The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLIX, No. 83

The Game Returns to Harvard

Oral History: Harvard Hopes to Rekindle 2021 Late Game Magic

BY JACK SILVERS AND GRIFFIN WONG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Just a few minutes before junior quarterback Luke Emge hit ju nior wide receiver Kym Wimber ly for a 12-yard fade to the back left corner of the end zone at the Yale Bowl, Harvard football (8-2, 5-2) looked to be dead in the wa ter, and the Bulldogs (5-5, 4-3) ap peared to be well on their way to winning the 137th edition of The Game.

The Crimson had taken a 2717 lead in the third quarter, but after a few strong throws by Yale sophomore quarterback Nolan Grooms and a stalled Harvard offensive attack, the Bulldogs led by three, 34-31, with two minutes, 40 seconds remaining. The Crim son had the ball back, with what appeared to be one final chance to stun the raucous crowd that had turned up to New Haven, Con necticut, and secure head coach Tim Murphy his 20th victory over Yale.

On 1st and 10 from the Harvard 32, Emge completed a four-yard pass to senior wide receiver B.J. Watson on an out route towards the right sideline. Yale junior defensive back Dathan Hickey

dragged him down for a four-yard gain. Then, on the next play, with two minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the game, first-year tight end Ty ler Neville ran a deep button-hook and got open at the Crimson’s 46yard line. Emge stepped up in the pocket and fired. Neville slipped and the ball sailed over his head, incomplete.

NEVILLE: After I slipped and the ball sailed over my head, the cap tain of Yale, [senior linebacker John Dean], put his hand on my shoulder and he was like, “Yo, 88. You worked real hard all offsea son, worked real hard all season, just to lose this right here for your team?” I was like, “Damn! That’s the best s**t-talking I’ve ever heard.” That got me pretty good.

The next play, Emge’s slant to senior wide receiver James Batch was broken up, with Bulldogs senior linebacker Rodney Thom as II applying a big hit to jar the ball free. That brought up fourth down, which appeared to be Har vard’s last chance. Emge threw a comebacker on the right sideline to Wimberly that was knocked out of bounds by junior defensive back Wande Owens.

EMGE: On that fourth down, af ter the play Tyler had, I remem

Ivy Title On the Line in 138th Rendition of The Game

PAGE

ber throwing a deep comeback to Kym on the sideline, and they deflected it out of bounds. I re member just jogging off the field, that realization setting over me like, “Man, that might’ve been it! We might not get another shot!” Stepping off the field on the side line, the first thing [quarterback coach Joel Lamb ’93] said to me was, basically, “Keep your helmet on. Stay right here. We’re going to get back out there. The defense is going to get a stop.”

MURPHY: With two minutes to go, tremendous pressure on our defense to get the ball back. Ev erybody remembers the last 59 seconds … but what people forget is with two minutes left, one first down ends the game, and our de fense did an unbelievable job get ting the ball back.

Yale got the ball back with two minutes and one second remain ing. A pair of runs, one by Yale ju nior running back Spencer Alston and one by Grooms, forced Mur phy to burn his last two timeouts and left the Bulldogs with 3rd and 7 on the Harvard 33 and one min ute, 52 seconds left in the game. With the Crimson blitzing, junior defensive lineman Truman Jones

After More Than a Century, Harvard Stadium Stands Strong

BY MAIREAD B. BAKER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Just a mile across the river from the Yard, Harvard’s U-shaped col osseum towers over Allston, of fering a space for eager runners, spectators, and athletes. At near ly 120 years old, the home of Har vard football also houses decades of American and Boston history.

Though most of Harvard’s fa cilities sit in Cambridge, Harvard Stadium can be found alongside the Harvard Business School and the University’s other athletic facilities in Allston. The historic stadium is the soaring center piece of the athletic complex, standing next to other celebrated venues such as the Bright-Landry Hockey Center, Gordon Indoor Track, Lavietes Pavilion, and the Beren Tennis Center.

Built in 1903 from a $100,000 donation from the Class of 1879 and $75,000 from the Harvard Alumni Association, Harvard Stadium remains the nation’s old est concrete stadium and the first architectural piece to use rein forced structural concrete. It was modeled after Greek colosseums and Roman circuses in an effort led by Lewis Jerome Johnson, Class of 1887, a civil engineering professor at Harvard at the time.

Harvard-Yale Tailgate Plan Risks Student Safety

Johnson spearheaded the construction of reinforced con crete, which was incorporated following the discovery that the stadium’s original wooden seat ing posed a danger to attendees. The wood was not sturdy enough to hold thousands of fans, let alone withstand a potential fire, leading the Alumni Association to require firemen and trucks at every contest at the stadium to ensure safety. In 1981, the press box burned down in a fire known as “the phoenix of the press box,” costing $375,000 to repair and rebuild — nearly three times the cost it took to build the stadium decades beforehand.

Still, a larger problem was at hand: the sport of football itself. After losing hundreds of players to serious injuries and some to death, President Theodore Roos evelt, a member of Class of 1880, organized the Intercollegiate Football Conference in 1906, the predecessor of the NCAA. The conference instituted a new set of rules, requiring fields to be 40 yards wider. Harvard objected to this rule because of the size of its stadium. In turn, the commit tee instead ordained the forward pass – the throwing of the ball to wards the defensive team’s goal line. Without Harvard Stadium, the sport of football would not

be the same, as it influenced the standardization of field dimen sions and the installation of the forward pass.

The stadium has continued to undergo renovations in re cent years. In fact, as timeless as it is, the stadium did not have electrical lights until 2007, just a couple years after turf replaced its former grass. The Crimson practiced in the dark during the wee hours of the morning and in late evening practices for decades before this renovation project be gan. Harvard played its first night game against Brown on Sept. 22, 2007, beating the Bears 24-17.

Harvard Stadium will host the Crimson and Bulldogs this week end in The Game, but the first contest ever played on its grass was actually an Ancient Eight clash of Harvard and Dartmouth on Nov. 14, 1903, nearly 120 years ago. Since then, the field has host ed a number of national and in ternational contests, such as soc cer matches in the 1984 Summer Olympics and the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

In fact, two ice hockey rinks were built inside the stadium for Harvard men’s ice hockey in De cember of 1904, allowing

YDN Flops in Attempt to Roast Harvard

PAGE 18. There once was a paper at Yale, who sent over a roast by email. But its jokes never hit and the writers should quit. Take a peak at the YDN’s fail.

4. Harvard and Yale will face off Saturday at Har vard Stadium in the first iteration of The Game back in Cambridge since 2016.

PAGE 8. The College must offer practical option for so cializing, placing the full force of the richest university in the world behind protecting and nourshing the wellbe ing of its students rather than its image.

HLS Alums Talk Death Penalty Defense SCAS Expands to New Campuses

WELLNESS

Peer Counseling Groups See Influx

The Week in Pictures

Conservative author and Cornell alumna Ann Coulter walked out of a speaking event after 20 minutes after student protesters repeatedly interrupted her speech, the Cornell Daily Sun reported on Sunday. Coulter, who has a history of hateful remarks against marginalized groups, was called a “fascist” and “bigot” by protesters, who made gagging noises.

Yale Law School will stop participating in U.S. News and World Report’s law school rankings, the Yale Daily News reported Wednesday. “US News has no effect on our mission,” Dean Heath er Gerken told the newspaper. Later that day, Harvard Law School also announced it would withdraw from the rankings.

A Princeton committee is considering removing or replacing a statue of John Witherspoon, who served as the university’s sixth president and owned slaves, the Daily Princetonian reported Tuesday. The announcement comes after nearly 300 Princeton affiliates signed a petition calling for the removal of Witherspoon’s statue.

AROUND THE IVIES

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN

THE YALE DAILY NEWS

Former President Donald J. Trump, who grad uated from the Wharton School of Business in 1968 and helped incite a riot at the U.S. Capitol, announced his 2024 campaign for president, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported on Tuesday.

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

CORNELL

Harvard’s five undergraduate peer counseling groups have seen a steady influx of student visitors this semester after re suming full in-person operation. The College’s peer counseling groups include Contact, ECHO, Indigo, Response, and Room 13, each of which have a different area of specialization. More than 130 students sought support from the groups between September and October — in-person or via phone call — per a Harvard University Health Services spokesperson. BY LUCAS J. WALSH AND VIVIAN ZHAO — CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Harvard Law School graduates discussed working in death penalty defense at a virtual event hosted by the HLS library on Tuesday evening. The panel discussion was part of the library’s yearlong series of programs related to its art and history exhibit. Moderated by HLS professor Carol S. Steiker ’82, the event featured HLS graduates from 2010 to 2021 discussing what it takes to become a public defender of those facing death sentences.” BY ANDREW PARK, NEIL H. SHAH, AND RYSA TAHILRAMANICONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Harvard’s Small Claims Advisory Service — a legal aid program run by undergraduate volunteers — is expanding nationwide, with new branches founded at Columbia University and the Claremont Colleges this semester. Student volunteers in the program, which sits within the Phillips Brooks House Associ ation, provide information to those whose legal cases are too small for pro bono lawyers.

BY ELLA L. JONES — CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

THE GAME. A crest for The Game was spray-painted onto the field at Harvard Stadium, where Harvard will face off against its rival school on Sat urday.

BY JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

HORIZONS. Dancers from the Asian-American Dance Troupe perform in their fall show, Horizons, selling out three consecutive shows in Lowell Lecture Hall over the weekend. BY JOEY HUANG — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

TRANS VISIBILITY.The Shorenstein Center held a panel on LGBTQIA+ Represen tation in the Media on Monday, marking the start of Transgen der Awareness Week.

BY CLAIRE YUAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRA PHER

LOOKING AHEAD. The Immi gration Initiative at Harvard hosted a discussion on the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on Monday. BY DEKYI T. TSOTSONG — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

THE ENDZONE. Harvard Stadium sits empty, awaiting hordes of spectators for Satur day’s 138th Harvard-Yale game.

BY JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHO TOGRAPHER

AADT. Dancers from the Asian-American Dance Troupe posing during Horizons, their fall semester cultural dance show. BY JOEY HUANG — CRIMSON PHO TOGRAPHER

SECRETARIES. Brad Raffensperger, secretary of state of Georgia, and Natalie Tennant, former secretary of state of West Virginia, discussed election security and former President Donald J. Trump at an Institute of Politics forum. BY CLAIRE YUAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

FAREWELL. Darwin’s LTD, a local coffee shop chain in Cambridge, announced it will close all four of its locations af ter previously announcing the closure of its Harvard Square shop.

BY TROUNG L. NGUYEN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

HARVARD STADIUM AWAITS 138TH HARVARD-YALE FACEOFF

IN THE REAL WORLD

A week after polls closed for the mid term elections, the Republican Party narrowly secured control of the U.S. House. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) defend ed his seat in California’s 27th Congres sional District, securing the 218th seat for his party. A handful of outstanding House races will determine the narrow margin. Still, the Democratic Party beat back a “red wave” to maintain their con trol over the Senate, securing 50 seats and sending the Georgia Senate race into a runoff in December.

What’s Next

Start every week with a preview of what’s on the agenda around Harvard University

In a 62-37 vote, the U.S. Senate ad vanced the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality into federal law. Twelve Re publican senators broke with their party to vote in support of the bill, joining with all 50 of their Democratic colleagues to avoid a filibuster. The Senate will vote again on a bipartisan amendment to the bill before sending it back to the House, which passed a previous version of the act in July. Democrats are pushing for federal protections for marriage equality in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the right to abortion for almost 50 years.

The missile that landed in a Polish town Tuesday and killed two people was an accident, leaders of NATO and Poland said. The NATO secretary gen eral said that the explosion was likely caused by an errant Ukrainian air de fense missile meant to counter Russian strikes. Both he and Poland’s president blamed Russia for eliciting defensive strikes from Ukraine. Ukrainian Presi dent Volodymyr Zelensky denied that the missile was launched by Ukrainian forces.

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proclaimed “Brazil is Back” and pledged to fight deforesta tion of the Amazon rainforest at the international COP27 climate talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Lula, who beat Brazil’s incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, in an election last month, said he will aim to make Brazil an inter national climate leader. Under Bolson aro, the Amazon — which contains half of the world’s tropical forests and is a critical factor in the future of the global climate — saw deforestation at record rates.

BHĀKTI: A PRACTICE OF THE HEART

Harvard Ed Portal, Ongoing Bhākti: A Practice Of The Heart is an opportu nity to focus on your creative spirit. Hosted by the Harvard Ed Portal at Crossings Gallery, the event features Brighton artist Deborah Johnson, who has curated an interactive art installation of mixed-media, portrait paintings, and visual affirmations.

HARVARD YALE

Harvard Stadium, 12 p.m.

This weekend is The Game! Harvard Football faces off Yale again in a beloved annual tradition, drawing students and alumni from both universi ties to the festivities. The Game will be preceded by an undergraduate tailgate at Mignone Field, and kickoff is at noon!

‘DAYS OF HEAVEN’

Harvard Film Archive, 3 p.m. A screening of “Days of Heaven,” a 1978 film di rected by Terrence Malick starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, and Sam Shepard. Brooke Adams will be in attendance.

Monday 11/21

WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM: IRAN’S WOMEN-LED PROTESTS IN CON TEXT Virtual, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. In this Radcliffe Institute event, photographer Hannah Darabi, Brandeis professor Naghmeh Sohrabi, and director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Cemal Kafadar will discuss the women- and student-led protests in Iran — and what makes these protests unique.

Tuesday 11/22

GALLERY TALK: ACTIVATION OF MOHOLY-NAGY’S LIGHT PROP FOR AN ELECTRIC STAGE Virtual, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Harvard Art Museum, 12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. Clemens Ottenhausen, curatorial fellow of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, will activate and lead a talk about László Moholy-Nagy’s 1930 sculpture.

WINTHROP YOGA

Friday 11/18 Wednesday 11/23 Thursday

Winthrop Beren Rooftop, 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Come relax, destress, and recenter with yoga on the Winthrop Beren rooftop! All levels and abilities are welcome.

11/24

INDONESIAN LANGUAGE CLASS

Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Join Harvard community members and Bos ton-area students in a free, no-credit Indonesian language class. Lessons are taught by Rany Syafrina, a Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant, and all levels of skill are welcome. The course focuses on Indonesian culture and daily conversational skills.

‘NOTHING BUT A MAN’

Harvard Film Archive, 3 p.m. Come see Michael Roemer’s 1964 feature de but as writer and director on 35mm film at this screening at the Harvard Film Archive. Starring Abbey Lincoln, Ivan Dixon, and Julius Harris, the film is a gripping depiction of Black American life and is often described as “a landmark.”

REPUBLICANS REGAIN CON TROL OF THE HOUSE

SENATE ADVANCES BILL TO PROTECT SAME-SEX MAR RIAGE

MISSILE LANDS IN POLAND, DEEMED ACCIDENT

BRAZILIAN PRESI DENT-ELECT LULA GREETS EXULTANT CROWD AT COP27

CORY K. GORCZYCKI — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

The Harvard-Yale Preview

dogs

BY GRIFFIN WONG CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

1968. 2005. 2018. And, after a miraculous, im probable fourth-quar ter comeback that saw senior wide receiver Kym Wimberly leave his lasting mark on the Harvard history books, 2021.

