The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLIX, No. 81

THE HARVARD CRIMSON THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

| VOLUME CXLIX, NO. 81 |

SPORTS

OPINION

Women’s Cross Country Wins Ivy League Title

On Affirmative Action: An Editorial Photo Essay

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CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2022

SUPREME COURT

Harvard’s Lawyer in Washington WAXMAN’S WORLD. How Seth P. Waxman ’73 defended Harvard at the Supreme Court.

SEE PAGE 15

IOP

Election 2022 MIDTERMS PREVIEW Massachusetts voters are set to head to the polls in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Most statewide races remain largely uncompetitive, but residents will weigh in on a set of high-stakes ballot questions. Read our election preview. SEE PAGE 4

Baker Talks Social Media at IOP Forum HARVARD’S GOVERNOR. Gov. Charlie D. Baker ’79 called for a social media “timeout” at the IOP Forum on Thursday.

BACOW

Bacow Talks Presidential Search, Future Plans

SEE PAGE 5

BY CARA J. CHANG AND ISABELLA B. CHO CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

ADMISSIONS

Harvard Lawsuit Rejected by Judge

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Harvard, on the apparent edge of Supreme Court defeat, won’t be getting any help on its legal fees.

A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Harvard’s insurer should not be responsible for paying the University’s legal fees in the high-profile anti-affirmative action lawsuit against the school heard by Supreme Court on Monday.

Harvard sued its insurance firm, the Zurich American Insurance Company, in September 2021, arguing that the firm’s refusal to cover its legal fees violated a contract between the two sides.

But on Wednesday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs sided with the insurance firm, rejecting Harvard’s argument that it did not have to notify the company of its widely-covered Students For Fair Admissions lawsuit. The ruling will force the school to pay the fees it incurred over eight years of litigation in the case.

In 2014, Harvard bought a pair of insurance policies: one with the American International Group which covered its first $25 million in legal fees and a second excess policy with Zurich to cover additional costs of up to $15 million.

Zurich argued in legal filings that its policy would only kick in if Harvard notified the firm within 90 days of the first policy reaching its cap. But the University failed to provide notice until

SEE ‘RULING’ PAGE 6

U

niversity President Lawrence S. Bacow sits at the head of Harvard’s sprawling administration, but he has stepped back from one key initiative: the search for his successor.

In an interview Wednesday, Bacow — who is not part of the 15-member presidential search committee — said he doesn’t know where the team is in its process.

“It’s traditional when universities search for new presidents that the incumbent president is involved only peripherally,” he said.

Bacow said he has only met with the

presidential search committee and the faculty group that advises it to discuss his perspective on the job.

“I have met with the search committee not to talk about candidates, but just to talk about what are the challenges that the next president is likely to face,” he said.

Bacow added he is planning to meet with the student advisory committee in the coming days.

In a 2017 interview with The Crimson, Bacow’s predecessor, Drew G. Faust, also said she would largely stay out of the search process besides answering questions about the Harvard presidency.

The 29th president said one of the key challenges facing his successor will be handling the Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling on affirmative action. Bacow declined to speculate about how justices

will rule in the case, but during oral arguments on Monday, the court’s conservative majority appeared ready to strike down race-conscious college admissions, a move that would overturn decades of precedent and reshape admissions processes across the nation.

Bacow added that he hopes the next president continues to drive forward the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, the Harvard Quantum Initiative, and the Kemper Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence.

But he said his advice to incoming presidents is to anticipate unforeseen challenges.

“Look what happened to me,” Bacow said, citing his navigation of the Covid-19 pandemic and his ascent to the Tufts presidency 10 days before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Some prominent Harvard donors also say the University’s next president will be responsible for launching a new University-wide Capital Campaign — likely a multibillion-dollar ordeal. While Bacow said there will be a campaign in the future, he did not specify the timeline.

“There’ll be one,” Bacow said. “I doubt that it’s going to be in year one or two — but I don’t know if that means it’s going to be three, four, or five.”

With his remaining year, Bacow said he has been speaking with faculty and donors “about how this University can contribute to the future of democracy.”

“My own view of this — and my successor will have to make their own decisions — is that Harvard should be tackling all

SEE PAGE 6

SEAS

SEAS Survey Reveals Racial, Gender Disparities

BY FELICIA HE AND JAMES R. JOLIN CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

About 21 percent of respondents to a survey of Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences said they have personally experienced harassment or discrimination at the school, according to data released last month.

The figure, which marks a 6 percentage-point drop from 2018, is highest among non-ladder faculty and respondents from historically marginalized racial and gender identities.

About 43 percent of non-ladder faculty respondents reported that they have experienced discrimination. Thirty-four percent of Black or African American respondents and 34 percent of transgender and nonbinary respondents reported having experienced discrimination.

The survey also found disparities based on racial and gender identity, disability status, and role at SEAS across a range of issues, including implicit bias, inclusion and belonging, and stress.

The data was released as part of SEAS’ 2022 campus climate survey. The survey — distributed to all 2,471 SEAS faculty, students, staff, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers — garnered 604 complete responses. It is the second climate survey

SEAS has conducted and the first since sion, and belonging.

“We are definitely interested in sub2018.

The survey, which measured eight stantial improvement,” Brooke said. “We “themes” by grouping survey questions are not going to be happy with our results.

We’re always going to work to move together, saw at least some improveforward and to create more ment from 2018 levels across consistent experiences six categories: experifor all members of encing harassment, the SEAS commuwitnessing hanity.” rassment, acThe most c e s s i b i l i t y, Strongly Negative c ommon exp erience 20% Strongly Positive forms of with bias, 30% harassengagement and ment with discrimDIB expeination riences, included and conderogafidence to tory, emuse diverbarassing, sity, incluor humiliatsion, and ing gestures belonging Neutral and remarks; tools.

50% unfair comTwo themes ments in a SEAS — feelings of incluwork environment; sion and belonging and bullying by another and work and family balSEAS affiliate, according to the ance — stayed flat, on average, report. Nearly 63 percent of respondents from 2018.

The survey results tell a “complicated who faced harassment indicated that it story” but show “clear signs of improve- predominantly came from faculty, staff or ment,” said Paula Nicole Booke, SEAS’s administrators.

Among respondents who experienced new assistant dean for diversity, inclu-

SEAS Work-Life Experience

harassment and discrimination, 47 percent said they considered leaving SEAS, 58 percent considered leaving Harvard altogether, and 56 percent considered discouraging others from joining SEAS. The vast majority of respondents who experienced harassment or discrimination did not report their experiences, according to the survey. Among those who did, 47 percent indicated they were “not satisfied” with the school’s response.

Women, people who identify as an underrepresented minority, people with a disability, and LGBTQ+ individuals reported “more experiences indicative of implicit bias,” according to a comparison of mean responses.

Overall, only 25 percent of respondents reported that they “felt positively supported to encounter diverse people, ideas, and experiences through SEAS.” Only 36 percent reported that they felt “inclusion and belonging” at the school — consistent with 2018 levels. White, male, and heterosexual respondents indicated reporting the highest rates of belonging at the school.

This report marks the first time SEAS has released inclusion and belonging data since its historic move to the new Science and Engineering Complex across the Charles River in Allston,

SEE ‘SEAS SRUVEY’ PAGE 6

2

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

LAST WEEK

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

SCIENCE

HKS

COLLEGE

Astrophysicists Explore Dark Matter

Belfer Center Talks National Security, AI

Students Dress Up for Halloween Fun

DARK MATTER. Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics found that dark energy makes up two-thirds of the universe, according to a study published in a special issue of The Astrophysical Journal last month.

The study, which also found that one-third of the universe is composed of mostly dark matter, confirms existing theories about the configuration of the universe, said Dillon Brout, an Einstein Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics and lead author of the research papers. BY JEREMIAH C. CURRAN — STAFF WRITER

AI. Private sector professionals gave a series of presentations at the intersection of national security and artificial intelligence during a virtual seminar held by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs on Tuesday. The seminar was led by Belfer Fellow Kristin Wood and facilitated by Intelligence Project Manager Maria Robson-Morrow. BY ERIKA K. CHUNG, JULIA A. MACIEJACK, AND DYLAN H. PHAN —

HALLOWEEKEND. While some Harvard students said they were disillusioned with the College’s party scene, several students fashioned their own ways to find joy over Halloweekend.

This year’s countdown to the last week of October conjured high spirits in the freshman class. BY MICHELLE N. AMPONSAH AND MICHELLE BULIN — CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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The Week in Pictures

HARVARD-YALE TICKETS ACCIDENTALLY RELEASE EARLY, SELL OUT

PROTESTORS GATHER OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT

Tuesday, a link to buy undergraduate tickets to the Harvard-Yale game was mistakenly released too early and circulated among Yale students.

In the rush to purchase tickets, students encountered many website errors, but eventually all tickets were sold out. Yale Athletics claimed responsibility for the incident, as the link was accidentally activated too early.

SCOTUS HEARINGS. As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the lawsuit against Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies, demonstrators protested outside the Supreme Court calling for an end to affirmative action. BY JULIAN J. GIORDANO ­­—

THE YALE DAILY NEWS

CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AWARDS TENURE TO 56 FACULTY This year, Columbia awarded 56 faculty members with tenure. This addition makes the total tenured faculty count at the university 1,272.

These new tenured faculty are from 14 schools across the university, with six at Barnard, 12 in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and six at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. They were celebrated at the first annual Newly Tenured Faculty Reception at Low Library.

THE COLUMBIA SPECTATOR

BROWN RISD HILLEL RECEIVES ANTISEMITIC NOTE Sunday evening, an antisemitic note was found in the Weiner Center at Brown RISD Hillel. The note included expletives and threats of violence against Jewish people. Written on a donation card, it was left on the front desk in the reception area. The Weiner Center Executive Director and Rabbi Josh Bolton informed students, faculty, and affiliates of the incident via email, writing that the Providence Police Department is investigating the matter.

GRAD COUNCIL MEETING. Harvard Graduate Council passed a resolution stating support for the People of Iran on behalf of Harvard’s graduate students in a meeting on Monday. They also passed a resolution for the creation of more University-wide student groups, approved a larger-than-normal budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and continued planning for Harvard-Yale. BY CLAIRE YUAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PARTING PRESIDENT. University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview Wednesday he looks forward to spending time with his grandchildren after leaving Harvard’s top post. BY ADDISON Y.

PFREAKY PFOHO. Students were treated to Halloween decorations in the Pforzheimer dining hall.BY JENNIFER Z. LIANG — CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

LIU — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

LIZ MAGILL BECOMES NINTH PENN PRESIDENT Liz Magill was inaugurated as Penn’s ninth president on Friday. Magill, the Penn’s first new leader in nearly two decades, discussed the challenges that face the university in coming years in her inaugural address. She also called on Penn to recommit to the preservation of truth and reaffirm its commitment to people of diverse backgrounds.

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

ON THE BRINK. University of North Carolina administrators gather outside the Supreme Court after oral arguments in the admissions lawsuits that may end affirmative action in higher education. BY JULIAN J. GIORDANO ­— CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DARWIN’S DISQUIET. Members of Darwin’s United, the union representing the chain’s staff, protested the closure of the flagship store in Harvard Square. BY BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR —

ROE REMEMBERED. An exhibit in the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute opened as the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches.

BY JENNIFER Z. LIANG — CONTRIBUTING

CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTOGRAPHER

HOUSE GRILLES REOPEN. Quincy Grille and others such as the Quad and Dunster Grilles reopened last month for the academic year with new student managers and workers. BY CHRISTOPHER S. LI — CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

NEXT WEEK

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

What’s Next

IN THE REAL WORLD DA SILVA WINS BRAZILIAN ELECTION Lula da Silva will return to the presidency after defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a run-off election on Monday. The victory marks a political comeback for the president-elect, following the ‘Operation Car Wash’ corruption scandal. Initially the clear favorite, Da Silva’s lead over Bolsonaro narrowed as the election approached, with Da Silva taking 51 percent to Bolsonaro’s 49 percent of the vote in the final results.

Bolsonaro had yet to publicly concede the election hours after its conclusion.

TRUCE REACHED IN ETHIOPIAN CIVIL WAR The Ethiopian Government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front reached a deal Wednesday to end the two-year conflict. The conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused widespread starvation in the country.

In the agreement, reached after 10 days of talks in South Africa convened by the African Union, fighters would disarm and Tigray would gain access to humanitarian aid. The agreement is the first step in a delicate process to permanently end the war.

FED RAISES INTEREST RATES FOR SIXTH TIME IN 2022

3

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

Friday 11/4

Monday 11/7

Wednesday 11/9

POPS POPS BACK TO THE ’80S

PHYSICIAN-AUTHOR FGLI BOOK TALK: “THE GIRL WHO TAUGHT HERSELF TO FLY”

THE NEW ECONOMY

Lowell Lecture Hall, 8 p.m.

Join the Pops Orchestra for its fall concert, where the group will perform a selection of classical, film and pop music from the 1980s. Look out for classic 80s pop songs like Take on Me.

Saturday 11/5 SOMETHING ROTTEN!

American Repertory Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Produced, directed, and choreographed by Harvard College students, Something Rotten! tells the fictional story of writers Nick and Nigel Bottom, who set out to write the world’s first musical. Stop by the American Repertory Theater for a “Renaissance aesthetic” paired with a “satirical style of humor.”

Sunday 11/6

Virtual, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Dr. Lai will read an excerpt from her book on overcoming poverty and sexism at Monday night’s event. Open to all members of the Harvard community, the talk will be moderated by College student Felicia Y. Ho ’23 and pediatrician, musician, and author Dr. Lisa M. Wong ’79.

Virtual, 12 p.m.

This free event, open to the public, will feature Fellow Gabrielle Calvocoressi reading from their poetry collection, which is currently in progress.

Calvocoressi will explore what it means to build the “imaginative and imagined vessel of the body.”

Thursday 11/10

Tuesday 11/8

A CONVERSATION ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH KEVIN O’LEARY

LAW SCHOOL NIGHT

Virtual, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Open to undergraduate students at Harvard and MIT – as well as College alumni – Harvard’s Office of Career Services will host top law schools for a panel Tuesday night. Students of all class years and concentrations are invited to attend.

Attendees will be able to participate in a virtual networking session after the panel.

Klarman Hall at Harvard Business School, 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Join Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary, nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful”, for a discussion on the qualities of a successful entrepreneur and what it takes to pitch a venture. Harvard Business School professor Reza R. Satchu will moderate.

Friday 11/11

FIRST-GEN BRUNCH AND NETWORKING WITH ALUMNI

A WISHFUL JAM

Northwest Labs B100, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Brunch will be provided at Sunday morning’s event to connect first-generation Harvard students with first-generation Harvard alumni. It forms a part of First Generation Visibility Week, which seeks to “increase awareness around the systemic barriers that impact first-generation college students.”

Sanders Theater, 7 p.m.

The Harvard Din & Tonics, the Harvard Callbacks, and the Radcliffe Pitches will join forces to perform in “A Wishful Jam” next Friday night. The event — which will be hosted in Sanders Theater next Friday — is eligible for the Student Events Fund.

In an attempt to combat historically high rates of inflation, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by three-quarters of a point Wednesday.

Secretary Jerome Powell stated his intention to continue raising borrowing costs and slowing growth until inflation is dealt with. The announcement was followed by a drop in stock prices. The decision comes just a week before the 2022 midterms.

CROWD SURGE IN SOUTH KOREA KILLS AT LEAST 154 A Halloween crowd turned deadly Saturday in Seoul, leaving at least 154 dead and many injured. The rush began as tens of thousands of partygoers packed into a narrow alleyway in the district of Itaewon. Foreign nationals from at least 14 countries, including the United States, are among the dead.

FALL FOLIAGE

THE HARVARD CRIMSON Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22-’23 President

STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Managing Editor

Amy X. Zhou ’23 Business Manager

Associate Managing Editors Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24

Magazine Chairs Maliya V. Ellis ’23-’24 Sophia S. Liang ’23

Design Chairs Yuen Ting Chow ’23 Madison A. Shirazi ’23

Editorial Chairs Guillermo S. Hava ’23-24 Eleanor V. Wikstrom ’24

Blog Chairs Ellen S. Deng ’23-’24 Janani Sekar ’23-’24

Multimedia Chairs Aiyana G. White ’23 Pei Chao Zhuo ’23

Arts Chairs Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23

Sports Chairs Alexandra N. Wilson ’23-’24 Griffin H. Wong ’24

Technology Chairs Ziyong Cui ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24

Copyright 2022, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts.

Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138

Night Editors Noah J. Caza ’22-23 Alex M. Koller ’23 Assistant Night Editors Claire Yuan ’25 Paton D. Roberts ’25 Alexander I. Fung ’25 Miles J. Herszenhor ’25 Story Editors Cara J. Chang ’24 Isabella B. Cho ’24 James R. Jolin ’24 Natalie L. Kahn ’23 Ariel H. Kim ’24

Brandon L. Kingdollar ’24 Vivi E. Lu ’24 Leah J. Teichholtz ’24 Meimei Xu ’24 Eric Yan ’24

Photo Editors Cory K. Gorczycki ’24 Pei Chao Zhuo ’23 Aiyana G. White ’23 Editorial Editor

Design Editors Nayeli Cardozo ’25 Ashley R. Ferreira ’24 Toby R. Ma ’24 Madison A. Shirazi ’23

Eleanor V. Wikstrom ’24

Sami E. Turner ’25 Chris S. Li ’26 Claire Yuan ’25

Arts Editors

Yuen Ting Chow ’23

Sports Editors Nicholas Daley ’23 Zing Gee ’23

Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23

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

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

COVER STORY

4

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Mass. Voters Head to the Polls CAMPAIGN FINANCES

BALLOT QUESTIONS

Healey Rakes In Cambridge Cash

Four Questions to Appear On Midterm Ballot

WITH DAYS TO GO, governor candidate Maura Healey outpaces her opponent’s fundraising.

BY YUSUF S. MIAN AND CHARLOTTE P. RITZ-JACK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­M

assachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92 has raised more money in the race for Massachusetts governor from the ZIP code encompassing Harvard Square than almost any other, raking in more than $89,000 from the area since the start of the year.

Healey, a Democrat who has served as the state’s top law enforcement official since 2015, has opened up a seismic fundraising advantage over her Republican opponent, Geoffrey G. Diehl.

She has brought in more than $5 million since the start of the year, according to state campaign finance filings, compared to Diehl’s $1.1 million.

Healey has raised nearly $157,000 from Cambridge residents since the start of the year, according to the most recent available state filings. The majority of the money Healey has raised in Cambridge comes from the 02138 ZIP code, an area which includes the heart of the University’s campus, along with Fresh Pond and West Cambridge.

Diehl, who is a former state representative from Plymouth, has raised just over $4,000 from Cambridge since Jan. 1 — a small part of his fundraising haul this year.

Healey’s five top fundraising ZIP codes are all located in the Boston area. She has raised almost $115,000 from the 02116 ZIP code, which covers a portion of the city’s Back Bay — the most of any area in the country.

Diehl’s top fundraising ZIP code is 02169, which covers Quincy, where he has raised more than $19,000.

About 84 percent of Healey’s money comes from Massachusetts residents, compared to 95 percent for Diehl.

Outside of Massachusetts, Healey has brought in the most money from New York, Florida, and Connecticut. Diehl has earned the most from Florida, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Healey, a former Harvard basketball player, has brought in at least $36,000 from Harvard employees, according to filings.

Among her Harvard-affiliated donors are Law School professors Martha L. Minow and Robert H. Mnookin ’64, Economics professor David M. Cutler ’87, and Radcliffe rowing coach Liz O’Leary.

Diehl reported he has earned at least $1,300 from Harvard employees, including $300 from Government professor Paul E. Peterson.

