A space in Langdell Hall will house the exhibit.

Former Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke announced his campaign for president in a video Thursday. The three-term representative gained prominence by challenging Senator Ted Cruz last year. While O’Rourke lost narrowly, beat fundraising records and visited all 254 counties in Texas, gaining both an in-state and national following.

Climate Change Interactive Exhibit 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus movement by grabbing a friend and checking out an exhibition detailing Harvard Law School’s connections with the artistic movement. A space in Langdell Hall will house the exhibit.

Harvard Art Museum Student Tour 2-2:50 p.m.

Have a crush on a cute HAA concentrator? This may be your lucky break. Head down to the Harvard Art Museums for a undergraduate-led tour that promises a special view at the artwork. Best of all? The tour is free.

Parliament Votes to Delay Brexit Pforzheimer House residents make polar bear drawings to show off their mascot to new Quadlings. KAI R. MCNAMEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING University negotiators are now considering the full set of economic proposals outlined by Harvard’s graduate student union for its first contract — including issues such as wages and benefits — according to University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain. Harvard’s negotiators received the last of Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers’ economic proposals during a bargaining session Feb. 22. In other news, upperclassmen waving banners and sporting House apparel — from face paint to full-body house mascot costumes — congregated in Harvard Yard to welcome freshmen to their new residences Thursday morning.

The British Parliament has voted to seek an extension on the legal process that governs Britain’s exit from the European Union. The vote comes soon after Parliament rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed deal for a second time, as well as voting to rule out a “no-deal” scenario, in which Britain leaves the E.U. with no trade or agreements in place.

Facebook Struggles to Respond to Outage

Facebook suffered a partial outage that began Wednesday afternoon, stretched on for approximately 14 hours, and affecting users around the globe. The interruption is believed to be the largest in the social media company’s history. The outage also affected Facebook-owned services including Instagram and WhatsApp.

AROUND THE IVIES UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Researchers at Penn Medicine have discovered five new genes linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported Friday. This finding came out of an Alzheimer’s study conducted with data from 94,000 patients analyzed by researchers at the International Genomic Alzheimer’s Project, led

by Pathology and Laboratory Medicine professor Gerard Schellenberg. In addition to the discovery of the five new genes, the researchers gained additional insight into the cellular mechanisms implicated in the process of the disease.

PRINCETON

Two undergraduates organized a new TigerTrek trip to Israel, The Daily Princetonian reported.

The program is a collaboration between the two students, the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, and the Center for Jewish Life to promote entrepreneurship and technology.

The 15 students partaking in the program will meet with startup and technology executives to understand how startups work in Israel. The trip is designed to help students from all majors understand entrepreneurship and to share their learning with the campus. TigerTrek also features trips to Silicon Valley and New York City.

BROWN

Brown University agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for $3.5 million March 11, the Brown Daily Herald reported. The lawsuit alleged Brown violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and improperly handled two retirement plans. Lawyers for Brown have claimed the school did not do anything wrong and handled its retirement plans correctly. They said they agreed to settle to avoid years of expensive litigation. Current and former participants in the two plans will receive shares of the settlement.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

The Harvard Crimson Kristine E. Guillaume President Angela N. Fu Managing Editor Charlie B. Zhu Business Manager

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE

Associate Managing Editor Jamie D. Halper ’20

Arts Chairs Kaylee S. Kim ’20 Caroline A. Tsai ’20

Design Chairs Elena M. Ramos ’20 Akhil S. Waghmare ’20

Associate Business Manager Amy E. Zhou ’20

FM Chairs Norah M. Murphy ’20 Abigail L. Simon ’20

Multimedia Chairs Kathryn S. Kuhar ’20 Kai R. McNamee ’21

Editorial Chairs Jessenia N. Class ’20 Robert Miranda ’20

Blog Chairs Lorenzo F. Manuali ’21 Trula J. Rael ’21

Technology Chairs Nenya A. Edjah ’20 Theodore T. Liu ’20

Sports Chairs Joseph W. Minatel ’21 Henry Zhu ’20

Copyright 2019, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.

Night Editor Caroline S. Engelmayer ’20

Design Editor Matthew J. Tyler ’22

Assistant Night Editors Edward W. Carr ’21 Amy L. Jia ’21

Photo Editors Kathryn S. Kuhar ’20 Anthony Y. Tao ’22

Story Editors Jamie D. Halper ’20 Jordan E. Virtue ’20 Michael E. Xie ’20 Luke W. Xu ’20

Editorial Editor Jessenia N. Class ’20 Sports Editor William C. Boggs ’22

CORRECTIONS The Harvard Crimson is committed to accuracy in its reporting. Factual errors are corrected promptly on this page. Readers with information about errors are asked to e-mail the managing editor at managingeditor@thecrimson.com.

PAGE 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 15, 2019

COURT FROM PAGE 1

HOUSING FROM PAGE 1

Homeless Court Meant for Rehabilitation

lawyers were worried the people standing trial that day might not make it. But after a twohour postponement, 14 of the 25 cases on the docket were heard.

Among those who went before the court that day were defendants Cheryl A. Tucker and John A. Chute, alongside their lawyer, Michael C. Hicks, and a team of 12 Harvard Law School students who assist on the cases.

Tucker and Chute were each charged with different crimes, but their defense team, local law enforcement, and Sragow agree that the Homeless Court provides the two of them — and other defendants who appear before the court — opportunities unavailable in the traditional District Court setting. ­

CRIMES OF NECESSITY

Though less than 0.5 percent of Cambridge’s population was homeless in 2015 — the last year for which statistics are available — homeless individuals accounted for nearly 16 percent of Cambridge arrests that year, according to Cambridge Police Department data.

Hicks, who represents almost all defendants who go before the Homeless Court, said that most of his clients — like many people experiencing homelessness who enter the criminal justice system — commit crimes out of necessity.

“A lot of them are committing crimes because they’re homeless,” Hicks said. “Most people that have access to housing, monetary abilities, medical care, food, clothing, don’t commit crimes.”

Chute, who was before the court this month for charges of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, said that resources for people experiencing homelessness can be hard to come by, driving people to resort to actions they would not otherwise undertake.

“People keep committing crime because they’re broke,” he said. “They don’t have money, they don’t have resources, and they don’t know what else to do.”

But addiction also complicates many defendants’ situations.

In Chute’s case, he said he has been under the influence of drugs or alcohol during each of his arrests.

Chute, who is 39 years old, first came in contact with the criminal justice system at age 14 for distributing marijuana in John F. Kennedy Park, he said.

As a teenager, he started abusing alcohol, which led him to other drugs including cocaine and heroin.