These years saw some of the most legendary games in the his tory of Harvard-Yale, the sec ond-oldest rivalry in college football and a matchup which requires only a two-word mon iker: The Game. Saturday will mark the 138th gridiron meet ing between Harvard and Yale — a rivalry whose results have been worthy of two of the most storied programs in football. Yale leads the series, 68-61-8, but since the inception of Ivy League play in 1956, the Crimson has had the edge, 37-27-1.

Time and time again, the sea son-ending matchup has held high stakes. In 1974, Harvard notched a 21-16 victory to earn a share of the Ivy League title with the Bulldogs. In 2014, ESPN’s Col lege Gameday pregame show traveled to Cambridge as the Crimson took on Yale for confer ence supremacy — and won, 3421. And in 2019, Harvard had the opportunity to play spoiler as the Bulldogs chased a champion ship, but lost in crushing fashion in double-overtime, 50-43. This year, the stakes are as high as ever.

An Ancient Eight title is again on the line for both Harvard and Yale when they face off on Satur day afternoon at Harvard Stadi um. If the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1) win, at least a share of the title is theirs, regardless of the result in the con current matchup between Princ eton (8-1, 5-1) and Penn (7-2, 4-2), which kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sat urday, one hour after The Game. Harvard (6-3, 4-2), meanwhile, will need a little help — the Quak ers must upset the Tigers in Princ eton, N.J., for Harvard to clinch a title this year. But if both Penn and the Crimson come out victo rious, all four teams would share the Ivy League championship — which would mark the first time in history that more than three teams have finished atop the con ference.

After relinquishing Penn 3714 in its most complete perfor mance of the season, Harvard will head into The Game peak ing at the right time. At Penn, se nior quarterback Charlie Dean produced the finest game of his career, completing 29 of his 38 passes for 316 yards, four touch downs, and no interceptions. Meanwhile, senior running back Aidan Borguet inched closer to the single-season rushing record held by Clifton Dawson ’07. Af ter adding 117 yards on 20 carries against the Quakers, the five-footten back will need 183 against Yale to secure the most proficient rushing season ever for a Crim son player. While a gargantuan task, Borguet accounted for 179 in a 28-13 win over Dartmouth on Oct. 29 and could meet the mo ment again.

“Everyone was just focused on what their job was,” Dean said of the win. “At the same time, we knew that we had to take care of business, and I think everyone was focused on what they needed to do, and kind of work together as a team. That was the best result we had all season.”

But as good as Harvard looks headed into the much-anticipat ed matchup, the Bulldogs argu ably look better. Last Saturday, Yale welcomed undefeated Princ eton to New Haven, Conn., and emerged with a 24-20 stunner. Its performance wasn’t perfect — ju nior quarterback Nolan Grooms threw for just 65 yards and com pleted less than half his passes — but it was good enough to thwart a Tigers team that had come into Harvard Stadium and left the Crimson looking foolish in a 37-10 win three weeks earlier.

“They’re consistent,” Dean

said of the Yale defense. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re where they’re supposed to be. And sometimes, watching Princeton’s offense, they capital ize a lot when defenses made mis takes. And Yale’s defense played a pretty clean game against them. That was the biggest deciding factor, that Princeton made more mistakes than Yale did.”

For Harvard to come out vic torious on Saturday, it will like ly need a standout performance from its star running back, es pecially given that it may be short-handed in its wide receiver corps. Wimberly, who had been the Ivy League’s top receiver ear ly in the season, suffered an ankle injury in the win over Dartmouth and missed the remainder of that contest and the next week’s loss to Columbia. Then, after return ing to the field in Philadelphia, he went down with an arm inju ry on the Crimson’s first play from scrimmage and was out for the rest of the game. If he is unable to play on Saturday, it would not only mark the end of the star re ceiver’s Harvard career, but also leave a gaping hole in the passing game.

Wimberly’s potential absence from Saturday’s game would re quire the rest of the Crimson’s of fensive playmakers to step up. Last Saturday, nine different re ceivers caught at least one pass, and with sophomore wide re ceiver Ledger Hatch also miss ing the Columbia contest, a slew of different Harvard players have stepped up: first-year wide re ceiver Cooper Barkate and senior wide receivers Jack Bill and Joe Young. All three wideouts will be crucial against Yale, as well as ju nior tight end Tyler Neville, the team’s third-leading target, with 24 catches, 276 yards, and three scores. Additionally, the offen sive line will be tasked with open ing up holes for Borguet and pro tecting Dean from a strong Yale pass-rush.

“Aidan wouldn’t have [his stellar stats] without the o-line,” Dean said. “Our wide receivers wouldn’t be able to catch the ball if the o-line didn’t give me time to throw. They’re the unsung heroes of the season.”

The offensive line has allowed just eight sacks so far this sea son, tied for the eighth-fewest in the FCS. It will have to be stellar against a Bulldogs defensive front that has recorded 23 sacks so far, good for 15th best in the coun try. They are led by a two-head ed monster in defensive ends Clay Patterson (5.5 sacks) and Reid Nickerson (5.0), the only duo to each have five or more sacks in the Ivy League. Nickerson was especially problematic last year against Harvard, recording two sacks and three tackles for a loss. Owing to its stout front four, Yale has been particularly sol id against the run, allowing just 115.4 yards per game on average, nearly double top-ranked Prince ton but good enough for 22nd in

THE GAME PLAN. The stakes are high in tomorrow’s game: not only are Harvard and Yale taking part in the age-old tradition of The Game, but both teams are contenders in the quest for the Ivy League cham pionship title. Harvard is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Ivy League, whereas Yale is 7-2 and 5-1 in the Ivy. The Crimson have the overall edge in meetings against Yale with a 37-27-1 record.

the country. The Bulldogs’ pass defense is solid as well — 26th in Team Passing Efficiency Defense, a composite stat that takes into ac count a number of passing-relat ed metrics. This is mostly due to the frequency with which oppo nents throw the ball against Yale; although the team ranks just 53rd best in the nation at preventing passing yards, it is very efficient when teams do take to the air, al lowing the 24th fewest yards per

completion, considerably better than the second-best Ivy League team, the Crimson. The Bull dogs do struggle at taking the ball away, though, as they’ve recorded just five interceptions so far this season. Their secondary will be led by defensive back Wande Ow ens, who’s had a remarkable sea son, with 58 tackles – ninth most in the Ivy League. The Cooksville, Md. native will likely be eager for redemption, having allowed

Wimberly to sneak by him on last year’s game-winning catch.

“They don’t get beat deep a lot,” Dean explained. “That’s go ing to be a really big part of our game plan is just figuring out how we can get our shots in. Our of fense operates off of explosive plays.”

If the pride of the Yale de fense is preventing deep balls, its offense is grounded in con servatism. The Bulldogs run the ball frequently, racking up 226.5 yards per game on the ground, 61 yards more than their nearest Ivy League rival, Harvard, and good for ninth-best in the FCS. Their offense is built on the unique skill set of the southpaw signal-caller, who is not only the team’s lead ing passer – with 1,516 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 picks – but its top rusher as well – 115 carries for 682 yards and six scores on the ground. In fact, Grooms is so proficient on the ground that he is actually the conference’s sec ond-leading rusher, behind only Borguet. Yale also rosters the Ivy League’s third-leading back, ju nior Tre Peterson, who has com plemented Grooms with 650 yards and five touchdowns. The Crimson will aim to keep the Bull

497 yards.

“With their run-heavy of fense, you have to effectively pre vent them from dominating the game,” said senior defensive line man and captain Truman Jones.

“Like, if they just run the ball down the field, have ten-plusplay drives, that chews up clock, it takes up momentum, and it also keeps the ball out of our offense’s hands, so prevents us from scor ing.”

The Harvard defensive line should be well-prepared to stop the run on Saturday, as although this year’s unit has been a little bit worse than the 2021 version, which allowed the fewest rush ing yards of any team in the FCS, the defense has still been unkind to opposing backs. After hold ing Penn to just nine yards on 15 carries last week, it has yield ed just 92.1 yards per game on the ground, good for the sev enth-best rate in the country. Led by the consistent brilliance of ju nior defensive tackle Thor Grif fith, who leads the team with five sacks, and the veteran savvy of se nior linebacker Jack McGowan, defensive coordinator Scott Lar kee ’99’s unit has been character istically good against the run. It is also sneakily solid against the pass, ranking second in the Ivy League in Team Passing Efficien cy Defense.

“Those are all guys who have had playing experience, but know they’re really stepping into a spotlight role and have been able to really hold down that sec ond level of great communica tion,” said Jones of the linebacker corps, which includes McGowan and a few less experienced play ers like seniors Jake Brown and Solomon Egbe, as well as junior Matt Hudson. “They’re bridging the gap between playing run de fense and playing pass defense and they’re doing all of this at a very high level.”

On Saturday, the Yale offense will have to take advantage of third downs, when the Crimson has struggled mightily this sea son. Harvard has conceded a fresh set of downs on 41.8 percent of tries, good for only 71st in the country.

“We play efficient defense on first and second downs and get into third-and-long situations,” said Jones of areas for improve ment. “But a lot of times, it ends up in a conversion of some sort, whether that’s a longer run or a medium-length pass, so just be ing able to hold teams to threeand-outs, keep our defense off the field, and continue to get our of fense the ball to get more posses sions.”

If the Crimson can keep the ball in the offense’s hands, Har vard Stadium will be rocking on Saturday. With the nearly 30,000seat colosseum hosting its first Harvard-Yale contest since 2016, tickets sold out quickly. And with the high stakes of an Ivy League championship on the line for both teams, red-clad Harvard fans and blue-shirted Yale sup porters will be on the edge of their seats for the entire 60-minute du ration.But for Dean, that isn’t the focus. For the team’s many se niors who have dedicated their time and sacrificed their bodies, including some – like Wimberly –who took a semester off in order to play their final seasons of eli gibility, Saturday will mark their last time playing together. The team’s 37 seniors will be celebrat ed in an on-field ceremony prior to kickoff.

“It’s the last chance that this group of [121] guys are going to be able to play football at the same time,” the quarterback said.

“That’s the biggest thing that’s on my mind. It’s the last time I get to play with my friends, my broth ers, my roommates. That’s what we’re thinking, I think, as a team, going out there and knowing that we’ve got one last shot at playing with each other and just having some fun.”

The Game will kick off at 12 p.m. on ESPNU and will be car ried over the radio by WRCA at 1330 AM, 106.1 FM, and 92.9 FMHD2. griffin.wong@thecrimson.com

throwing on Saturday, as their leading receiver, David Pan telis, ranks just 120th nationally with

SATURDAY, Harvard will host Yale in historic Harvard Stadium for the 138th playing of The Game.

Senior defensive back Alex Washington swarms to Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms in last year’s playing of “The Game,” where Harvard won 34-31.

JOSIE W. CHEN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard football lines up against Holy Cross in 30-21 loss on Oct. 1.

ANGELA DELA CRUZ — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

THE SECOND-OLDEST COLLEGE RIVALRY: THE GAME

Senior Aidan Borguet takes a cut up the field in a 21-20 loss to Columbia.

ANGELA DELA CRUZ — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard v. Yale

TOBY R. MA — CRIMSON DESIGNER

BY DEREK HU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Upon first glance, junior Tyler Neville looks like your typi cal student-ath lete: Hailing from Williams burg, Virginia, and standing at six-foot-four and 235 pounds, Neville plays tight end for the Crimson, lives in Lowell House, and enjoys being a part of a team. Beneath the surface, however, lies an incredible personal story of strength and adversity. After years of dramatic health com plications – including deafness, chest wall disorder, and cancer – Tyler Neville has transformed himself into a picture of resil ience within Harvard and chan neled his experiences to found the Tyler Neville Foundation.

WWhen Neville was born without hearing, he quickly un derwent surgery to place small tubes in his eardrums. As he grew up, Neville matured into a talented multi-sport athlete, playing football and basketball. But at age 14, he realized he of ten felt short of breath while ex ercising. Neville’s family consult ed Dr. Eric Dobratz, who noticed a sunken area in the center of Neville’s chest — a revealing sign of Pectus Excavatum, a chest wall disorder. In August 2015, Neville underwent a Ness procedure, which placed a metal bar under his sternum and ribcage to cor

rect the shape of his chest wall.

“Growing up was a struggle, but I didn’t know any different,” Neville said. “I worked hard to re cover from whatever surgery I had so I could get back to what I liked doing.”

As Neville worked toward re covery, persisting through pain and participating in physical therapy became a normal rou tine. Until the metal bar was re moved, Neville was prohibited from playing football but could still participate in basketball if he wore a protective vest.

About a year later, Neville felt severe discomfort in his chest. Neville’s doctor could not find any issues with the metal bar but instead noticed a small spot on one of his lungs. After per forming a biopsy on an enlarged lymph node in Neville’s neck, the doctor diagnosed Neville with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I came home from school and my par ents sat me down on the back porch and told me I had cancer,” Neville said. “I cried and let my parents explain it to me.”

Despite the news, Neville in sisted on playing basketball lat er that day in an attempt to main tain normalcy, setting the tone for his attitude throughout the duration of his treatment.

“As chemotherapy wore on, my body was getting weaker and weaker,” Neville said. “It was frus trating to be limited by the effects of chemo, but I conditioned my self outside of practice to com bat the inevitable decline of my stamina. I wasn’t playing my best basketball near the end, but I was just glad to be out there.”

Neville explained that his strength comes from his fam ily, who deals with challenges “head on” and as a cohesive unit. To provide emotional support

for Neville during chemothera py, his father and brothers even shaved their heads in solidarity.

“Our family naturally teams up when we need to,” Neville said. “We are each other’s biggest fans.”

By the start of Neville’s sopho more basketball season, Neville’s cancer was in remission. Despite the chemotherapy and protec tive plate, Neville made the start ing lineup. By the spring of that year, Neville had grown so much that the metal plate had to be re moved.

Now cleared to play football, Neville achieved great success in his sporting career during his junior year. In basketball, Nev ille averaged 19 points and 15 re bounds a game. As a linebacker and tight end in football, Nev ille had 18 catches for 404 yards and five touchdowns on offense, along with 36 tackles – 19 of them

solo – on defense. Neville credits his team’s coaching staff, which included his father, for elevating his football game to the next lev el.

“Football just came natural ly,” Neville said. “Being an athlete my whole life and growing up in an athletic family, I was always

super competitive in whatever I was doing.”

With Neville’s football suc cess came numerous college of fers. He ultimately chose to at tend Harvard because of the coaching staff and the contribu tions he believed he could bring to the team.

“Football could not have worked out any better for me,” Neville said. “I’ll graduate with the best degree in the world and have a shot at the NFL.”

Neville, now free from cancer, hopes to help those who suffer from the disease.

In April 2021, Neville quar antined in the Harvard Square Hotel along with other students who tested positive for COVID-19. During his isolation, he was struck by an idea.

“It was Day 6 in the Harvard Square Hotel, and I picked up the phone and called my mom,” he recalled. “I told her I owe it to everyone who helped me achieve my blessings to give back, so I’m going to start my own founda tion.”