Healey, who graduated from Northeastern University School of Law, has raised at least $680,000 from lawyers since the start of the year, according to state filings, representing the top occupation among her contributors.

She has brought in at least $235,000 from CEOs and

$225,000 from consultants.

She has out-raised Diehl among state employees by 37 fold, raking in at least $55,000 compared to his $1,500.

Healey holds a wide polling lead over Diehl, who was not endorsed by the popular outgoing Republican governor, Charlie D. Baker ’79.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. yusuf.mian@thecrimson.com charlotte.ritz-jack@thecrimson.com

THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR HEALEY. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92 became the state’s top law enforcement officer in 2014. She has earned a national profile for high profile lawsuits the state has filed against the Trump administration and Purdue Pharma.

2022 DIEHL. Geoffrey G. Diehl is a former state representative from Plymouth. He was endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump in the GOP gubernatorial primary, in which he handily defeated businessman Chris Doughty. The state’s outgoing Republican governor, who is a moderate and a Trump critic, has declined to endorse Diehl.

Percent of Contributions from Massachusetts to Gubernatorial Candidates Jan. 1, 2022 - Oct. 31, 2022

YUSUF S. MIAN — CRIMSON DESIGNER

THE FATE of licensing for undocumented drivers is in question with next week’s referendum question four.

BY YUSUF S. MIAN AND CHARLOTTE P. RITZ-JACK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­M

assachusetts voters will decide the fate of a recently passed measure to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses during Tuesday’s election.

In May, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law directing the Registry of Motor Vehicles to refrain from soliciting documents proving immigration status, paving the way for undocumented immigrants to become licensed drivers. The following month, Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 vetoed the measure but was overridden by Democrats in the state legislature.

In response to the law’s survival, newly formed Fair and Secure Massachusetts collected the necessary signatures to put the law up for referendum. If passed, Ballot Question Four will affirm the law’s passage.

In addition to Ballot Question Four, Massachusetts voters will decide three other referendum questions, including an ongoing fight over a proposal to change the state’s tax system.

BALLOT QUESTION 4

Proponents of Question Four, including the group Safer Roads Massachusetts, have argued the law will reduce accidents and uninsured drivers by providing a means for undocumented immigrants to drive legally.

Paul Diego Craney — a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which is opposing the passage of Ballot Question Four — argued the measure would not improve safety.

“I know for a fact that there’s many people in law enforcement

who also oppose this,” he said.

Craney further called the measure unsustainable.

“The Registry of Motor Vehicles — the RMV — is not capable of processing these complicated immigration matters,” Craney said.

A recent University of Massachusetts Amherst poll showed 51 percent of registered voters support the measure, while 39 percent oppose it.

BALLOT QUESTION 1

Voters will also weigh in on an amendment to the state constitution which would create a “millionaire’s tax” for Massachusetts’ top earners and exclusively allocate the increased revenue toward education and public transportation. If passed, the amendment would impose a 4 percent tax on annual incomes above $1 million.

The amendment’s proponents claim the tax would generate an additional $2 billion in revenue.

Fair Share for Massachusetts has urged state residents to vote yes on Ballot Question One. Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for the group, said the question’s supporters are “representing working people.”

Others are less convinced of the tax’s merits.

Dan Cence, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment, called the measure “ill-convinced” and poorly timed in a written statement.

“Question 1’s proposed Tax Hike Amendment will impact homeowners, small business owners, and retirees – all to provide lawmakers in Beacon Hill with funds to appropriate where they choose,” Cence wrote.

Farnitano rejected these claims, maintaining that “99 percent of people won’t pay anything more.”

Fair Share for Massachusetts has raised over $26 million in support of Question One, while the Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment has raised $13 mil-

lion.

BALLOT QUESTION 2

If passed, Ballot Question Two will set a cap on non-patient related costs for dental insurance companies. Companies would be required to allocate 83 percent of spending toward patient care.

Massachusetts Dental Care Providers for Better Dental Benefits argue the measure would improve the quality of dental insurance by ensuring more money is spent on patient coverage and care than administrative costs and advertising. The group has raised over $6.9 million to support the bill.

Question Two opponent — the Committee to Protect Access to Quality Dental Care — argues the measure would increase the cost of dental care and has raised more than $6.2 million.

BALLOT QUESTION 3

If passed, Ballot Question Three would double the maximum number of alcohol licenses a business can hold from nine to 18 by 2031.

Currently, businesses are capped at selling alcohol to just nine storefronts, regardless of how many locations they have.

Proponents to double the license cap argue the measure would make it more convenient to purchase alcohol by increasing the number of stores where it is available.

The measure would further require that alcohol be sold at employee kiosks rather than self-checkouts to prevent minors from illegally purchasing it. Under the proposed law, fines for alcohol sale infractions would be based on the business’ total sales, rather than their total alcohol sales.

Baker has announced that Ballot Question 3 is the only measure he will be supporting. yusuf.mian@thecrimson.com charlotte.ritz-jack@thecrimson.com

SAMI E. TURNER — CRIMSON DESIGNER

VOTER GUIDE

Ahead of Tuesday’s Midterm Elections, Healey Seems Set for Victory ON TUESDAY, voters will head to the polls to vote in the Mass. midterm elections. Here’s the breakdown.

BY YUSUF S. MIAN AND CHARLOTTE P. RITZ-JACK CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­ assachusetts voters will head M to the polls Tuesday in the 2022 midterm elections. The races at the top of the ticket remain largely uncompetitive.

Here’s what you need to know going into the Massachusetts midterms.

GOVERNOR

At the top of the ticket, the race to replace outgoing governor Char-

lie D. Baker ’79 is widely expected to be a walk in the park for Democrats. Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92, who cruised through the Democratic primary in September, leads the Republican nominee, Geoffrey G. Diehl, in most polls. Healey led Diehl, a Trump-backed former state representative from Plymouth, 61 percent to 33 percent in a recent University of Massachusetts Amherst poll.

Healey also holds a commanding fundraising advantage over Diehl, according to recent state campaign finance filings. Baker, the popular outgoing GOP governor who opted not to seek a third term, has notably sat out the race, declining to endorse Diehl.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll is at the top of the Democratic ticket alongside Healey as the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor. She will face former State Representative Leah G. Cole Allen. Driscoll, who defeated a pair of Democratic challengers in the primary, also holds a wide lead over Allen, according to the UMass Amherst poll.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

In the race for attorney general, former Boston City Councilor Andrea J. Campbell, the Democratic nominee, will face Republican James McMahon, a trial attorney. Campbell holds a commanding 25 percentage point lead over McMahon, according to the UMass poll.

Campbell would be the first

Black woman elected to a statewide office in Massachusetts.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Longtime incumbent Secretary of State William F. Galvin, a Democrat who was first elected in 1994, is running for his eighth term. He will face Republican Rayla Campbell, a right-wing radio host.

Galvin defeated a progressive primary challenger, Tanisha Sullivan, who leads the Boston chapter of the NAACP, with 72 percent of the vote in September.

Galvin led Cambell by 28 percentage points in the UMass Amherst poll.

AUDITOR

The race for state auditor could

be the Republicans’ best chance to put up a fight on Tuesday. Democrat Diana DiZoglio is set to face Republican Anthony Amore, the only GOP nominee Baker has endorsed. The state auditor is responsible for conducting audits of state programs, departments, and agencies.

A recent Suffolk University poll showed DiZoglio, a Massachusetts state senator from Essex, leading Amore, 40 percent to 25 percent. Almost a quarter of voters remained undecided, according to the survey.

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES

All nine Democrats who represent Massachusetts in the U.S. House are considered safe in their re-election campaigns. Representatives Ayanna S. Pressley

and Katherine M. Clark, who represent Cambridge, face Republicans Dannie D. Palmer Jr. and Caroline Colarusso respectively.

STATE LEGISLATURE

All eight members of Cambridge’s state legislative delegation — Representatives David M. Rogers, Marjorie C. Decker, Michael L. Connolly, Steven C. Owens, and Jay D. Livingstone and Senators Lydia M. Edwards, Patricia D. Jehlen, and Sal N. DiDomenico — are running unopposed as Democrats.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, including a location at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. yusuf.mian@thecrimson.com charlotte.ritz-jack@thecrimson.com

NEWS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

5

FAS

Gay ‘Encouraged’ Following Court Hearings LAST WEDNESDAY, FAS Dean Gay spoke on the Harvard admissions lawsuit in an interview.

BY ARIEL H. KIM AND MEIMEI XU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­A

fter Monday’s Supreme Court hearings for the pair of anti-affirmative action lawsuits, Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said she “felt encouraged” that the case for race-conscious admissions “was laid out in a really compelling way” in an interview Wednesday.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in lawsuits challenging race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The schools argue their current race-conscious processes help maintain a racially diverse student body, which they say provides educational and societal benefits.

Racial diversity among students ensures a “special alchemy” of varied life experiences and backgrounds, Gay said Wednesday, allowing the school to offer a “transformative educational experience” and diversify the pool of future world leaders.

“No matter the decision from the court, we will comply,” she said. “We will also be unwavering in our commitment to building and nurturing a diverse and vibrant campus community.”

Gay also touched on the $84.9 million surplus with which the FAS and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences ended fiscal year 2022. Though the school is “fiscally healthy,” as stated by FAS Dean of Administration and Finance Scott A. Jordan, Gay said her goal is to

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay Discussed school finances, faculty support, and the future of affirmative action in an interview Wednesday.

“ensure that the FAS remains resilient through all contingencies.”

“This is arriving at an opportune moment in many ways, in the sense that FAS-wide, we’re undertaking this strategic planning process,” Gay said Wednesday. “We will have the opportunity to bring a level of intentionality

and thoughtfulness to how we draw on our fiscal strength and our resources to ensure academic excellence for this moment and for decades to come.”

Following up on a question from the previous faculty meeting, Gay shared data on the availability of faculty support by division, noting that the Arts and

Humanities division is “woefully understaffed.”

The Arts and Humanities division has three “faculty assistant-like” positions, while Sciences and Social Sciences have 83 and 33, respectively, Gay said Tuesday.

“I believe that all faculty should have access to some base-

IOP

line level of support that is responsive, that is effective and professional,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

Gay said she views this lack of support as an “urgent priority” and has charged Jordan to work with the Arts and Humanities divisional office to develop a solution to this issue.

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Massachusetts Governor Charlie D. Baker ‘79 spoke with Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum Thursday evening. JINA H. CHOE — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Gov. Baker Calls for Social Media ‘Timeout’

BY CAROLINE K. HSU, AZUSA M. LIPPIT, AND CHRISTINA A. STRACHN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

M

assachusetts Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 called for a “timeout” on social media during a Harvard Institute of Politics forum Thursday evening.

Baker — who delivered the annual Edwin L. Godkin Lecture — encouraged listeners to increase their offline engagement with those of opposing political viewpoints, citing how social media has exacerbated the country’s partisan divide.

University President Lawrence S. Bacow introduced the governor, praising both Baker’s contributions to the Harvard community and his commitment

“I hope that we will be able to put something in place reasonably soon so that, again, faculty can begin to get the kind of support that they need to be effective both as scholars and as teachers,” she said. ariel.kim@thecrimson.com meimei.xu@thecrimson.com

Graduate Council Votes to Support Iran

BY PATON D. ROBERTS

ON THURSDAY, Massachusetts Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 earned a warm welcome from the Harvard Institute of Politics.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIM-

SON PHOTOGRAPHER

to public service.

“He has something which we hope every Kennedy school graduate would have, and that’s a hard head and a soft heart,” Bacow said of Baker.

Baker, recalling his time at the College 45 years ago, said he never could have imagined a world with “hundreds of social media networks” and phones that could be used to “access information from any corner of the Earth in real time.”

Baker acknowledged technological advances “can break down barriers to people and information” — which he called a “blessing” — but added that misinformation on social media can “drive people apart.”

Algorithms built into social media users’ feeds, Baker said, “dramatically reduce the likelihood you will ever see or hear a news report about anything that challenges or cuts against your belief system.”

“All this self-selecting news and endless information has been driving the bulwark of the two political parties towards

their extremes,” he added.

Baker said that he disagreed with how social media is “used by producers and users to create their own versions of the truth” and added that he thinks it has become “so aggressive and so combative.”

“Finding people who share your love of gardening is just as easy as finding people who share your love for hate speech,” Baker said.

“One of the underlying messages here is that social media needs a timeout,” Baker added.

“People should just stop engaging.”

Baker said that mainstream news outlets also limit engagement with diverse political perspectives and reflect a level of partisan polarization inconsistent with the broader American public.

“Most Americans I believe are less partisan, less bombastic, and less combative than many of the people who are involved in and report on politics and government,” Baker added.

Such biased reporting, ac-

cording to Baker, has resulted in the “cynicism about politics” shown in recent political polling.

Baker said he predicts increasing polarization will drive people away from the Democratic and Republican parties and up the number of registered independent voters.

Attendees entering the forum were confronted by a small group of protestors holding signs decrying Baker’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and calling the pandemic a “hoax.”

Indistinguishable shouts from the protestors outside could be heard periodically throughout the lecture.

“It’s hard to find a time in our nation’s history when we weren’t roiled by a variety of difficult and sometimes ugly public debates — see the guys outside,” Baker said, referencing the protestors.

Baker called for coexistence and willingness to listen among those with contrasting views.

“We all need to spend more time engaging opposing viewpoints, not trying to ban them,” he said.

Members of the Harvard Graduate Council voted in favor of a resolution declaring support for the people of Iran on behalf of the University’s graduate students at their Monday night meeting.

The statement passed alongside another resolution calling for the creation of more university-wide student groups. A resolution in support of affirmative action was tabled. Board members and representatives also approved the 2022-2023 fiscal year budget for the body and continued planning a Harvard-Yale tailgate for graduate students.

Janan Iranbomy, HGC chair of student advocacy and engagement, presented the resolution on Iran.

“I find it symbolic that we are gathered at the Harvard Divinity School for today’s meeting. One of the core values of the divinity school is respect and dignity for others,” she said. “And with that spirit – for respecting the dignity of others — I hope you can all vote in favor of this resolution for freedom and justice in Iran.”

Pointing to a vigil and teach-in at Harvard Law School, Iranbomy said that the goal of the resolution is to “align the actions” taken by graduate students across the University in support of Iranian people with a unified written statement.

Other students questioned the purpose of the resolution and what the support it promises might look like in action.

“Beyond your communication, where does this go, and what further action do you require from us?” asked Harvard School of Public Health student Idongesit Sampson.

Christopher H. Cleveland ’14 – chair of the student advisory committee to Harvard’s presidential search committee – joined the beginning of the meeting.

He presented several questions from the survey distributed by the student advisory committee.

The Council approved a larg-

er-than-normal budget for fiscal year 2022-2023, with projected expenditures totalling $97,500.

Of their revenue, $16,446 stems from a carryover of the 2021-2022 budget.

Carlos A. Gonzalez Sierra, president of the Council, referenced a lack of social events in the previous year due to Covid-19 health precautions as a reason to spend more on events this year.

“We have some carryover funds, and I think it’s important to allocate those especially on events that bring the graduate student community together because largely, the reason we have a carryover is because there weren’t many events last year,” he said.

The budget includes $8,400 for executive board honorariums, a set of stipends for the body’s leadership. The Council previously approved the stipends, which are a standard practice across the graduate student councils of several other Ivy League schools.

“

You’ve got to make up your mind that you will always tell the truth, even if the truth is inconvenient even if the truth is inconvenient Anthony S. Fauci Chief Medical Advior to President Biden

Board members provided updates on initiatives such as a graduate student intramural sports league and a cross-school mentorship program. The Council also discussed plans for the graduate student Harvard-Yale tailgate, ultimately deciding to limit ticket sales to current students, excluding significant others and graduate school alumni.

The first round of 100 tickets sold out fewer than 10 minutes after their release at noon on Tuesday. One hundred more are set to be released on Friday. paton.roberts@thecrimson.com

6

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

NEWS

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

‘SEAS SURVEY’ FROM PAGE 1

SEAS Survey Reveals Racial, Gender Disparities where approximately 50 percent of faculty and staff are now based.

Sentiments about belonging and work-life balance varied based on where respondents spent the majority of their time.

Individuals who spent their

“

I really want to create a sense where everyone feels like they can be in dialogue with every other member of the SEAS community. That’s one of the chief goals that I have in my role.

Paula Nicole Booke SEAS Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

time between the Allston and Cambridge campuses reported higher levels of work stress than the overall figure. Forty-three percent of respondents who spend most of their time in Allston “reported strongly agreeing with sentiments of inclusion and belonging” at SEAS, compared to 31 percent of those who work mostly in Cambridge.

Despite the pandemic, attitudes toward work-life balance remained consistent between 2018 and 2022. About 30 percent

of respondents strongly agreed that they have work-life balance.

Stress regarding work-life balance, however, varied by identity. Women, self-identified underrepresented minorities, people with a disability, and LGBQA+ individuals reported facing more stress than their peers. Undergraduates and Ph.D. students had the highest levels of work stress compared to SEAS overall.

The lowest reported work-life satisfaction was in the responses to the availability of childcare at Harvard.

SEAS Dean Francis J. Doyle III wrote in a letter included in the report that releasing the survey results is a “first step.” The school plans to compile further qualitative data through additional “focus groups and informational gatherings,” he wrote.

Booke, the DIB associate dean, said the conversation series will allow affiliates to “share out their perspectives,” refine SEAS’s strategic plan for DIB, and “really direct the change that the community as a whole seeks to create.”

“I really want to create a sense where everyone feels like they can be in dialogue with every other member of the SEAS community,” she said.

“That’s one of the chief goals that I have in my role.” felicia.he@thecrimson.com james.jolin@thecrimson.com

OBITUARY

Mick Cusimano, a Poet, Dies at 71

JAMES R. JOLIN — FLOURISH CHART

Agreement or disagreement with statements about feeling a sense of inclusion and belonging at SEAS

FELICIA HE — FLOURISH CHART

FAS Ends Year with $85 Million Surplus

BY ARIEL H. KIM AND MEIMEI XU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

H

BY MARINA QU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

In spring 2022, Mick Cusimano stepped onto the stage at the Boston International Film Festival to three standing ovations. He had been hospitalized for brain cancer just weeks before, but he had recovered enough to present a screening of his film at the festival.

Cusimano, 71, died of cancer on July 23. He dubbed himself “the professor of surrealism” and had a deep passion for history, arts, poetry, and film, his friends recalled.

Daniel Cusimano, Mick’s brother, said he started creating cartoons which depicted their cub scout adventures at the age of seven. By elementary school, Mick Cusimano developed a passion for Egyptian, Greek and Classical Roman history. He especially enjoyed learning about Cleopatra, who later became a subject of many of his films and animations.

While on a work trip to Boston in the 1980s, Cusimano saw a hiring post for security guards at the Harvard Art Museums. Cusimano, a Buffalo, New York, native, took the job and “never looked back,” his brother said.

“It was paradise to him,” Daniel Cusimano said. “I could not visit him without going to the Harvard Art Museum.”

“He was always, always proud of that connection,” he added.

At Harvard, Cusimano continued to pursue his interest in the arts, delving into film and animation by taking 16 classes at the Extension School. In addition, he began illustrating cartoons for The Crimson in 2013, many of which addressed political themes. Cusimano also worked as a live caricature artist at parties, college events, and bar mitzvahs in the Boston area.

Ansis Purins, a friend and co-worker of Cusimano’s for 18 years, said Cusimano “wasn’t like a boss” and was “more like a friend,” recalling how he would sometimes start sketching in his notepad once all mail was delivered.

“Mick was a very unusual, in-

Have you ever personally experienced harassment or discrimination (of any kind) at SEAS or by a person affiliated with SEAS?