In 2013, he was arrested for robbing a bank and consequently served two years in a maximum security prison in Walpole, Mass. The robbery was the result of an opioid addiction, Chute said. He was medically prescribed opioids after sustaining an injury while working as a carpenter, but eventually the doctor stopped prescribing the pills.

“When I got cut off from my medication, it just became too expensive buying on the street so I turned to heroin, which was a cheaper alternative,” he said. “I needed the money. I was broke and no matter what I did we just never had enough money because of the drugs.”

Law School student Libby S. Bova, who oversees the law stu-

Students Celebrate Housing Day t heir reactions ranged from ecstatic to relieved to devastated.

Blockmates Alex P. Grayson ’22 and Melody M. Wang ’22 said they were thrilled to be assigned to live in Lowell House next year.

“We were in disbelief,” Wang said. “It was like a dream, honestly.”

Wang attributed her enthusiasm to Lowell’s soon-to-becompleted renovation, its high percentage of singles, and its convenient location in Harvard Square.

Mckayley S. Green ’22, who was places in Dunster House for next year, said she was worried about being assigned to one of the three Houses in Radcliffe Quadrangle, which some freshman fear for their distance from the Yard.

“The people that came to the room were chanting ‘Currier’ as they came up the stairs, so we were all a little bit freaked out,” she said.

“But when they came in, we found out they were all Dunster, and we were really relieved,” she added.

Though some students said they were hoping not to be placed in a Quad House, Currier HoCo co-chair Austin J. Lentsch ’20 said he thinks the Quad’s sense of community speaks for itself.

“Even when someone has a midterm later that morning, when they still want to wake up at 6 a.m. to go out and dorm storm,” he said. “That’s how you know you have a community that you’re excited to welcome people into.”

Madison L. Fabber ’22, a freshman who was placed into Pforzheimer House in the Quad, said that she had been hoping to be placed in one of the Houses there.

“I was like, ‘maybe if the guinea pigs like me, they’ll put in a good word?’” Fabber said, describing how she and an upperclassman friend had played with Pforzheimer House’s guinea pigs before Housing Day. ­

Cheryl Tucker entered the Cambridge Homeless Court system in December 2018. EMA R. SCHUMER—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

John Chute is in the Homeless Court system for charges of breaking and entering a motor vehicle. EMA R. SCHUMER—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

dents affiliated with the Homeless Court and works with Chute on his case, said that crimes of necessity — such as shoplifting or trespassing — are the result of failed support systems for vulnerable populations.

“We’ve criminalized that behavior, but in some cases if you’re starving or if you really need food or water or you need basic necessities like toilet paper and you’re stealing them from CVS, you can talk about

you help and resolve the problems that led you to be arrested and led you into the court,” he said.

If he had gone through District Court, Chute said he’d likely be “locked up” right now.

“I’d be sitting in Middleton doing absolutely nothing, getting in trouble, no recovery,” Chute said of the jail where he might be held if awaiting District Court trial. “I’d be sitting there and I’d be faced with all of the same problems when I get out.”

Sragow said that the Homeless Court is designed to help the individuals experiencing homelessness who come before it — not to punish them.

“We are looking to rehabilitate — get people back on their feet — rather than be punitive,” she said.

The Homeless Court’s various affiliates match defendants with social services in Cambridge and help them attain resources in an attempt to remedy the issues that brought them before the court in the first place.

To rehabilitate defendants, Hicks and the Law School students meet with the defendants individually to ascertain what services they need.

They don’t have money, they don’t have resources, and they don’t know what else to do.

John A. Chute Cambridge Homeless Court Defendant

that as a crime,” she said. “But, you can also talk about that as a failure of society to ensure that people of all walks of life regardless of if you have an income or a home have basic necessities.”

Tucker, who also went before Sragow in the most recent session, was arrested as a direct result of substance abuse; her charge was for drinking in public.

Tucker — who is now 49 — was first arrested when she was 29 years old for possession of heroin.

Though she did not go to prison for her first arrest, she said she has served a total of 16 years in prison for crimes “primarily done because of drugs” or as “a means to get drugs.”

Bova said that many of the people who come before the court for these kinds of crimes do so because they do not have other places to go.

“They’re just in a situation where they don’t have a lot of options of where else to do that activity, or it’s kind of a side consequence of their status that if you don’t have a home where you could do the things people do day-to-day, all of the sudden when it’s happening on the street it’s a public disturbance or disorderly conduct,” she said.

CREATING HOMELESS COURT

Many cities across the country have variations on Cambridge’s Homeless Court, and the Harvard Square session is one of two located in the state of Massachusetts.

The Cambridge Police Department and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s of-

fice created the Homeless Court in 2016 to provide health and social services to Cambridge’s homeless population, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan. In 2017, the Homeless Court moved from Central Square to Harvard Square.

Sragow said that Cambridge District Court — where homeless individuals’ cases were previously tried alongside all other cases that came before the body — moved to Medford, Mass. nine years ago because of asbestos in its original building.

The court was no longer able to provide assistance to homeless defendants after its move to Medford because those defendants were not showing up for their court hearings, according to Ryan.

“It was clear that we have a large population of folks who are homeless in Cambridge who often came into contact with the criminal justice system who weren’t really getting those cases resolved,” Ryan said.

The Medford location is not near public transit and takes just under an hour to reach from Harvard Square and Central Square — where much of the city’s homeless population resides — using a combination of both transit and walking. Because the cases could not be resolved without the defendants present, the court was unable to offer medical and mental health care, and other resources, according to Ryan.

Sragow estimated that the default rate — the proportion of defendants who do not show up for their hearings — among homeless individuals in District Court was more than 75 percent. In the Homeless Court, the default rate is negligible, she said.

The Homeless Court brings together representatives from an array of social and health services; Cambridge police, Harvard University police, and MIT police; and the law student defense team.

The multidisciplinary group convenes prior to each court session to discuss each case on the docket. The group works to determine what it believes is the best course of action for each defendant, according to Sragow.

‘REHABILITATIVE RATHER THAN PUNITIVE’

Compared to his experiences in District Court, Chute said the Homeless Court presents distinct advantages for his particular situation.

“It’s a lot better for somebody like me because they’re more geared towards trying to find

Transformative coverage.

The Crimson thecrimson.com

We want to understand what goals they might have and help them work towards that while simultaneously working towards a positive resolution in the criminal case.

Libby S. Bova Harvard Law School Student

“Our perspective as students is to follow clients into whatever needs they might have,” Bova said. “We want to understand what goals they might have and help them work towards that while simultaneously working towards a positive resolution in the criminal case.”

Some rehabilitative pathways include alcohol and drug treatment, assistance in procuring government benefits, and finding employment. The students may also help their clients obtain a Massachusetts identification card, which is often a prerequisite to qualify for benefits or apply for jobs.