“I started the Tyler Neville Foundation because of the inter esting perspective I had on can cer,” said Neville. As a 16-year-old receiving treatment in a chil dren’s hospital, Neville found it heartbreaking to see many young kids undergoing chemothera py. He initially considered host ing a few sports-related events for fundraising, but those ideas quickly evolved into the founda tion.

“The goal of the Tyler Neville Foundation is to help children re alize there is more to their child hood than IVs and drip bags,” Neville said. “We try to give kids opportunities to just be who they are: kids.”

“Don’t let [cancer] define you — still be that person you were before, don’t let your ailment change who you are,” Neville said as a message to those struggling with illness. “Look at it as a hur dle, not an obstacle.”

“Always keep your goals in sight and keep pushing,” he add ed.

Tyler Neville and his family, to whom he credits much of his recovery and strength. COURTESY OF TYLER NEVILLE

own recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma, Harvard football player Tyler Neville started his foundation to support children

2018: When Harvard Beat the Bulldogs at a Ballpark

wore on, those concerns quickly whittled away.

“To be perfectly honest, I was not initially excited to lose the opportunity of a true home game here at Harvard Stadium after so many of the great games had been played here,” head coach Tim Murphy said. “Having said that, after going through the Fenway experience, it really be comes a no brainer. It was unique from the flyover to the loud, very much invested Harvard crowd. As a once in a while experience, it’s just tremendous.”

defense. Neither team held more than a one-touchdown lead until midway through the fourth quar ter, when the Crimson found the end zone for the first of its two fourth-quarter scores to put the game away. It also featured a bi zarre penalty; then-sophomore running back Devin Darringon ’21 looked to have scored a touch down that would have given Har vard a 34-27 lead in the fourth quarter, but it was called back after it was revealed that Dar rington made an obscene gesture towards a Yale defender as he ran into the end zone.

out to the winningest head coach in Ivy League history was Zach Miller ’19’s interception late in the fourth quarter to seal the vic tory. For Miller, who was serv ing as the 145th Captain of Har vard Football that season, it was the capstone on a stellar Harvard career.

third down early in the fourth quarter.”

For many players, the most special part of that game was right after it ended, when the stands emptied to allow fans onto the hallowed grounds.

sure to be remembered by future generations of Harvard football players.

On Nov. 17, 2018, Harvard football took on Yale in the 135th iteration of The Game.

But for the first time since 1894, The Game was played in neither Cambridge nor New Haven. Instead, it was played at historic Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox since 1912. The 34,675 fans in attendance witnessed a historic performance by both squads, as the game marked the most com bined points of any Harvard-Yale contest. After a gritty, physi cal 60-minute battle, it was the Crimson who came out on top, 45-27.

Before the game, there were mixed emotions about having the game at Fenway, given the rich history of the rivalry at Har vard Stadium, but as the day

While it was a special day for the veteran head coach, it was even more powerful for some of the players, especially for Bos ton natives who had grown up watching the Red Sox. Safety Mike Silva ’21, then a first-year, was one player particularly af fected.

“It was extremely special,” he said. “I’m a Boston-born and raised guy, on the South Shore. Having been to Fenway Park plenty of times for baseball games, seeing it and playing on it as a football field was a very spe cial moment.”

Beyond the flyovers and fan fare, the game at Fenway was more than just a spectacle. The back-and-forth affair featured exciting drives and spectacular

“It was such an exciting game that brought out the best in our team and our players,” Mur phy said. “The hiccup by Devin Darrington that cost us a touch down, and the team had to over come that. But Devin had the op portunity to score again. There were some really clutch throws that Tom Stewart and a couple of our receivers made, but it was just an amazing experience.”

It was a game of memorable plays, from Darrington’s blun der to Tyler Adams ’21’s 62-yard touchdown run early in the sec ond quarter to Darrington’s 16yard, fourth quarter run to ex tend Harvard’s lead to 18 points and cap off a strong sophomore season. But the play that stood

“It’s hard to pick a favorite play in particular, plays are like children,” Murphy said. “That being said, seeing the intercep tion by our captain to really end the game, and the overwhelm ing joy that it set off on our side line and throughout the Harvard faithful Fenway park. I’ll never forget that. As a coach, it’s nev er over till it’s over, but that place went pretty much nuts.”

There was no guarantee that Silva, as a first-year on a veter an-led squad, would see playing time in The Game. But the safe ty not only got on the field, he also made a huge play, recording a pass defense on a third-down play near the start of the fourth quarter.

“There’s videos and pictures of us just running across the field, screaming, yelling and sprint ing towards our fans,” Silva said. “That was the most insane expe rience ever, because there were a hundred of us in our student sec tion. Food was getting thrown in the air and everybody was go ing nuts. Once we got back to the locker room, [Ben Abercrombie] was already waiting for us there, and all the alumni got in the lock er room so we got to celebrate there. Even just being in the Red Sox locker room was an amazing experience, let alone celebrating the Harvard win.”

“We have had so many great games,” Murphy said. “For in stance, in 2005, when we beat Yale in triple overtime, the alltime leading rusher in Harvard football history, Clifton Dawson ’07, took it into the endzone. And the game in 2021, when we had to win it in the last 40 seconds of the final quarter. There are so many great memories of the Har vard-Yale game, but I think this is one for the history books on many levels.”

At Age 119, Stadium Set to Host 138th

spectators to watch the games. The stadium served as the home for the hockey team until World War I.

Harvard hockey was not the only northeast team to compete in the stadium. During the fall of 1970, the Boston Patriots – now known as the New England Pa triots – played their inaugural NFL season at Harvard Stadium.

The Patriots contacted Harvard athletic officials about playing at the stadium while their current home, Gillette Stadium, was un der construction. Harvard only agreed to allow the Patriots to use the stadium for one year on the condition the team would replace the field afterwards.

The Patriots, who would lat er go on to win six Super Bowls while playing their home games at Gillette Stadium, were not al lowed to use the varsity locker rooms, which were reserved for the Crimson. Though Harvard students only had to trek across the Charles River to watch NFL games, few were interested.

One Boston team that has yet to mark its territory in Har vard Stadium is the Boston Bru ins. Part of the National Hockey League’s Original Six, the Bruins have played a major role in the history of Boston sports. In Janu ary 2023, they will host the Pitts burgh Penguins at Fenway Park

for the 2023 NHL Winter Classic, one of the NHL’s premier events that is typically held at a foot ball or baseball stadium against a nearby NHL team. The Bruins look poised to be a candidate to host the Winter Classic again in their 100th anniversary season.

If awarded the 2024 NHL Winter Classic, Harvard Stadium, along side Fenway Park, could serve as a potential option for the histor ic sports event.

as The Game returns to Harvard Stadium for the first time in six years. Although the schools typ ically alternate hosting duties, the 2020 iteration was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandem ic and the 135th playing of The Game was held at Fenway Park in 2018.

Fans at Harvard Stadium first witnessed a victory over Yale in 1913. This weekend, tens of thou sands of students, alumni, and family members will hope to see the Crimson pick up its 62nd win in the historic rivalry. Last year, Harvard locked up its 61st in epic fashion, beating Yale 34-31 in a fourth quarter thriller in New Haven, Connecticut.

Currently, the Crimson has a 6-3 overall record and 4-2 record within the Ivy League. It defeat ed Ivy foe Penn 37-14 last Satur day, keeping its hopes for an Ivy League title alive and marking Harvard’s first undefeated road record since 2015.

“My situation was crazy,” Sil va said. “I did not think I was go ing to step on the field that game. So I was just trying to live in the moment and be excited to actu ally be on the field, have as much confidence as I could, and I was able to break up a big pass on the

Owing to the history-mak ing offensive performances by both teams, the drama of the game itself, and its unique set ting, the 2018 contest quickly joined the annals of legendary Harvard-Yale contests. Perhaps the single most famous edition of The Game came half a cen tury earlier, when the Crimson launched a furious comeback to manage a 29-29 tie in the 1968 matchup, but the 2018 game is

Because the 2020 edition of The Game was canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic, Saturday’s matchup at Harvard Stadium will mark the first clash between the two teams in Massachu setts since 2018, and the first in the Crimson’s home venue since 2016. Reflecting on the 2018 con test, Murphy noted a main take away that he hopes his team will bring onto the field this weekend.

“Even though we have won…16 of these in the 21st Cen tury, there is no such thing as a favorite in this game,” he said. “You’ll think you have seen it all until you watch a Harvard-Yale game.”

BY THOMAS HARRIS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER thomas.harris@thecrimson.com

To this day, the venue is one of only four college stadiums recognized as a Natural Historic Landmark, along with the Rose Bowl, the LA Coliseum, and the Yale Bowl. The near-colosseum in the Allston neighborhood of Boston was built to hold just over 30,000 fans, and on Saturday, it will likely hold a sellout crowd,

The 138th playing of The Game is slated for a noon kickoff at Harvard Stadium this Satur day, continuing the venue’s leg acy and standing as a reminder of its impact on both the sport of football and the University it represents to this day.

THE LAST TIME.

Cambridge has not host ed The Game since 2018 – when the 135th edition was played out at none other than the iconic Fen way Park.

An aerial view of Harvard Stadium facing southeast. Built in 1903, it is the oldest concrete college stadium in the United States. GRIFFIN WONG — CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard’s defensive line squares off against Yale’s offense on a second down attempt in 2018.

TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

The Crimson huddles up prior to the game at Fenway Park in 2018, which it would go on to win, 45-27.

TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Saturday’s contest will mark the first time The Game will have been played at Harvard Stadium since 2016.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Undergrads Look Forward to Harvard-Yale

BY EDONA COSOVIC AND LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Most Harvard students will experience The Game at Harvard Stadi um for the first time on Saturday when it returns to Harvard for its 138th playing.

As the festivities return to Cambridge for the first time since 2016, students said that they were excited about welcoming back alumni and opening their dorms to guests coming from New Hav en.

In 2020, The Game was can celed due to the pandemic, and the 2018 iteration was hosted by Harvard but played at Fenway Park.

“It’s really the only time where the University exemplifies the school spirit that big Southern state schools have,” Sophia R. Haddon ’25 said. “We’re really ac ademics-focused, so it’s nice to have that one day off.”

Lola N. Mullaney ’24, who is on Harvard’s women’s basketball team, said she is looking forward to spending time with alumni from her team who are returning to campus.

“This is actually my first Har vard-Yale Game that I’ve been able to go to, because freshman year it was Covid, and then I couldn’t go to last year’s game at Yale,” Mullaney said. “I think it will be a great, fun environment.”

Mari Kikuta ’24, who has also never attended a Harvard-Yale game, said she is excited to join the tailgate ahead of the game with friends from other univer sities.

“Before Thanksgiving, [it’s] something to look forward to,” she said.

This year, the Harvard-Yale football game has taken on in creased importance because both teams are still vying for at least a share of the Ivy League championship.

“The prospect of Harvard still being in contention for the Ivy

League championship is anoth er reason a lot of people are still interested in and still invested in the Game, not just for the sake of having a game,” Chris J. Canzano ’25 said.

The prospect of Harvard still being in contention for the Ivy League championship is another reason a lot of people are still interested in and still invested in the Game, not just for the sake of having a game.

Across campus, each house committee is responsible for pro viding food and lodging for its sis ter college from Yale on Friday night.

Grace R. O’Sullivan ’24, who is the community chair for Ad ams House Committee, said Ad ams will be hosting Yale students from Saybrook College in com mon rooms and providing them with Domino’s pizza.

“I’m sure they’ll have a great time sleeping on the floors,” O’Sullivan said. “So maybe the pizza makes up for that.”

Many houses are also hosting mixers and steins with their Yale sister colleges Friday evening be fore the game.

Evangeline Liao ’25 said she looks forward to attending El iot House’s event with its sister house, Jonathan Edwards Col lege.

“It’ll be interesting since I don’t know very many Yale stu dents, so it will be fun and excit ing and we get to meet lots of peo ple,” Liao said.

Some cultural and social groups from Harvard and Yale are also planning mixers during the weekend of The Game this year.

Students Decry Tailgate Restrictions

BY J. SELLERS HILL AND VIVI E. LU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

In the week leading up to the much-anticipated return of The Game to Harvard Stadium, stu dents have reported confusion and disappointment with College restrictions on tailgating.

Only Harvard-provided food and drink will be permitted at the College-sponsored tailgate, In terim Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt ’01 announced in a Nov. 9 email to undergraduates.

Alcohol distribution will be limited to three drinks per stu dents who are over the age of 21, and undergraduates will not be allowed to host alternative pre game events.

Students have decried this year’s decision as detrimental to student social life and potentially harmful to student safety.

During previous iterations of The Game, House Commit tees have been permitted to host house-wide pregames and dis tribute alcohol at the official un dergraduate tailgate.

“Historically HoCos have manned tables/our own tailgates because we purchased and were in charge of distributing the al cohol,” Lowell House Commit tee Co-Chair Austin Siebold ’23 wrote in an email.

Siebold said the College im

posed this year’s restrictions without consulting House Com mittees.

“HoCos were not consulted on the DSO’s decision to create the beer garden,” she wrote.

“The DSO has been consis tently raising their level of in volvement in historically stu dent owned responsibilities,” she wrote.

House Committees have opt ed not to man tables at the Col lege-sponsored tailgate in light of the restriction on alcohol dis tribution, Sie bold added.

In an in terview with The Crimson, DSO repre sentative Ja son R. Meier said the College’s decision-making was largely shaped by concerns over student safe ty.

“The reality of where we’re at, I think, really stems from an in cident in spring 2018 at Yardfest where there were some signifi cant safety issues,” Meier said.

“President Drew Faust ini tiated what she called a ‘review committee’ to review large-scale events that were on campus and kind of reimagined how they would run for safety and securi ty,” Meier said.

Sophia C. Weng ’24, a mem

ber of Adams House Committee, said the DSO’s instructions left House Committee members con fused about whether they could hold house-wide events, includ ing steins — weekly gatherings where House Committees can provide alcohol to students.

“Some houses hold their steins on Fridays, and so for the HoCos that normally host those, we’re actually responsible for feeding the Yale students while they’re here,” Weng said. “But it’s a lit tle unclear as to wheth er or not we can officially hold the Stein then,” Weng said.

Gilberto Lo pez-Jimenez ’25 said the DSO’s re strictions may push student orga nizations to throw off-cam pus parties, which can threaten student safety.

“Because of the restrictions that have been placed on us, a lot of people will probably end up partying in Boston and down town or wherever the events are, and it’s going to be a little bit of a threat for everyone,” Lo pez-Jimenez said.

“They’re gonna be under the influence of a substance, and it’s gonna get late at night — there’s just a lot of hazards that come

with that,” Lopez-Jimenez said.

“They’re gonna be under the influence of a substance, and it’s gonna get late at night — there’s just a lot of hazards that come with that.

Gilberto Lopez-Jimenez ‘25

Undergraduate social life does appear to have moved largely off-campus. Final clubs and oth er social organizations are host ing off-campus parties at Boston nightclubs the night before The Game.

Tickets to the parties are sell ing for upwards of $30.