Mick Cusimano died in July at age 71. Court

dividualistic person, he had his own style,” Purins said. “If he had been a bit younger, he would have been a punk rocker or a hippie or a Beatnik.”

Poet Richard Cambridge became close friends with Cusimano after meeting him at a poetry coffeehouse in Allston in 1990.

The two would travel around Cambridge and perform standup poetry together, he said.

“Mick had a very unique way of looking at the world,” Cambridge said. “It was like a kaleidoscopic eye. He would see things differently.”

As technology progressed, Cusimano began animating his cartoons and later incorporating live performance and graphics into his movies.

Cusimano is survived by his eight siblings. His friends and family are hosting a Nov. 11 memorial for in Somerville.

After Cusimano was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018, he often said to Cambridge that the disease “only got to the real part” of his brain, not the “surreal part.”

Despite battling brain cancer for more than three years, Cambridge said Cusimano continued to pursue his passion for film.

“In those three years, he made really good use of his time,” Cambridge said. “He got right through surgery and got right back to work. Whenever his radiation therapy, he just kept going. It was real inspiration in a very modest way.” marina.qu@thecrimson

arvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences ended fiscal year 2022 with an $84.9 million surplus, according to a presentation by administrators during a faculty meeting Tuesday.

This year’s surplus marks an increase from the $51.3 million surplus the FAS reported at the end of fiscal year 2021. The dean’s unrestricted reserved funds increased to $159 million, meeting the University’s recommended threshold of 10 percent of the school’s annual operating expenses for the first time in FAS history.

FAS Dean Claudine Gay said the results suggest the FAS is “an institution that has been resilient through the headwinds of the pandemic.”

As recommended in the FAS Study Group’s fall 2021 report, the school has also hired its first strategic director for endowment

and gifts, FAS Dean of Administration and Finance Scott A. Jordan announced Tuesday. Gay convened the group in November 2020 to examine the school’s “​​financial sustainability, organizational flexibility, institutional resilience.”

In June, FAS leadership — in concert with Economics faculty members — updated its economic budgeting model based on numbers from fiscal year 2021, Jordan said. The new model adjusted the budget for inflation to assess the school’s long-term financial condition.

According to this new model, Jordan said the FAS is projected to be “in a deficit position of $600 million.”

He added that the FAS is “fiscally healthy” right now, but that the school will still need to monitor factors within its control, such as fundraising, compensation, and management of local funds.

“With the University in a relatively healthy financial position and with the FAS in a good position, market volatility and an uncertain economy will require us

‘BACOW’ FROM PAGE 1

to be financially prudent as we go forward,” Jordan said.

“But we’re in a good place, and we expect to be resilient and to have resources for the strategic work ahead,” he added During the meeting Tuesday, Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning Nina Zipser also shared results of the annual faculty trends report, which included data on faculty searches, tenure reviews, and diversity.

According to the report, the FAS conducted 71 ladder faculty searches in the 2021-2022 academic year and made 59 offers — 29 to women and 30 to people of color. The FAS granted tenure to nine of the 10 ladder faculty it reviewed.

Zipser shared during the meeting that the size of ladder faculty has largely remained the same since 2009, while the non-ladder faculty has grown by 44 percent since 2003.

“The FAS’s plan is to strategically grow the ladder faculty while keeping the non-ladder faculty relatively flat,” the report reads.

There are proportionate-

ly more women among tenure-track and non-ladder faculty than among tenured faculty, per the report. Only 29 percent of tenured faculty are women, compared to 47 percent and 48 percent of tenure-track and non-ladder faculty, respectively.

Though this year’s annual report contains only binary gender statistics, Zipser said the University has begun to collect data on nonbinary gender statistics this year.

Tenure-track faculty are also significantly more racially and ethnically diverse compared to non-ladder or tenured faculty.

Though 19 percent of U.S. Ph.D. recipients in 2021 identified as historically underrepresented, only 7.2 percent of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences tenure-track position applicants identified as part of this group. The report defines historically underrepresented as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, American Indian/Alaskan Native, or two or more races.­ ariel.kim@thecrimson.com meimei.xu@thecrimson.com

‘RULING’ FROM PAGE 1

Bacow Talks Life After Judge Rejects Harvard Harvard Presidency Lawsuit Against Insurer the major challenges that face society,” he said. “There may be others that emerge. If you asked me when I started, I wouldn’t put the future of democracy on that list, but I would now.”

“

My own view of this — and my successor will have to make their own decisions — is that Harvard should be tackling all the major challenges that face society.

Lawrence S. Bacow Harvard University President

Asked about his plans for the future, Bacow gestured toward a framed photograph of his grandchildren by his armchair.

“At the time I took this job, only one of these grandchildren was born — this guy,” he said, pointing at his oldest grandson. “I haven’t been much of a presence in their lives, just given the intensity of this job. So I’m looking forward to that.”

Shortly after their departures from Massachusetts Hall, previous Harvard presidents have joined the boards of prominent corporations and foundations.

Faust joined the Goldman Sachs board just days after her departure from Harvard’s top job.

Though Bacow said he could “wind up on a board or two,” he plans to enjoy “unscheduled time” after June 2023.

“At this point, I’m not looking for a full-time job,” he said. “I’ve run enough things in my life.” cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com

May 2017 — 17 months after its deadline.

Harvard conceded in filings that it did not give official notice to Zurich until May 2017, but lawyers for the school argued that because its litigation with SFFA was so widely covered, the firm must have been aware the policy would kick in — and, in turn, should be made to pay.

Burroughs, who in 2020 ruled in favor of Harvard after a three-week district court trial in the SFFA case, turned away the school’s arguments in the Zurich case on Wednesday.

In a four-page ruling, she wrote that “it is undisputed that Harvard first gave notice to Zurich of the relevant claim on May 23, 2017, well past the deadline.”

“Massachusetts law is clear that (1) the unambiguous terms of an insurance policy must be strictly enforced and (2) an in-

sured’s failure to comply with the notice provision of a claimsmade policy bars coverage,” Burroughs wrote.

Rejecting Harvard’s central argument that Zurich should cover the University’s legal fees since it knew about SFFA’s litigation, Burroughs wrote that “an insurer’s actual or constructive knowledge of a claim” is not “sufficient notice to trigger coverage obligations under such a policy.”

“It is thus clear that Zurich’s lack of prejudice, or constructive, or even actual knowledge would not change Harvard’s obligation to provide notice in full compliance with the terms of the Policy,” she wrote.

Spokespeople for Zurich and Harvard declined to comment on the decision. rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

NEWS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

RADCLIFFE

Radcliffe Opens New Exhibit on History of Abortion in U.S.

Harvard Asks for No Trial in Tang Case

BY VIVI E. LU AND LEAH J. TEICHHOLTZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

If you or someone you know needs help at Harvard, contact Counseling and Mental Health Services at (617) 495-2042 or the Harvard University Police Department at (617) 495-1212. Several peer counseling groups offer confidential peer conversations. Learn more here.

You can contact a University Chaplain to speak one-on-one at chaplains@harvard.edu or here.

You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741. ***

The Radcliffe Institute’s Schlesinger Library unveiled a new exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court decision. JENNIFER Z. LIANG — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

ON MONDAY, The Radcliffe Institute opened a new exhibit on the history of abortion in the U.S.

BY CAROLINE E. CURRAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

­T

he Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study opened a new exhibit Monday on the history of abortion in the United States spanning the decades up the Supreme Court’s reversal of its landmark Roe v.

Wade decision.

Plans for the exhibit, entitled “The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America,” were altered this year in the wake of the Supreme Court’s controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade — which pro-

tected the constitutional right to abortion — through its June decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Over the past two years, the Radcliffe Institute’s Schlesinger Library had worked to prepare an exhibit which would honor the fiftieth anniversary of Roe v.

Wade in 2023. Prior to the court’s ruling in Dobbs, the library had planned to feature its “extensive collections that document the long and contentious struggle over women’s reproductive rights in the nation.”

Mary R. Ziegler ’04, the exhibit’s curator and a historian of reproductive health at the University of California Davis School of Law, wrote in an emailed statement that despite the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe, the exhibit’s intended purpose remains

the same.

“We had planned the exhibit to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Roe and consider what Roe, broadly conceived, meant in ongoing struggles over reproduction in America,” Zielger wrote.

“Now, obviously, Roe is no more, at least as a matter of black letter law.”

“We decided to pivot by looking back on the era that Roe had defined — and considering whether or even when it had ended,” she added. “But the purpose of the exhibit — to bring light instead of heat — and to invite viewers to encounter people whose lives had been intimately touched by abortion — did not change.”

Ziegler also wrote that the overturning of Roe reinforced the importance of creating the

exhibit.

“If anything, in a world where abortion can once again be a crime, it seemed even more important to listen to the voices on the subject of abortion that we don’t always give our attention,” she wrote.

The Schlesinger Library’s exhibit features a variety of items related to women’s reproductive rights for the past century, including political buttons, postcards, letters, artwork, and images of prominent figures.

The exhibit will be on display at the Schlesinger Library until March 4, 2023. The Radcliffe Institute also plans to hold a conference on the exhibition and the state of abortion in America in January 2023. caroline.curran@thecrimson.com

Jennifer R. Yu ’25 Wins Chess Championship

BY SABRINA R. HU, AYUMI NAGATOMI AND TESS C. WAYLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

College sophomore Jennifer R. Yu ’25 took home the 2022 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship title late last month after a 17-day tournament in St. Louis.

After winning eight out of the first 13 rounds in the tournament, Yu won two out of three playoff rounds against Irina B. Krush, a Grandmaster and eight-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion.

Yu claimed the $40,000 prize after her victory in the final round.

Yu competed in her first U.S. championship at age 13. She played in the tournament each year until she won her first championship in 2019. Her victory this year makes her one of 16 women to win the title more than once in the tournament’s 85-year history.

After tying in the first two playoff matches against Krusih, Yu’s victory came in a “winnertake-all game” that is rare in chess tournaments, according to Wesley Wang ’26, a Harvard Chess Club member. The Armageddon game is a single time-controlled game guaranteed to produce a winner.

Christopher Y. Shen ’26, another Harvard Chess Club member, described this final high-stakes

game as “stomach turning.”

During the game, Yu made what she called a “really rudimentary mistake.” She moved a bishop where it could be taken by Krush, a blunder that put her win at risk.

“In the moment, everyone thought it was over,” Shen, who was watching the game, said.

Despite Yu’s blunder, a few mistakes from Krush — along with what Harvard Chess Club president James C. Toliver ’23 described as a “deliberate, wellplanned” recovery — led to Yu’s final victory.

“She managed to win,” Toliver said. “It was crazy,” “I’m surprised we didn’t get a noise complaint,” he added about the club’s watch party for the match.

This tournament marked Yu’s first U.S. Women’s Chess Championship since she entered college.

Though she said it was “nice” to take a break from chess, she said she feels as though chess “was a major part” of her identity growing up and that she wanted to return.

Yu said she does not memorize opening move sequences as much as she should, especially after her break.

“Anyone that looks at my game, they know that I’m pretty weak there. So when I’m playing tournaments like these, I’m oftentimes just worse off the bat,”

Jennifer R. Yu ‘25. COURTESY OF CRYSTAL FULLER

she said.

Yu said her playing style relies on trying to make up for her weakness by complicating the game for her opponent.

“I don’t really give up,” she said.

Though she has balanced schoolwork and chess since she began playing in elementary school, Yu said it’s “much more difficult now.”

Currently a Woman Grand-

master, her next goal is to become an International Master, the second most difficult chess title to attain.

Guaranteed a spot by her recent victory, Yu is also set to compete in the 2023 Chess World Cup next year.

She also plans to return to the 2023 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship.

“Hopefully, I’m going to defend my title next year,” Yu said.

7

WOBURN, Mass. — Attorneys for Harvard and the estate of Luke Z. Tang ’18, who died by suicide on campus in 2015, presented arguments for and against motions for the court to rule without a trial in a wrongful death lawsuit at a Tuesday hearing.

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard and some of its employees were negligent in their duty of care for undergraduate Luke Tang. The student’s father Wendell W. Tang filed the suit in 2018 in the Middlesex County Superior Court, which denied Harvard’s motion to dismiss the following year.

In Tuesday’s hearing, Harvard argued the case should not go to a jury, while the Tang family’s attorney held that the University neglected its duty to provide care to Luke Tang after an April 2015 suicide attempt.

Both sides agreed that Harvard owed Luke Tang a duty of care, but Harvard disputed the claim that its employees neglected that duty.

The case charges the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Senior Resident Dean Catherine R. Shapiro, former Lowell Resident Dean Caitlin M. Casey ’03, and Counseling and Mental Health Services employee Melanie G. Northrop with negligence in Tang’s death.

Martin F. Murphy — who argued on behalf of Harvard, Shapiro, and Casey — referenced Nguyen v. MIT, a 2018 case in which the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that MIT was not liable for the death by suicide of a student.

The court outlined specific circumstances that must exist for a university to be held liable in a wrongful death lawsuit, including that the student informed university officials of suicidal ideation.

“When the court looks at what the SJC said the duty was in Nguyen, on the facts here — on the undisputed facts — there’s no basis for any liability on the part of Harvard, no basis of liability on the part of Dean Catherine Shapiro, Luke Tang’s freshman dean, or Dean Casey, Luke Tang’s dean his second year,” Murphy said.

Following Tang’s suicide attempt in April 2015, Harvard required him to enter into a contract in order to stay enrolled.

The contract’s provisions required Tang to meet with a treatment team and comply with their recommendations.

The contract further required Tang to bring mental health concerns — including if he felt “distressed” or inclined to harm himself — directly to Harvard University Health Services or the local hospital rather than to his friends or clergy.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Brent A. Tingle asked Murphy whether he thought the contract might have increased Tang’s likelihood of suicide.

“Putting aside satisfying the limited duty as articulated in Nguyen, couldn’t a new duty arise by virtue of entering into that type of contract, and in the plaintiff’s words, doing it in such a way that it increases the risk of harm to the student?” Tingle said.

Murphy said the contract was more accurately a “set of rules” for Tang, and Harvard was “acting in a way that was compassionate and reasonable” in their response to his mental health crisis.

“They went above and beyond what Nguyen required, and above and beyond what the contract required,” Murphy said.

“They didn’t voluntarily undertake to exercise — to perform any services.”

During the hearing, David W. Heinlein, who represents the Tang family, argued against Harvard’s motion for summary judgment. He pointed to prior Superior Court judges’ rulings that Harvard’s interpretation of Nguyen was “erroneous” and cited the opinion of licensed clinical psychologist Thomas E. Joiner.

“Once a student is identified as being at risk, that suicide is preventable,” Heinlein said.

“And under the facts of this case, Dr. Joiner, whose expert opinion you have, he says that if Harvard had adequate prevention protocols, then it is more likely than not that Luke Tang’s suicide would have been prevented.”

“That, in and of itself, warrants denial of this motion,” he added.

William J. Dailey III represented Northrop, who served as Tang’s case manager after his suicide attempt. As case manager, she was responsible for coordinating Tang’s mental health treatment and resources.

Dailey argued that because Tang did not reach out to Northrop when he returned to campus in August 2015, she did not have a duty to care for him.

“From [Northrop’s] perspective, she could literally never hear from him again the next three years of college and satisfy her duty?” Tingle asked Dailey.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Dailey said. “If Luke doesn’t reengage and no one raises a concern to her, absolutely.”

Following Dailey’s defense, Heinlein argued that Northrop did not “ensure continuity of care” or monitor Tang’s compliance with the provisions of the contract.

“When Melanie Northrop makes the argument, that ‘Well, I didn’t do anything because I didn’t have any signs,’ I would respectfully submit that that’s not evidence of the lack of the duty,” Heinlein said. “That’s evidence of her breach.”

Tingle concluded the hearing after an hour and a half of arguments.

He said he would take the case under advisement, a move which allows him to delay the announcement of his decision to consider the evidence.

Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane declined to comment on the case. vivi.lu@thecrimson.com leah.teichholtz@thecrimson.com

From Weeks to Weld.

The Crimson

thecrimson.com

8

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

EDITORIAL: SPECIAL EDITION

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Waiting for the Fall: After Affirmative Action IN THE WAKE OF THE ORAL ARGUMENTS OF THE STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS V. HARVARD TRIAL, The Crimson’s Editorial Board asked its editors and the broader Harvard community to reflect on what affirmative action means to them, and the impact that the initiative’s looming downfall could have on our campus.

The staff editorials below solely represent the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

The Post-Affirmative Action Plan Must Keep Diversity

Affirmative Loss

T

T

his Halloween seemed to feature more tricks than treats: On October 31st, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on affirmative action lawsuits brought by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. It felt like the beginning of the end — a death knell for Harvard, and for higher education more broadly, as we know it.

Facing the likely end of race-conscious admissions, we cannot stress enough the importance of such policies in shaping Harvard’s campus — one we cherish as a socially and intellectually vibrant community, enlivened by connections that span every dimension of culture, experience, history, and identity. But beyond the significance of diversity on a college campus, and given the long and ugly history of racial oppression in the United States, institutional commitments to racial equity are also integral to our conception of a just society.

If the court refuses to recognize the importance of race-conscious college admissions, it will set the nation down a dangerous path.

After centuries of racially unequal treatment, in a farcical twist, the U.S. is poised to mobilize the de jure equality of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment against the de facto equality of Black people — the work of a court majority that stands for justice in name but not in spirit. This uncautious longing for color blindness continues a troubling threat found decades ago in the Grutter v. Bollinger decision, which famously proclaimed that affirmative action would no longer be necessary after 25 years, laughably supplanting any serious assessment of material conditions of racial equity with what amounts to the prophesying of majority-white jurists.

Even on narrowly originalist grounds, the court’s majority dispenses too readily with the persuasive argument that the 14th Amendment was not made to be color-blind. As Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 related in the context of another case, the 14th Amendment is a Reconstruction Amendment, passed in response to the end of an explicitly racial system of subjugation and meant to sweep the vestiges of that system into the annals of history. To borrow from Justice Jackson: “That’s not a race-neutral or race-blind idea.”

But since the 14th Amendment seems unlikely to stop a court that has already proven a tendency to deviate from precedent in egregious ways, Harvard has to respond decisively. This is the challenge of a generation for our university — the kind that will define its character for decades. Nothing will fill the vacuum left behind by the collapse of race-conscious admissions, but that’s no excuse for policy-void resignation; our institution cannot

allow its next chapter to be written in monochromatic ink. The collapse of affirmative action must be met with righteous anger and a renewed commitment to diversity — not with an empty, subdued shrug.

We call on Harvard, for the sake of its students and veritas alike, to meet the moment with all the resources at its disposal.

First, we implore Harvard to initiate a bottom-up rethink of its admissions process — one aimed at developing new ways to preserve its racial and ethnic diversity. The University should work with its world-class scholars in African American Studies, Economics, Sociology, Statistics, and beyond to develop a new range of admissions metrics able to achieve diversity of all kinds in its freshman class (Raj Chetty comes to mind). Racial affirmative action is necessary because Black people face unique challenges across countless dimensions of American life. Surely Harvard can find novel, intelligent ways to quantify this reality for assessment in the admissions process.

Even as broader race-conscious admissions come under fire, Harvard should consider taking a narrower, lineage-based approach by accounting for those with direct descent from enslaved Americans. Such a proposal, supported by scholars like Nikole Hannah-Jones, would expand the population of generationally African-American students at Harvard — a group whose vast underrepresentation on our campus is concerning not least due to Harvard’s still-emerging history of deep ties to American slavery.