“I’ve been able to get my ID, social security, I’m looking for a job, I’m going to AA, I have a sponsor, I’m meeting new peo-

ple and making new friends, staying sober,” Chute said. “All types of good stuff.”

The Homeless Court, however, faces challenges with recidivism as defendants cycle in and out of the system.

Cambridge Police officer Eric R. Helberg, who oversees CPD’s Homeless Outreach Program, said that recidivism is particularly high among those who struggle with addiction.

Cambridge does not track recidivism rates in the Homeless Court.

Tucker has faced this challenge throughout her years in the criminal justice system.

“I was working my ass off to stay clean and sober because it took me like 20 years to get out of the system or being on parole or probation or anything with the courts, and here we go all over again,” she said.

She said that for others, though, the Homeless Court can feel like “a slap on the wrist” and isn’t sufficient to deter some offenders.

Sragow, however, said that if a defendant returns to the Homeless Court enough times, she can return them to District Court.

“We don’t give them a pass,” she said.

Similarly to Tucker, Chute has relapsed before. His first appearance before the Homeless Court was resolved in August 2018.

But after staying sober and finding a job at Otto’s Pizza, he had a drink and ultimately became unemployed. In February, he wound up back in the Homeless Court with his breaking and entering charges — the same charge he faced in August.

“I am fearful because I’ve tried to stay sober many times in my life and I’ve failed a bunch of times. So yeah I am nervous about it,” he said.

“I’m really grateful that I’m not in jail. I’m getting a chance to do this again and I don’t take it lightly,” he added.

At the March 4 hearing, both Tucker and Chute provided updates on their rehabilitation progress and received encouragement for their efforts.

Despite anecdotal trends, Helberg still said he does not believe high recidivism rates discredit the court’s work.

“We take our successes individually,” he said. “Rather than trying to say we’ve got 25 or 50 [percent] success rate, if we can get one homeless individual into long term rehab and get them housed, that’s a huge success.” ema.schumer@thecrimson.com

That’s how you know you have a community that you’re excited to welcome people into.

Austin J. Lentsch ‘20 Currier HoCo Co-Chair

House Committee co-chairs from a number of Houses praised the turnout and energy of upperclassmen and freshmen alike.

All 12 Houses hosted events Thursday evening for freshmen to get to know their new Houses and meet current students, tutors, and faculty deans.

Leverett House organized a carnival-themed event, complete with cotton candy and an obstacle course, and Lowell threw a party and dinner in addition to weekly Thursday evening tea, according to Leverett HoCo co-chair Rick Li ’21 and Lowell HoCo co-chair Jungyeon Park ’20, respectively.

Lentsch said Currier’s evening activities play an important role in getting incoming students excited about Quad life.

“Sometimes people have their initial knee-jerk reactions and automatically expect a certain thing, but in general that all goes away by the evening, and everyone comes out to the House,” Lentsch said.

Park said Lowell House administrators were enthusiastically involved in Housing Day festivities. Economics Professor David I. Laibson ’88, who will begin his tenure as one of the Lowell faculty deans next academic year, participated in dorm-storming along with students, Park said.

Park also said she was surprised to see Lowell Resident Dean Caitlin M. Casey, who is currently on maternity leave, back on campus welcoming new Lowell students.

“Our resident dean gave birth to her daughter on Saturday, like, literally 4 days ago,” Park said. “And Caitlyn shows up with her 4-day-old daughter in Annenberg. It was the most precious thing.” sanjana.narayanan@thecrimson.com

THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

MARCH 15, 2019

PAGE 4

In Photos: Freshmen Receive Housing Assignments Upperclassmen and freshmen alike celebrated Housing Day Thursday, as members of the Class of 2022 received their House assignments. Boasting face-paint and chanting House slogans, upperclassmen “dorm-stormed” freshmen to deliver the news in the morning, and the festivities continued with gatherings at Annenberg Hall and the Houses later in the day.

Leverett House residents made posters Wednesday night in preparation for Housing Day. The Housing Day posters included House mottos and jokes about House life. CHLOE I. YU —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

As early as 6 a.m., upperclassmen filled the Yard, waving signs, chanting, and preparing to storm freshman dorm rooms. CHLOE I. YU —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Lowell residents stormed a freshman room in Grays Hall to welcome a blocking group into the House. The dorm-stormers, who chanted House slogans and jumped up and down, were met with elated screams as they entered the freshman room. KAI R. MCNAMEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Upperclassmen welcomed freshmen to their new house with chants and screams. KAI R. MCNAMEE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

After housing assignments were distributed, freshmen and upperclassmen met in Annenberg Hall to celebrate. Upperclassmen distributed Housethemed clothing to freshmen, and told them about their future residences. KATHRYN S. KUHAR —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

After the morning’s activities concluded in Annenberg Hall, freshmen were invited to special dinners and social at their newly assigned Houses. At those meals they met more upperclassmen and House administrators.

S. CASTELLON-PEREZ —CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

NAOMI

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 15, 2019

DEERFIELD FROM PAGE 1

HOPP FROM PAGE 1

Univ., Firm Form HSA to Research Group Launch from the Securities and Exchange Commission that it failed to maintain policies to prevent misuse of private or confidential information, but the firm did not admit wrongdoing. The following year, two partners at Deerfield each received a 36-month sentence for insider trading. The men obtained confidential information about changes to Medicare reimbursement rates from an employee at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which they used to participate in trades for Deerfield.

OTD spokesperson Caroline Perry declined to comment on the controversy or whether it had any impact on Harvard’s decision to join the partnership, pointing to the company’s existing funding arrangements with other universities.

“Harvard OTD enters into research agreements with corporate partners who express a commitment to advancing science by supporting research

initiated by Harvard faculty,” Perry wrote in an emailed statement. “Our R&D alliance with Deerfield will focus on advancing biomedical innovations toward the development of new therapeutics.”

James E. Flynn, managing partner at Deerfield, called the University an “outstanding partner” in the press release announcing the collaboration.

“The University’s outstanding science, breadth of technologies, and mix of esteemed junior and senior faculty constitute a fertile environment for the continuous generation of novel insights,” he said. “This, in combination with its experience advancing potential therapeutics, makes it the perfect place to establish an impactful translational partnership.”

A joint advisory committee will decide which projects Lab1636 takes on, according to the press release. jonah.berger@thecrimson.com

PROPOSALS FROM PAGE 1

HGSU Submits Full Fiscal Proposals package before offering counter-proposals.

“From the beginning of negotiations, the University has communicated its intent to consider proposals that have economic impact collectively, rather than one by one,” he wrote. “We know that proposals around benefits and compensation can be complex but are critical aspects of a management-labor contract, and that they take time to formulate and negotiate.”