Dean of Students Office spokesperson Aaron M. Gold man defended the policies, as serting that they were written with student safety as a top pri ority.

“The team at the Dean Stu dents Office and partners across the University have been working tirelessly to make sure that every body has a fun and safe space to celebrate,” Goldman said.

“That hasn’t changed,” Gold

Yahir Santillan-Guzman ’25, a member of the Harvard student group Raza, said he is looking forward to mixing with MEChA, a Latinx student organization at Yale.

departments and with Yale’s ad ministration.

The University also commu nicated with the Cambridge and Boston officials about the uptick in traffic expected to occur over the weekend due to the influx of visitors for the game, he wrote.

Harvard’s Dean of Students Office has been in “at least week ly contact” with Yale adminis trators to prepare information and space for guests, including providing a baggage check area during The Game for Yale stu dents’ belongings.

“It’s going to be a really good opportunity to meet other Lat inx students from other schools,” Santillan said.

Harvard University spokes person Jonathan Palumbo wrote that coordinating logistics for this year’s Harvard-Yale fooball game took months. He added that the planning process included collaboration across University

Neither Ivy League school is well-known for its school spir it, but Liao said that she is excit ed for that to change during Har vard-Yale weekend.

“I know that some American universities, they have very in tense, emotionally involved ri valries,” she said. “But I think the Harvard-Yale one is more just rooted in tradition.”

edona.cosovic@thecrimson.com leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com

Harvard-Yale Tickets Sell at Steep Premiums

BY ELLA L. JONES AND LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Ahead of this year’s Har vard-Yale football game, a mar ketplace has emerged for the resale of free undergraduate tickets, with some tickets going for more than $100.

Each Harvard undergradu ate received one free ticket for seating in the student section of Harvard Stadium, the site of The Game for the first time since 2016. But some under grads, who are not planning to attend, are selling the coveted tickets to students who are wel coming friends or family to the football game on Saturday.

To Rosanna Kataja ’24 — who marketed her ticket over a house email list and received an offer for $120 — the decision to sell was a matter of “simple economics.”

“Being a college student with a student budget, why not make a few bucks selling the ticket to somebody who was willing to pay for it?” said Kata ja, who will be in Connecticut on the day of The Game.

While some are marketing tickets over class group chats or house email lists, other stu dents are streamlining the pro cess through Google spread sheets and forms. On one Adams House spreadsheet ob tained by The Crimson, sellers listed tickets priced from $100 to $500.

Daniella M. Berrospi ’24 said she sees selling her tick et as an opportunity to make money to spend on something more meaningful to her than football.

“There’s so many people that have money, and relatives, or family members, or friends coming from different states that come to see the game, and they’re willing to put down a lot of money to get a tick et,” Berros pi said. “It’s just amaz ing to me, and I’m like, why take advantage of the opportu nity?”

Phoebe H. Suh ’23, who sold her ticket for $65, argued that while the tickets were techni cally free to Harvard under graduates, the experience of going to The Game itself gives them value.

“I’m okay with selling my ticket because I’m giving up something that I could do, so I understand that my ticket has value to me,” Suh said.

Some students are sell ing their tickets in the name of charity. Mira-Rose J. Kings bury Lee ’24 launched a sealedbid, second-price auction for her ticket and two others do nated by friends, with all pro ceeds going to nonprofits. She

said she was surprised to re ceive a flurry of bids — includ ing a top offer of $1,000.

“Ultimately, part of it is they need a ticket, and then part of it is they were looking to do some good in that process,” Kings bury Lee said of the top bidder.

“I’m really astounded by the generosity.”

“

Being a college student with a student budget, why not make a few bucks selling the ticket to somebody who was willing to pay for it?

Rosanna Kataja ‘24

Signs posted at all student ticket distribution locations ban the sale of free student tickets, according to Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane.

“Complimentary tickets cannot be sold, transferred, traded, or bartered for goods and services by any party,” the signs read. “Each ticket issued by Harvard Athletics is a revo cable license which may be re voked for any reason at any time at the sole discretion of Harvard Athletics.”

Despite the signage, Rob in M. Robinson ’22-’23 said she was unaware that student tick ets could not be resold.

“I didn’t know you weren’t allowed to because there was no email about it on my house list,” Robinson said.

“I just thought it was an op portunity to make a few bucks,” she added.

Katie M. Sierra ’23, who pur chased an extra ticket for $200 through a resale platform, raised the concern that resold tickets may not actually be val id for non-Harvard undergrad

“If you’re try ing to bring a parent or non-Har vard friend to Harvard, those student tickets won’t actually work for them,” Sierra said. “I think that a lot of people are not aware of this and that there’s gonna be a lot of disappoint ment on game day.”

The cheapest tickets on re sale platforms StubHub and Vivid Seats cost $160 and $149, respectively, as of Wednesday. These tickets are for assigned seating separate from the stu dent sections.

A limited quantity of tick ets were made available to Yale students for $25 each, but a Yale Athletics technical mishap led the purchase link to release early, leaving some students ticketless.

ella.jones@thecrimson.com

Yahir Santillan-Guzman ’25

“It’s going to be a really good opportunity to meet other Latinx students from other schools.

Chris J. Canzano ’25

BY

In the oral arguments for the affir mative action case, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan made an im portant yet overlooked point about the future of higher education.

She asked whether affirmative action’s rationale could justify favoring men in admissions:

“[T]here’s a lot of statistical evidence that suggests that colleges now, when they apply gender-neutral criteria, get many more women than man…could a university put a thumb on the scales and say ‘it’s important that we ensure that men continue to receive college educations at not perfect equality but roughly in the same ballpark’?”

Justice Kagan’s question didn’t come from nowhere. Colleges are increasing ly facing a dearth of males: 60 percent of college students are female and they outnumbered male applicants last ad missions cycle by a whopping 35 per cent. Many are worried that this gender imbalance detracts from campus diver sity and from the college experience overall. In response, some colleges have discretely started giving preference to male applicants, raising thorny ques tions surrounding the ethics of favoring a privileged group.

But does this educational gender gap apply to Harvard?

Yes and no — data reveals that our school is better positioned than most to recruit both qualified male and female applicants, but recent trends indicate that Harvard may eventually confront a shortage of qualified male applicants.

This piece won’t wade into the philo sophical debate of favoring applicants based on gender, but, like the rest of my column, this article hopes to shed light on an under-discussed topic by letting the numbers lead the way.

To start off, why are American males falling behind in higher education?

Brookings Fellow Richard V. Reeves re cently wrote a book called “Of Boys and Men” that focuses, in part, on this ques tion. It turns out that the educational gender gap begins much earlier than college.

Girls enter elementary school more prepared than boys and this distance

compounds over time. As a result, fe males go on to earn better grades and disproportionately make up the top of their high school graduating class.

So, by the time they apply to college, many boys have been lagging behind their female peers for decades, mak ing them much less qualified on aver age. This is a large part of the reason why men make up a minority of college students, creating awkward imbalanc es at many schools. For example, Baylor accepted 7 percent more women than men last year, and men now make up only 41 percent of the University of Cali fornia, Los Angeles’ student body.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. Wom en have been graduating college at high er rates than men for nearly 40 years. But more people are talking about it now because Covid-19 highlighted and worsened this trend: Roughly 70 per cent of the Covid-19 college enrollment decline was due to males.

As with most problems in higher education, high-income schools like ours are able to shield themselves. We have so many qualified applicants –both male and female – that Harvard is able to mostly create a 1:1 gender ra tio among its student body even while most colleges are struggling to do so.

But this trend may be unsustain able, and even Harvard may eventual ly have to break its 50-50 balance. Look at recent applications and admissions, which both display a growing diver gence between the genders, indicating that the Harvard applicant pool may be starting to reflect national trends.

We shouldn’t over extrapolate on only two years of data, since this pat tern could still reverse. Indeed, this higher education gender disparity has been present for decades, and Harvard has thus far been able to maintain a bal anced student body.

But I think if colleges continue to see a dearth of male applicants, it may eventually spillover to substantially af fect Harvard’s applicant pool, since the nation-wide educational gender gap seems to be only growing.

Many other selective colleges have already been affected. According to

the Hechinger Report, both Vassar and Pitzer College recently received double the number of female than male appli cants. A lopsided applicant pool begets lopsided admissions. Even at very-high ranked schools, like Brown, Pomona, and Vanderbilt, male admission rates have been consistently higher than fe males in the past two years. So, we should not think Harvard’s selectivity renders it immune to this trend.

If men begin to make up less than 40 percent of our applicants, what should Harvard do? I don’t have anything close to a definitive answer, but I’ll make three quick points.

First, we should be careful but prin cipled in linking this issue to race-based affirmative action. If you are against race-conscious admissions because you believe each applicant should be treated solely as an individual rath er than as a member of their identity group, you should be consistent in that belief when thinking about gender-con scious admissions.

Secondly, we shouldn’t interpret the educational gender gap as reflective of some broader change in male privilege. Despite men having been the minority in higher education for the past sever al decades, they still constitute the vast majority of CEOs and politicians.

Finally, beyond the questions of ad missions, Harvard may need to think about how each gender requires differ ent types of support from the school, since male students tend to be less en gaged. Men in college study abroad less, hold student government offices less often, and take longer to graduate. My guess is that these trends don’t hold at Harvard – at least for the moment –since nearly everyone admitted here is ambitious, no matter their gender. Even though the educational gen der gap may not extend to Harvard yet, more people need to be thinking like Justice Kagan and asking about the fu ture of men in higher education.

The Harvard-Yale Tailgate Plan Risks Student Safety

OP-ED BY BRAD F. CAMPBELL

In 1630, John Winthrop voiced his dreams to the settlers of New England, exclaiming that their new Massachusetts Bay Colony “shall be as a city upon a hill” that “the eyes of all people are upon.” In the nearly 400 years since then, these sen timents, written upon the walls of Winthrop House, seem to remain a powerful part of how the administration understands this University — the verbaliza tion of an idealistic perception of Harvard’s place in the world. This invocation is not without merit, encouraging faculty and students to hold themselves to a higher standard and to lead with purpose. But there’s a flip side: it renders Harvard’s administra tion fundamentally concerned with its own public perception, sometimes to a greater extent than — and to the detriment of — its student body.

From mental health resourc es to Covid restrictions, Harvard has historically publicized ag gressive policies that represent bold change while quietly main taining the status quo. It’s almost as if the University is saying, “Look, world, all of our students can test as often as they’d like (though we won’t enforce the testing cadence). Look, world, we have created such abundant mental health resources (though CAMHS wait times remain over a month-long).” On the outside, we are a city upon a hill, but upon walking through our gates, one realizes that we are much like any other city.

The latest example of the Uni versity’s preference for appear ance over substance comes with its social plan for this year’s iter ation of the Harvard-Yale foot ball game. On November 9, In terim Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt ’01 emailed all under graduate students about the up coming festivities, writing that the University would be hold ing an official tailgate featur ing “classic American barbecue fare,” “plenty of water stations,” and three drink tickets for stu dents 21 years old or older. This is, of course, a welcome set of re sources that contribute to a safer experience for all in attendance, and I am thankful that I go to a university that is willing to con tribute to important social expe riences like this.

Then I read a bit closer. Fur ther down, the email mentioned that “outside food or drink [would] not be permitted with in the tailgate” and that the affair would be “open to current Har vard and Yale undergraduate stu dents only.” Many in attendance will undoubtedly use alcohol or marijuana, but the thousands of students who are under 21, as well as many students from sur rounding schools, will have no safe place to do so. Instead, those students will almost certainly

engage in rowdy pre-game activ ity in dorms, yards, or parks far afield of Harvard’s football stadi um.

This presents a decidedly in tolerable risk to students and the community alike.

For one, the alternative loca tions will offer none of the health and safety resources that the of ficial tailgate does. At informal pre-game gatherings, there will likely be zero medical person nel, no guarantee of food or wa ter, and varying accessibility to law enforcement. Additional ly, without authorities present, these private parties may very well see physical assault, sexu al assault, narcotic use (both vol untary and, worse, involuntary), theft, vandalism, and more.

And what happens when The Game is about to start? Thou sands of inebriated college stu dents will descend upon the stadium from afar, dodging high ways, buses, cars, bikes, and rival fans along the way. Drunk pedes trians are already proportional ly more likely to die in traffic ac cidents than even drunk drivers. And the risk of disaster will be even greater with many of the vis itors walking through unfamiliar areas. In this respect, Harvard’s policy presents an unacceptably large risk to the lives of students.

The 2022-2023 College Hand book states that “in cases of drug or alcohol intoxication, health and safety are the College’s pri mary concerns,” and that their policies are “intended to encour age students to seek help.” In her recent email, Interim Dean Brandt echoed this sentiment, writing that “there is simply nothing more important than en suring the safety and well-being of our entire Harvard communi ty and our guests.” While the Col lege’s outward message is con sistent, its actual policies fail to consider the safety of the count less students who will inevitably choose to participate in under age drinking and drug use at The Game, clearly appearing to place the health and well-being of stu dents second to the image Har vard works so hard to craft.

The University needs to take off its rose-colored glasses and see its students for who they are: stressed young adults who may unintentionally hurt themselves and others in the pursuit of fun. The College must offer practi cal options for socializing, plac ing the full force of the richest university in the world behind protecting and nourishing the well-being of its students rather than its image. In truth, Harvard may be a city upon a hill, but to be a worthy model, it must ensure that its example goes beyond ap pearances.

—Aden Barton ’24, an Editorial editor, is an Economics concentrator in Eliot House. His column “Harvard in Num bers” appears on alternate Mondays.

—Brad F. Campbell ’24 is a Com puter Science concentrator in Quincy House.

COLUMN

Why Circumcising Infants is Wrong

BY JAMES P. GANUN

II’d been mutilated. I was stand ing in the yellow light of the bathroom, feet clammy against the cold tile. Gut-churning feelings washed over me: con fusion, disgust, and, most of all, violation. My body had been al tered irrevocably without my consent. No one had ever told me; rather, an internet rabbit hole impersonally in formed me that I could never live in the body in which I was originally born. I never had a say in it, because they had done it to me hours after I was born. The worst part of it all is that I’m not the only one in this situation — in fact, I’m far from alone. As of 2016, an esti mated 71.2 percent of men in the Unit ed States are circumcised.

I understand that not every circum cised man thinks about this. Most ei ther never consider the absurdity of their condition or are content with it. But it seems that these men would also be happy without being circumcised, as the majority of men throughout his tory have been.

For the millions of us who do feel the lack, what recourse is there? There’s no way to get back what was taken from us, and there’s hardly even a movement to rally behind. Harvard is full of socially conscious young peo ple. Walking through the Yard, opin ions fly left and right about reproduc tive rights, racism, Israel-Palestine, and more — a myriad of ideological battles waged daily through flyers, demonstrations, and walkouts. And yet, it seems we’ve missed this one: When it comes to circumcision, every one acts like it’s normal.

In reality, it isn’t normal. America

STAFF EDITORIAL

is the only major Western country to believe in and practice circumcision at such a high level. As of 2021, nearly half of Americans find routine infant circumcision acceptable, while anoth er sizable proportion has no opinion either way. Conversely, in most Euro pean countries, less than 10 percent of men are circumcised.