The University’s rethink must also occur at a broader level: Even as it has gradually, begrudgingly diversified across some dimensions, at no point since its inception has our University been economically diverse. No matter how many times we repeat them, the numbers continue to shock us: Nearly 15 times as many of our classmates come from the top 20 percent of the income distribution (67 percent) as the bottom 20 percent (4.5 percent); just 1.8 percent of Harvard students start life poor and end it rich.

It is a sad irony that a school hallowed for its transformative, world-changing potential hardly ever transforms the material conditions of its students — all because of who is able to make it through the front door. For decades, elite schools have been bastions of generational wealth and elite power. Now, the impending end of affirmative action threatens to put the racial character of this power differential in stark terms.

Consider various metrics for the concentration of poverty. Owing to America’s history of racial oppression, one analysis found that 16 percent of

Black people live in high-poverty areas versus just 4 percent of white people. Another informative metric is secondary school quality: Because local property taxes substantially fund American public schools, areas of concentrated poverty are also often areas without access to high-quality public education. Unsurprisingly, these tend also to be disproportionately Black areas — the ongoing effects of residential segregation mean that poor Black children are about 30 percent more likely to attend high-poverty schools than their poor white peers.

Post-affirmative action, Harvard must rethink more than just the evaluative phase of its admissions process. It is high time for the College to think about who applies in the first place — to double down on efforts to recruit applicants from marginalized backgrounds. Studies show that a majority of low-income students “undermatch,” or attend a college less selective than their qualifications would likely allow, with much of this effect seemingly resulting from limited information about what these schools are like and how to best apply.

Relatively low-cost information-based interventions like help with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid can have substantial impacts on college outcomes.

It is also insufficient to simply admit a diverse class without being prepared to support them. As we wait for the drop of the gavel, the College must prepare for the sharp increase in socioeconomic diversity that alternatives to racial affirmative action will likely occasion. wShould these alternatives to race-conscious admissions be implemented as we hope, the Harvard of five years from now may feature many more students from under-resourced schools than at any point in its history. Accordingly, the University must be ready to engage in the careful, evidence-driven planning and massive resource commitments that may be necessary to ensure that students from all backgrounds are equally able to avail themselves of the opportunities promised by a Harvard education.

Our community is beautiful, technicolor-brilliant — our hearts ache at the thought that it might fade before our eyes.

Firmly convinced of the value of diversity, we hold that there is no price too great to pay to stop this regression.

Harvard should and must be willing to marshall all its experts, explore every conceivable metric, consider any possible program, and, at last, come face-to-face with the economic injustice it has always tolerated.

Harvard has a choice. It can be racially and economically diverse. Or it can be neither.

Devine A. Bauman ’24 and Ben H. Hogewood ’23, pictured at the Smith Campus Center, share their reflections on the impending downfall of Affirmative Action with photographer Dumebi M. Adigwe ’23. “Beyond historical injustices, the present system of determining an applicant’s worth relies heavily on instruments and institutions created in and for a white supremacist culture,” Hogewood said. DUMEBI N. ADIGWE ’23 — CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

his Monday came as preface — a glimpse into the undoing of decades’ worth of progress and effort, into the undoing of entire communities and the further marginalization of the historically hurt. A teaser for a new, darker future in American higher education.

Race-conscious admissions, the pillar upon which our flourishing, diverse campus was built, had what might be its swan song. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the affirmative action cases against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The plaintiff in both cases, Students for Fair Admission, led by conservative legal strategist (and not-a-lawyer) Edward J. Blum, is suing Harvard and UNC for their race-conscious admissions policies in attempts to overturn nearly 40 years of precedent institutionalizing affirmative action in the United States. If SFFA wins – and given the court’s increasingly reliable and irresponsible conservative majority, it probably will – Harvard’s efforts to create a racially-diverse student body will quickly unravel.

The College’s mission of educating citizens and citizen leaders of our society demands a genuine and dedicated commitment to fostering a diverse campus. A campus without diversity cannot accurately reflect current American or global communities; a school that fails to reflect its surrounding society cannot simultaneously expect to lead it. Without eclectic perspectives that stem from a diversity of experiences, academic discussions will fall victim to the tyranny of theory, flattening subjects such as African and African American Studies into imagined problems at the service of abstract intellectual explorations. The study of ethnic studies is not an arbitrary academic exercise, and nor should students of color and their lived experiences be dehumanized and commodified for the sake of educational enrichment.

The effects of a less diverse campus will linger well after graduation. A Harvard education is nothing if not a door-opener. Our freshly minted degrees are a priceless asset in the eyes of many employers and graduate schools, with many prioritizing candidates from Harvard and similar institutions during recruitment. In other words, being on Harvard’s campus affords disadvantaged students not only a wealth of educational resources but also a paths to brighter (professionally and financially) futures as well. Making Harvard less diverse will have socioeconomic ramifications writ large, reinforcing and exacerbating preexisting racial inequities.

At its core, the elimination of affirmative action suggests that we as a nation have moved past the need for race consciousness — that we have, within two years of the death of George Floyd, in a state with heavily segregated public schools, vanquished racial inequity in education and thus affirmative action is no longer necessary. That the individuals we entrust with the lifetime power to uphold our laws and constitutional order could show such a profound ignorance of our country’s history and present, that they could parrot rhetoric so separate from our social realities, is beyond disturbing.

We shouldn’t have to point out the aggressively self-evident living legacy racism in this nation, anymore than we shouldn’t have to explain the myriad of ways in which it will only be worsened by ending affirmative action. Affirmative action, although imperfect, can challenge our tendency toward racial prejudice. Yet tragically as a result of said social tendencies toward racial prejudice, it may sow strong feelings of doubt in those that benefit from the practice. Even if affirmative action remains, Black, Latine, and Indigenous people may still doubt their place at institutions such as Harvard, whether they earned their place or were simply accepted to make a larger argument with no regard to their individual experiences and futures. But without affirmative action, they may not even have the opportunity to ask that question. Diversity, frequently lauded as one of the core benefits of affirmative action, is not just important from a pedagogical perspective. It creates safe spaces for students of color, providing them with necessary affirmation and celebration of their existence and right to belong at elite and historically exclusionary institutions such as Harvard. For Generational African-Americans, who have been estimated at only 10 percent of the Black population at Harvard, the need for supportive communities is especially dire given the nation’s long history of oppression and disenfranchisement. The ending of affirmative action, as such, poses a great threat to these essential, underserved communities and may sharply decrease their already low representation of them on campus. These communities musn’t be ravaged without a fight. For that, we commend the students who have sacrificed their time to organize rallies and traveled to Washington D.C. to fight for our campus and peers. On Harvard’s campus and beyond, we appreciate the efforts of those initiating echo rallies and encourage our faculty members to be accommodating of students at this time.

Finally, to all our peers from underrepresented backgrounds, and to all of those for which these highly abstract legal debates feel painfully tangible: You undoubdetly belong here. Not just as an admissions story, not just as a nice statistic for our college, but as multifaceted individuals deserving of growth and community. It’s tempting, at times like these, to compare oneself to students who have come from immense wealth and privilege — those who have taken easier paths like the Z-list and legacy admissions — and feel defeated.

But our campus is made so much better by your presence here. Of that, if of nothing else, we have unyielding certainty.

EDITORIAL

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

9

OP-ED

Without You, Nothing Will Change

BY EVAN J. MANDERY

O

n October 26, 1963, John F. Kennedy made a quick trip to break ground on the Robert Frost Library at Amherst College, where the poet had taught for over 40 years. Frost had been an early supporter of Kennedy’s presidential campaign and had delivered a poem at his inauguration.

Seemingly reminded of the poet’s advice to “be more Irish than Harvard,” Kennedy proclaimed, “Privilege is here, and with privilege goes responsibility.” At the time Kennedy spoke those words, he pointed out that the majority of private college students came from the nation’s wealthiest 10 percent, and income inequality had become extreme.

“There is inherited wealth in this country,” JFK said, “and also inherited poverty.”

Kennedy drew a direct connection between this data and Frost’s life’s work. “The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness,” he said, “but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable.”

Kennedy then issued a challenge, which many of the students present recall as a transformative moment in their life: “Unless the graduates of this college and other colleges like it who are given a running start in life — unless they are willing to put back into our society those talents, the broad sympathy, the understanding, the compassion — into the service of the Great Republic, then obviously the presuppositions upon which our democracy are based are bound to be fallible.”

Some regarded it as the best speech of Kennedy’s career.

It was also one of the last.

Nearly 60 years later, the U.S. has made only limited progress in combating structural poverty and has seen inequality skyrocket. Elite colleges haven’t made any progress either — they remain the domain of the rich. Thirty-eight American colleges admit more students from the top 1 percent than the bottom 60 percent. At Harvard, more students come from families making over $500,000 per year than under $40,000.

(For comparison, at The City University of New York, where I teach, 60 percent of students come from families earning less than $30,000 annually).

The race data is no better. Overall, the Black population at elite colleges hasn’t significantly increased since the 1980s.

This is no accident, but rather the predictable consequence of conscious choices in admissions mechanisms, which have been laid bare by Students for Fair Admissions’ ongoing lawsuit against Harvard. At trial, SFFA’s expert witness, Richard Kahlenberg, testified to a race-neutral means by which Harvard could boost both socioeconomic and racial diversity: ending the admissions preference it gives to ALDCs — athletes and the children of alumni, donors, and faculty.

About 30 percent of Harvard students fall into this category including approximately 43 percent of white students. And ALDC tips are significant: The admit rate into Harvard’s freshman classes for 2014 through 2019 averaged merely 5.8 percent, but according to data produced in SFFA’s case, the College accepted nearly 34 percent of legacy ap-

plicants, 47 percent of faculty kids, and 86 percent of recruited athletes. Harvard’s own analysis indicates that the difference in admission rates between whites and Asians could be explained almost entirely by ALDC preferences.

Alas, Harvard said that ending ALDC tips would jeopardize important institutional interests. The U.S. District Court judge, a graduate of Middlebury College and University of Pennsylvania Law School, bought Harvard’s argument, though the University offered relatively weak evidentiary support for its claims. Harvard could have boosted diversity through other race-neutral mechanisms, such as expanding the size of its class or admitting some students on the basis of high school class rank. Instead, it doubled down on the status quo.

Now, it is overwhelmingly likely that the Supreme Court will end affirmative action. If it does, let history remember that it will be in part because of Harvard’s steadfast commitment to affirmative action for affluent whites.

Tempting as it may be to dwell on the data, I want to focus instead on the audience to whom Kennedy chose to deliver his message. Since the premature death of his son Patrick, JFK had traveled little beyond visits to his family compound in Cape Cod. For him to venture to Amherst, it must have seemed important to Kennedy that he deliver his message to whom he did.

It does to me too.

If you’re reading this in The Crimson, listen: Without you, nothing will change.

Universities are unlikely to change on their own. One of the most painful lessons of my book,

“Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us,” is that college faculty and leaders tend to fall prey to the basic human tendencies to justify the system to which they belong and to believe that the world operates meritocratically.

If there is hope, it lies with you. But that hope is real.

College students have shaped the national agenda on the Vietnam War, divestment from South Africa, and criminal justice reform. Ultimately, colleges and universities are communities of students, faculty, and alumni. Change may not happen overnight, but it is possible.

So I call upon you to join in a great rethinking of college as we’ve known it. Of the 100 largest American nonprofits, twenty-six are a college, a university, or an affiliated corporation. Combined, these schools control nearly half-a-trillion dollars in assets. That’s about twice the gold bullion reserves in Fort Knox. Harvard’s endowment alone is worth about $51 billion.

Whether race-based affirmative action ends or not, it’s time for you to demand that universities’ fortunes — amassed with tax breaks worth as much as $20 billion per year — be used as an instrument of class mobilization, not stratification.

To fuel the American Dream rather than to thwart it.

Because, as President Kennedy asked: If not you, who? If not now, when?

Evan J. Mandery graduated from Harvard College in 1989 and Harvard Law School in 1992, and is currently a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

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OP-ED

OP-ED

End Legacy Admissions

BY MARISSA LI

A

s a Harvard student, I recognize that I’m only here because the College has grown more diverse. The institution that primarily served wealthy, white, male Boston Brahmins in the 19th century has today opened its doors to people of all classes, races, genders, sexualities, nationalities, religions, and more.

Seeing the diversity amongst my classmates gives me pride while walking through campus.

All college campuses and workplaces should strive for diversity: Diverse perspectives, stemming from diverse experiences, enrich our conversations and work.

However, as it currently stands, affirmative action centered around race seems too blunt a mechanism to completely and respectfully consider the unique backgrounds and resources of individual applicants. For example, an analysis found that Asian Americans consistently receive lower personality ratings than all other racial groups. This dispreference disregards the heterogeneity present in the Asian American community, which encapsulates vast multicultural and multiethnic backgrounds stretching across the world’s largest continent, as well as the greatest income inequality amongst racial groups in the United States. This overlooking of economic background for the more general consideration of race is not unique to Asian American applicants. The tips given by our race-conscious affirmative action system seem to primarily benefit well-off minorities, with 71 percent of Black and Hispanic students at Harvard coming from college-educated homes with incomes above the national median.

I don’t contest the existence of structural racism in the United States. However, social science research suggests that it is economic segregation, not racial, that explains the achievement gap between schools. It is in fact a result of structural racism that race and class are so tightly confounded. Socioeconomic diversity should be prioritized in college admissions because it can directly ground evaluations of merit, in considering an applicant’s achievements given the resources available to them. A Black student who grew up in the South Side of Chicago with an underfunded public education system will have a drastically different experience and capacity for achievement than a Black student who went to one of the top private schools in Hawaii.

Due to the relationship between race and economic status, this new income-based, race-neutral affirmative action system would still achieve significant racial diversity — while also eliminating extreme cases of unfair evaluation, such as a low-income Asian American or white applicant being penalized for not achieving as much as a wealthy underrepresented minority applicant.

Ultimately, such a conceptualization of merit

would allow Harvard to identify students who have outperformed despite limiting resources, an incredibly difficult and impressive endeavor, and to provide these students with significant resources to unlock their full potential.

Given this conception of merit, it is indefensible for legacy applicants to receive preferential treatment. These applicants, as the children of statistically high-earning Harvard graduates, already have massive advantages in the college admissions process, even before their legacy status is factored in. It is an open secret that Harvard gives preferential treatment towards applicants from families that have donated or will donate to Harvard, which Harvard may think is more likely for alumni. Legacies make up nearly half of the infamous backdoor acceptance Z-list. Their parents may have the funds to directly bribe officials at elite colleges to admit their children, such as in the Varsity Blues scandal. Clearly, these legacy applicants do not stand on an equal playing field with their peers, because of class advantages passed down from their parents.

Continuing to admit legacy applicants is one way in which Harvard’s admissions process has failed to cultivate socioeconomic diversity on campus. Low-income students regularly report feelings of alienation from their wealthier counterparts, as friendships often cleave along class lines. These lacking cross-class friendships could greatly boost socioeconomic mobility for low-income students. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our neighboring institution MIT does not consider legacy status in its admissions, and — unsurprisingly — exhibits more socioeconomic diversity and increased socioeconomic mobility compared to Harvard. Furthermore, MIT alumni donate more money and more frequently, on average, compared to Harvard alumni. It is entirely possible for Harvard to stop legacy admissions, with no negative repercussions to donations.

Removing legacy admissions would be the first step for Harvard in the necessary pursuit of socioeconomic diversity and merit as defined in the context of applicants’ resources. Finally, Harvard’s affirmative action system could align with American public opinion on the system, as well as social science research findings on the comparatively higher obstacles resulting from class than from race. Racial divisions invoked by arguments from Students for Fair Admissions can start to heal, as all economically disadvantaged peoples see that they are given due opportunity.

As Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “It is a simple matter of justice that America, in dealing creatively with the task of raising the Negro from backwardness, should also be rescuing a large stratum of the forgotten white poor.” I strive to live in an America where one may be born economically disadvantaged but ascend the socioeconomic ladder due to equal opportunity. After all, that’s what the American dream is all about.

Harvard can engineer this dream, by prioritizing socioeconomic diversity — and it all starts with ending legacy admissions.

Marissa Li ’24 is an Applied Math concentrator.

Affirmative Action is Not Enough

BY ANGIE GABEAU

“ E

We are failing a larger demographic of students who deserve the same educational opportunities as everyone else.

veryone, especially at Harvard, is anticipating the results of this week’s Supreme Court case regarding affirmative action in Harvard’s admissions. In the months to come, everything could potentially change about the demographic of students in higher education.

Students for Fair Admissions, the plantiff, is suing Harvard for alleged discrimination towards Asian American Students. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is currently partnering with many student organizations to influence the Court’s vote and strategize how to move forward after the outcome.

And, this past weekend, Harvard students traveled to Washington D.C. to defend our current admissions system. Needless to say, this decision will affect millions across the country.

We should not take this Supreme Court decision lightly. If affirmative action is struck from college admissions, the composition of Black college students is projected to be cut by over 50 percent. A world without race-based, class-based, and location-based admissions is a regressive society. Diversity in college admissions needs to be prioritized.

Yet saving affirmative action is only part of the solution. Though it is obviously important for college admissions, I see it as only a band-aid to a much larger issue in American education.

Colleges are not the only academic spaces that lack diversity. The reason why we need affirmative action in college admissions is the same reason we need equity movements in high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and preschools. Some students are not granted the opportunity to seek higher education because they are deprived of adequate educational resources at a younger age.

If marginalized students received access to adequate resources before entering college, then affirmative action would be less significant in college admissions. Black students are twice as likely to go to high-poverty schools. Going from a school with minimal resources to a school with time-consuming course loads, extracurriculars, and more is unreasonable. Students who benefit from affirmative action, and are allowed to enter into these elite spaces, are granted access too late.

There are students here that have to work twice

as hard as students who went to elite and private middle schools and high schools because they had half the experience. They do this in sacrifice of their mental and physical health. Although colleges should continue to have race-conscious admissions and give under-resourced students a chance, they should not be forced to experience these opportunities under such daunting conditions.

Why should our schooling system start making sense at the college level? Private schools, which have the ability to apply affirmative action in their admissions, should be the first to tackle this issue — but often fail to do so. Phillips Academy in Andover, arguably the best private high school in America, has a student population that is less than 7 percent Black.

Although our current affirmative action system is not applicable to public schools, it is important to not forget those students either. Over 20 percent of Boston public school students do not graduate at all, but once you take a 30-minute drive to Wellesley, nearly every student in the town graduates. Almost 90 percent of students in Boston public schools are students of color, and in Wellesley nearly 70 percent of the student population is white. There are drastic differences between schools that are only 30 minutes away from each other.

We need to fight for diversity and inclusion amongst all students, especially those who don’t have access to privatized and elite schools.

Schools can determine the fate and livelihood of the students who have little other choice but to enroll in them.

Our education system will remain broken if we don’t start paying proper attention and care to preschool students all the way up to students in higher education. Yes, we should be in support of keeping affirmative action here at Harvard and at other colleges and universities. But this is simply not enough. Affirmative action is a shallow solution to a much deeper issue in the American education system. We are failing a larger demographic of students who deserve the same educational opportunities as everyone else.

Angie Gabeau ’25, a Crimson Editorial Editor, lives in Winthrop House.

10

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

METRO

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

HUPD

Four Undergraduate Dorms Burglarized

Burglaries at 20 DeWolfe Street, Quincy House, and Adams House, Harvard undergraduate residences, were reported this past Saturday night.

LAST WEEKEND, three undergraduate dorms were robbed. Students reported stolen laptops and ipads.

BY BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­H

arvard College saw four burglaries — striking two units in Quincy House, a third in Adams House, and a fourth at 20 DeWolfe St. — over the Halloween weekend.

Students reported stolen laptops, tablets, and other belongings after a series of burglaries late Friday night and early Saturday morning, the Harvard University Police Department announced in a campus advisory Saturday evening.