William A. Herbert, who directs the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College at the City University of New York, said that tabling economic proposals until the total financial impact can be considered is fairly common in contract negotiations.

“In order to be able to determine what the overall costs are for the entire package would ne-

cessitate hearing them to examine them altogether, because… one of the primary issues in collective bargaining is going to be costs,” he said.

“The nature of negotiations are that there may be some costs that could be modified based on the total costs in things like health insurance, for example, where it could be that the original cost proposed actually can be less by examining another type of insurance,” he added.

In the interim, negotiators have exchanged counter-proposals on issues that do pertain to wages and benefits, such as a neutral third-party grievance procedures, and health and safety protections.

They have come to tentative agreements on four proposals on issues including accessibility to employment records and resources for professional develjames.bikales@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

Delivery Service

The latest on student life.

over a lot of others is that it’s delivered right to your door because it’s delivered through our student body,” Bunn said.

“You’re just going to basically get a knock at your door, open it up, and it’ll be right there.”

He said that two or three students will staff at the fulfillment center at any given time and will deliver the products as quickly as they can travel to customers’ dorm rooms.

“If you’re living in the Quad, they’re going to have to wait for the next shuttle so that may take a little longer,” Bunn said.

“But if you’re in a river house or in the Yard, it should be no more than 30 minutes in the sense that they just basically have to get the order, put it into one of the bags, and walk it right there.”

HSA will publicize HOPP with an initial email notifying ­

It should be no more than 30 minutes in the sense that they just basically have to get the order, put it into one of the bags, and walk it right there.

Nicholas W. Bunn ’19 CEO of Studio 67

all Harvard College students of the app’s lauch, followed by a promotional event organized and run by Studio 67, according to Bunn.

Bunn said he thinks one of the highlights of the event will be the sampling of products from Cold Brewtus — a cold brew coffee company based in Burlington, Vt. — that will be featured.

Along with coffee, HOPP plans to offer kombucha, Spindrift sparkling water, potato chips, cookies, popcorn, and protein bars as part of the student delivery service, according to Bunn.

The Crimson @crimsonflyby

anissa.medina@thecrimson.com

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 15, 2019

PAGE 6

EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

OP-ED

PILOT Better Local Impact

A

s a nonprofit institution, Harvard is tax exempt on multiple levels.

But for a city like Boston — whose land is shared by the government and nonprofits — such tax exemption poses a significant problem for municipal finance As a result, in 2011, the city instituted the ‘Payment In Lieu Of Taxes’ or ‘PILOT’ program, which calls for some nonprofits that own property valued at more than $15 million to contribute 25 percent of the standard property tax rate both monetarily and through community contributions.

For the seventh consecutive year, the University has failed to reach that 25 percent marker, this past year contributing only 79 percent — $9.8 million — of the city’s request.

We are not critical of the University in so far as it failed to reach the city’s requested dollar amount.

Our concern lies in the idea that this shortcoming is indicative of a larger unwillingness on the part of the University to meaningfully give back to a community, to which it owes much of its institu-

We call on Harvard to assess in a self-critical and honest manner the impact it has had on its municipal community and how it can go about being and becoming a better neighbor. tional success, and to trust its determination of its own needs.

As such, we call on Harvard to assess

in a self-critical and honest manner the impact it has had on its municipal community and how it can go about being and becoming the best neighbor it can be.

It’s worth noting that the figures proposed by Boston are based on property values set in 2011. Harvard’s assets have increased significantly since then.

Fixed assets alone, within which category property value resides, had risen by 2017 nearly two billion dollars since the 2011 audit, and many argue that assessments of nonprofit assets are often grossly underestimated.

As such, even if it were to meet the current ask of the city, Harvard would be offering well below what might be considered even minimally just given its holdings.

But that’s not the main issue here.

Though these PILOT figures represent a significant and voluntary contribution, we do not believe that they accurately or fully account for Harvard’s responsibility to the Cambridge and Boston communities.

As we have opined in past, the University and its students play a significant role in changing the city’s landscape, driving up rents, and making it more difficult for residents to maintain a high and fulfilling quality of life.

The University should be conscious of this impact, as it thinks about the degree to which it gives back to the community directly and through contributions to municipal government.

In light of this, Harvard should attempt to assess fairly and honestly its impact on the local communities and it should recognize and honor its ethical obligation to be said good neighbor.

The lack of fulfillment of the PILOT request in full is troubling because it represents an unwillingness on the part of the University to believe local governance in terms of how much the University actually owes.

When the city has already reduced its expectations and when it allows for half of the expected contribution to be ful-

In the seventh anniversary of the reformed program, it’s time for the University to reassess its relationship with the program. filled by a valuation of services rendered as opposed to direct monetary contribution, failure to meet what can only be understood as a very low bar represents the shirking of a much larger responsibility to the community — not to mention the University has now done so all seven years PILOT has existed.

In the seventh anniversary of Harvard’s pairing with the PILOT program, it’s time for the University reassess its relationship with the program, considering how it can be a more positive and giving leader in the Boston community.

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.

KATHRYN S. KUHAR—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

OP-ED

Clear Talk, Not Cheap Action

By ANDREW M. LEBER

L

It is almost impossible to escape news of Harvard University’s pilot “Pulse Survey,” from the University-wide email from University President Lawrence S. Bacow to the blue and red signs blanketing the campus, which proclaim: “Not everyone feels included.

Let’s find out why.” “Make Harvard better.” “Your experience matters.”

These surveys come as part of a yearslong effort by the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging to promote “diversity and inclusion” on campus.

Yet they also come as a slap in the face. The University has dragged its feet in confronting institutional failings regarding the prevention of sexual assault and other forms of violence, harassment, and intimidation on campus. In February, I joined over 70 fellow students, graduate and undergraduate, from the Government Department and elsewhere in calling for an external review of how 36 years of allegations against Government Professor Emeritus Jorge I. Dominguez went uninvestigated and unaddressed. A neutral, third-party investigation of the institutional failings throughout his career would go a long way towards restoring student trust in the University, and show stronger commitment to student inclusion than internal surveys.

An independent investigation would provide the students, faculty, and staff in the Government Department and across Harvard with a clear sense of went wrong from 1979 until at least 2015, what has changed since, and how those changes will prevent these kinds of abuses in the future. The most recent allegation in 2015 is particularly alarming as it comes after the University supposedly revamped its Title IX policies and procedures following a civil rights investigation by the Department of Education.

More than just the chance to take a quick survey, an external review would certainly make us feel that our concerns are being included in University policy, and that the experiences of survivors of sexual assault matter. It would undoubtedly make Harvard a better place.