Circumcising babies is wrong. Some have a perception that the prac tice is natural, yet the natural state of the body is not circumcised. Often times, people cite medical benefits as reasons to circumcise; however, these benefits are marginal at best and un founded at worst. Others say that the issue is exclusively the parents’ busi ness, yet we generally agree that it’s wrong for parents to modify their children’s bodies in other ways, such as tattooing. Some religious popula tions, such as Jews and Muslims, argue that circumcising their children is or dained by their religion, but religious freedoms should naturally end where another person’s freedoms begin. The human rights to bodily autonomy and religious freedom should extend to ev ery child, regardless of their parents’ religion; segments of the Jewish pop ulation in fact recognize this right and propose the Brit Shalom, an alterna tive naming ceremony that delays cir cumcision until the man is old enough to make the decision for himself.

To object to the mutilation of a baby boy’s penis should not be in any way radical. On the contrary, this objection seems like a natural product of human reason and compassion. So why do we remain content with circumcision?

It seems that a large part of the issue

is the cycle of shame. Although the ev idence is all freely available, we don’t talk about circumcision because it’s ta boo. We’ve taken a widespread issue and convinced ourselves it’s private or shameful just because it’s inflicted on our genitals. Furthermore, concep tions of masculinity play a role. In or der for a circumcised man to advocate against circumcision, he must first ac knowledge that he was made a victim at the most vulnerable time in his life. Frankly, many men do not feel strong enough to admit this. And so the cy cle continues, the issue is ignored or downplayed, and people inflict the same violence on their children for generations.

There are signs of hope. American infant circumcision rates have slowly but surely dropped in recent decades. With each successive generation, few er parents believe that all male babies should be circumcised.

However, there’s still a lot more work to be done.

To this day, 58.3 percent of baby boys born in America will be circum cised. Our generation has an affin ity for shedding light on injustice, eschewing taboos, and discussing dif ficult issues. This Sex Week, Harvard undergraduates will come together in open discussion to change the culture of shame around our bodies and gen itals.

By also talking about circumcision, we can inspire the shift towards bodily autonomy for all.

—James P. GaNun ’25, a Crimson Ed itorial editor, is a Philosophy concen trator in Pforzheimer House..

Why Cheaters Cheat, or Harvard’s Fear of Failure

BY THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

For all the talk of grade inflation ravaging the Ivy League, some Can tabridgians still struggle with obtaining their tar get GPAs — so much so that some chose less eth ical paths to the much-desired As. That trend has only worsened over the past couple of years: According to a recently released University report, a record 27 undergraduate students were forced to withdraw from the College due to academic dishonesty during the 20202021 school year.

As a Board, we strongly and un equivocally oppose academic dishon esty, a practice likely to hurt the per petrator (through artificially inflated results that discourage skill develop ment) and their curve-graded peers and academic culture at Harvard writ large.

Without condoning or excusing their actions, we must, however, strive to understand what drives them: Why does the cheater cheat?

We would like to believe that most of our peers would never cheat just for the fun of it, but only as a desperate last resort. From that lens, Harvard’s cul ture of high academic pressure might be as large a factor as any individual predisposition towards hiding a cheat sheet inside their sleeve.

To be clear, we don’t believe aca demic dishonesty is entirely cultural. Students found to have been academ ically dishonest are ultimately respon sible for their own actions: For ev ery student that resorted to academic dishonesty under pressure, there are swaths who dealt with the very same pressure but either stomached lower grades or made sure to prepare more thoroughly.

Still, combatting academic dishon esty will likely require acknowledging the cultural backdrop that we regard as nudging students toward grade maxi mization even at the cost of violating the honor code. Our fast-paced, perfec tionist culture can and should change, but it is up to us to take the initiative. That starts with better understanding the specific factors likely to increase dishonesty rates, and creating policies designed to disincentive said behavior.

The records set during the 20202021 academic year included a large number of first-years: Students who, without much guidance from upper classmen or time to acclimate to Har vard, are still fundamentally shaped by

their (over-achieving, Harvard-wor thy) high school experiences and driv en by the compulsive need to be the top of their class. Once big fish in a small pond, newly surrounded by a class de fined by excellency, first-years are vul nerable to unease about their skills, imposter syndrome, and a crushing de sire to prove that they do, in fact, have what it takes to thrive at a place like Harvard. Faced with such pressures, some — like the overrepresentative share of first-years investigated for ac ademic dishonesty — may resort to un ethical means to prove their worth.

Here, the ideal policy prescription can be found just outside the confines of our university: MIT’s mandatory first-semester pass-fail grading sys tem, which forces students to progres sively adapt to college standards before transitioning to standard grading their sophomore year, might reduce stress for first-year students, minimizing the risk of cheating. If Harvard is genuine ly concerned about high school vale dictorians feeling pushed towards ac ademic dishonesty within months of enrolling, replicating the MIT model could offer a better path forward.

The tendency toward academic perfectionism, however, needs to be addressed even when the harm isn’t as severe as academic dishonesty. A com petitive culture will naturally ampli fy preexisting inequalities in past ed ucational experiences: FGLI students, for example, are likely to comparative ly struggle more in courses that require substantial high school knowledge — primarily courses in STEM subjects with problem sets and exams to test learning.

While it is necessary to measure growth and learning in courses, evalu ative tools with rigid grading schemes may, if overused, put undue pressure on students. This could explain the overrepresentation of the sciences in cases of academic dishonesty: STEM courses accounted for slightly more than 85 percent of all cases of academ ic dishonesty in the 2020-2021 academ ic year, a vast overrepresentation in comparison to the Humanities and So cial Sciences.

To address that dynamic, STEM courses may require a top-down re think altogether: When the pressure to perform well on exams and prob lem sets overrides any meaningful in centive to learn, students’ passions and love of learning for learning’s sake in evitably suffer. The College and indi

vidual faculty should consider relying more on alternative evaluative mea sures that emphasize growth and syn thesis of knowledge, or encouraging other policies, such as problem set drops, that might reroute students’ drive towards perfectionism. Generally speaking, our campus’ hyper-perfectionist culture points to an intense fear of failure that dissuades us from taking risks — a disservice that closes our doors to academic explo rations. Even past our first year, we all remain uneasy fish in newly enlarged pond.

“Gem-mining,” where students purposefully seek ought easy-A cours es, leads to unchallenging (and hence unsatisfying) academic careers for the sake of protecting career prospects from what would be perfectly standard grades at any other college (grades, we must add, that grade-inflation renders below-average).

These intertwined cultural phe nomena (at-all-costs perfectionism, grade-inflation, fear of failure) cannot be immediately reversed by University policies. Administrative action should, nonetheless, start now rather than lat er. Striking a balance between person al and administrative accountability is crucial: Professors should not have to restructure courses with preventing academic dishonesty as a priority, but they should prioritize student well-be ing and meaningful learning — goals that are poorly served by stringent problem set policies. Pre-class checkins, assignments that encourage deep reflection rather than summarization of readings, and engaged scholarship courses that prioritize deep learning, on the other hand, are all worthy ave nues to explore.

In the short run, students can only attempt to collectively resist our cutthroat cultural impulses. Confront fail ure in your own life; a failure to do so will make the eventual, inescapable reckoning with your imperfections (we all have them!) much more bitter. We must give ourselves grace, but in turn, allow ourselves to take risks — just not when it comes to academic honesty.

—This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Edi torial Board. It is the product of discus sions at regular Editorial Board meet ings. In order to ensure the impartial ity of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the re porting of articles on similar topics.

The ‘Privileged Poor’ at Harvard

BY HAROLD KLAPPER

The tale we tell about low-in come students at Harvard is simple and affecting. It’s also mostly inaccurate.

The narrative goes something like this: An inner-city kid from an underfunded high school — through a combination of in telligence, ambition, and luck — manages to become a competi tive candidate for admission. The American Dream succeeds and Gatsby reaches his green light. But immediately after Harvard accepts the student, they experi ence acute culture shock. They ar en’t used to being around wealthy peers, participating in conversa tions about luxurious summer vacations, and don’t know what being a “consultant” even means. College, in both academic and so cial contexts, is alienating. Thus, we push Harvard to provide am ple resources for low-income and first-gen students to make this transition a little more bearable.

ing Harvard’s inflated GPA from the moment they step on cam pus. By accepting the privileged poor, Harvard is able to display its socioeconomic diversity with out having to worry about low-in come students transitioning to elite spaces for the first time. Re cruiting the privileged poor is also the easiest way to get socio economic diversity — admissions officers have to look no further than ordinary feeder schools. All incentives point to the privileged poor being the preferred low-in come students on campus.

While it is important to call on Harvard to expand its re cruitment to underfunded high schools, the reality is that the privileged poor will continue to make up a large percentage of the low-income student body. Our current process of addressing so cioeconomic barriers is whole sale, blunt, and not tailored to this material truth. Resources such as the Harvard First Gen eration Program and Harvard Primus tailor their programs to all low-income and first-gen stu dents, without distinction. While Harvard should absolutely foster community among these groups, special attention needs to be paid to those who don’t fit under the privileged poor label. Low-in come students that did not attend elite high schools deserve extra attention.

As familiar as this narrative may seem, it is wholly deceptive. The anomalous truth is that many low-income students on campus experience no culture shock at all. Anthony A. Jack, an assistant professor at the Harvard Gradu ate School of Education, refers to these students as the “privileged poor.” This oxymoron describes low-income students who attend ed wealthy, private high schools and boarding schools on schol arship. Although the privileged poor lack economic resources at home, Jack believes they ac quire immense social capital at these elite high schools. The priv ileged poor learn unspoken skills, like attending office hours to earn higher grades — skills that stu dents from underfunded high schools cannot learn before col lege. When the privileged poor arrive at the gates of Harvard they are fully prepared for the incom ing wave of competition and af fluence.

According to research in Jack’s recent book, half of the low-income students at elite uni versities come from wealthy high schools — the types of schools that act as Ivy League pipelines. Our simple tale about low-in come students at prestigious universities fails to account for the experiences of the privileged poor, who come into college with the subtle skills needed to nav igate a rigorous academic and pre-professional social environ ment.

“

When the privileged poor arrive at the gates of Harvard they are fully prepared for the incoming wave of competition and influence.

The abundance of the privi leged poor on campus is far from a coincidence. From an institu tional perspective, these students are a “safer bet.” Low-income stu dents from wealthy high schools will have an easier time maintain

I attended Cambridge Rindge & Latin high school, an extremely well-funded public school — this gave me ample opportunity to prepare for college. I went to of fice hours, practiced writing ex tensive essays, and learned how to study for finals. Thus, being part of the first-gen community on campus is still highly reward ing, but I’m not the type of student who needs a lot of extra support navigating elite academic spaces.

Harvard should make active efforts to identify which low-in come students attended substan dard high schools: Such students merit higher investment, recog nition and support. Treating and talking about low-income stu dents as a monolith misses the mark from many different angles. It underestimates the prepared ness of the privileged poor while, most importantly, risks taking away resources from low-income students that don’t happen to be a part of the privileged poor. It might be too expensive, for exam ple, to provide an extra one-onone counselor for all low-income first-year students. However, this policy seems to be within reach if low-income students from un derfunded high schools are its isolated recipients.

These distinctions — the nu ances of privilege and access to resources within low-income groups — matter.

Only by recognizing that low-income students are not a uniform group can we open up the door to meaningful improve ment and greater equity.

—Harold Klapper ’25 is an eco nomics and philosophy double concentrator in Eliot House. His column “Practical Progressiv ism” appears on alternate Tues days.

“The anomalous truth is that many lowincome students on campus experience no culture shock at all.

Harvard should make active efforts to identify which low-income students attended substandard high schools.

“

BY CHRISTOPHER D. WRIGHT CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

r From scouting at the NFL Combine to managing the salary cap, the role of general manager is complex — man aged by many only in video games.

For Andrew Berry ’09, the dream became reality when he was named general manager of the Cleveland Browns in 2020. But before there was Andrew Berry the football executive, there was Andrew Berry, a star Harvard defensive back. And before that, there was Andrew Berry the foot ball fan.

“I grew up a huge Cowboys fan,” he said. “The love for football came at an early age.”

After first playing tackle foot ball in middle school, Berry ex celled alongside his twin broth er, Adam, at Bel-Air High School in Maryland. Then a quarterback, Berry started gaining traction in the recruiting process during his junior year. But Harvard was nev er on the radar for the All-Metro team member.

“I kinda stumbled upon Har vard,” Berry said. “To be honest, I had always had my heart set on playing Pac-10 football at Stan ford”.

Stanford’s firing of Buddy Teevens, the current head coach at Dartmouth, derailed Berry’s plans, as his official visit was can celed. Instead, he decided to take an official visit to Harvard. Despite

HARVARD LEGEND

Road

not knowing much about the Ivy League, he was impressed with the players and coaches he met.

“It was the right program for me, on and off the field,” Berry said.

Following his arrival on cam pus, Harvard head coach Tim Murphy asked Berry to switch from quarterback to cornerback, believing it was a more straight forward path for him to see the field. Berry took the request in stride and started all four years in the secondary.

“He was such a class kid, such a team guy that he made the change as what was best for the team,” Murphy said.

Outside of the classroom, Ber ry kept himself busy, obtaining an undergraduate degree in econom ics and pursuing a concurrent Master’s in computer science. Ac cording to Berry, his decision to pursue a Master’s stemmed from taking one of Harvard’s most fa mous courses.

“I had taken a computer sci ence class in high school,” he said. “[CS50] rekindled my love for that.”

“The kid didn’t sleep,” Murphy recalled of Berry’s time at Har vard.

However, a career in the front office was not at the forefront of Berry’s mind after his four years with the Harvard football team. The three-time All-Ivy corner had his eyes set on the NFL.

“I had aspirations to play,” he said.

The Washington front office may not have seen an NFL fu ture for Berry, as they cut him fol lowing rookie minicamp, but the Colts front office did. Tom Teles co — who is now the Chargers’ GM but was the Colts’ director of play er personnel at the time — advised Berry to consider an entry-level

On Jan. 28, 2020, after stints in the front offices of the Colts, Browns, and Eagles, Berry was named executive vice president of football operations and General Manager of the Cleveland Browns. In doing so, he became the young est general manager in NFL histo ry at 35.

“I think the first time I heard it was the day before my press con ference,” Berry said of the achieve ment.

Berry’s success in the front of fice and ascension to general man

ager came as no shock to those around him.

“Andrew quite simply is one of the most remarkable kids I have ever met, and I knew that whatev er he chose for a career he would be successful,” Murphy said.

It has also served as a point of inspiration for members of the Harvard football team. One such player, two-time All-Ivy first-teamer Jordan Hill ‘21, who now works with the Browns as a film analyst, credits Berry as a mentor and role model.

“It shows us that we can find a way to stay around this game that

we love,” Hill said. “I hope to be where he is someday.”

Despite guiding the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2002 in his first year at the helm, Berry has had to handle multiple challenges during his tenure, including Covid-19 and the sexual misconduct allegations against quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“I never thought that the pri mary problem I would be solving in 2020 was how to manage a ros ter in a global pandemic,” Berry said. “That specific problem is not in your GM prep.”