In all four cases, the students’ dorms were accessed through

unlocked or propped open doors, according to the HUPD advisory, which included a reminder for students to keep doors and windows locked at all times when not in their room.

Three of the burglaries took place while students were away from their dorms, the advisory noted, while in the fourth incident, a student reported seeing an unidentified male open their bedroom door.

This is the third cluster of burglaries to strike Harvard’s student residences this year. Five burglaries struck Harvard Yard in February and March, leading to the arrest of an individual suspected in three of the incidents.

In July, three more break-ins took place in the Yard, also leading to an arrest.

Sami E. Turner ’25, who lives in a suite in DeWolfe, said she

and her suitemates left their suite around 10 p.m. Friday night to attend a Halloween party and returned around 2 a.m., not noticing anything amiss.

But when she and her suitemate woke up early Saturday morning to complete a problem set, they found that their laptops and tablets had been stolen, along with several other belongings.

Turner, a Crimson design editor, said the items were worth more than $10,000.

“We don’t feel safe in our dorm anymore,” Turner said. “It’s just really unsettling that someone was able to get in — I don’t even sleep with the lights fully off right now.”

Turner’s roommate Amira Singh ’25 said the suite would usually prop the door open in case one of them lost the key.

Singh added that she was able

JOEY HUANG — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

to track the thief’s location to Boston University using her laptop’s location services. But she said when she reported this information to Boston Police, she was told that nothing could be done.

Quincy House resident Alexandra N. Wilson ’23-’24 and her four suitemates also woke up Saturday morning to discover that three laptops, a tablet, and more than $300 in cash had been stolen from their dorm.

Wilson, a Crimson sports editor, noted that prior to the incident, she and her roommates had been using a piece of tape to keep the door open and said she was told by HUPD not to expect her items back.

Singh said that the University has not sufficiently improved security in response to burglaries targeting students, adding that the thefts of personal devices im-

With Darwin’s Harvard Square Location to Close, Workers Rally at Owner’s House

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

­ he popular Boston-area coffee T chain Darwin’s Ltd. recently announced plans to close the store’s original Harvard Square location at the end of the month, which has prompted some workers to stage a protest at Cambridge City Hall on Sunday denouncing the move.

The Mount Auburn St. location is set to close its doors after 30 years this December, owners Steven and Isabel Darwin announced in an Instagram post on Oct. 26.

Darwin’s United — a union representing the chain’s employees — responded by organizing a protest at City Hall, where workers rallied on Sunday before gathering outside the Darwins’ Cambridge home.

“We have been offered no guarantees of jobs for those who want to stay, no guarantee that workers will have an income going into winter,” the union wrote in a Twitter statement.

“We will not back down, we will not take this,” the statement continued.

Mark Spires, general manager of the Harvard Square location, said the lease for the store ends on Dec. 1.

Spires said that the decision

seemed sudden. He added that Steven Darwin had been planning to lease long-term equipment for the store as of a month ago.

“I think he might not have actually realized until pretty recently that he’s going to make this decision,” Spires said.

The Sunday protest included members of several Boston-area labor organizations, including Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Automobile Workers and the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers.

Unions representing employees at other area coffee chains, including Starbucks and Pavement, also had members present.

At the rally, union members called on the Darwins to keep workers at the Harvard Square store employed if they wished to stay on and reiterated past demands for $24 per hour wages, three weeks paid time off, and zero-deductible healthcare for employees.

“We know that Steve has long been considering selling the business, but the timing really couldn’t be worse,” said Sam White, a Darwin’s United representative.

“We’re telling him to come back to the bargaining table and respond to our proposals,” they added.

A majority of workers at the four Darwin’s locations voted to

posed a significant financial burden. She added that HUPD had not been helpful so far.

“

We don’t feel safe in our dorm anymore. I don’t even sleep with the lights fully off right now.

Sami E. Turner ’25

“They haven’t really done anything to help us. We just had to sort of deal with it on our own,” Singh said. “Even though we have the location, they’d just be like, ‘Oh, you can call the area police.’”

HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano declined to comment on the story, citing a longstanding department policy to refrain from comment on active investi-

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

unionize in September 2021 and began negotiations with management for a new contract for workers. Since then, talks have stalled, according to White. In March, workers at all four locations staged a mid-morning walkout in order to raise pressure on the owners.

Alexandra C. Stanton, a member of the Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Automobile Workers, said she believed that the Darwins’ Harvard Square location’s closure is related to the union’s recent organization efforts.

“Doesn’t really seem like a coincidence to me,” Stanton said.

“It’s a tactic to potentially demoralize the workers and frighten them by threatening to take their jobs away,” she added.

Steven Darwin, the owner, did not respond to a request for com-

ment.

Spires said it was unlikely that all workers at the Harvard Square location would be laid off. However, some employees have already begun to search for new jobs, he said.

“I suspect that the last two weeks are going to be severely understaffed,” Spires said.

Jordan Coleman, a member of Darwin’s United, said in a speech at City Hall that ownership needed to show more compassion toward workers.

“Tonight, we’re going to Steve’s house,” Coleman said.

“I don’t begrudge him, his house, or pleasant life. It’s just the opposite: compassion demands that we fight so every worker can have the same,” he added. kate.delvalgonzalez@thecrimson.com brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com

brandon.kingdollar@thecrimson.com

BPDA Discusses Life Science Campus

BY DANISH BAJWA

Darwins’ workers gather at Cambridge City Hall to protest location closure. BRANDON L. KINGDOLLAR — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

gations.

Turner said she thinks 20 DeWolfe St. needs stronger security measures to prevent unauthorized entry, noting that elevator and stairwell access does not require a keycard.

The University declined a request for comment.

While recommending caution, HUPD noted in its advisory that burglaries of student residences are relatively uncommon.

The department’s annual security report cited 16 burglaries on Harvard’s Cambridge campus in 2021.

According to the HUPD advisory, all four incidents remain under investigation. The department has yet not determined whether the burglaries are connected.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency discussed the construction of a life science campus along 155 North Beacon St. with Allston-Brighton residents and the Impact Advisory Group during a Tuesday webinar.

The planned redevelopment of North Beacon Street consists of constructing a life science campus with three buildings, including affordable rehearsal space as well as publicly accessible green space. The project will also realign Life Street and add pedestrian and bicyclist safety measures.

The project site measures 3.1 acres, with the three multi-story life science buildings.

During the webinar, James Blount — the project architect — emphasized that the color palettes, materials, and heights of the new buildings will correspond with the pre-existing properties along Beacon Street in order to preserve the “scale and character” of the area.

While the proposed buildings will house a “significant amount of life science space,” they will also offer space for Allston-Brighton residents, according to Blount.

The lobbies of the life science buildings are also intended to host artistic displays, communi-

ty events, and public restrooms.

The project contains roughly 27,000 square feet of publicly accessible green space. In designing the space, landscape architect Jay Emperor said he aimed to create a park evoking “playfulness,” “exploration,” and “discovery.”

A spiral, granite seawall will stand at the park’s center so visitors can partake in numerous activities, Emperor added.

Impact Advisory Group members said they supported plans for the campus but hoped it will include public internet access.

“I like the work on the park. I think having internet out there is real important whether it’s through the city or through your building,” John Bligh said. “I think it makes it more usable.”

Finally, the project on Beacon Street aims to realign Life Street, which currently intersects with North Beacon Street at an “oblique,” “non-standard” angle, said transportation permitting manager Elizabeth Peart.

“One of the first things we heard from the city was, ‘We would really like to see Life Street realigned,’” she said.

In response, the BPDA plans to standardize the angle at which Life Street intersects Beacon Street and “install new equipment and new pavement markings,” Peart said.­ danish.bajwa@thecrimson.com

11

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

ARTS MUSIC

BY NINA M. FOSTER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

T “

This is by far the b i g g e s t show we’ve ever played in Boston,” Brandi Carlile said as she greeted the roaring crowd of TD Garden.

“It’s utterly surreal.”

The experience was surreal for the audience, too. Carlile, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter from Washington state, made it easy to forget that anything existed outside of the arena. She is one of the most phenomenal artists on tour this year, guaranteed to deliver captivating performances, entertaining stories, talented guests, and vocals that sound even better live than on record.

Brittany Howard, lead vocalist and guitarist of Alabama Shakes, opened the concert with songs from her debut solo album “Jaime.”

She alternated between sweet, mellow tunes that had the audience swaying with their loved ones and bold, high-energy performances amplified by shredding guitar, dancing, and passionate lyrics about unity and strength.

Howard was the perfect opening act — an invigorating presence whose mind-blowing voice made attending the concert worthwhile long before Carlile took the stage.

After a brief intermission, identical twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth — whom Carlile has been performing with for almost two decades — restored the energy

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

with an electric guitar medley of crowd-pleasers like “The Final Countdown.”

When they transitioned into the “Broken Horses” intro, Carlile triumphantly walked onstage in her sparkly suit and jumped into the song that set a bright tone for the rest of the concert. Leading the setlist with 2021’s “Broken Horses” was a brilliant decision; the powerful song showcased Carlile’s astounding vocal range and trademark rock with a touch of country twang.

What followed was a dynamic, multi-genre blend of exhilaration and tenderness. Carlile navigated between pared back, folky tunes like “The Mother” and complex rock songs that required the entirety of her band. With or without backup, her stage presence was undeniable; she was just as enchanting alone with a piano as she was interacting with her fellow musicians. In her standout performance of “Right on Time,” the first track on her 2021 album “In These Silent Days,” Carlile put her vocal control on full display, belting with an even vibrato that evoked cheers from the crowd at the end of every long note. This control allowed her to create ethereal harmonies with her band and guest performers, particularly with the Hanseroth twins. It comes as no surprise that after almost 20 years of performing together, the three voices can merge effortlessly to become one cohesive sound.

Carlile performed

Brandi Carlile Concert : ‘The

Story’ of Success at TD Garden SAMUEL M. BENNETT — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

“Carlile is more than just a singer: She is a storyteller, through lyrics and the spoken word. Between songs, Carlile became more of a friend than a celebrity.”

Samuel M. Bennett — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

others’ music just as well as her own. She paid homage to David Bowie and Radiohead with performances of “Space Oddity” and “Creep” that would have made the creators proud. She captured the intensity of the original songs, but her down-toearth personality and smooth vocals brought a unique warmth to her renditions.

Although she shone onstage, Carlile was not always the center of attention. She frequently paused to praise her backup singers and musicians — and for good reason. Her band covered the typical drum kit, guitar, bass, and keyboard, with the unique addition of violin, viola, cello, and less conventional percussion instruments such as a shekere. The instrumental variety added a beautiful depth to songs, and Carlile made sure to spotlight their artistry.

In “Sinners, Saints and Fools,” for instance, the string quartet is crucial in the song’s climax, an organized chaos driven by the quick and forceful playing of their instruments.

Carlile also featured guest performers throughout the show, including Celisse, Allison Russell, and Brittany Howard. The duet with Howard, a cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World,” was one of the most unforgettable moments of the night, a collaboration between two powerhouses.

Carlile is more than just a singer: She is a storyteller, through lyrics and the spoken word.

Between songs, Carlile became more of a friend than a celebrity. She let the audience in on a few

stories, including a hilarious recount of the late legend John Prine telling her, “Don’t worry about dropping the baby; it won’t be the last time.” Her words also grappled with more serious subject matter, including marriage equality, gun violence, and reproductive rights.

With an anecdote about getting married to her wife in Massachusetts came a reminder about the importance of accepting people as they are. Carlile made every audience member feel welcome, advocating for love, compassion, and progress toward a better future.

The concert ended with a solo performance of “Over the Rainbow.”

Carlile kept it simple: She stood with an acoustic guitar, strumming and singing softly as the screen behind her boasted the rainbow colors of pride. Despite its simplicity, the act was rich with meaning; it called to mind the themes of love and hope that arose over the course of the concert and reminded the audience of Carlile’s excellence. With nothing more than a guitar in hand, Carlile left thousands in awe of her character and her voice.

Leaving the glow of TD Garden on Oct. 21, it became clear that Carlile’s concert was the perfect escape. Every performance radiated energy and inclusivity. A testament to her talent was the lack of phone screens held up in the audience. Viewers snapped the occasional photo or video, but Carlile’s presence was such a gift that to watch through a screen would have been a waste.

Samuel M. Bennett — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

The Harvard College Stand-Up Comic Society Strives for Openness, Embraces the Silliness

BY DYLAN R. RAGAS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hile Claire K. Yoo ’23 and Charlotte J. Daniels ’23 want to make sure that one point is on record: Their “dream is to make people happy.”

For them, the way to achieve their dream is through the Harvard College Stand-up Comic Society (commonly referred to as HCSUCS, and jokingly pronounced “HC sucks”) — an open community of stand-up comedians who host regular performances, jam sessions, and workshops. HCSUCS is open to everyone, and provides a space for anyone who is interested in stand-up to stop by, listen, or, as Yoo puts it, “riff, as the industry lingo goes…”

Yoo and Daniels, who served as co-presidents for the previous calendar year, both found HCSUCS early on in their Harvard experience. “I had no intention of doing stand-up comedy before college,” Yoo said. However, upon meeting Daniels through an improv group, she was convinced to try it out. “And so I went to a meeting. And it was just a spiral effect.

It’s just so fun to be around fun-

ny people for an hour and a half every week, and just be silly,” she said.

Yoo has continued with standup ever since. As Daniels put it, “Now she’s a star. One of the brightest.”

Daniels also attended an early HCSUCS meeting in her freshman year, but was easily convinced to come back. “It was super awkward for me, but I just thought, ‘oh my God,’ all these people are so funny. They’re so cool and attractive. Everyone was so hot, and so I thought, ‘gotta come back,’” she said.

Current co-presidents, Ian S. Kimbell ’23 and Dylan R. Roy ’23, joined HCSUCS because they wanted to continue their involvement in comedy, but in a different way than in high school. “I liked the idea of doing stand-up for a while, but I’m from Indiana.

There’s not much to do with that.

But I did speech competitions in high school, and so I put some jokes in there,” Kimbell said. “I wanted to do a pure joke. And so I got here and saw that this club existed. So that’s how I joined.”

When Roy heard about the stand-up club in his freshman fall, he jumped ship from more theatrical-based organizations and joined, too.

A main attraction of HCSUCS

for both sets of co-presidents was its inclusivity. “We know what it feels like to be part of a very small, maybe difficult to join part of comedy,” Yoo said. “A big part of what’s so great about stand-up is that it really is truly open to everyone.”

“There’s no audition, no nothing,” Kimbell added. “So you can come in. And once you come to your first meeting, you’re on the same level, you can sign up to pitch as much material as anyone else.” HCSUCS hosts about two shows per month, and is committed to incorporating new voices into all performances. “We had the ‘Fresh Faces’ show recently, which is a yearly show, where we get people who are new to standup. So whether they’re freshmen or seniors or even grad students, just try their hand at stand-up,” Roy said. “A lot of people who go have a really good time.

HCSUCS’s emphasis on being an open club has a large impact on the overall community and satisfaction of its members.

“These are all people who are here in this room together every week, because we just enjoy laughing and being silly,” Yoo said. “And when you have that as the mission statement of a group, then it’s just gonna be fun, and supportive, and you’re never gon-

na feel like, ‘Oh, am I stupid?’ Because everyone’s stupid, we’re all stupid.”

The fun is not supposed to be limited to the members. A connection with the audience and the ability to engage them is crucial. “It’s always been fun to perform here. Harvard’s just like a serious place. Most people at Harvard want to laugh at some point,” Yoo said.

Although the group has had

many fun performances and club meetings, there are moments that clearly stand out.

“One thing that I did last year was a normal stand-up, but with the central concept, that one of my hands was stuck in a peanut butter jar,” Kimbell said, to his and Roy’s laughter. “It was very funny. I later revealed that my other hand was stuck in a jar of wipes. And then at the end I revealed that my leg was stuck in a

COURTESY OF THE HARVARD COLLEGE STAND-UP COMIC SOCIETY

jar of cheese balls.”

Daniels’s favorite performance took place during the Quad show.

“One of the specific jokes that I had just written like 20 minutes before got a really big laugh.

And I was so happy. It was just so nice that something that I had just written made people happy,” Daniels said. “I guess that’s the

ARTS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

CULTURE

12

TV

Derry Girls Season Three: Triumph Through Troubles

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

BY SERENA JAMPEL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

NETFLIX — COURTESY IMAGE

COURTESY OF JULIET JACKSON

Miles Bonsignore of Try Guys Fame Has a New, Perfect Podcast

BY STELLA A. GILBERT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M

iles M. Bonsignore wants you to break up with your boyfriend.

While he envisions himself, a couple of years down the line, looking out across a vast floor of telemarketers in a full call center dedicated to curating advice requests for him to answer on air in his hit podcast, for now, Bonsignore will settle for his oneman operation — answering calls on set with his freelance sidekick Will Witwer and giving advice to his podcast listeners.

As the podcast producer for the Try Guys, Bonsignore has worked on podcasts professionally for years. He’s even hosted a couple of episodes of his own “very bad podcasts that just were not good” in the past. As a result, he’s collected quite a bit of experience to apply to his newest endeavor: The Perfect Person Podcast, a comedy advice show where Bonsignore answers audience call-in advice requests with the goal of helping his listeners “achieve maximum perfection.”

“It was kind of easier than I thought it would be to start,” said Bonsignore. “I was doing the Mr. Miyagi ‘I was doing the training all along to start my own podcast’ thing.”

Comedy advice podcasting is a unique genre, but Bonsignore believes the work he does helps people beyond pure entertainment.

“Oftentimes girls call asking whether to break up with their boyfriends. And the answer is always to definitely break up,” Bonsignore said. “People are just calling for permission, usually.

People know the answer to the advice question that they’re asking for.”

Bonsignore grinned, “And you can quote me on that, because it’s just a flawless sentence: ‘People know the answer to the advice question you’re asking for.’”

He paused — “That’s good for the Crimson. That’s gonna be front page news.”

Bonsignore’s comedic tone is unapologetically hyper-confident but also appears genuinely passionate. In nearly the same breath, he gives advice to take bubble baths and sensitively unpacks grief and loss.

Bonsignore cites Ben Schwartz, Jake and Amir of “CollegeHumor,” Drew and Enya of the “Emergency Intercom” podcast, and Ziwe as some contemporary comedians he admires.

“I think that the way that I talk is fully ripped off of maybe 15 comedians that I really, really loved growing up, and then was trying to love their humor while writing my own stuff and adding my take,” he said. But in “Perfect Person,” Bonsignore pairs this conglomerated humor with real vulnerability, creating a project worth more than mere advice delivery.

“I went through a lot of crazy stuff in my life. And I want to share that in an effort to make people feel seen, not in an effort to gain sympathy,” Bonsignore sighed. “Sharing can be weird because it’s obviously performative to share anything on the Internet.

But by sharing things, hopefully, if you’re being real about it, you are connecting with people.”

Bonsignore knows quite a bit about being real. In his end-ofshow segment called “Get Real,” he plays somber classical music and bombards his guests with a

series of highly personal questions such as “When was the last time you cried?” Although answers from guests can begin as fairly stilted and inauthentic, the segment invariably morphs into a genuinely hilarious dive into refreshing vulnerability.

“Comedy that’s vulnerable generally has stakes to it. People call my show about grief, for example, something that I’ve experienced a lot. And I feel like that makes me feel closer to them,” Bonsignore said. “If everyone’s being vulnerable, you’re able to have an inside joke with a huge amount of people. Sometimes they’re worse and sometimes they’re better, but generally, we all have similar problems.”

Bonsignore’s current career is a product of a uniquely internet-driven job trajectory. In college he majored in dramatic art and media production and minored in screenwriting, always wanting to be a performer but hesitant to pursue the typical rejection-lined path of auditions.