Graduate students, faculty, and survivors have therefore requested an external review time and again over the past year. But Bacow and other members of the administration have yet to respond.

A “positive response” in private has been accompanied by public silence, with suggestions that the Title IX investigation against Dominguez must conclude before the University considers an external review.

There is no clear reason why this must be the case. Regardless of what comes of the inquiry into Dominguez’s conduct, the allegations against him should have

The University has dragged its feet in confronting institutional failings regarding the prevention of sexual assault and other forms of violence, harassment, and intimidation on campus. triggered an investigation long before the story surfaced in the Chronicle of Higher Education.To be clear, a question on the “Pulse Survey” that explicitly asks about the University’s handling of cases of sexual assault is not an acceptable alternative. The University hardly needs more evidence to justify a thorough review of how it addresses cases of sexual assault and harassment by those in positions of authority.

Let’s assume for a moment that public opinion on campus should have any role in how seriously Harvard takes these protections. Even if the “Pulse Survey” can quantify the level of (dis)satisfaction with how Harvard deals with sexual misconduct, how many members of the community have to be unhappy for the University to act? Is there any point at which the administration will feel compelled to act?

The Crimson Editorial Board has noted the troubling tendency of the Univer-

sity to turn to surveys again and again to give a semblance of inclusion rather than taking concrete action.The University administration appears happy to ask us for our views so long as it does not have to inconvenience itself in responding to our criticisms.

Public opinion beyond Cambridge seems to count for much more, as threats to the University’s reputation seem to prompt effective and efficient action.

Even after decades of incidents that were overlooked, it took not one but two articles in the Chronicle for the University to place Dominguez on leave.

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with finding out where problems lie or “taking the pulse” of students, faculty and staff. The task force has done yeoman’s work in identifying the many areas where Harvard can improve in building a true sense of community here on campus, and the results of their work and these surveys can only help inform University policies in the future.

Yet surveys alone cannot and will not allay the concerns and mistrust of many on campus towards the administration unless coupled with change that goes beyond “fine-tuning” administrative procedures and admitting a need for “better communication.” If the University invites somebody other than itself to be the judge of whether it adequately protects against sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination on campus, it can be a model for other institutions of higher learning that have harbored their own dark secrets and rumors for too long.

Clearly the financial costs of an independent investigation are not the problem, given the resources required to roll out the present public relations effort and maintain the necessary infrastructure for regular polling.

In the meantime, when you get to the survey’s open-ended question, call for an external review.

—Andrew M. Leber is a Ph.D. student in Government at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Destigmatizing Depression

By LETITIA C. CHAN

A

t some point in my first semester at Harvard, during that first trial-run of freshman fall, I made my friends write down the reasons I should go on living. My depression centered on how unbearable I had found solitude to be.

I used to buy Hi-Chews from H mart, and each one I ate was a last reserve against the thought of dying.

Each row of candy kept me breathing.

When it was finished, at least I’d made it a minute further into life.

I could not live with myself, so toward the end I always had a friend with me physically or on the line.

I knew they cared, as deeply as anyone can care, but they felt so far away. I felt so far away.

I write this because I want to normalize depression.

I want depression, anxiety, or any mental health condition, to be destigmatized.

I wouldn’t even refer to these as mental illnesses, because I think everyone is on a spectrum of vulnerability to these things, especially at this age.

A considerable portion of the population is affected — especially at Harvard.

To stay alive, I realized you had to be selfish enough to take care of yourself, or selfless enough to live for the people you knew — whichever way of thinking works for you.

I think that if we stopped other-ing mental health struggles as illnesses, we would care more about each other.

All throughout my teenage years, I was so afraid of seeing myself as struggling that I resisted getting help.

I did not believe that I could be categorized as mentally ill.

I hope every person who goes through some kind of mental health difficulty has the support of someone around them and at least has or knows the possibility of seeking help.

It is incredibly difficult here to care about those around you.

Everyone slips into apathy. I am guilty of it.

To stay alive, I realized you had to be selfish enough to take care of yourself, or selfless enough to live for the people you knew — whichever way of thinking works for you.

It is awful also to be thinking of what your depression will cost you in your future while you are still in the deep rut of it.

Much of the ordeal of a mental health leave is how to explain yourself to people, particularly if you live in East Asia, a region that is guilty of mental health stigmatization.

My grandmother and many of my family friends still believe that I took a term off only to intern.

Of course, most people did not believe this was all there was to the story.

The concept of a gap year or gap term was foreign to them, especially since I took one in the middle of a semester.

My parents and I got into many arguments as to what to tell people. I wanted to tell the truth. To think of all the ways I had to go about covering my depression made me depressed.

My family would worry about how I was ever going to get a corporate or finance job if people knew: “Why do you refuse our protection?”

What I am grateful for is that, because of my depression, I do not take normalcy for granted. When I came back to complete freshman fall, the sight of Harvard Yard did not kill me.

To that I willed myself to be truthful, because I don’t care. I hope it will remain this way.

I hope I will not regret that I have not kept this a secret.

Sometimes, to that, or to nothing in particular, I wanted to go out and get down on all fours and scream into the grass.

I want to do what the cold stars looking on see animals do on the earth.

But then as the months went by, without really even knowing how, the days got lighter; my body became lighter on my mind.

Perhaps it was the procedures and therapies — never mind if they were placebos. Life was no longer unbearable for no reason.

Suddenly I believed in joy again.

What I am grateful for is that, because of my depression, I do not take normalcy for granted.

When I came back to complete freshman fall, the sight of Harvard Yard did not kill me.

It did not shock or anger me or sweep a melancholy so deep it cut, as I’d feared. I felt calm.

This year, I felt as though I loved my solitude again, at least most of the time.

Sometimes the loneliness comes and swallows me whole.

But most of the time, when I pass the pho restaurant in Chinatown where I’d sat with my despair a little over a year ago, I am half-light.

I am completely in my being.

Moments like that — moments of normalcy — they begin to constitute most of your life, in light of the before.

You are so glad for this earth.

You feel dumb in your apathy and your incredible luck.

—Letitia C. Chan ’22, a Crimson magazine editor and inactive Editorial editor, lives in Canaday Hall.