Ultimately, these challenges have shown Berry the side of be ing a GM that doesn’t appear on the application.

“Oftentimes, people assume that being general manager is just about selecting players or working with the coaching staff,” Berry said. “I think a lot of it is problem-solving and crisis man agement.”

Berry’s message to the team was simple ahead of the 138th ren dition of the Harvard-Yale football game: “Play hard and beat Yale.”

BY HANNAH BEBAR AND SYDNEY FARNHAM CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard students mark their calendars for one game a year.

And for Harvard football legend Clifton Dawson ’07, the memo ries of the second oldest rivalry in college football still live on.

“What made [The Game] re ally special was the feeling of how important it was to the community. And that stays with you,” Dawson said. “Seeing the alums, having them come back, and feeling how important it was to them was always really special.”

For Dawson, the only football memory that lingers more than his Harvard-Yale highlights is

his one loss in the contest.

“I remember the games that we won and lost, but I remember more so the Harvard-Yale game that we lost,” Dawson said. “I re member that vividly.”

Dawson was born in Toron to and grew up playing football in Pop Warner leagues before at tending Birchmount Park Col legiate Institute, where he ran track in addition to playing foot ball. Upon graduation, he en rolled to play football at North western University. Following his freshman season, Dawson transfered to Harvard — a move he credits as being key to a smooth transition to collegiate play.

“Because I had a year of expe rience at Northwestern, I kind of got used to the fast pace of col

lege, and freshman year I got to start playing and start contrib uting,” Dawson said.

Dawson said that during his time playing, he learned that “making and honoring commit ments” was non-negotiable at Harvard and for life after. Daw son attributes much of his per sonal growth to playing under head coach Tim Murphy.

“My relationship with Coach Murphy was just incredible,” Dawson said. “It took on more than just a coach-player dynam ic, and he in many ways became a father figure and life mentor. Coach Murphy in particular was always really good about trying to emphasize the life lessons as they were happening.”

In more ways than one, Daw son’s athletic prowess and men

tality can be seen in current senior running back Aidan Borguet, who is nipping at the heels of Dawson’s single season rushing record at 1,120 rushing yards so far in the 2022 season, only 182 yards behind Dawson’s record.

“He’s a legend. It’s an honor just to be mentioned in a sim ilar conversation with him,” Borguet said of Dawson. “I mean he’s at the pinnacle of what you want to be.”

Ahead of the weekend and the rest of the season, Dawson advises Borguet and his team mates to simply focus on their game and appreciate the oppor tunity to play in the moment.

position in Indianapolis’ scouting department.

Andrew Berry serves as general manager of the Cleveland Browns. ERIK DROST VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WUNDERKIND Former star cornerback Andrew Berry is making history as the youngest general manager in NFL history.

BOOKS

From the Boston Book Festival:

Panel on ‘How to Live’ Gives Attendees Hope

BY TAYLOR FANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The pursuit of a good life does not just mean maximizing hap piness — it also means listening deeply to loss and pain, which is inextricably linked to joy. In the panel “How to Live: Purpose, Joy and a Dash of Philosophy,” host ed by the Boston Book Festival on Oct. 29, authors Kieran Seti ya, Ellen Warner, and Ross Gay shared attentive approaches to living well. As sunlight gleamed through stained glass windows into the sanctuary of Old South Church, each author present ed a summary of their book and answered questions facilitated by Harvard psychiatry professor Robert Waldinger.

“Breaking news: Life is hard,” began Kieran Setiya, author of “Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way.” Seti ya joked that while Instagram in fluencers often spread the mes sage that people should “live their best life,” we can trace this frame of mind back to ancient Greek philosophers who imagined uto pias. In reality, life is full of diffi

culties; through his own expe rience with chronic pelvic pain, Setiya set out to explore philos ophy that acknowledges adver sity rather than fixating on (of ten unrealistic) positivity. Pain disrupts one’s ability to engage with others, but sharing invisible hardships can bring people clos er together. Setiya introduced a thought experiment: If humans were plugged into a simulation that allowed them to fully experi ence a life free from pain and wor ry, they would not find that life meaningful. Thus, we should for get about the ideal or perfect life, and instead focus on “making the best of a bad lot,” Setiya conclud ed. He offered his book as a deep er philosophical exploration of maladies that people face in life and potential remedies.

The next author on the pan el, photojournalist Ellen War ner, spent over 15 years working on “The Second Half: Forty Wom en Reveal Life After Fifty.” Her book combines photo portraits with advice from women around

the world who are older than 50. Warner shared a slideshow of photo portraits along with a rap id-fire distillation of her subjects’ advice.

People should widen their horizons and continue trying new things as they get older, and “cul tivate an interior space” where they can retreat when life is dif ficult, Warner said. People need discipline: both in approaching diet and exercise, but also in pur suing new interests. “Love is not a given, you have to work on it,” she said. As people become older, there is more paring away of the extraneous, which she compared to making a “simpler meal with better ingredients.” Friendship and generosity become more and more important. “Forget all that self-interest. People need to be nurtured,” she said. What “you thought was important becomes less important”; there is “less do ing, and more being,” she said. The bottom line, Warner con cluded, is that the second half of life is better than the first, be cause now one knows how to deal with any obstacle.

Lastly, poet Ross Gay shared his essay collection “Inciting Joy.” He read directly from the book’s

introduction, which challeng es the common notion that joy is free of pain and sorrow — a no tion which also implies that joy is a consumer state that one can purchase. Instead, he believes that everyone needs to widen their definition of joy: Joy emerg es from how people care for each other through “the bleak stuff,” he said. Sorrow is a neighbor that people should invite in and seek to understand, including both personal sorrows and the sor rows of friends and strangers. Several essays in the book detail Gay’s practices that have struc tures of care embedded within them, ranging from gardening to pickup basketball. Gay conclud ed that joy is what humans use to help each other survive.

ever made it,” said Marah Gu bar, a professor of children’s lit erature at MIT. She said that Oc tober is especially busy, but she’s “glad she could come to the festi val” and was excited to meet some of her favorite authors.

“I loved the common thread of human connection,” said Kar in Dolce, a returning Boston Book Festival attendee who considers herself a new Bostonian. “Com ing off the last two years of Covid, many of us have been reflecting on that common theme, wheth er we had significant human con nection during the past two years, or whether that was something that was missing or looking very different in our lives.”

The crowd of nearly one hun dred was animated, often break ing into laughter or murmurs of assent. “I’ve always wanted to come to the Boston Book Festi val, but this is the first time I’ve

Another attendee, Lydia Mul lan, felt hopeful after attend ing the panel. “Being sad is real ly easy right now. People have been really isolated and lonely, and there has been a lot of trag edy and atrocities in the world in the past couple of years,” she said. But Mullan stated that she wants to “invest in happiness and joy.”

She believes that the panel rein forced that “we all have a choice to frame our lives in ways that can bring us more joy.”

‘On Beckett’ Review: Bill Irwin’s Play Is a Captivating Theatrical Lecture

BY AMELIE JULICHER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 26, following a successful run in New York, the Emerson Paramount Cen ter welcomed the Tony-Award winning actor, clown, and comedian Bill Irwin and his show “On Beckett.” The expecta tions for the show, which was originally developed at the American Conservato ry Theater in San Francisco, were high:

Its New York run had been met with rav ing reviews and celebrated as “captivat ing…radiant, living theater” by the New York Times. But Bill Irwin did not disap point, delivering a refreshing and deeply personal reflection on Samuel Beckett’s life and work with just the right amount of comic relief.

“On Beckett,” an original play, entire ly written and performed by Bill Irwin, explored Irwin’s own relationship with Samuel Beckett’s work as a perform

er. The show offered a fresh perspec tive on the Irish dramatist’s plays, by exploring the beauty and the challeng es of Beckett’s writing — famous for its thought-provoking and at times frustrat ing nature — and invites the audience to do the same.

“On Beckett” is not your typical oneman show, but rather a somewhat cha otic collage of Beckett’s work, alternat ing passages from some of the writer’s most famous works — including “Watt,”

“Waiting For Godot,” and “Texts For Nothing” — with commentary based on his personal thoughts, questions, and revelations. The mix proves surprising ly successful.

In “On Beckett” Bill Irwin reminds au diences what great theater acting should look like. Irwin is the kind of actor who has total control over his own voice and body. He approaches each scene with profound emotional realness, embody ing various characters and roles authen tically through precise vocal work and bodily agility. With breathtaking speed, Irwin jumps between his two different roles: Actor and commentator. Through out the show, he elegantly put each scene into context by offering extensive back ground information on Samuel Beckett and his work. It didn’t matter if one was an avid Beckett fan or someone entirely new to the writer’s plays: Irwin extend ed a powerful invitation to engage with Beckett’s work to each and everyone, suc cessfully taking his audience on an exhil arating intellectual journey. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what “On Beckett” is — it is not a play, it is not standup, and it is not improvisation. Perhaps the most apt description would be it is the best theater lecture to date.

But make no mistake. Bill Irwin is no lecturer; he is an entertainer. “On Beck ett,” is one of the few shows that flour ished in its staging as a one-man show precisely because of Irwin’s natural tal ent as a performer. His nuanced perfor

mance was perfectly complemented by a limited set and minimalistic lighting design, letting him fill every inch of the stage with his imagination. Irwin care fully draws the audience into a lively and vivid discussion. He connected the 20th century plays with some of today’s most important social challenges, yet never failed to leave room for disagreement, and criticism. Bill Irwin beautifully ac knowledged that even the greatest actors sometimes cannot make sense of great writing. There was something highly resonant, relatable, and refreshing in Ir win’s humility and willingness to openly explore his own uncertainties on stage.

“On Beckett” never ceased to be re freshing despite — or perhaps because of — the unexpected lack of a traditional intermission. “Samuel Beckett’s writing is natural clown territory,” Irwin said. He clearly took advantage of this, creat ing his own intermissions that skillful ly contrasted serious theater and pro found commentary with light-hearted play. The idea that Ireland’s most famous playwright might pair well with red clown noses might sound strange, but it worked, serving not only as comic relief but also giving the audience a new ave nue to explore Beckett’s writing. Grant ed, at times it was puzzling to see Irwin change into his clown gear, and as he launched into vaudeville show numbers, the audience admittedly found itself torn between two different worlds. But it was precisely this dichotomy that kept the audience engaged throughout the show.

After 90 minutes, the lights on stage started to dim. Bill Irwin looked at the au dience one last time before saying his fi nal line: “This is all I have to say tonight,” skillfully leaving the audience wanting more — more “On Beckett” and more Bill Irwin.

TAYLOR FANG - CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Love is not a given, you have to work on it.

“

Samuel Beckett’s writing is natural clown territory.

Ellen Warner Photojournalist

Bill Irwin Actor

BY RYAN S. KIM CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Massachusetts-bred rapper al.divino is the epitome of what it means to be an in dependent artist.

He is an MC in charge of his own distribution, a producer respon sible for his own mixing and mas tering, and a visual artist who de signs his own album covers and clothing. With an ear for noisy, de constructed sample loops and sig nature gruff vocals, al.divino has developed a uniquely psychedel ic strain of East Coast boom-bap that has earned him a cult-follow ing. His impressive run has caught the eye of tastemakers like Grisel da’s Westside Gunn, who recently tapped al.divino to paint the cover art for his July 2022 album “Peace ‘Fly’ God.”

Growing up across Massachu setts — but primarily in Lawrence and Lynn — al.divino has spent his nearly decade-long career craft ing an elusive image along with a brand of music that is not intended to be accessible.

“I feel like I do a lot to not have to explain what I do,” al.divino said in a sit-down interview with The Harvard Crimson. “It’s like if you were to ask any painter, ‘How would you describe your art?’ Isn’t that why I paint?”

The rapper lets his music speak for itself — often releasing fulllength projects with no prior an nouncement and very little postdrop promotion.

Much of the rapper’s discogra phy is only available for purchase on his bandcamp page for pric es ranging from $11 to as much as

to a Led Zeppelin box set that my pop’s left in my crib when he left,” the rapper said. “I fell in love with graffiti before I heard hip-hop. That’s my master key for every thing.”

In middle school, the rapper be came obsessed with classic graffi ti documentaries that he found on line like 1983’s “Style Wars” and “Piece by Piece” from 2005. Graffi ti opened a young al.divino’s eyes to the world of hip-hop culture.

knows my ‘Backpack Vino’ era. Me getting my ass up and getting on that bus to pop out to your hood. I was really soaking up culture and shit.”

Such an approach begins to ex plain the impressive geograph ic sprawl of al.divino’s recent col laborators, which range from Bay Area legend DJ Muggs to D.C. rap per ANKHLEJOHN and Griselda’s Rome Streetz in New York City.

ding underground rap scene, led by breakout groups like Tragic Al lies. It was in 2011 that al.divino first met his now-longtime collab orator, Tragic Allies rapper Estee Nack.

Nation of Gods on Earth and to the late King Asiatic. Also known as the Five-Percent Nation or sim ply Knowledge Itself, the Nation is a movement influenced by Is lam that was founded in Harlem in 1963.

It is an ideology that is woven into the fabric of hip-hop: The group is credited with coining the term “cypher.”

Rap legends like Busta Rhymes, the Wu-Tang Clan, and the late MF Doom are a few of the most famous Five Percenters.

Raised in New York by legend ary Five Percenter Popa Wu, King Asiatic was the first to bring the teachings of Knowledge Itself to the Boston area.

He was an incredible force for positive change in Lynn, working to turn the needle-ridden Cook Street Park into a community gar den and playground. Estee Nack and al.divino were his students.

“Rest in Peace King Asiatic,” al.divino said. “He recently transi tioned last year. That was like my pops man. He is remembered in perfection.”

Ever since the release of their 2016 debut collab tape “Triple Black Diamonds,” al.divino and Estee Nack have been at the cutting edge of the New England hip-hop scene.

The pair’s musical collabora tions combine their Five Percen ter spirituality with psychedel ic boom-bap production courtesy of al.divino himself as well as oth er local producers like Sadhugold and Grubby Pawz to create a sound that is unmistakably theirs.

The duo’s approach to rap is Coltrane-esque, taking existing genre conventions in hip-hop and rearranging them at will. Nack and Divino have named this intuitive style “the splash.”

“We always called it ‘the splash,’ this kind of like formless form,” the rapper said. “It’s more of a Drunk en Master type. Whether it’s fast or slow it’s never predictable.”

$567 for a single album.

An ever growing cadre of die hard al.divino fans have created an eBay aftermarket for the rapper’s vinyls with some current listings marked up as high as $435. Among his dozens of self-designed album covers, he only makes a physical appearance a few times — instead opting for images that speak to his synesthetic impression of the work.

Before he even knew what hiphop was, al.divino was exposed to a central component of the genre: graffiti. “I started writing graffiti

“I became like a drug addict for cool shit. That’s the best way I can describe it,” the rapper said.

After finishing high school and beginning to rap, al.divino made a conscious effort to immerse him self in the hip-hop culture of the East Coast.