“I just thought if I learned enough stuff, then they can’t say no to me,” said Bonsignore.

He spent some time behind the camera at BuzzFeed before being hired by the Try Guys as they started their own production company. He first decided to pitch a podcast to the Try Guys after returning from his hernia surgery leave.

“I was worried that I was falling behind so I just kind of presented all these spreadsheets that I don’t even know what they meant and I said ‘what if we do a podcast?’” said Bonsignore, throwing his hands up with a shrug. “And the guys said to go for it.”

While working on the TryPod and several other podcasts for

the company, Bonsignore transitioned from only producing content to having a heavier speaking role in the podcast, making a seamless transition from off-camera to on.

“The great magic trick of my career is that I always wanted this,” he said.

Bonsignore’s performance persona has truly blossomed with the release of “Perfect Person” and his renewed focus on independent projects.

“I feel so lucky that I get to do this. And I don’t have to make copies for someone who’s mad at me for not ordering lunch correctly anymore,” Bonsignore said.

While Bonsignore is still busy — “I’m a busy little boy,” he says — his days are now filled with solo projects, collaborations with other creators, and a day job with the Try Guys.

When asked if he had any advice specifically for the Crimson readers out there — “So you’re saying I have a mouthpiece to the Ivy League elite at this point?”— Bonsignore delivered a few key points.

“Worry less — a hard thing to pull off but just try. Take a deep breath. And take a bubble bath!”

After finding out that most Harvard dorms do not contain bathtubs, Bonsignore sighed.

“You know, you see ‘The Social Network’ and you think they’ve got everything, but then no bathtubs. That’s a problem.”w Lastly, Bonsignore returned to his typical blend of humor and blunt sincerity to deliver a final piece of advice to the Crimson readers: “Just be nice to each other, baby!”

­To the delight of fans worldwide, Netflix released the third and final season of cult classic “Derry Girls” on Oct. 7. The show, created by Lisa McGhee, explores the tumultuous connection between two explosive conflicts: the final years of the Troubles, a decades-long period of violence and partisanship in Northern Ireland, and the drama of navigating high school.

By Season Three, the “girls,” a squad that actually includes one boy, James (Dylan Llewellyn) have found their footing at Our Lady Immaculate College, and their various hijinks, foiled by an equally funny set of parents and relatives, are more ridiculous and entertaining than ever.

Fans of the show will recognize the signature blisteringly witty dialogue, punctuated by the musical Northern Irish accent and liberal use of slang and curse words. Each 25-minute episode contains its own neat plot: This season’s adventures include a trip to the beach, a Spice Girls dance performance, and a night in a “haunted” house. The jokes are relentless and fresh, as each sticky situation is resolved with heart and humor. Season Three also brings burgeoning romance, innovative pranks, a heist, and some more serious scenes exploring loss and grief.

The stories and motivations of the squad’s parents get fleshed out more, particularly Mary’s (Tara Lynn O’Neill) desire to go back to school and Grandpa Joe’s (Ian McElhinney) hopes for the future. One of the central triumphs of “Derry Girls” is its success as an intergenerational family comedy that gives each character, including the non-verbal baby Anna (Ava Grace McAaleese), a moment to shine. The cast is dynamic and convincing in both their dysfunction and their love, making the show all the more heartwarming and hilarious.

As with any family, they learn to love and accept each other, even as they grow and change.

This season develops LGBTQ themes following Clare’s (Nicola Coughlan, “Bridgerton”) coming out to Erin (Saorise-Monica Jackson) as “a wee lesbian” in Season 1. At last, Clare gets

her long-awaited romance, and with the cameo of gay Canadian cousin Rob (Alex Gaumond) in a poignant flashback episode featuring the parents in their high school years, we see the fumbling, loving acceptance that has contributed to this show’s popularity.

Overall a highly successful season, there are certainly moments that drag and jokes that don’t always land. Halfway through the new season, the quips begin to exhaust and the endless antics start to feel tropey and trite. But just when the show becomes a little too comfortable in its schemes, real-world anxieties leak through the bouncy ’90s facade, giving it an uncompromising realness and urgency.

The final episode, set one year after the events of the rest of the season, follows the characters as they prepare to vote in the Good Friday Referendum, an agreement that would change the course of Northern Irish history and put an end to the decades of violence and political unrest. In perhaps the most dramatic and emotionally complex moment of the show’s three seasons, Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and Erin argue over the terms of the referendum, which would release Michelle’s brother, who was implicated in a murder during a protest, from prison. The girls wrestle with reconciliation, and Michelle, usually brash and confident, tearfully concedes, “there’s no answer to any of this, is there?”

Indeed, the beauty of “Derry Girls” is that it never tries to find an answer. Instead, its three seasons have captivated viewers with stories of bold, anxious, hilarious, awkward, and earnest teens as they experience the messed-up, beautiful world around them. The show is unquestionably specific, from the costumes to the slang to the accents, yet universal and perfectly relatable. It is the best parts of a historical drama and a sitcom all rolled into one. In America in 2022, partisan violence and the struggles of compromise aren’t that hard to imagine. Having tackled themes that feel more relevant than ever, “Derry Girls” ends with optimism and hope: Even in difficult times, life goes on.

From the Boston Book Festival: Patrick Radden Keefe on Storytelling and Morality

BY ASHER J. MONTGOMERY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

An audience filled up the pews in the Old South Church in Copley Square on Friday evening to attend a talk by author, journalist and headliner of the Boston Book Festival Patrick Radden Keefe.

Keefe is a writer for the New Yorker and the author of several best-selling books, including “Empire of Pain’ and “Say Nothing.” At the talk in the Old South Church, he focused mostly on his new book, “Rogue: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks,” an anthology of twelve stories of Keefe’s published over the last decade in the New Yorker.

At the start of the event, Deborah Z. Porter, founder of the Boston Book Festival, welcomed the first in-person audience since 2019 and introduced Keefe onto the stage.

“It feels a little like the first one ever, where we don’t really know

what’s going to happen,” Porter said about the planning of the event.

Keefe described himself as a “writer who likes to borrow from fiction, but tell true stories.” His talk, his advice, his reasoning — they were all given in the form of stories. He began by talking about the writing of one of the pieces in his book about the Mexican drug lord El Chapo. According to Keefe, after he wrote this story, he got a call from one of El Chapo’s lawyers, asking Keefe if he would ghostwrite El Chapo’s autobiography. Keefe declined, worried it may put him into a dangerous situation given El Chapo’s violent history.

These stories seemed to keep the audience fully engaged. It was humorous and enlightening at the same time.

“It’s nice to hear people who are funny and personable but they talk about craft,” Sarah L. Lee ’99 said. Lee knew about Keefe from his previous works, and is

also a big fan of the Boston Book Festival. She has been a consistent attendee since 2013.

Keefe was interviewed for part of the event by Meghna Chakrabarti, host of NPR’s “On Point.” She asked about his choice of title, his reasoning for publishing the collection, his observation skills, and what moments he looks for to develop the characters in his stories.

“It’s fun to see both Keefe and Meghna in person when I’m so used to hearing their voices,“ audience member Zoe R. Weinrobe said, referring to Keefe’s podcast and Chakrabarti’s radio hosting.

One of Keefe’s main points throughout his talk and in his writing was his attempt to see even the worst people as multi-dimensional humans. To explain this belief, he offered a story about a death row lawyer he met through reporting. This lawyer, he said, agreed to work with only the worst of the worst cases, representing the defendant in the

Boston Marathon bombing, for instance.

“So it’s one of her articles of faith that we aren’t born evil, that none of us are born evil, things happen to us along the way. And I don’t know that I would take it to the extreme that she does,” he said, “but as a writer, I’m most interested in how people can deviate from conventional morality, how it happens by degree and then the stories that they tell themselves about what they’re doing.”

His books, he says, come from stories he wrote for the New Yorker that still feel incomplete at a length of 10,000 words. For example, his book “The Snakehead’’ is about a woman who smuggled people into the United States from China, then was arrested by the FBI. Porter said that Keefe was chosen by the nonfiction committee for the Boston Book Festival because of the release of “Rogue,” his most recent book. When they suggested the idea to her, she

COURTESY OF EVAN BENCH/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

didn’t believe that they would be able to get him to speak — but she reached out to his publishers and made it work.

“It was very exciting,” she said.

Keefe has ties to the Boston area too, as he was raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester. He said growing up in Boston helped him learn how to connect with the people he reports on and gain their trust.

“I do think that Boston’s kind of

weird mix of different cultures, the fusty blue blooded culture and the academic culture, the blue collar culture, and the immigrant cultures, all kinds of money together,” he said. “I like to think that that equipped me to just move through the world and try to find common ground withstrangers everyday.”

FIFTEEN QUESTIONS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Q&A:

GREGORY NAGY ON HEROES, TRICKSTERS, AND HIS ACHILLES TENDON THE “ANCIENT GREEK HERO” PROFESSOR sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss what we can learn from the Ancients. “If we sweep under the rug the bad parts of the heroic world, then we won’t understand why we have to keep processing and seeing what their mistakes were, just as we try to imitate what’s good about them,” he says.

BY SARAH W. FABER

­G

FM: If you could have any mythic creature as a pet, which would it be?

FM: Yes! GN: Oh, well, if you know Mr. T, do you mind if I circle back to tricksters?

FM: Please do.

GN: In Winnebago traditions in Wisconsin and Minnesota, there is a special kind of trickster figure, who, after he finishes telling all the trickster stories in the role of the trickster sort of acting it out, at the end he goes through every social norm he has violated so that people understand what the real rules are. Isn’t that amazing?

So in a way, that’s what happened with Mr. T: he had a Saturday kids’ program back when there was still TV in the way there isn’t now, and what he would do was there would be a cartoon of everything that happened, and then at the end he would do a moralizing summary of where things were kind of iffy. But, anyways, that’s what our “Odyssey” shows you: it makes the violations pretty clear.

GN: I think my answer is that it’s the beautiful literature that keeps itself fresh, and it refreshes me! I started teaching Heroes, let’s say, 47 years ago, and I say that because I’ve been married to Holly for 47 years, and I feel the same way about her! It’s the freshness of making contact with beautiful systems of thinking, of feeling, including persons who are systems of thinking and feeling. So I just can’t get over it — it’s a lifetime thing.

FM: Why do you think it’s remained such a popular course?

FM: What would you say is your Achilles heel? Besides, perhaps, your physical Achilles heel.

GN: I’d say people will take the course because “hero” is such an important word in our vocabulary. The world of heroes back when is larger-than-life. And people are larger-than-life good, but when they’re bad, they’re larger-than-life bad as well. And if we sweep under the rug the bad parts of the heroic world, then we won’t understand why we have to keep processing and seeing what their mistakes were, just as we try to imitate what’s good about them. So, I just find it has a universal appeal that withstands all the changes of cultures and upheavals of society, and it’s comforting.

GN: I don’t want to get too political, but I get very upset when the polls don’t give me any hope, and I look for the outlier. But then I can get very disappointed, and I’m afraid of disappointment.

But sometimes hope itself, if you mix it with pessimism, can make hope even more enjoyable if the pessimism is defeated by optimism.

FM: Last question: you’ve been at Harvard for over 50 years — looking at Harvard like a Ship of Theseus with all its parts changing, do you think it’s the same place as it was in 1966 or something else entirely?

FM: What’s one thing people get wrong about Greek mythology?

GN: Very easy: “Somebody that I admire did something wrong, so they’re not my hero anymore.”

That’s not a very Greek way of saying things, because a hero isn’t 100 percent admirable.

GN: That comes from later texts based on what is called the epic cycle. Unfortunately, all we have is plot outlines, so what we have to do is reconstruct on the basis of references to the cycle. With the narrative of the Achilles heel, one of the questions I ask in the General Education course is what is the Achilles heel, what is his most vulnerable thing? And the smart-

GN: I love to read the “Odyssey,” but I think I have to be an “Iliad” person. Ooh, I don’t know! I can’t take it back now. Look, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” are like two sides of one coin. You can’t really get away from one and think of only the other — I think for a complete humanistic picture you’ve got to look at both of them and how they evolved together.

GN: My wife was Mr. T once. Do you know who Mr. T is?

FM: You’ve been teaching GENED 1074: “The Ancient Greek Hero” for nearly 50 years now. How do you keep the material fresh for yourself??

FM: Where is the source text we get the death of Achilles from?

FM: Which one are you?

FM: Halloween was this Monday. Any memorable costumes you can think of?

regory Nagy is the Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature. In his time at Harvard, he has held various positions including Chair of the Classics department, Chair of the Committee on Degrees in Folklore and Mythology, and Faculty Dean of Currier House..

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

GN: Ha! Well, you know, one very interesting thing is that of course in the Homeric “Iliad” that has come down to us, there’s no mention of the special death of Achilles. But in “Iliad 5,” there is an ambitious Trojan archer, and he takes aim and manages to wound Diomedes, who was an Achilles rival. And I am not saying this in the Homeric Greek, but essentially, Diomedes says “Haha, you’ve got the wrong hero!”

is … oh God, I guess I’ll say Hector. But I also want to say, to maybe get off the hook a little bit, Mr. Finley used to say there are two kinds of humans: “Iliad” people and “Odyssey” people.

GN: I would say Argos, the hunting dog of Odysseus.

CRIMSON MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

FM: You’ve injured your Achilles tendon. As someone who teaches the story of Achilles, are you reading anything into that area of injury?

13

CLAIRE YUAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

est answer I ever got was Patroclus.

When he dies, the world of Achilles falls apart.

FM: Do you think Achilles and Patroclus were lovers?

GN: Well, there is definite proof that at some stages in the evolution of the oral tradition they were homoerotic lovers. But in the fifth century, which is where the textual tradition crystallizes, the homoerotic element is filtered out. So there are stages, however, in the evolution of the Homeric poetic tradition where they are. Yes, they are.

FM: Your brother Joseph Nagy teaches in the Celtic department — can you pinpoint any aspect of your childhood or upbringing that contributed to your shared love of mythology?

GN: I can! I am 12 years older than he is, so he was the kid, and when he was in high school, I had a hard time deciding whether I want to spend my whole life with Greek and Latin civilization or with Celtic civilization. I said to him, hey, there’s a sum-

mer school course in medieval Irish.

He took that course and was never the same, and so he did what I would have done if I hadn’t done Greek and Latin.

FM: So how did you first get into Homeric poetry?

GN: When I got into the Ph.D. program at Harvard, my graduate advisor said: “Well, young man, what kind of classics have you done? Have you read any Homer?” “No.” “Have you read any tragedy?” “No.” “Have you read any orators?” “No,” and on it went. So the first time I ever read Homeric Greek was as a first-year Ph.D. student. The only way I started doing literature was after I started teaching at Harvard, I started realizing if I really want to know Homeric poetry, I should know the meter, and then if I should know the meter, I should know the formulas.

FM: Where do you see the field of Classics going, given that there’s seemingly finite material to work with?

GN: I wish we had the cycle that we

talked about earlier — all we have is plot outlines and prose. I should say that my biggest regret as an old man is that so little of Sappho — who I think is one of the greatest masters of verbal art — how most of Sappho’s songmaking has not survived. That is so depressing. It’s too painfully finite, but what we have is just, how shall I say it? It’s enchanting, is what it is. It’s enchanting.

FM: Who would you rather have as a student: Hector or Odysseus?

GN: If I were a sixth century Athenian, I would say Hector. Odysseus is also very important, but here’s something that will surprise you: John Finley, the former Eliot professor, used to say that Odysseus has bad press in all of the Greek literature except the Homeric “Odyssey.” Odysseus is this trickster figure that sometimes illustrates cultural norms by violating the norms. He’s not so much a model for leadership.

For example, I mean, talk about survivor’s guilt when he comes home from Troy and he’s the only survivor. What kind of leader is that? So I guess I’m answering … my answer

GN: While Socrates is in prison, the Athenian ship of State is making its pilgrimage from Athens to Delos, the sacred island of Apollo, and back. It’s an Athenian taboo to execute prisoners of state while this ship is in progress. The word for sacred voyage is — get this — theoria, which is where we get “theory.” And so he can stay in prison and theorize as long as the ship doesn’t come back from the island, and the ship is supposedly Theseus’s original pilgrimage ship, the one where he saved Athens from the minotaur. But the idea is that by the time of 399 when Socrates is executed, there’s not a splinter of the original ship left. So here’s where the good part comes in: the journey of the ship no longer exists, but theory still exists even though Socrates was executed. So in a sense, the ideal is there, right? Instead of the sacred ship, you now have theory as contemplating the universe, theorizing, dialoguing intergenerationally. That’s pretty damn good!

FM Fifteen Minutes is the magazine of The Harvard Crimson. To read the full interview and other longform pieces, visit THECRIMSON.COM/ MAGAZINE

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON

NEWS

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Harvard, UNC Argue for Justices Appear Ready to Overturn Precedent AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Conservative Supreme Court Justices placed doubt on the future of race-conscious admissions

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

W

ASHINGTON — Affirmative action in American higher education may be on its last leg.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday appeared open to banning the consideration of race in college admissions during oral arguments in a pair of high-stakes anti-affirmative action lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina.

In marathon back-to-back hearings, members of the court’s conservative wing vigorously interrogated lawyers from Harvard and UNC, who argued that schools should be able to consider race as a factor in admissions.

Justices questioned the educational value of racial diversity, which lawyers representing the two schools said justifies racebased affirmative action.

“I’ve heard the word diversity quite a few times, and I don’t have a clue what it means. It seems to mean everything for everyone,” Justice Clarence Thomas told North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park, who argued on behalf of UNC. “Tell me what the educational benefits are.”

Park said diversity leads to better performance at work and school, citing studies that found diverse stock trading groups performed better than homogeneous ones.

“I guess I don’t put much stock in that,” Thomas replied, “because I’ve heard similar arguments in favor of segregation, too.”

The conservative justices’ skepticism comes as the court has become increasingly willing to revisit long-standing precedents.

Lawyers representing Harvard and UNC rejected allegations that the schools discriminate against Asian American applicants and said academia, industry, and government all benefit from increased racial diversity.

“A university student body comprising a multiplicity of backgrounds, experiences and interests vitally benefits our nation,” said Seth P. Waxman ’73, a

former U.S. solicitor general who represented Harvard on Monday.

“Stereotypes are broken down, prejudice is reduced, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills are improved.”

Lawyers for Students for Fair Admissions, the anti-affirmative action group that first filed lawsuits against Harvard and UNC in 2014, asked justices to overturn the court’s 2003 Grutter v.

Bollinger ruling, which upheld the right to consider race as a factor in admissions.

“This court should admit that it was wrong about Harvard, wrong about Grutter, and wrong about letting the poison of racial classifications seep back into education,” said Cameron T. Norris, who argued on behalf of SFFA in the Harvard case.

Affirmative action has narrowly survived several Supreme Court challenges, but the current 6-3 conservative majority appears more willing to roll back the practice. It remains unclear how far a potential ruling in favor of SFFA might reach. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ’76, considered a more moderate vote, has ruled against race-conscious admissions in the past, but he has been less eager to overturn precedent than some of his other Republican-appointed colleagues.

On Monday, Roberts criticized arguments laid out by Harvard and UNC. Asked by Roberts whether race could ever be a deciding factor in admissions, Waxman said it could.

“Race, for some highly qualified applicants, can be the determinant factor — just as being an oboe player in a year in which the Harvard-Radcliffe orchestra needs an oboe player will be the tip,” he said.

“We did not fight a civil war about oboe players — we did fight a civil war to eliminate racial discrimination, and that’s why it’s a matter of considerable concern,” Roberts shot back.

SFFA, founded by conservative activist Edward J. Blum, alleges that both schools discriminate against Asian American applicants by considering race in their admissions processes.

Waxman faced sharp questions from Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who asked why Asian Americans score lower than other racial groups on Harvard’s “personal rating” metric, which evaluates applicants’ personality traits.

“They rank below whites, they rank way below Hispanics, and really way below African Ameri-

Students rally in front of the Supreme Court with signs to protest the Students for Fair Admissions case against affirmative action and the consideration of race in admissions. JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

cans,” Alito said. “What is the explanation for that?”

In his response, Waxman cited a lower court’s findings, saying that there is “no evidence of discrimination in admissions outcomes.”

Waxman said personal ratings are used by admissions officers “just as a matter of triage” and the score “fades into the background” later in the admissions process.

“It is not considered in any way once the subcommittees and committees meet,” Waxman said.

“It is not the basis of admissions decisions.”

The court’s liberal justices challenged SFFA’s lawyers, offering a defense of race-conscious admissions.

“When you give your race, you’re not getting any special points,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92. “It’s being treated just on par with other factors in the system. No one’s automatically getting in because race is being used.”

Justice Elena Kagan jousted with Norris, the SFFA lawyer, over whether race-conscious admissions would be acceptable if race-neutral alternatives failed to achieve diversity.

“I don’t think there’s any level that allows explicit racial classifications,” Norris said. “But I’m go-

ing to fight the hypothetical one more time if you’d let me.”

“I don’t think I will,” Kagan shot back, to audible laughter.

Several top Harvard administrators were present in the packed courtroom on Monday.

Former University President Drew G. Faust, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana, and former Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow William F. Lee ’72 sat sideby-side during oral arguments.

In an email to Harvard College students Monday, Khurana said “diverse learning communities are essential to the College’s mission of educating citizens and citizen leaders.”

Blum, the SFFA president, wrote in a statement that “elite universities like Harvard and UNC are diminishing, rather than growing, the power and profundity of American individualism.”

“It is a moral failure that our most competitive universities place high schoolers on racial registers and tell the world that their skin color affects what they think and know, and what they like and do not like,” he wrote.

The Supreme Court is not expected to issue its ruling on the case until the spring or early summer. rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

Several University administrators, past and present, were in attendance.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Justices Take Aim at Legacy Admissions

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

WASHINGTON — Though the Supreme Court convened on Monday to examine race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the question of legacy applicant preferences took the spotlight for much of the day’s oral arguments.

During five hours of back-toback hearings, the court’s conservative justices questioned whether eliminating legacy admissions could provide a race-neutral strategy to achieve racial diversity on college campuses.

Though the court has long upheld the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions, a 2016 ruling in the landmark Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin II case requires that schools exhaust all race-neutral alternatives before resorting to admissions policies that include race as a factor. Universities may only craft affirmative action programs if “available, workable race-neutral alternatives do not suffice,” the ruling states.

On Monday, the justices heard oral arguments for lawsuits against the race-conscious ad-

missions policies at Harvard and UNC. Both schools have long argued that using race as a factor in admissions helps to ensure a racially diverse student body.

But Students for Fair Admissions, the anti-affirmative action group suing the schools, alleges that eliminating advantages for applicants who are children of alumni or donors could produce a similar level of diversity among students without the need to consider race.

“Harvard now refuses to eliminate its legacy preferences or boost its socioeconomic preferences, even though both changes would make Harvard far less white, wealthy, and privileged,” SFFA lawyer Cameron T. Norris argued in the Harvard case hearing.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch asked Ryan Y. Park, the solicitor general of North Carolina who argued on behalf of UNC on Monday, whether the school should be required to revoke preferences for legacy students and “squash players” instead of considering race.

Gorsuch expressed uncertainty on whether a school that could otherwise achieve its goal of diversity by eliminating legacy applicant benefits can pass the “strict scrutiny” standard re-

quired to allow the use of race in admissions.

“Suppose a university — a wealthy university — could eliminate those preferences which tend to favor the children of wealthy, white parents and achieve diversity without race consciousness: Would strict scrutiny require it to do so?” Gorsuch asked.

Justice Clarence Thomas began the justices’ questioning in the Harvard case by asking the University’s lawyer Seth P. Waxman ’73 to address SFFA’s argument on legacy preferences.

“The petitioner argues that you do have available a race-neutral approach that would yield different but excellent results,” Thomas said.

He added that lowering the proportions of wealthy and legacy students at Harvard could achieve socioeconomic diversity at the school.

“I don’t think it’s arguable that Harvard is socioeconomically diverse — at least it doesn’t appear that way,” Thomas said. “That would not have a constitutional problem if you did it socioeconomically.”

Waxman argued that trading the University’s current admissions program for one that provides no advantage to legacy and

Students for Fair Admissions President Edward J. Blum has orchestrated an array of lawsuits that have made it to the Supreme Court. JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

donor applicants would not substantially increase the school’s diversity, citing the lower court’s ruling in favor of Harvard’s consideration of race.

“If this were a case in which the evidence showed that eliminating a legacy preference made a substantial difference, the lower courts would have decided the case differently,” Waxman said.

He argued that eliminating advantages for students who are athletes, on the dean’s interest list, or children of alumni or faculty — a category of applicants known as ALDCs — would actually decrease the proportion of Black students.

“If you just stopped considering race, it would go from 14 to six

percent,” Waxman told the court.

“But if you also stopped considering ALDCs, it would go to five percent.”

Following the hearings, Richard Sander ’78, a professor at University of California Los Angeles School of Law who filed an amicus brief in support of SFFA, said that Harvard’s continued preference for legacy applicants may provide the court a justification for ruling against its race-conscious admissions.

“The court can say, ‘We allow you to use racial preferences when you can show that you exhausted all the other alternatives,’” Sander said. “And if you are using legacies, then by definition, you haven’t exhausted the

other alternatives.”

While legacy preference was not on trial at Monday’s hearing, Boston University School of Law associate professor Jonathan P. Feingold said that if race is eliminated as a factor in college admissions, advantages for ALDC applicants would soon follow.

“It will become politically untenable for Harvard to extend bonuses that, in everything but form, are racial and class preferences for white and wealthy applicants,” he said. “Practically, the end of affirmative action could entail the end of at least formal legacy preferences.” rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

NEWS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

15

Affirmative Action in D.C. Students Line Up Early at Court

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­W

ASHINGTON — Salimah Khoja, a law student at the City University of New York School of Law, first arrived outside the Supreme Court Saturday evening in hopes of securing a spot at Monday’s hearing.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday for a pair of lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina brought by anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions.

The group alleges that the schools’ admissions programs are unconstitutional for their consideration of race.

On Saturday, Khoja learned only the first 50 people in line would be admitted to view oral arguments at Monday’s hearing. The queue had not yet begun forming, so Khoja and her friends checked back periodically.

They were ultimately the first in line.

“We wanted to make sure that we would be guaranteed a spot,

and so we started forming the line,” she said.

As lawyers representing Harvard, UNC, and SFFA prepared to deliver their oral arguments before the court, swarms of eager students descended on Washington this weekend for the chance to watch history unfold.

Three undergrads from George Washington University — who arrived outside the court Sunday evening — said they were relieved the line was not longer.

By the time they arrived, roughly 15 people were stationed outside.

“For really, really big cases, people line up Saturday 5 p.m. for a Monday case,” said Reeya Patel, one of the students. “So we came to check it out yesterday, and there was nobody, absolutely nobody here.”

Jack A. Shapiro, a student from the University of Maryland, messaged two of his friends from high school and recruited three friends from UMD to spend the weekend in D.C. “[Shapiro] sent me a text message about a month ago — three weeks ago — [that] said, ‘Hey, you want to camp out at the Supreme Court?’ Sounded like a blast,” said Matthew B. Eichen, one of

Shapiro’s friends, who attends the University of Pennsylvania.

Shapiro and his five friends had arrived outside the court at 10:30 a.m on Sunday.

“We wanted to get there really early, because we thought there’d be a giant line,” said Jonathan R. Xu, one of the students. “I mean, there’s a lot of people here but the line’s kind of developing.”

Line sitters traveled from across the country and around the world.

“Americans have such a different relationship to the law,” said Clémence Pautrat, an exchange student from the French university Sciences Po. “You sue for everything.”

Many campers came prepared to spend hours in line, with some donning sleeping bags and others lawn chairs. The Supreme Court did not permit people to bring tents.

Others were less prepared.

“Not everybody planned so well. We didn’t bring any sleeping bags,” Gavin O’Malley, a student from American University.

“Some people forgot chairs.”

Shapiro remarked on the physical state the campout left many attendees in.

“It’s kind of sad because I feel like the Supreme Court is this super dignified, formal institution.

But any civilian who gets in is going to be sweaty, tired, hungry,” Shapiro said. “So we’re gonna do our best to freshen up but it’s all right.”

Some attendees considered the sacrifices worth it. By 7 a.m. Monday, the line stretched around the block as dozens of pro-affirmative action protesters began rallying on the steps to the court.

Many of the sidewalk-dwellers passed the time chatting with one another.

“The single greatest feature of lining up to watch a Supreme Court case is talking to strangers,” Shapiro said.

“I mean, literally, we got law students. This guy teaches at Johns Hopkins. I saw a guy walking by who has a Ph.D., who works for NASA, lives around the corner. This guy is an alum of UNC.” “You meet all sorts of people.

And that’s the beauty of coming out here,” he said. rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

Hundreds of demonstrators waved signs before the Court.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Justices Ask When Policy Should Expire

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Students and members of the public wait outside the Supreme Court with tickets to attend the oral hearing this Monday. JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Seth Waxman ’73 Commands Courtroom

BY RAHEM D. HAMID AND NIA L. ORAKWUE CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

­ ASHINGTON — Since 1996, W eight of the nine seats on the Supreme Court have changed hands. But a constant has remained throughout the 26-year span: Seth P. Waxman ’73 at the lectern.

Waxman, a former U.S. solicitor general, has argued before the highest court at least once in 25 of the last 26 years, totaling 84 Supreme Court appearances in the last three decades. This week, Waxman led the charge to preserve affirmative action in higher education in defense of Harvard’s race-conscious admissions.

Though the court appears poised to strike down affirmative action, legal experts praised Waxman’s performance.

Waxman has served on Harvard’s legal team since anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions first sued the school in 2014, alleging that Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies discriminate against Asian American students. They filed a similar lawsuit against the University of North Carolina, which was also heard by the Supreme Court on Monday.

In contrast to Waxman’s extensive record before the court, both lawyers representing SFFA and North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park, who represented UNC, had only previously argued before the Court once in their careers.

Another new presence in the

courtroom was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92, who began her first term last month. Jackson recused herself from the Harvard case in March, citing her previous position on the University’s Board of Overseers.

For the other eight justices, Waxman was a familiar face.

Interactions between the justices and Waxman seemed a “little chummy,” NYU School of Law professor and Supreme Court expert Melissa E. Murray said. “That was not the case for some of the other lawyers.”

In one exchange during the hearing, Waxman continued arguing even as Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. tried to ask a question, prompting Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ’76 to interject.

“Justice Alito would like to ask a question,” Roberts said.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to filibuster you,” Waxman replied.

Alito invited Waxman to finish his argument, a marked contrast from the justices’ interactions with the other lawyers present Monday.

“Even from an outsider perspective, you could pick up on a difference in just the mode of engagement,” said Jonathan Feingold, a professor at the Boston University School of Law. The former Solicitor General was quick to banter with the justices. When Justice Neil M. Gorsuch posed a hypothetical admissions scenario, Waxman interjected.

“I’m pretty sure, because you’re asking me, I’m not going to like it,” he said.

“You’re not going to like it,”

Seth P. Waxman ’73 represented Harvard in oral arguments on Monday.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Gorsuch confirmed, prompting a laugh from Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Murray said that both Waxman and U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, who argued in favor of both Harvard and UNC, seemed more at ease than the other lawyers.

“It was just more fluent, more easy, like more of a conversation as opposed to a battle,” Murray said. “With Prelogar and Waxman, there was a kind of fluency and just facility with the justices — like a comfort that was there.”

University of Michigan Law School professor Leah M. Litman ’06 said that while Waxman’s familiarity with the court helped set a friendly tone throughout the arguments, his evidence-based responses to the justices’ questions granted him more “wiggle room.”

“He says really helpful things,” Litman said. “That is, he is answering questions and pointing out relevant details about the factual record or relevant points about constitutional interpre-

tation that are responsive to the questions and move the Court forward.”

Litman also noticed that Waxman would first outline each response before elaborating, a strategy that let the justices know ahead of time when he would be finished with his reply.

“When he says, ‘I have a twopart or three-part answer’ or ‘I’ll answer your question, but then I need to get to something else,’ they allow him to do that,” she said.

But Litman predicted that Waxman’s tactics may not be enough to preserve the future of affirmative action.

“Is that going to make a difference in this case?” Litman asked of Waxman’s performance.

“Probably not, just given the extent to which the justices are so strongly committed to overruling Grutter v. Bollinger and ending race-conscious remedies.” rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

­ ASHINGTON — During oral W arguments Monday morning, Supreme Court justices pressed lawyers arguing on behalf of Harvard and the University of North Carolina on how long the universities will continue to factor race into their admissions decisions.

Monday’s hearings marked the latest chapter in the eightyear saga of anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions’ crusade against the schools’ consideration of applicants’ race. Citing a clause in the 2003 landmark case Grutter v.

Bollinger, the six conservative justices on the bench demanded to hear when the two schools expect to sunset their race-conscious admissions programs.

In her opinion for the Grutter case, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor affirmed the constitutionality of affirmative action in higher education, though not indefinitely.

“We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today,” the Grutter ruling reads.

The conservative justices clung to O’Connor’s 25-year sentence throughout Monday’s oral arguments, repeatedly questioning the school’s lawyers on the timeline of affirmative action.

“When does Harvard anticipate this will end?” Justice Neil Gorsuch asked Harvard lawyer Seth P. Waxman ’73, echoing questions by Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Waxman said Harvard expects that by the 25th anniversary of the Grutter ruling in 2028, race-neutral admissions policies will still not be a viable path to achieving a diverse student body. But he added the school “takes to heart Justice O’Connor’s opinion.”

When asked about his dismissal of the 25-year clause as a hard deadline, North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park, who argued on behalf of UNC, said the weight placed on race as a factor in admission acts as “a dial, not a switch” and has already diminished over the last two decades.

“We anticipate that we will be able to dial it down to zero,” he said.

Park described the Grutter case as “helpfully self-limiting” since it requires schools to actively search for alternative race-neutral admissions processes.

SFFA lawyers, who urged the court to overturn the precedent set by Grutter, offered differing interpretations of the clause in O’Connor’s opinion.

“I think what Justice O’Connor was saying is that in 25 years, if we still need race, it’s not that you get another 25 years,” SFFA lawyer Cameron T. Norris told the court. “It’s that we then declare racial preferences to be a failure and call it off and go with race neutrality and try that instead.”

But Norris’ colleague, Patrick Strawbridge — who earlier that day argued against UNC — said he does not believe O’Connor meant to provide a strict deadline.

Justice Kavanaugh asked Strawbridge how the court should think about “the importance of race-conscious decision-making being time-limited and temporary.”

“We do not understand the 25-year limit somehow to have been a hard and fast requirement,” Strawbridge replied. “I think that the language in Grutter had an aspirational element to it.”

While the lawyers were split on what the deadline means for the future of affirmative action, constitutional law experts are uncertain how O’Connor arrived at the 25-year limit.

“Nobody knows,” New York University School of Law professor Melissa Murray said.

“Twenty-five years seemed like a good length of time.”

She added that even at the time of the Grutter ruling’s release, many were skeptical that such a deadline would be feasible.

“There were many people who were like, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t think we’re going to be done with racism in 25 years.

It took a long time to get here.

It’ll probably take more than 25 years to unravel all of this,’” Murray said.

Richard Sander ’78, a professor at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, said that because the Grutter opinion came out 25 years after the previous landmark affirmative action decision — the 1978 case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke — O’Connor may have simply used the same number as an example.

But David E. Bernstein, a professor of law at George Mason University who also filed a brief in support of SFFA, wrote in an email that he believes “O’Connor made it up.”

Regardless of the anticipated timeline or the reasoning behind it, the justices and the lawyers who argued on Monday agreed that reaching a race-neutral alternative is the end goal for college admissions.

“I think everybody has agreed — all our cases indicate — that race-neutral means are better,” Justice Elena Kagan said.

rahem.hamid@thecrimson.com nia.orakwue@thecrimson.com

16

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

CROSS COUNTRY

Harvard Dominates Ivies HARVARD HEADLINES ­Maia Ramsden and Acer Iverson led phenomenal performances by the women’s and men’s cross country teams as they each captured individual titles and the programs collectively finished first and second at the conference meet.

BY DANAI-CHRISTINA AVDELA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

­ is weekend at the h Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in Van Cortlandt, N.Y. the women’s cross country team, ranked No. 25 in the nation, defended their title as Ivy League champions for a second year in a row while the men’s team finished in second after falling short to Princeton by three points. Two top-ten finishers and five top-eighteen finishers, along with junior Maia Ramsden’s individual title, provided the Crimson women with the scoring depth necessary to find victory.

The men’s team was led by an exceptional performance by Acer Iverson and Graham Banks, who became the Ivy League Champion and second finisher respectively.

In the 6k, Harvard’s first five finishers all placed within the top 18 spots, which led to the squad’s 54-point finish. Sophomores Ellaney Matarese and Isabelle Goldstein took 17th and 18th place with a time of 21:42.6 and 21:43 respectively, and firstyear Penelope Salmon took 12th with a time of 21:32. Senior Maya Rayle came in sixth with a time of 21:11.7, and Ramsden finished in a blazing 20:42.4 to become Ivy League Champion.

The women’s team was much younger this year than the one last year after having lost several seniors, and the team adjusted their mentality accordingly.

“The seniors really knew how to set big goals, and how to communicate the importance of what it [means] to win a championship,” Ramsden said. “This year, we had to figure out for ourselves a little more, because we’re all that much younger.

And so I think that a difficulty we overcame during the season was how to create that mentality with the new team and the new environment.”

In addition to Ramsden and other upperclassmen stepping up to fill the roles of retired seniors, they have the advantage of being one of only a few programs in which the same coaching staff work with both the men’s and women’s squads.

“I think [the coaching staff] is a huge asset to our team,” Ramsden said. “Our coach does a really, really good job at making sure we peak at the right time and preparing us mentally and physically for the race.”

These results speak for themselves, as for the first time since 1969, Harvard runners finished 1-2 in the Ivy League men’s championship meet. For the Crimson men, the top five athletes finished in the top fifteen places. Iverson was at the top of the pack, finishing first in the 8k with 23:59.3,

The women’s cross country team poses with the trophy after finishing first at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships this past weekend. COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA MEHALLIS

and was trailed closely by Blanks, who finished in 24:04.1. Iverson is the 13th Harvard runner to win the Ivy League in its 80-year history and is no stranger to dominating the Ivy League; in the

2021-22 season, he won the 3k and 5 at the same meet and won the 5k and 10k at the Ivy League Outdoor Track & Field Championships. David Melville and Vivien Henz came eleventh and

twelfth respectively with 24:32.9 and 24:33.4 respectively, and Ben Rosa rounded out the Crimson’s top 5 in 15th place with 24.36.9.

The Crimson entered the race with a different tactic this year;

while they used to try to dominate the race fast and early, they chose to take a more relaxed approach this year, which proved to be more successful.

“We’ve tried to set the pace ourselves, take control of the race from the start,” Iverson said.

“And we noticed that that wasn’t quite working out. We were giving other teams free rides through the race, and they were just kind of profiting off of our work there. So this year, we just stayed relaxed, calm, and very patient. We let Princeton and Columbia take [the] lead for most of the race. And then right at about four miles, Graham and I separated ourselves, and as soon as we touched the front, they didn’t let it go.” Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking ahead to the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in two weeks.

“Regionals is going to be at the same course as the championships,” Reyles said. “So I think having that experience of going through the course is going to be a useful thing.”

“We’re in a nice position going into regionals this year where most of the field is going to be looking at us, instead of us looking into the top two teams in the field,” Iverson said. “We get to dictate how we want the race to play out, and it’s a nice position to be in. We can make it go fast, but it’s up to us.”

The Crimson will compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on November 11 and the NCAA National Championships on November 19 to round out the season.

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Harvard Begins Season with Pair of Victories check. Senior forward and captain Baker Shore took a hooking penalty with less than five minutes to play, but an unbelievable glove save from Gibson, sliding from his right to his left, robbed Hubbarde of a sure goal, and sophomore forward Zakary Karpa tallied an empty net goal to secure the 5-2 victory.

“At the end of the day, I thought the response from our group was pretty good,” Donato said. “You’d like to initiate more than have a response, but I think we’ll learn from it and move on.”

BY AARON B. SHUCHMAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

O

n the opening weekend of a season marked by high expectations internally and externally, the No. 14 Harvard men’s ice hockey team overcame deficits, penalties, and occasional inconsistency to secure a 2-0 start to the season with come-from-behind wins over the Dartmouth Big Green and the Princeton Tigers at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.

“Last year, I think we had 13 or 14 players playing college hockey for the first time,” head coach Ted Donato said. “So now we’re a veteran group of one year with a lot of guys and some new guys, but I think we’re still trying to find what our identity is going to be as a group.”

Harvard 5, Dartmouth 2

Harvard 4, Princeton 2

The Crimson defend the net against the Yale Bulldogs on February 11, 2022.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

In a first period that was chippy and physical right from the opening faceoff, Harvard did not play like a team with championship aspirations, struggling against Dartmouth’s aggressive play. Less than a minute into the game, a strong Big Green forecheck pinned the Crimson in the defensive zone and allowed center Steven Townley to steal the puck from the Harvard defense.

Townley quickly fed the puck from below the goal line into the high slot, where forward Matt Hubbarde collected it and fired it past senior goaltender Mitchell Gibson to give Dartmouth a 1-0 lead only 59 seconds in.

Dartmouth’s aggressive play reared its head again on their second goal of the game only minutes later. After forcing a turnover at their defensive blue line, the Big Green’s fourth line and their forecheck went to work below the goal line again. This time, Dartmouth forward Tyler Campbell was able to force a turnover and find linemate Ryan Sorkin for a point blank shot from Gibson’s left. Gibson made the save, but the rebound popped in the air and found center Trym Lokkeberg, who batted the puck out of the air and into the net to put the Big Green up 2-0. Dartmouth’s aggressive play carried over to their

defense as well, as they regularly broke up the Harvard offensive attack in the neutral zone or at their defensive blue line, stymying the Crimson offense at even strength and preventing goaltender Cooper Black from facing any serious tests.

“I think on our side there’s two or three mistakes,” Donato said.

“So I think with the goals they got a shot of adrenaline, they had some momentum. And I’d love to say there were a ton of tactical things that were happening… but really I just thought they outworked us and out competed us.”

Despite the poor start to the game, Harvard’s offense ignited in a second period in which they dominated play, outshooting Dartmouth 20-8. After struggling to move the puck effectively and maintain possession in the first period, the Crimson generated several scoring opportunities early in the second frame, including a prime chance for first-year forward Joe Miller, who was left alone in the slot but saw his shot denied by a spectacular save by Black. Harvard’s offense finally broke through just shy of eight minutes into the period, as a hard shot from senior defenseman and captain Henry Thrun was blocked in front and landed right

on the stick of junior forward Alex Laferriere, who cleaned up the rebound to cut the Crimson deficit to 2-1.

Just over two minutes later, it appeared that Dartmouth would have a prime chance to stem the Crimson momentum when senior forward Austin Wong was handed a five minute major penalty and game misconduct for making contact with the head of a Big Green player. However, Harvard’s penalty kill rose to the occasion, preventing Dartmouth from getting set up in the offensive zone.

Two minutes into the penalty kill the Crimson was able to turn its strong defense into offense, as Laferriere and sophomore defenseman Jack Bar created a shorthanded odd man rush opportunity, which Bar was able to convert to tie the game at 2-2 and tally his first collegiate goal. Harvard continued to create scoring chances in the second period, including an odd-man rush opportunity between first-year forwards Marek Hejduk and Philip Tresca, but Black continued his strong play to maintain a 2-2 tie going into the second intermission.

“I think that’s expected whenever we play Dartmouth,” Thrun said regarding the game’s phys-

ical edge. “We have a little bit of a rivalry with them as well and they’re a pretty physical team, and any team you see in our league is obviously gonna show up and play pretty gritty.” The third period continued the physical play of the game, as Tresca was upended by a thunderous open ice hit and both teams delivered punishing checks along the boards.

Harvard’s offense maintained its surge, however, and less than four minutes into the period, Laferriere gave the Crimson a 3-2 lead on a 2-on-1 opportunity with a wrist shot that just trickled through Black. Harvard continued its offensive onslaught on two third period power plays, and while they were unable to convert on their first opportunity, they expanded their lead to 4-2 on the second man advantage, as Laferriere, looking for the hat trick, was denied by Black off of a shot from the slot, but sophomore forward Matthew Coronato was able to knock home the rebound.

The Crimson was not seriously threatened on defense for the rest of the game, as the defense corps moved the puck well to prevent the Big Green from establishing their aggressive fore-

After struggling to begin the season opener against Dartmouth, Harvard engineered a much stronger first period on Saturday, with the Crimson creating a number of early scoring chances. Bar hit the post on a long shot from the point and Thrun had a quality chance from the slot, but he was denied by Princeton goaltender Aidan Porter. After Tigers defenseman Noah de la Durantaye was sent off for hooking with just under eight minutes remaining, Karpa opened the scoring for Harvard on the power play by redirecting a hard shotpass from sophomore defenseman Ian Moore into the net for the 1-0 lead. The Crimson had a golden opportunity to extend their lead after Princeton forward and captain Liam Gorman was given a five minute major penalty for boarding, but Porter kept Harvard at bay, denying prime opportunities for Thrun and Coronato to keep the Princeton deficit at one goal at the conclusion of the first period.

“Coach has been harping on us to start the games better,” Laferriere said. “We had two exhibition games which our starts were kind of lackluster, so I think we’re focused on that.”

The Tigers markedly improved their play in the second frame, matching Harvard in shots on goal at nine. The Crimson power play was strong on an early man advantage but was unable to pad the lead, as a spectacular passing play from Karpa to a cutting Moore was rejected by an unbelievable effort from Porter.

Soon after the early power play expired, Princeton for-

ward Brendan Gorman tallied his first career collegiate goal after he skated into the offensive zone with speed and beat junior goaltender Derek Mullahy cleanly with a wrist shot from between the faceoff circles. Both goalies were strong in the rest of the second period as the teams accelerated the pace of play, with both Porter and Mullahy denying a flurry of chances, and the teams entered the second intermission knotted at one goal apiece.

Shortly after the third period began, the Crimson was sent to the penalty kill when senior forward Austin Wong was whistled for tripping. The Tigers wasted no time cashing in on the power play, as forward Adam Robbins sent a perfect cross ice pass to forward Jack Cronin, whose high wrist shot beat Mullahy, giving Princeton a 2-1 lead less than two minutes into the third period.

However, Harvard answered with a power play goal only minutes later, as first year forward Joe Miller tapped a rebound through Porter to tie the game at 2-2.

The power play helped to jumpstart the Crimson offense at even strength, and just over three minutes after Miller’s strike, Coronato gave the Crimson a 3-2 lead when he finished off a pass from junior forward Sean Farrell, who was stationed below the goal line.

The Tigers had chances to tally an equalizer, especially on a power play halfway through the period, but they failed to convert their opportunities, and Coronato iced the game with just over a minute remaining when he made a nifty move on Porter to finish off a partial breakaway, securing a 4-2 win for Harvard.

“You’re saying in the locker room, how you never know if a goalie’s gonna stand on their head one night or we’ll be in the box for the entire game another night,” Laferriere said. “So just being able to overcome that sort of stuff is what makes championship teams and I think that’s what we’re focused on.”

The Crimson is back in action next weekend at Bright-Landry Hockey Center, taking on the Brown Bears on Friday evening before clashing with the Yale Bulldogs on Saturday night. aaron.shuchman@thecrimson.com

SPORTS

THE HARVARD CRIMSON NOVEMBER 4, 2022

17

FIELD HOCKEY

No. 15 Harvard Bests Cornell

Harvard celebrates a goal in an October 16 victory over the University of Delaware. The Crimson face Brown in the final regular season game before waiting to see if their name is called during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday DYLAN J. GOODMAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME ­After falling 4-2 to No. 10 Princeton, Harvard bounced back against Cornell, topping the No. 24 Big Red 2-1 in overtime behind a game-winner from Junior Siofra Murdoch

BY MAIREAD B. BAKER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

T

hat spell of five minutes cost us three goals—that will not happen to us again,” said Tjerk van Herwaarden, head coach of No. 15 Harvard field hockey, speaking on the Harvard-Princeton game.

Since 2016, Harvard and Princeton have engaged in a back and forth battle for the Ivy League championship title. These two Ivies bring a higher level of competitiveness and rivalry to their annual meeting because this matchup carries more weight in determining championship status and the league’s automatic bid

into the NCAA tournament.

Harvard claimed the title last year. Now, it is likely to shift back to Princeton, who remains undefeated in the Ivy League, despite both schools holding a current 12-4 overall record.

“We prepared really well for it,” the coach reflected. “We knew what to expect from Princeton, we knew what we had to do.”

For the first five minutes of the game, Harvard seemed to be in control. They were passing well and pressing onto Princeton’s defense. But it didn’t take long for Princeton to take control of the game—the Tigers’ Grace Schulze managed to sneak behind Harvard’s defense, squeezing one right past Crimson gatekeeper Ellie Shahbo and into the net.

“I don’t know what that was…I have never seen that happen to

our team before, but for the next four or five minutes, we completely lost it,” van Herwaarden said.

Right after this sweet shot into the mesh, Princeton ripped two more penalty corners into Harvard’s goal, all in the first quarter of the game. Shahbo stopped another in the second quarter, but the Crimson struggled to press into Tiger territory.

“I think that was a good message for us that unfortunately happened at the wrong time in one of the biggest games of the year,” van Herwaarden reflected.

Despite the Tigers edging the Crimson in a 4-2 outcome, the score doesn’t do justice to how hard Harvard fought back to try and tie it up to 3-3 in the third quarter. But the Crimson wasn’t able to stop another Tiger fire past its defense.

The fighting didn’t stop for Harvard in its next Ivy battle. In its game against No. 24 Cornell University last week, a penalty

stroke from junior Siofra Murdoch pushed the Crimson past the Big Red in overtime. This is Harvard’s third victory against a ranked opponent this season.

Cornell trails Harvard in the top three of current Ivy League standings, with a 3-3 conference record. The Big Red also recently beat No. 4 Louisville in an incredible 2-0 game, marking one of the biggest victories in the Ivy League school’s program history.

Despite the power dynamic switch between Harvard and Princeton, Harvard has done remarkably this season given its fresh roster. The Crimson have a 12-4 record and 0.750 winning percent with its top two offensive point holders being a first-year and sophomore, Bronte-May Brough and Emily Guckian, respectively. In the Cornell game, Brough scored the first goal tallying a total of seven shots on goal, and Guckian had one shot on goal and one assist.

“I think what we’ve been do-

ing so far has been the one thing that’s really worked for us,” the head coach reflected. “Same for Princeton, same for Cornell, which were tough opponents for us, but eventually we dominated most of the game.”

Van Herwaarden added that he’s seen these “younger players step up and be able to make a really big impact in a great deal of these high profile games.”

Some of these high profile games occurred earlier in the season. The Crimson began its 2022 campaign with four games against ranked opponents: No. 14 University of Connecticut, No. 2 University of Maryland, and Miami (OH) University and American University, who are both no longer in the top 25. They recorded two victories against the latter and suffered two losses against the two universities in the top 15.

The only other two losses for Harvard were against No. 11 St. Joseph’s (in a respectable 1-0 finish) and No. 7 Princeton. In both of

these games, however, Harvard seemed to dominate, only struggling to find the back of the net.

“The games that we lost were all very competitive. The Maryland game, the Princeton game, the St. Joe’s game—they were all good games that we eventually lost,” van Herwaarden said. “I think we know that we need to do a little bit more on the front field.”

It is looking likely that Princeton will garner the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament from the Ivy League, but Harvard has a chance to get a bid as well, meaning the two schools have a chance to face one another again this year. The NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday night.

“We keep our fingers crossed for whatever might be next.”

Harvard will close out its regular season down in Providence, R.I. in a matchup against Brown University on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 12:30 PM EST. mairead.baker@thecrimson.com

MEN’S WATERPOLO

Harvard Takes Two at Home vs. Brown, MIT

BY MANDY BRENNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Harvard men’s water polo wrapped up Halloweekend with two more wins against Brown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Crimson is back on a two game win streak after going 2-2 the prior weekend during its trip to California, where they fought well against multiple top-ten ranked opponents.

“I think I speak for everyone that our California trips are the most anticipated games of the season. Being able to go back home, for most of us, and playing outdoors again, getting tan and seeing our families is a highlight every season,” reflected senior goalie Noah Hodge. “Being at home for games definitely has its benefits and the plane rides do take a toll on recovery, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons.”

Harvard (17-7, 7-1 Northeast

Water Polo Conference) started the match off strong against Brown (13-2, 3-4 NWPC) with two goals from sophomore center Mot Stothart and first-year utility player James Rozolis-Hill.

“Our chemistry and overall cohesion makes our team different from the other teams we’re playing against. From the seniors all the way down to the first-years, like myself, we all truly care for one another and have each other’s back through everything …

We believe that we are talented enough to play and beat any team in the country,” said Rozolis-Hill when asked about his first season of experience with the program and what makes this team so successful.

Going into the second quarter, the Crimson was up 2-1 before Stothart scored his third goal of the game to make it 3-1, before junior center Kaleb Archer and junior attacker Owen Hale, brought the score back up to a two point lead with 5-3.

“Home games are always the

best. You can’t replicate the feeling of defending your home pool in front of family and friends,” said Rozolis-Hill.

Harvard scored five more goals in the third quarter, before hanging on to secure the 10-8 victory in the fourth.

“So far I’m pretty happy with how our team has performed this season. I think a lot of our successes this season can be attributed to how close we all are outside of the pool,” remarked Hodge, who recently set and continues to add to the program record for most career saves.

“Over the last five years I’ve been able to see just how important team chemistry is to our success as a program. Being an Ivy League school and having limited recruiting spots and thus a smaller roster, it’s that much more important that every member of the team is contributing in the best way they can.”

The Crimson carried its success in the first game into their next match against MIT (6-14, 1-7

NWPC), where the home team took another win at Blodgett Pool, 18-10 against the Beavers.

Early in the first quarter Harvard started its offense off strong, taking a 4-1 lead before extending the gap even further to 11-3 before halftime, which was key as the Beavers exhibited a valiant effort the second half of the game.

This past weekend kept the Crimson half a game behind firstplace Princeton in the NWPC, and following Harvard’s 2021 season, where the team attained its third-highest win total in program history, the anticipation for the remainder of the season is high.

“We have a lot of upperclassmen, including three super-seniors, leading the way and setting the example for our underclassmen who have stepped into their roles,” said Hodge. “I’m super excited for the rest of the season as we head into the conference tournament and truly believe we’ll be able to bring home a ring.”

“This year I’ve felt a different

After going unbeaten at Blodgett, Harvard sits at 7-1 in league play, half a game behind first place Princeton CLAIRE YUAN — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

energy compared to last year and I’m truly grateful that we were able to get last season under our belts. It was tough coming out of Covid, basically having half of our team being brand new to college water polo, and it took time for us to adjust, get to know the new players, and get into a groove.

However, now with a year under

our belts, we’ve hit our stride and the team is clicking on another level.”

This weekend the Crimson will play both St. Francis College Brooklyn and Iona College on Saturday before defending Blodgett against Princeton on Sunday, where they have a chance to take over first place in the NWPC.

18

THE HARVARD CRIMSON

IN PHOTOS: EDITORIAL

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Stacey D. Fabo ’24 Devine A. Bauman ’24 and Ben H. Hogewood ’23 BEN H. HOGEWOOD ’23. “Affirmative action is super necessary given this institution’s history of explicitly denying entrance to students of color. But beyond historical injustices, the present system of determining an applicant’s worth relies heavily on instruments and institutions created in and for a white supremacist culture.

Not only do we limit our cultural diversity in educational spaces, but we greatly inhibit our ability to know the truth in any subject matter when many perspectives are not readily present as the hegemonic one.

Veritas is impossible in a place like this.”

Musings on Affirmative Action Photographs by Dumebi M. Adigwe ’23 The following pictures of Harvard undergraduate students were all taken in the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court oral arguments in the Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College trial, which is broadly seen as likely to weaken or dismantle race-conscious admissions policies if not affirmative action altogether. The images, along with the musings of the students pictured, are meant to freeze in time a fraction of our campus as it was before the tide began to shift.

Editorial Chair Guillermo S. Hava helped curate the picture selection and edited the quotes for length and clarity.

ANGIE SHIN ’23. “Affirmative action is fair admissions, and the justices should see that and the research, facts, and testimonies that back that. Affirmative action admits are proud that these policies aknowledge and pay respect to our struggles in an unjust system, and race-blind socioeconomic alternatives will never be adequate enough to properly explain our worth and potential.”

CHELSEA WANG ’25. “White supremacy continues to wield the model minority myth as a tool to divide people of color. In portraying affirmative action as a zero-sum game between Asian Americans and other minorities, Students for Fair Admissions is, once again, using Asian Americans to invalidate the struggles of other people of color. As Asian Americans, we must speak out against these narratives and call on our communities to do the same.

Although 69 percent of Asian Americans support affirmative action, I want to address the concerns of those who disagree.

Here’s what SFFA won’t tell you: The effect of Asian American ethnicity on an applicant’s likelihood of admission is statistically indistinguishable from zero.”

Chelsea Wang ’25

STACEY D. FABO ’24 “Admissions based on merit has never and will never lead to a classroom full of diverse thought and experience. Affirmative Action is what makes me excited to go to my class sections because it’s allowed for people of different backgrounds to hold space in a historically white, rich school. So I personally think we still have so much more to do in order to further diversify Harvard. Also, as a person being able to overcome racial and socioeconomic barriers to get to the point where they can aspire to attend a school like this shows more merit to me than bubbling some answers on the SAT.” ONOVUGHAKPOR M. OTITIGBE ’25. ­“While affirmative action policies played a part in the admission of students of color being here, the truth is our academic talents and extracurricular pursuits solidified our rightful place in this class – and those talents speak for themselves. Many of us struggled to get here. There is nothing preferential about our experiences to get to Harvard. And we’re still struggling to keep our place. We all deserve a level playing field of opportunity.”

Angie Shin ’23

MUSKAAN ARSHAD ’25 ­“No racial or ethnic groups have a monopoly on talent or intelligence, but some students have a monopoly on affirmative action, and race-conscious policy accounts for that discrepancy. This isn’t just Harvard, it is universities around the country, this can have an incalculable impact, so we have to fight against white supremacy, we have to fight for solidarity.

I as an Asian American refuse to be used as a ploy for white supremacy.”

Onovughakpor M. Otitigbe ’25

Muskaan Arshad ’25