ARTS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 15, 2019 | PAGE 7

FILM

Yearning for a Revolution in ‘Infinite Football’ CASSANDRA LUCA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON

“Infinite Football” opens on typically bleak Romanian scenery: a gray ice-skating rink with no one on it, separated from the rest of the grassless and treeless landscape by a chain-link fence. Though it’s not immediately clear, the viewer is watching Corneliu Porumboiu, the film’s director, in conversation with Laurentiu Ginghina, the subject of the documentary, as Ginghina explains the origins of his ambition to revolutionize soccer. Much of the film is structured as a conversation between the two men, and this technique works well in exploring Ginghina’s obsession with changing the rules of soccer. At times, however, it limits what could be a more emotionally incisive documentary. After all, it’s set in post-communist Romania, a setting that makes Ginghina’s story more poignant given the similarities between his journey to reform soccer and the country’s journey to leave a 40-year regime in the past — a connection that could have made the film fuller and more electrifying to watch.

During the summer of 1986, Ginghina was playing soccer with friends when someone, aiming for the ball, kicked him in the shin instead. The fracture didn’t heal properly, ending his soccer career before it began and dashing his hopes of entering a forestry university.

Both activities required running, something he could no longer do. The injury came back to plague him in adulthood: His tibia broke when he was miles away from home, leaving him with no choice but to limp the entire journey. The rest of the documentary chronicles his attempts to change the rules of soccer, including his ideas to remove the corners of the field to streamline the area of play, to restrict players’ motion to emphasize passing and reduce the chance of collisions, and to do away with offside — a penalty called when a player is closer to his or her opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent — altogether. Many are skeptical of his new ideas.

Porumboiu has chosen a simple and effective structure for the film, orienting the camera towards himself and Ginghina, or placing Ginghina squarely in the middle of the frame as he answers questions. Throughout the 70 minute film, the setting changes only a few times — shuffling between a skating rink, an industrial factory, Ginghina’s office, a gym, and the home of an old photographer. Though the focus of the film is not on the setting itself, but rather on Ginghina, the diversity of settings helps orient the viewer in Ginghina’s world and plays a large role in contextualizing Ginghina’s trajectory and in setting a fittingly somber tone for the film as a whole.

One of the most tragicomic scenes of the film takes place in Ginghina’s office, where he makes phone calls on a woman’s behalf, who, after the Romanian Revolution against the

Communist Party in 1989, never saw the land she once owned rightfully returned to her from the government. The man accompanying her repeatedly thanks Ginghina for helping her, expressing his gratitude that he even let them into his office in the first place. To an American viewer acquainted with relatively effective and efficient civic institutions, this scene seems absurd: Processing forms and papers is his job. However, in the film’s depiction of Romania, where bureaucracy is needlessly complicated and bribery-dependent, citizens have come to expect that legal government help will take months, years, or never even arrive.

Porumboiu brings a unique insight to the documentary in drawing visual parallels between Ginghina’s ambitions and the future of Romanian modernization. Ginghina’s hope to make the game he loved so much as a child safer for the players who have the opportunity to do what he never could, seems to mirror Romania’s many attempts to move beyond forty-odd stifling years of Communism. Ginghina himself alludes to this tortured progress: In 1999, he says, Romania was accepted into the European Union, and things got better — until progress slowed to a crawl. In the film, Romanian citizens are used to bureaucrats trying things out, only for their ideas to hit a roadblock or cause new problems entirely. Against this backdrop of failed political ventures, watching others, including Porumboiu, express their skepticism that Ginghina can ever reform the game is painful, yet riveting. “Infinite Football” is thus a portrait of a man wrestling not only with the problem of his lifetime, but with a country struggling to move forward into the 21st century.

Ginghina’s and Romania’s difficulties are evident in the last scene, which is perhaps the most impactful of all. The film shot opens to a road lined with dilapidated and crumbling houses, presumably a few minutes before dawn, and the scene is predominantly colored a slate-tinged blue. The camera moves slowly, as if to mimic Ginghina’s limp, which he discussed in the beginning of the film. Ginghina explains the phasing out of violent language in the Bible, and, by analogy, hopes to steadily change the “violent” rules of soccer: “Football as utopia,” Porumboiu says. That’s what Ginghina seems to idealize for the future of the game. By the end, however, the viewer is no closer to knowing whether he will succeed, nor if the desolate Romanian landscape will ever change, but the blueness of the final scene will leave anyone hoping, rightly, that one of those two things might come true.

Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com.

MUSIC

K ahan’s ‘Mess’ Exudes Vulnerability and Relatability MIRIAM A. SOUSA CONTRIBUTING WRITER Subtle instrumentation puts poetic lyrics front and center on Noah Kahan’s new single, “Mess.” Like the indie artist’s previous songs, “Mess” marries soft fingerpicking with solemn lyrics that crescendo into a catchy, repetitive chorus. In this song, the lyrics portray that fame isn’t what he had hoped it would be, leaving the question to be answered: Can he “put [his] pieces back together?”

The single begins with simple minor progression and a steady tempo that, in true indie fashion, is appropriate for a long car ride on a familiar road, perhaps while staring dramatically out the car window. Nostalgic lyrics show Kahan’s desire to return to his home in rural Strafford, Vt. and drive the “89 to Boston.” He sings that, if he could, he would “try fit back into all [his] old clothing” and “would wipe [himself] clean of what is unimportant.” His voice lingers on the conditional “could” and “would,” aching for an impossible homecoming.

While the song’s synth beat and volume make it more upbeat than the verse, the chorus’s repetition maintains the melancholic tone of the song. Kahan remains nostalgic and ambivalent in his repetition of “I’m a mess.” The artist craves permanency: “I’d move back home forever / I’ll feed the dogs and I’ll put all / My pieces back together.” The use of the word “forever” shows his longing to stay static in one place and for the familiarity of simple tasks like feeding the dogs. However, the juxtaposition of the soft verse and forte chorus creates a sense of urgency — the sense that

COURTESY OF NOAH KAHAN

home may be lost forever.

The second verse retains the synths and stronger beat of the chorus, as Kahan questions what is important in the wake of his fame. He sings of a “weight on his back” and his coping mechanism of “ignor[ing] it.” He feels that his fame is a “mask” for what he really is, but is unable to find “the way [he] look[ed] before [he] wore it.” Kahan is yearning for something that is lost because fame is “not what [he] had hoped.” The song picks up the pace to show his grappling with the anxiety that comes with fame. Not even Kahan’s friends are the same — they “only ever ask how tour is.”

Kahan’s strength is his ability to make his struggle to reconcile conflicting desires for fame and for normalcy relatable. Some may envy the fame he has, but Kahan is honest that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. He wants the simple things that everyone else wants — he wants his dogs, the cold, and the 89 to Boston. He debunks the pleasure that comes with fame while also showing that it is common to feel that the grass is always greener on the other side.

Kahan’s lyrics leaves us with a host of unanswered questions: Can he give up fame?

Can he return home? Can home even be returned to if it’s not the same? In the end, he doesn’t come to a conclusion at all. His repetition of “I’m a mess” becomes desperate.

Even as the distance between him and his home continues to grow, he cannot give up on following his dream.

SPORTS

IN OTHER NEWS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BASEBALL

With the No. 3 seed in the Ivy Tournament, Harvard will be preparing to face No. 2 seed Penn on Saturday night. The two teams split a pair of overtime decisions in the regular season.

After an 0-2 start, Haravard has won five of the last six games. Harvard will be heading to Florida this week for contests against Seton Hall, St. Joseph’s, and Rutgers.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Harvard Faces Penn in Ivy Tournament Semifinals

By HENRY ZHU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

­ wo more wins until March T Madness. As many students prepare to depart campus for spring break — relishing in communal pride with Housing Day still fresh on their minds — the Harvard men’s basketball team will have its season on the line this weekend.

A mere 130 miles south of Cambridge, John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn., hosts this year’s rendition of Ivy Madness — the third-ever winor-go-home tournament in Ancient Eight history. The Crimson play No. 4-seeded Penn at 12:30 ET on ESPNU, with the winner challenging middle-ranked Yale or Princeton on Selection Sunday at noon on ESPN2.

Harvard fought through three overtime nail-biters and four other conference bouts decided by six points or less to claim its seventh Ivy League regular-season title, clinching the No.1 seed in the four-team tourney.

First-team All-Ivy guard Bryce Aiken solidified his return back to dominance after missing the hardwood for almost a full calendar year, pacing the Ivy League in conference scoring at 22.2 points per game over 13 outings. Not to mention the numerous clutch shots he flushed against the likes of Columbia, Penn, Yale, and Columbia again to flip games at risk of L’s into W’s.

The Player of the Year honors, however, went instead to the pride of the Bulldogs — junior wing Miye Oni. The potential NBA draftee has mar-

veled scouts with his versatile playmaking and scoring abilities that have helped him average a third-best 17.4 points per game this season, as well as 6.4 rebounds/game and 3.6 assists/ game.

Intra-team sentiment around Lavietes Pavilion obviously leaned toward the man in Crimson (“I thought [Aiken] should have got Player of the Year, but that’s just me,” Noah Kirkwood said), but it will be the final products of this weekend that truly matter.

If the Crimson can knock off the Quakers for its third straight win over last season’s Ivy representatives, Harvard will most likely face Yale unless a recently embattled Princeton side can somehow muster an upset.

Amongst all three opponents, Aiken has averaged about 22.8 points per game. Coming off two straight weekends with strong Saturday bounceback performances, the Randolph, N.J., native can put Harvard in prime position to a tourney berth if he maintains his next-level finishing acuity across two days.

“I thought [Bryce Aiken] had an amazing year,” Amaker said.

“We don’t win our league if he’s not anything less than spectacular, and I thought it was that and then some with how he was playing. I was disappointed for him, but we have other good players in our league. Oni was an outstanding player all year as well, so I get it, and I’m biased, but I thought that our guy was outstanding all year for us.”

It has not simply been the Bryce show, however. Ivy League Rookie of the Year Noah Kirkwood broke the Crim-

son record with seven weekly Rookie of the Week honors, ranking him ahead of previous torch-bearers Siyani Chambers ‘17 and Dan Clemente ‘01.

Scoring at a clip of 10.8 points per game in conference play, the first-year Ottawa native has threatened from the perimeter as well as inside with his slashing abilities. Despite his plethora of awards, Kirkwood believed that even more could have been accomplished.

“And if I’m being honest, I felt like I underachieved some of the things I was hoping to do in terms of what my expectations personally were,” Kirkwood said. “...Just getting my assists up or getting guys more involved. I felt I could have done a little better this regular season.”

Although his scoring totals have dropped slightly compared to last season, junior Chris Lewis’ efficiency has continued to hover around the 60 percent mark.

Opponents have experimented with the double-team on the Harvard big, forcing kick-outs and some giveaways.

But the return of Bryce Aiken has not diminished Lewis’ continued importance inside, especially defensively where the Eliot man is near 2 blocks/game on the season.

With All-Ivy first-teamer AJ Brodeur — who torched the Crimson with 24 points at the Palestra the last go-around — being Lewis’ main defensive responsibility, the Crimson may also need to turn to bench reinforcements to assist in the tall endeavor of limiting the Penn man. Both junior Henry Welsh and freshman Mason Forbes

provided relief against Columbia’s Patrick Tapé on Saturday, and Amaker hinted that the same may be the case this upcoming Saturday.

“We are probably gonna have to use different people, he’s been that good of a player all year,” Amaker said. “We didn’t play you know well against him especially down there at their place, I would imagine that, with Lewis and Henry and Mason, whoever, we could have a variety of different people that could guard him.”

Penn’s top scoring weapons, who have consisted of an overwhelming majority of the team’s offensive output, remain juniors Devon Goodman and AJ Brodeur.

The Crimson will have one less complementary player to worry about, however, as freshman Michael Wang will be out with knee issues. Wang had a particularly impressive ninepoint first frame against Harvard at the Palestra, but the Quakers will have to look elsewhere — such as wings Antonio Woods, Jake Silpe, and Bryce Washington — for offensive firepower.

“Penn has historically been just a disciplined team, we see that as far as their rotations on defense, them always make an extra pass and making the right plays on offense,” junior guard Christian Juzang said. “...I think whoever wins the small battles is probably gonna come out on top.”

Two other factors defensively for the Crimson? Underclassmen Danilo Djuricic and Kale Catchings, both who have come away in recent games with multiple fast-break dunks after

REBOUNDS AND REDEMPTION Harvard will look to avenge last year’s Ivy Championship loss to Penn. QUINN G. PERINI—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

swiping away passes.

The two have seemingly fed off each others’ pugnacity inside, offering some strong finishes at the rim while demonstrating the capability to shoot from deep.

Harvard previously beat Penn in overtime off of a thrilling finish, which included a now-signature Bryce Aiken last-second triple. It fell by just six in its follow-up game at Lavietes Pavilion in what was a 5953 defensive tug-of-war.

John J. Lee Amphitheater, with no Yale uniforms on the court, shall be a peculiar sight on Saturday. But with Penn squeezing by in the tourna-

ment with a do-or-die win over Brown to complement three straight wins to close the season, it will be top-ranked Harvard who may face some added pressure.

Not so for Christian Juzang, however.

“I’m more so excited than feeling pressure,” Juzang said.

“That’s my thing. I’m excited.

We got an opportunity to stay alive in this thing and an opportunity to keep our postseason going. So for me, it’s just excited to get back to work this week, and to have another weekend alive.” henry.zhu@thecrimson.com.

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

No. 14 Harvard to Face Dartmouth in ECAC Quarters

By STUTI R. TELIDEVARA CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

For the second year in a row, the no. 14 Harvard men’s hockey (17-9-3, 13-7-2 ECAC) team is set to face off against conference travel partner Dartmouth (13-15-4, 10-9-3) in this weekend’s ECAC quarterfinal series.

Just like last year, the Big Green is coming off a 2-1 series win against St. Lawrence, and is the five-seed to the Crimson’s four.

Unlike last season, however, Harvard is ranked. Any school can enter the NCAA tournament by winning its conference tournament, but a high enough PairWise ranking — the Crimson sits at no. 14 on that scale as well — can ensure an at-large bid. Harvard can avoid having to run the gauntlet at Lake ­

Placid and still play the NCAA regionals.

But before the team can think that far ahead, it must have a strong enough showing against Dartmouth to boost said ranking.

That means righting last season’s errors — in 2018, the Crimson dropped Game 1 versus the Big Green before coming back to win the series.

“Our focus is on Dartmouth this weekend,” said Harvard head coach Ted Donato ’91. “We recognize it as a real benchmark to be able to make it to Lake Placid…. [But] right now, it would be very dangerous for us to look by a very good Dartmouth team who I think has the same thoughts in mind, of getting to Lake Placid…. Both teams have the right to feel confident coming into the series.”

The Crimson secured a topfour seed and a weeklong bye in the last weekend of regular season play when it defeated RPI on March 1.

The Whitelaw Cup, awarded to the ECAC regular season champion, was within the team’s reach until a loss at Union the very next day.

Harvard will be looking to prove itself after that stumble and return to winning ways — until the defeat, the Crimson was 6-1 in conference play since the start of February.

“It was definitely a tough bus ride home from Union, knowing that we could’ve shared a title at least,” co-captain Michael Floodstrand said. “It stings a little bit, but honestly, I think you use that sting to motivate you. There’s no easy games in this league, and that wasn’t

WE MEET AGAIN Last year, the Crimson beat the Big Green in a best-of-three to advance to Lake Placid before falling to top-ten Clarkson in the ECAC semis. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

even the playoffs.”

Dartmouth comes into Cambridge on the heels of a 8-0 demolition of the Saints in Sunday’s deciding game.

Though the series had seemed even, with the Big Green taking the first game 3-2 but dropping the second in overtime, the offensive showing proved Dartmouth can step up its game when the occasion calls.

Harvard has learned this the hard way — the Crimson’s season-opening loss was a 7-6 OT barnburner in Hanover. Not only is the Big Green riding that triumph, it also benefits from a weekend of play when Harvard did not see action.

“We’ve been just trying to focus on keeping the high pace [in practice],” Floodstrand said.

“You got a team like Dartmouth coming in next weekend...who just played three very competitive games, had their season on the line, and won. We were just trying to up the intensity as much as we could, make it game-like.”

The visitors are led by a trio of forwards: sophomore Quin Foreman (12–14—26), rookie Drew O’Connor (16–9—25), and junior Will Graber (10–13—23).

Graber and Foreman have become familiar faces to the Crimson over the past few years, and both found the back of the net in their team’s 8-0 rout. In net, Dartmouth has relied on the services of junior Adrian Clark (10-8-3, 2.08 GAA, .921 SV%).

The Big Green’s biggest weakness appears to be special teams — its power play is at 15.5 percent and its penalty kill is at 79.5 percent, and those numbers are even lower within conference play. Even though Harvard’s own PK is less than optimal (76.8%), its efficient man-advantage unit will look to break down Dartmouth’s system.

Still, the Big Green went 3-for-4 on the power play in Sunday’s contest against SLU, so its performance can exceed expectations in that respect on

any given night.

“We’ve played them before, we know what kind of team they are,” rookie forward Casey Dornbach said. “It’s obviously going to be a jump up in intensity, being [the] playoffs…. For any team we play in the playoffs it’s do or die, and we’ve got to come ready to play and play our game.”

Harvard rode a wave of success to start the new year, entering the national rankings in February for the first time since early in the 2017-2018 season.

In no small part is that success due to a freshman class that has hit its stride. The Crimson’s power play (29.4%) is a heartbeat behind UMass’s nation-best squad and features several rookies on its top unit, including forwards Jack Drury and Casey Dornbach. Blue-liner Jack Rathbone plays on the second unit.

Dornbach in particular has found his groove on the man-advantage; he leads all freshmen in assists per game (0.79) and is tied for most points per game (0.97). The Edina, Minn., native recently took home Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, and has the most points (7–21—28) by a Harvard freshman since Tim Pettit ’04.

He and his classmates will need to adjust for the intensity of the playoffs come Friday, but having played at Madison Square Garden and the Beanpot, the rookies do have some big-game experience.

“I know we haven’t been here before, playoffs in college,” Dornbach said. “But just taking it one game at a time, focusing on our system — I think everyone knows what’s on the line, so that kind of speaks for itself.

We’ll just have to bring it even more.”

Of course, experienced upperclassmen also play pivotal roles on the team, few more so than junior defenseman Adam Fox (29 GP, 8–32—40). The Ivy League Player of the Year leads the country in assists per game (1.10), and all defenders in as-

sists and points per game (1.38).

His point total is tied with a personal best from his freshman year, which he achieved in 35 games. Fox’s playmaking abilities will certainly be key to the Crimson’s success, both on the power play and at even strength.

Meanwhile, co-captain Lewis Zerter-Gossage (17–6— 23) and sophomore defenseman Reilly Walsh (11–18—29), who pace the team in goal-scoring and power play goal-scoring respectively, are the ones to watch when Harvard attempts to put home its opportunities.

On the back end, however, the Crimson has less certainty. Senior net-minder Michael Lackey (14-6-3, 2.23 GAA, .920 SV%) settled into his crease as the season progressed and looked to be the team’s goto goalie, but an injury in last month’s clash against Clarkson has kept him out of play since.

Junior Cameron Gornet has risen to the task in his absence (3-1-0, 1.76 GAA, .941 SV%), but the postseason provides a challenge for any backstop. Gornet has not faced Clark or Dartmouth at all in his career, nor has he started a playoff contest. “[Lackey] seems to have made some progress, which is great,” coach Donato said. “But we would expect that we’ll see [Gornet], at least for Game 1 anyways.”

Both teams have their strengths and flaws, and while the Big Green comes into this series as the underdog it has shown that it can overpower Harvard. The question is whether the new and improved Crimson, which handily overcame a deficit to defeat Dartmouth last month, can finish the task it could not in the beginning of the season.

A series loss does not necessarily mean the end of the season for Harvard, but if the team wants to control its fate it will need to make a statement this weekend. stuti.telidevara@thecrimson.com.