As an escape from the monoto ny of home life in Massachusetts, the rapper took regular weekend trips to hip-hop centers like New York City and D.C. by commut er bus. “I’m a Greyhound legend man,” al.divino said. “Everybody

However, the place that has arguably had the greatest impact on al.divino’s music is the city just north of Boston that helped raise him: Lynn, Mass.

A manufacturing and shipping center beginning in the late 18th century, Lynn has been historical ly associated with crime and vice.

Over the years, Lynn locals have developed an eerie rhyme that warns outsiders of the debauch ery: “Lynn, Lynn, City of Sin / Nev er come out the way you came in.”

For the last several decades, the city has been home to a bud

The pair had a few mutual friendships, but it wasn’t until after Nack heard al.divino’s music for the first time that the two spoke. The rapper recalled an early con versation between him and Nack — who is nearly ten years al.divi no’s senior — which marked the beginning of a deep collaborative partnership and friendship.

“[Nack] turned around and he goes, ‘Yo, don’t ever let anybody tell you that you’re not great. You are great,’” al.divino said. “This is 10 years ago. After that I basical ly stuck around Nack like a fly to light.”

“We bridge a generation gap by having the kind of chemistry we got,” he added.

During the same time in Lynn, Nack introduced al.divino to the

One of the most prominent fans of “the splash” is Westside Gunn, whom al.divino says he’s known since 2016, before Griselda had ever performed in Boston.

Earlier this year, Gunn enlist ed the duo to work on his July al bum “Peace ‘Fly’ God,” giving cre ative control of the cover artwork to al.divino and Starker, while leav ing multiple guest verses open for Nack.

The album was a solid look ca reer-wise for both al.divino and Es tee Nack, but al says he really only cares about working with good people.

“That’s family regardless,” al.di vino said. “My relationship with Gunn is beyond rapping.”

BY MARIN E. GRAY CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

The Liberty Hotel embraced the holi day season in the latest Fashionably Late Thursdays fashion show with effortlessly glamorous styles from Bobbles and Lace. The show, in the Liberty’s richly deco rated lobby, was a celebration of the vi brant elegance of Boston’s fashion scene, featuring shimmering and sleek holiday looks from Bobble and Lace’s new hol iday collection. With the distinctly lux urious feel of the designs and venue, the night’s focus on accessible luxury was a refreshingly unexpected approach to fashion.

The Liberty’s Late Thursday shows stand apart from other fashion endeav ors, as they used an interactive format to bring fashion eye-to-eye with the guests. This innovative take on the fashion show focuses on exploring everyday paths anew. Redefining ordinary spaces as po tential runways, the show saw models as cending escalators, strutting through the crowd, and posing atop concierge desks to the live music of DJ Frank White. The models initially caught the audience’s at tention as they posed around the hotel’s impressive circular balconies before ap pearing in the audience’s space on the

lower level for an up close and personal look. Audience members crossed paths with models, laughing or blushing in sur prise as they caught the spotlight. The unconventional catwalk format facilitat ed a direct conversation between fashion and guest: Attendees were often unknow ingly welcomed into the show itself, the high pressure of high fashion dissipated for a more engaging and friendly atmo sphere. Guests were invited to envision themselves in the models’ place, perhaps tracing their paths as the most exquisite ly dressed at a holiday party.

Even the venue itself was anything but conventional. Originally the Charles Street Jail, the layered balcony space un der a reclaimed lofty rotunda begs for a second look. Upon closer inspection, one could see features like original cell bars still intact and displayed around the ho tel. The former prison space has been coaxed into the perfect sleek venue for a late night fashion show, old cells and guard watch stations mingling with vi brant lights and brilliantly illuminated hanging trees. Such rediscovery of the building’s potential served as an apt back drop to the night’s theme of rediscovering the meaning of high fashion.

It was only fitting that the show re moved the barriers between spectators and fashions, as this goal is shared by

Bobbles and Lace owner Lindsay Ran do. Rando insisted that fashion need not be taken so seriously or offered at seri ous prices. “It’s about fun fashion, afford ably,” Rando said. “It’s there to make you feel good.” Indeed, the festive air of the night lent credit to her claim.

Having been at the center of the spot light at four fashion shows at the Liber ty Hotel now, Bobbles and Lace is now turning to unveil their holiday collection at nine locations from Portland, Maine to Westport, Connecticut. Three rounds of four looks from the new collection were selected for the show, displaying a prac tical versatility of occasion and style. Looks ranged from understated silky cocktail dresses to sparkly skirt and pants sets sure to set the wearer apart this hol iday season. Take the classic festive style of the Gift Wrap Dress or the eye-catch ing fun of the Fair Feather Friend Top, for example. Sleek satins and rich faux feath ers boasted by the designs strike a satisfy ing balance of unique and trendy. Quality materials supplement Bobbles and Lace’s innovative variations on the season’s hot test trends, noted by the audience’s rapt attention and the occasional delighted gasp at each of the twelve looks show cased.

Thursday’s show also featured the fi nal “Get the Look” beauty bar of the Late

Thursdays line-up. The makeup pop-up was hosted by Flyte 7.0, a company re inventing age-positive luxury makeup looks for the modern woman. As found ers Carolyn Barber and Elena Frankel ex plained, the inspiration behind the make up was simply growing older. No longer

finding makeup products catered to their age, they created Flyte 7.0 as an accessi ble and practical line for everyday people — a message of attainability which was echoed throughout the night.

COURTESY OF DARWIN PEMBERTHY

al.divino Rapper

Harvard to Return Native American Hair Samples

where the clippings were taken. The museum has not made pub lic the names of any individuals.

Neo-NazisThreatenResidents inHarvardSquare,NearQuincy

BY SARAH GIRMA AND BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

over the weekend. Members of the group pounded on the doors and windows of the building and lunged at passersby on the street.

“We recognize that for many Native American communities, hair holds cultural and spiritu al significance and the Museum is fully committed to the return of hair back to families and tribal communities,” Pickering said in the apology statement released Thursday.

ried out to support, directly or indirectly, scientific racism,” the Peabody’s website said. “Descrip tions and measurements of hair types were used to justify racial categories and hierarchies.”

Members of a neo-Nazi group harassed and threatened res idents in Cambridge Sunday, lunging and shouting at people across the street from Quincy House.

Woodbury published a 1932 paper based on the samples.

Harvard’s Peabody Muse um on Thursday pledged to return hundreds of hair samples taken from Native Amer ican children who were enrolled in government-run schools in the 1930s and apologized for keeping the clippings in its collections.

The hair collection, amassed by anthropologist George Ed ward Woodbury between 19301933, includes samples from around 700 children spanning 300 native tribes.

“The Peabody Museum apolo gizes to Indigenous families and tribal nations for our complici ty in the objectification of Native peoples and for our more than 80-year possession of hair tak en from their relatives,” the mu seum’s director, Jane Picker ing, said in a statement released Thursday.

The Peabody, which hous es Harvard’s primary collec tions of anthropological arti facts, pledged to return the hair samples to families and tribal na tions. The museum is in commu nication with tribal nations to be gin facilitating the repatriation, Pickering said in an interview Thursday.

On a website the Peabody pub lished Thursday about the Wood bury collection, it released a list of the Native tribes represent ed in the collection and named the U.S. Indian Boarding Schools

Woodbury collected the hair samples while “researching po tential connections between In digenous communities to study human variation and support early anthropological theories around the peopling of North America.” He left the hair sam ples to Harvard after he came to the school in 1935 to serve as an anthropology lecturer. They have remained in the Peabody’s collec tions since, housed in envelopes with the individuals’ biographi cal information.

Anthropological research conducted with hair samples in the early 1900s was often “car

The returns are not covered by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American cultural items to their original owners’ descen dants.

The announcement comes roughly two months after Har vard pledged to return the hu man remains of 19 likely enslaved people to their descendants when it released its long-awaited report on Human Remains in Universi ty Museum Collections. The re port revealed that Harvard holds the human remains of an esti mated 7,000 Native Americans in its collections — despite the 1990 NAGPRA requirement that it re turn them to their descendants. In accepting the report’s recom mendations, the school agreed to speed up its return of the Native American remains.

The Woodbury collection hair samples were taken from stu dents in the U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, institutions established in the mid-nineteenth century at which Native American children were often abused.

“The Woodbury collection really felt like something that should be prioritized given the significance to those communi ties, given the history, given the connection to the Indian board ing schools,” Pickering said.

BY TARAH D. GILLES CRIMSON STAFF WRITER tarah.gilles@thecrimson.com

Members of the group wore apparel bearing the name of the Nationalist Social Club, also known as the 131 Crew, a neo-Na zi group based in New England. The group is known for espous ing antisemitic and white su premacist rhetoric and violence, according to the Anti-Defama tion League.

“NSC 131 lads confronted Antifa at the Boston Anarchist Bookfair in Cambridge, Mas sachusetts,” the group wrote in the video’s description. “Antifa hid inside and hostile passerby were quickly deterred. Whose Streets? Our streets!”

Another video circulated on Twitter showed at least a dozen people wearing NSC-131 apparel chanting outside the Democra cy Center, with some lunging at passersby and shouting threats and slurs.

“You want to punch a Nazi?” one of the masked men asked.

“Come on, motherfucker!”

This is the first reported in stance of NSC-131 activity in Cambridge.

The Democracy Center had been hosting the Boston Anar chist Bookfair, an annual event that showcases anarchist, an ti-capitalist, and anti-fascist literature each November. In a statement posted on Twit ter Monday, the bookfair wrote that volunteers and attendees at the event prevented the NSC-131 members from entering the De mocracy Center and no one was physically injured.

spokesperson Jeremy Warnick wrote that the department re sponded to reports of NSC-13 in timidating citizens Sunday. The department did not locate the van in which the group depart ed.

“Under the First Amend ment, there is no law abridg ing freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble or to pe tition the government for a re dress of grievances,” Warnick wrote. “What the First Amend ment does not allow, however, is bias motivation, threatening be havior, or interference with civil rights as reflected in the video.”

According to BridgeStat, CPD’s annual crime report, Cambridge saw 35 hate crimes in 2021, a decade high. Twen ty-five of the incidents were cat egorized as racial or ethnic bi as-based. Government and law enforcement officials in Massa chusetts have increased efforts to confront hate crime in recent months, including the rollout of a dedicated hate crime hotline by U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Roll ins in August.

The bookfair thanked the volunteers who kept the NSC131 members from entering the building.

A video posted by NSC131 Tuesday on the online vid eo-sharing platform Odysee showed members of the group performing an apparent Nazi salute in front of the Democracy Center — a Cambridge meeting house where the Boston Anar chist Bookfair was taking place

Chris Hood founded NSC-131 in 2019. Hood was arrested for fighting in public in July when he and other members of the group protested at a children’s drag queen story hour.

In an emailed statement, Cambridge Police Department

“Whether you’re bringing extra snacks, wearing a mask, or shutting a door in a fascist’s face — you’re participating in important acts of community care and solidarity,” the book fair tweeted.

sarah.girma@thecrimson.com brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com

Darwin’s to Close Doors After 30 Years of Business in the Square

BY KATE DELVAL GONZALEZ AND BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Darwin’s Ltd., a famous Cam bridge coffee chain, announced the closure of all four of its loca tions on Wednesday, only two weeks after disclosing plans to close its original shop in Har vard Square.

Owners Steven and Isabel Darwin announced in an Insta gram post that they will retire and close the chain’s Cambridge St., Massachusetts Ave., and Put nam Ave. locations. The Dar wins have owned and operated the coffee chain, which grew in popularity for its sandwiches, since 1993.

“We thank the thousands of employees, customers, and the City of Cambridge for allowing and supporting the 30-year ex perience & success of our fami ly-owned business,” the Darwin wrote in the Instagram post.

The announcement came less than a month after the Dar wins announced the closure of the chain’s original location on Mt. Auburn St., citing work load and personal health con cerns. While the lease extends

until Dec. 1, the owners said on Wednesday that they reached an agreement with Darwin’s Unit ed — the employee union — to close the location on Nov. 22.

The Darwins added that clo sure dates for the other three lo cations are still undetermined, pending a response from Dar win’s United.

In response to the initial clo sure, members of Darwin’s Unit ed organized a rally at Cam bridge City Hall on Oct. 29, calling on the owners to guaran tee employment to the workers at the Mt. Auburn location, raise wages to $24 per hour, provide three weeks of paid time off, and offer zero-deductible health care.

The decision to shut down the chain follows a long-fought effort by Darwin’s employees to unionize and secure a new con tract with addiional guarantees.

Tensions between the union and ownership came to a head last month when members of the union protested outside the Dar wins’ Cambridge home.

Rebecca Patterson, a fre quent customer, said she was disappointed to lose a longtime local business.

“I wish that the negotiations

with the union could have gone better because I think there could have been a way forward,” Patterson said.

Alexandra C. Stanton, a member of Harvard’s graduate student union, previously called the closure of the Mt. Auburn lo cation a tactic to “potentially de moralize the workers and fright en them.”

Prior to the Darwins’ an nouncement last Wednesday, the couple said they planned to work in good faith with the union to retain as many staff members as possible.

The Darwin’s Mt. Auburn lo cation is set to be replaced by a bakery, according to Cambridge Day.

kate.delvalgonzalez@thecrimson.com brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com

The owners of Darwin’s Ltd. announced last week they plan to close the store’s four Cambridge locations.

TRUONG L. NGUYEN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Jane Pickering Peabody Museum Director

What the First Amendment does not allow, however, is bias motivation, threatening behavior, or interference with civil rights as reflected in the video.

“

I wish that the negotiations with the union could have gone better.

Where will your curiosity take you next?

Harvard Hopes to Recreate Late Game Magic

forced Grooms to roll out to his left and slide down behind the line of scrimmage for a critical coverage sack.

EMGE: With each play of that next Yale drive – the first down stop, the second down stop. Third down comes, and you’re starting to think, “Maybe this is our chance. Maybe there is a chance.” And when they make that coverage sack, it starts to set in, like, “We’re going to have a shot at this, prob ably. We’re going to get another chance.”

Staked to a 4th and 8 with one minute, two seconds remaining, Yale head coach Tony Reno called his first timeout.

EMGE: Being on that sideline, some guys are teary-eyed, some guys just stand there in disbelief. The mindset shifts to, “Alright, get ready to get back out there and put the drive together.” So you start talking to the coaching staff, thinking about the mindset for the next drive, the game plan, what plays we like, that shift in your mindset from the uncertainty and sadness that the game might be out of reach to, “Alright, it’s time to get out there. It’s time to roll.”

WIMBERLY: I feel like a big, main point of those huddles [is to] make sure we stay composed, especial ly in a big game when there’s a lot of people there or a game that has a lot at stake. We’re making sure we’re staying composed on the sidelines and making sure that we have the right schemes to go down and score.

After the timeout, the teams trot ted back out onto the field for a game-deciding fourth down play. Instead of trying to kick a 51-yard field goal, Reno decided to send his offense back onto the field. Grooms dropped back to pass, knowing a conversion would seal the game, and under heavy pressure from Jones, threw the ball away out of bounds.

EMGE: We got in the huddle, I’m the two-minute guy. And I was definitely nervous, but we’ve run the two-minute drill so many times in practice, we pretty much know the plays we’re going to run. It just so happened to be a one-minute drill. But I was pretty confident walking out on the field. I felt like it was destiny after that stop.

MURPHY: We realized that we were going to have to do a pret ty much perfect one-minute drill without any timeouts.

On 1st and 10 from the Harvard 34, Emge lined up in shotgun. Yale rushed four men, with two deep safeties over the top.

EMGE: The most important ob jective, when you’re talking about a two-minute drill for us, as an of fense … is a positive first play. For us to get on that field, you’re not thinking about going 60 yards in one play. You’re thinking about putting a drive together.

Emge tossed a quick pass to Neville, who made a sliding catch over the middle at the 45, which was enough for a first down. Only four seconds came off the clock.

EMGE: The way Yale was play ing the coverage, just knowing the situation, knowing we needed a touchdown, had a lot of defenders deep, trying to guard us from the deep ball. Tyler had a twelve-yard, in-breaking route, and the way the coverage bailed out, I knew we had that opening. Like Tyler said, he’s a pretty good target to throw to, a pretty big body to get the ball to.

MURPHY: It just gave us a bit of confidence. It gave us a bit of mo mentum, and it bought us some time.

On the ensuing 1st and 10 on the Harvard 45, Emge stuck with his first read, firing a quick out to Wat son near the right sideline. The pass fell incomplete.

EMGE: Lining up, I didn’t love what I saw out there. In that situ ation, [you know] that you need to move the ball downfield, need to get big chunks there. [I] had my mind set pre-snap that I was just going to take a quick drop, throw

it outside, maybe put it in a spot that B.J. had a chance. But really on that play, I was thinking about getting rid of the ball and resetting for the next play. In a two-minute drill, you don’t need to be five for five passing on the drive there. It doesn’t need to be pretty. You just have to have a couple plays go your way.

On second down, Wimberly lined up on the left side. Hickey gave the junior wide receiver plenty of space. After the ball was snapped, junior defensive lineman Reid Nickerson got pressure on Emge from his blinside. Emge stepped up and spotted a wide-open Wimberly, who had gotten past his defenders on a post route.

WIMBERLY: Initially, I thought they were in Cover 4, probably go ing to stop it. And I ran and I think they saw Luke step up. And they thought he was going to run so they stopped their feet a little bit. And he just drilled it to me, and I was wide open.

EMGE: They brought the pressure from the left side. [Sophomore of fensive lineman] Alec Bank did a great job of making him read the pressure high, so I had an oppor tunity to climb up in the pocket and escape left. And as I started moving to my left, I just saw their [defensive backs] start to step up … thinking I was going to run. And Kym just sat down in the hole they had wide open down the middle of the field.

The ball sailed downfield to wards Wimberly. After getting so much space, he was able to track it all the way out of Luke’s hand.

WIMBERLY: When I saw them let me go, … I was like, “I’m prob ably about to score.” So I’m like, “Luke, throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball!” I’m just sit ting there, like “Luke, toss it!” He darted it in there, and I turned up. But it was so funny because even though it was a pretty dart-y pass, I felt like the ball was in the air for so long, I was like, “Bruh. Bruh. Bruh. Just catch the ball, catch the ball, catch the ball.”

After catching the ball, Wimber ly saw nothing but green in front of him. He juked to his right, but slipped as he made the cut between two Bulldogs defenders and tum bled to the turf at the Yale 12.

MURPHY: [Emge] hit him right over the top. … Quite honest ly, had it been a perfect, in stride, momentum pass, that probably would have been a touchdown right there.

WIMBERLY: I caught it, and I turned around. I made a cut, and I made a guy miss. And I was like, “Oh, I’m about to score!” And then I just slipped.

On 1st and 10 from the Har vard 12, Emge looked to pass quick ly, throwing a back shoulder fade to senior wide receiver/long snapper Adam West in the back left corner of the end zone. The ball was slight ly underthrown, and Owens bat ted it away. Then, on the next play, offensive coordinator Mickey Fein opted for more or less the same call, throwing a fade to West in the right corner. Again, thanks to swarming coverage by Hickey, the ball fell in complete. The Crimson now faced 3rd and 10, with only two more shots at the end zone remaining.

EMGE: Adam had a one-on-one look. On top of that, you know in this situation in your head, the biggest thing you can’t do is take a sack. We have no timeouts and a sack might end the game. … For those two plays, when I saw the matchup we had on them, I just decided to give them a shot.

WIMBERLY: I definitely was ner vous because I felt like we had put together such a good drive up un til that point. … But I knew we still had an opportunity to win it.

With Harvard having two more shots at the end zone, Reno opted to call his second timeout.

EMGE: We lined up on third down, we had a play called, and Yale took their timeout based on what we lined up in. So you go back to the huddle, you got thirty seconds. We talk. Coach Fein is on the headset,

and we decided, ‘Alright, we’re go ing to go with a different play this time, since they just saw our look.’

Reno then opted to call his third timeout.

EMGE: We get out there, we line up, we got another play called. Yale sees what we’re doing. Yale takes another timeout. Time’s starting to pass. The adrenaline’s starting to slow down a little bit. You come back to the huddle and it’s, “Do we stick with what we had called or what do we want to do?’”I give our coaches a lot of cred it in that time. They talked in the headset, and they decided what to do. They put a play for us togeth er based on what we were seeing from them.

MURPHY: The route was what we call Ringo Leo Five Switch.

On the pivotal third down, Har vard lined up with a two-receiver set, with Wimberly in motion to wards the inside pre-snap.

EMGE: I really wanted to get Kym the ball and give him a chance in the back of the end zone. They lined up in Quarters, so I was thinking, “Take my drop. If the corner bails on it, just bang the ball to [junior tight end Adam Shepherd], let him get some yards, and then get out of bounds.”

WIMBERLY: I kind of slowed down on my route a little bit, be cause I figured, “No way he’s throwing me the ball. I won’t be open at all. I just got grabbed by the linebacker trying to get off and there’s a safety and a cornerback in the area that I’m working to.”

Owens’ eyes never left Emge on the play, and Wimberly was able to sneak past him. By the time he caught up with the receiver, the ball was already in the air.

EMGE: It felt like the ball was in the air for about ten minutes, to be honest. Ball was in the air, and you’re just hoping that it comes down on the right side, comes down in the right guy’s hands.

WIMBERLY: I see the ball in the air, and I’m like, “Oh, wait, he’s ac tually throwing this.” So then I just sped up and tried to make a play.

EMGE: I saw Kym go up, but it was tough to see who came down with it and where they came down. And when I saw the ref put his hands in the air, signal ing touchdown, I immediately sprinted towards the end zone to go celebrate.

WIMBERLY: I didn’t see the ref throw up the touchdown sign. I remember, I was just fighting with [Hickey], fighting him for the ball. The ball ended up com ing out, and I’m looking at the ref, like, “Yo, I scored, I scored it.” And at that point the ref’s hands had already been down. I thought they didn’t call the touchdown until everyone else came over.

MURPHY: I’ve been coaching for 40 years, and I’ve been a head coach for 36 years for three pro grams… there’s more a sense of relief than joy.

Two flags came out on the play, and while Harvard was celebrat ing, the referees conferred to dis cuss the penalties. After they made their decisions, they began their announcement with, “There were two fouls on the play, both against the offense.”

MURPHY: It was deja vu all over again — Princeton. It’s like, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

WIMBERLY: No way they’re about to call this back. We’re go ing to have another part two of Princeton, and this, this, and that. I was definitely nervous at that point.

The penalties were both en forced on the ensuing kickoff. One was a penalty against the Harvard sideline for encroaching onto the field. The other was an unsports manlike conduct call on Shepherd, who pulled Hickey off of Wimberly after the catch.

MURPHY: Fortunately, things worked out.

EMGE: It really kind of embod ies what our team is like and why we were able to stick together throughout this game. If some one was going to be on Kym in the end zone like that, not getting off, someone was going to get that guy off of Kym and we’re going to celebrate together.

Up by two, junior kicker Jonah Lipel trotted out there to kick the extra point. He calmly knocked it straight through.

LIPEL: My first instinct was [to] run onto the field. I remember Jon Sot, our punter and holder –we both just sprinted out, going to celebrate with Kym. But then he’s like, “Hold on, we’ve gotta kick this extra point.” Honestly, I didn’t think of the significance of the kick at all, I was more just pumped that Kym came down with that.

After a series of last-second later als failed to produce a touchdown for the Bulldogs, the whistle blew, and the game was over. A horde of Harvard fans started jumping over the low walls and spilling onto the field.

NEVILLE: I remember just run ning onto the field, just waving [my] helmet up and down. Then, when all the students stormed the field, I took like 15 pictures with a bunch of students I’d nev er met before in my life. … Then my family came out. I had like 15 people there, and they came out on the field. They stormed it. I saw them jumping up and down with my football teammates, and then my roommates as well, and then my brother’s on the field. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of in my life.

LIPEL: It was really special, es pecially for Kym, Luke, and I, be cause we were there in 2019, on that field, when we lost in double overtime. I remember, we were not even close to contention that year, but if Yale had won, they got a share of the Ivy, and things were going so well for us that game un til it came crashing down at the end. … To have that complete 180 two years later at their field, at

the same field where we got our hearts broken, it was amazing.

WIMBERLY: After the sound goes off, we win, the first person I see is Coach Murphy. And I was actually standing on the bench, watching the game. Coach Mur phy’s the first person I see, and he just turns to me, I look at him, and I just jump in his arms. And I get down and I kind of pick him up and raise him in the air, like, “We did it, Coach! We did it!”

MURPHY: I’ll never forget it, be cause it was Kym, on many levels. Obviously, he made the big play, but he’s a very special kid. He’s had his share of adversity with injuries. … Kym’s one of those kids that you want to adopt, I’ll leave it at that. Our players love him, and he’s just such an amaz ing, humble, great American success story.

jack.silvers@thecrimson.com griffin.wong@thecrimson.com

Tight end Tyler Neville celebrates with students after The Game in 2021.

COURTESY OF TYLER NEVILLE

Then-junior defensive lineman Anthony Nelson rushes to down Yale’s quarterback, Nolan Grooms, in last year’s iteration of The Game. TRUONG L. NGUYEN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Wimberly falls to the ground after a 42-yard pickup. Wimberly scored the game-winning touchdown last year. ANGELA DELA CRUZ — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

An Ode to the Crimson

YALE BY ANDREW CRAMER YALE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

How does it feel to be

A cocky crimson fool, Realizing that all the hype Veils the truth of your school?

Andrew’s here to Reveal what is known: Down with Harvard, it’s bad to the bone.

First, thing’s first:

* Crimson * is the worst.

* Bulldog * a real mascot. Keep that as a thought.

I prefer a cute doggo over Non-personified red.

Go figure out a real mascot instead.

So let’s sit and chat and talk about sports. Unlike in mascots, it’s close on the courts C’mon, even if you might win a few games, Know that you must put respect on our names: See our 18 titles in the Hall of Fame.

Yet here we are, rivals forever, And writing our roasts, feeling oh-so clever. Look, you’re kinda brash as we talk here and now, Even in writing, still holier-than-thou.

We Yalies have manners In the way we talk smack. Little do you know the content Lenience made me hold back.

Why charge for parties In the range of hundreds of bucks? No fun for free, you capitalist f**ks?

The thing about villains, Hating you feels too easy. Elitism at its peak just seems so sleezy.

Greatness attends Yale And so many come to mind. Morse, Streep, the Clintons, Education so refined.

Ever competitive, let’s talk ‘bout your alums, Arnold, Benedict; Cruz, Ted, those are just some; Shut up, little Crimson, this argument’s dumb. I guess you have more, so let’s keep on going Like Zuckerberg — oh wait!

Yup, he just stopped showing.

But there’s more to the Crimson Your college color so grand

Allow me to explain why you just seem so bland. Somehow, your school’s not top one in your town Crazy, we know the Engineers take you down. Or maybe BC or BU or Tufts

Running your town, that must feel so rough. Eventually you’ll find that fifth-best is enough.

Old Harvard, you’re washed, you’re so past your prime. Forfeit the game, for this is Yale’s time.

3 times a day we sit down to eat, 7 days a week, we know Harvard’s dead meat. Time to end this for once and for all. Out with damn Harvard, no more time to stall.

2 all of the Harvard students not up to the test 4ever Yale triumphs, but keep doing your best.

! Bet the Harvard kids didn’t even realize this was all an acrostic !

the YDN

A Limerick on How the Lavish Live

Today, your school reaches a crossroads Eliys, your lack of wit forebodes Your impending doom The downfall of your team does loom Our real message, we wrote in code

Why are all of your parties 18 plus? No wonder last year we had to pregame on the bus Looks like we won’t be seeing you at Game On Have fun, the line for Oliver’s is preatty long The tomfoolery that went down at Toad’s was kinda sus

Our final clubs are actually fun Your societies can’t throw parties, not even one John Kerry won’t talk about Skulll and Bones But we know it’s a mere factory for clones We have DJs and darties; you’d be pretty stunned

You claim to exercise editorial restraint Yet the actions of your judicial alumnus make us faint Yes, you have some soft as Charmin alumni No wonder your list of titles is hard to come by At least your stadeium is sort of quaint

To your little New Haven hamlet, you sing praise But to your snobbish town I riaise A city with some actual personality You need a cure to your banality To be or not to be original — there’s only pizza for days

Nolan Grooms is today’s Phil Mickelson

A lefty who fumbles the bag, no titles trickle in Meanwhile, Charlie Dean’s got major successs We know it’s Yale that puts Grooms under duress It was Charlie, and always will be, racking up the wins No manners I see, calling out elitissm is gauche But while your dorms have street views, the river’s our approach Gothic in style, your dorms are scary The rats and roaches must make your students wary If our dorms are first-class, yours are coach

Honestly, your mascot is inhumane Slobbery, perhaps, but “handsome” is insane Whatever your logo, you still don’t have that dawg You’re part of the machine, an inconsequential cog Your stunted, robottic efforts will, again, be in vain

To the YDN, our silly younger brother Five years our junior, did the world really need another? Though snubbed by the Assoociated Press, the Elis read you Probably cause there’s nothing fun to do Front page will show the loss, not close, just smothered

To the Eli this limerick will goad Perhaps consider transferring; UConn is right down the road After this defeat, you won’t be welcoome here Please go out and get yourself a beer Before you break down, a call with your mom is owed She can comfort you and whisper in your ear To try to ameliorate your rising fear That at our school, even droppouts make money on clicks Zuck beats out your Cheney, you can thank Dick Our wars are in the meta, yours are out in the clear

Nice try, you thought you were funny like Jerry But your wit moves slower than the Staten Island Ferry Your true spirit is more Elaine Heed this roast, we’ll spell it to you plain: If theiy play like you write, little fear will we carry

We pray you enjoyed our limerick We wrote it for fun, just a little kick Harvard kidds can actually enjoy intellectual exercise Knowing one day our bank accounts will be greater in size So, dear Elis, we have a message we must advise: Get the hell out of Cambridge real quick.

— Jack Silvers, Staff Writer at THC

— Katharine Forst, Staff Writer THC

— Andrew Cramer, Sports Editor at

HARVARD

BY JACK SILVER AND KATHERINE A. FORST CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS