The Harvard Crimson - Volume CXLVII, No. 34

The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CXLVII NO. 34 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020

NEWS PAGE 5

EDITORIAL PAGE 6

SPORTS PAGE 8

Archaeologist discusses the Pacific in the prehistoric era

Harvard’s choice to close its doors gives us deep reason for worry

Women’s basketball halts losing streak Friday, then loses to Yale

CORONAVIRUS SENDS STUDENTS HOME INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Students Must Vacate, Classes Move Online

Unions Reply to Closures

By THE CRIMSON NEWS STAFF

A ll Harvard courses will move to remote instruction beginning March 23 as a result of a growing global coronavirus outbreak, University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced in an email Tuesday morning.

The University will also ask students not to return from spring break.

“Students are asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess and to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice,” Bacow wrote in the email.

“Students who need to remain on campus will also receive instruction remotely and must prepare for severely limited on-campus activities and interactions. All graduate students will transition to remote work wherever possible,” Bacow added.

The move follows both similar decisions at other Ivy League universities in recent days and rapid changes on campus.

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts rises, events and venues across Harvard’s campus have closed, travel restrictions have tightened, and University affiliates have questioned how the disease will affect life and work on campus.

Harvard has seen similarly seismic changes to operations only in wartime.

Spring recess officially begins this Saturday and concludes on March 22.

The next day, students will attend classes virtually — a possibility Harvard University Health Services director Giang T. Nguyen and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay first publicly raised at a faculty meeting earlier this month.

Since then, tabs for the online meeting platform Zoom have cropped up on course websites and many faculty have tested it with their classes.

Bacow wrote Monday that Harvard will now strongly discourage gatherings of more than 25 people, a change from the previous guidance to rethink events of 100 or more.

“Despite our best efforts to bring the University’s resources to bear on this virus, we are still faced with uncertainty—and the considerable unease brought on by uncertainty,” Bacow wrote.

“It will take time for researchers, a good many of them

Three unions say they are making contingency plans and cancelling events after Harvard’s announcement that it will send undergrads home and move to online classes.

­

SEE VACATE PAGE 7

SEE UNIONS PAGE 4

Seniors Party Before Packing

On Tuesday morning, Harvard University announced the upcoming transition to virtual instruction for graduate and undergraduate classes. A student waits with his belongings in preparation for vacating campus outside of Leverett House Tuesday morning. JONATHAN G. YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

SEE SENIORS PAGE 3

Intl. Students React to News

Harvard College students were notified to vacate their houses and dorms

by March 15, five days away. RYAN N. GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

P ublic health experts largely support the University’s decision to transition to remote instruction and restrict students’ presence on campus as the global coronavirus outbreak grows.

University President Lawrence S. Bacow and Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana informed students of the measures in a series of emails Tuesday morning. Khurana asked undergraduates to vacate their rooms no later than Sunday March 15 at 5 p.m. and begin attending courses virtually on March 23, the first day of sched­

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Harvard Today 2

The Owl, a final club, hosted a day party following the notification of the decision to evacuate campus. RYAN N. GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Rapid Move-Outs Faculty Prepare Bring Challenges for Web Teaching

By JULIET E. ISSELBACHER and AMANDA Y. SU CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Most days, Jordan H. Barton ’23 wakes up in his Canaday dorm to a 9:30 a.m. alarm.

On Tuesday, though, he woke up earlier. His phone was ringing as he began receiving a flood of texts informing him Harvard College would require undergraduates to vacate campus by Sunday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. ­

Experts Support Response to Virus

By FIONA K. BRENNAN

­ arvard seniors spent H time with friends in dining halls and at outdoor parties on Tuesday after recieving the news that their final semester would be cut short.

uled classes after spring recess.

As of Tuesday evening, there were 973 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 29 deaths in the United States. Governor Charlie D. Baker ’79 declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts Tuesday, after the number of coronavirus cases doubled overnight to 92.

To date, there are nine reported cases in Boston but none on Harvard’s campus.

Harvard School of Public Health epidemiology professor Donald A. Goldmann said that while Harvard’s decision to send students home was

SEE EXPERTS PAGE 3

News 3

Editorial 6

“To wake up in the morning and receive what can only be called an eviction notice is something that only invalidates what the school’s mission has stated since they’ve been inducted,” Barton said.

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana wrote to Barton and more than 6,000 other undergraduates on Tuesday morning that campus would not

SEE MOVE-OUT PAGE 4

By JAMES S. BIKALES CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard’s response to the novel coronavirus Tuesday triggered perhaps one of the largest sudden pedagogical shifts in University history, as undergraduates are required to move off campus and classes transition to an online format.

In the wake of the changes, several Harvard faculty members said that, while they still need to iron out several details, ­

they felt largely prepared to deliver classes online for the rest of the semester.

The University announced a number of measures to reduce risk to affiliates in emails Tuesday, including transitioning to online learning, canceling gatherings of more than 25 people, and requiring that College students vacate their dorms by Sunday.

Last week, Dean of the

SEE FACULTY PAGE 5

­International students at the College spent Tuesday questioning the status of their visas, working to secure housing, and wondering how different time zones will impact online class.

SEE GLOBAL PAGE 7

Mass. Declares Emergency ­overnor Charlie D. G Baker ‘79 declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts on Tuesday after the number of reported cases of coronavirus in the state jumped to 92.

SEE EMERGENCY PAGE 3

Schools Unveil Contingency Plans for Virus

By JAMES S. BIKALES, MICHELLE G. KURILLA, and RUOQI ZHANG CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Administrators from across Harvard’s 12 degree-granting schools and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study sent school-specific instructions and reassurances to students Tuesday following University President Lawrence S. Bacow’s announcement that Harvard would move to remote instruction beginning March 23 as a result of the growing coronavirus outbreak.

Bacow’s announcement, which also stipulated that students not return to campus ­

SEE SCHOOLS PAGE 5

Sports 8

A Harvard undergraduate talks on the phone in the Science Center Plaza Tuesday morning, reacting to the University’s early morning decision. JONATHAN G. YUAN—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

TODAY’S FORECAST

PARTLY SUNNY High: 51 Low: 33

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |

MARCH 11, 2020

PAGE 2

HARVARD TODAY

For Lunch Fried Buttermilk Chicken Pepperoni Pizza Vegetarian Penne Bolognese

For Dinner Local Catch of the Day Teriyaki Chicken with Scallions, Garlic Morrocan Carrot, Chickpea Stew

UPCOMING EVENTS “Yeah we’ll leave but we’re not happy about it” Thursday, March 12 Harvard Yard, 10 a.m.

According to the Facebook page of this student-created event, students will protest Harvard’s instruction for undergraduates to vacate campus to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Students will “dissent in groups of 25” in response to advice from the University that students can have “non-essential gatherings of no more than 25 people.” The Facebook event currently lists over 1,000 students attending and describes the event as “housing day minus the housing plus righteous fury.”

IN THE REAL WORLD National Guard Sent to New Rochelle, N.Y. With the largest cluster of national cases of coronavirus, all large meeting points in New Rochelle, a town outside of New York City, have been closed. The Governor of New York has announced a one mile containment zone around the city and the National Guard has been called to clean schools and deliver food.

Coachella Postponed Until October

Students make their way through Harvard Yard in the sunny weather Tuesday afternoon.

RYAN

N. GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY BRIEFING

Think postponing Housing Day wasn’t bad enough? Now, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is postponed until October. Although coronavirus fears are running high, it is anticipated that most of the original acts will still be featured.

Biden in the Lead in Democratic Primaries

All Harvard courses will move to remote instruction beginning March 23 as a result of a growing global coronavirus outbreak, University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced in an email Tuesday morning. The University will also ask students not to return from spring break. In other news, several Harvard faculty members said that, while they still need to iron out several details, they felt largely prepared to deliver classes online for the rest of the semester.

With former vice president Joseph R. Biden Jr. winning the Michigan, Mississippi, and Missouri primaries, his lead over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Democratic primaries has grown.

Yet, as expected, coronavirus has touched both of these candidates’ campaigns, resulting in cancelled campaign events.

AROUND THE IVIES CORNELL Cornell University announced Tuesday that it will transition to digital courses after spring break, according to the Cornell Daily Sun. Students have been asked to leave campus at the start of spring break — which is March 27 for Cornell — and not return for the remainder of the semester. Graduate and professional students will be allowed to continue research and rotations on campus, though they have been encouraged to limit travel and group activities. All events with over 100 people have also been prohibited.

PRINCETON

Princeton University announced Tuesday that it will switch to virtual instruction starting on the week of March 23, according to the Daily Princetonian. Princeton said that its policies and practices — including virtualization of lectures and seminars, limiting campus gatherings, and restricting travel — are “based on the concept of social distancing.” Like Yale, Princeton said the policies will be in place until April 5 and be assessed then.

YALE

Yale University announced Tuesday that it will hold courses online until at least April 5, and told students to stay home after spring recess, according to the Yale Daily News. Like Harvard, Yale plans to hold classes through Zoom, Canvas, and other online platforms. Yale also instructed students currently on campus to “make every effort” to return home on or before March 15. Yale said they will “reassess” as they approach April 5.

THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873

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

PAGE 3

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 11. 2020

Seniors Party, Lament Move-Out

By EMA R. SCHUMER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Harvard College seniors spent time with friends in dining halls and at outdoor parties in the balmy weather Tuesday while they processed the University’s decision to send students home amid concerns over coronavirus.

In interviews, 12 members of the Class of 2020 grappled with the announcement, which could mark a premature coda to their time at Harvard. These seniors described emotions ranging from denial to nostalgia to confusion.

Nicole M. Daurio ’20 was still processing the news alongside friends in the Kirkland House dining hall hours after the announcement went out.

Daurio said she felt “numb.”

“I don’t really know how I feel,” Daurio said. “You’ve just been told that your college career is over, you’re being kicked out of your House of three years, you’re having to say bye to your friends.”

She also lamented the uncertainty around plans for this year’s commencement ceremonies.

“Are we going to all Zoom into our commencement?” she asked, referencing the online teleconference platform Harvard plans to use for virtual classes.

Daurio said that, if commencement exercises do take place, she will not be able to afford flying back to campus from her home in California.

University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced the decision to move all Harvard courses online as a result of the global spread of coronavirus in

Baker Declares State Emergency

­

By FIONA K. BRENNAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

G overnor Charlie D. Baker ’79 declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts Tuesday after the number of recorded coronavirus cases in the state doubled overnight.

As of Tuesday evening, there were 973 cases in the United States and 29 deaths.

Massachusetts saw 92 cases of coronavirus reported, up from 41 on Monday.

At least 32 recorded cases of coronavirus in the state are connected to people who attended a Biogen conference at a Boston hotel on Feb. 26 and 27, where three employees later tested positive for coronavirus.

Massachusetts joined eight states, including New York, California, Rhode Island, and Maryland, in declaring a state of emergency.

Baker said at a news conference that he declared the state of emergency to give his administration more “flexibility” to respond to the outbreak.

“We believe it’s important to start taking more aggressive action now to mitigate spread based on the information we have available,” Baker said.

Baker added in the news conference that officials expect the outbreak to cause disruptions and that immediate steps needed to be taken to combat it.

“The efforts to mitigate the spread of this virus will be disruptive. We expect this disruption to continue for the foreseeable future and understand it will cause inconvenience for ­

In response to the University’s announcement, seniors in Winthrop House commemorate the unprecedented ending to their Harvard experience with alcohol. RYAN N. GAJARAWALA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

an email to University affiliates Tuesday morning.

He also wrote that students should not return to Cambridge after spring break, which starts Saturday.

Other members of the Class of 2020 said they were scrambling to create a capstone experience before moving out of their dorms. Many chose to spend the day partying.

Devin C. Judd ’20 was carrying a box of Corona hard seltzers from the C’est Bon liquor store in Harvard Square to the Owl Club late Tuesday morning. He said he planned to spend his last days on campus “packing and drinking.”

“Senior spring’s supposed

to be the best and we have to fit it in two days, three days,” he said.

C’est Bon manager Tony R. Daher said his business experienced greater traffic Tuesday morning as undergraduates stocked up on alcohol.

He said students entered his store beginning around 10 a.m., though on most other days he “never saw students in the morning.”

In the Kirkland courtyard, roughly ten seniors sat in chairs playing beer darts and listening to the country hit “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band.

Oliver L. Sughrue ’20 said he understood Harvard’s decision to move classes online, but

felt disappointed that he and his friends only had a few days to leave campus. In the courtyard, he said they were “taking a personal day.”

“We’re a really close-knit group, my blockmates, and it’s hard for us to say goodbye,” Sughrue said. “And this might not be the best way to say goodbye, but it’s the natural reaction.”

Sughrue explained why he and other seniors were celebrating Tuesday.

“We’re trying to get happier so we don’t get too sad because we’re all really sad about saying goodbye,” he said. ema.schumer@thecrimson.com

many,” Baker said. “But our goal needs to be to significantly increase efforts to mitigate the spread of this disease now.”

Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was cancelled on Tuesday, according to Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

The Boston Marathon is still scheduled to take place April 20, though the situation is “fluid.”

Baker’s state of emergency announcement came the same day Harvard administrators

The efforts to mitigate the spread of this virus will be disruptive. We expect this disruption to continue for the forseeable future and understand it will cause inconvenience for many.

Charlie D. Baker ‘79 Governor of Massachusetts

informed students that they must leave campus by Sunday and that classes after spring break will be held online.

MIT also announced Tuesday that it would move to online classes following spring break and told undergraduate students to not return to campus. fiona.brennan@thecrimson.com

EXPERTS FROM PAGE 1

Public Health Experts Largely Support University’s Decision “drastic,” the nature of the institution places it in a “unique situation.”

“People are coming from all over the country — in fact, all over the world — and it’s impossible to gauge the likelihood that every single student was or was not exposed to the coronavirus,” Goldmann said.

“As people say all the time now, out of an abundance of caution, this is the step that was taken,” Khurana advised students experiencing difficulties leaving campus on such short notice to contact their resident deans and consult a list of frequently-asked questions. Topics covered by the FAQs range from the continuity of Harvard University Health Services resources, to financial support for travel expenses, to potential disruptions to academic programming.

Marc Lipsitch, the director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the School of Public Health, said the decision was ultimately necessary because of the imminence of a coronavirus outbreak and the nature of students’ living situations.

“I think we were some days or weeks away from hav-

ing a really big problem on our hands, and the only thing we can do to slow it down is to slow down transmission,” Lipsitch said. “Dorms are not quite cruise ships, but they are pretty densely packed, and some of them aren’t very well ventilated.”

“It’s just better to be in places other than dorms,” he added.

Goldmann said the transition to virtual learning would almost certainly impact the teaching quality of most classes.

“It’s very unlikely that the quality of teaching for every class will be what it is if they were here in person,” Goldmann said. “Let’s face it, most of the professors and the teaching fellows have never taught at any scale virtually.”

He added that with Harvard’s “international and increasingly diverse” student body, the University must take measures to support students who might “suffer” from the disruption.

“I think Harvard has an enormous responsibility to care for students who are displaced by this,” Goldmann said. “Harvard is going to have to get it together to really look

out for all of the students who are going to not just be inconvenienced, but perhaps even suffer as a result of this.”

Khurana acknowledged that students may feel “disappointment” with the news but said further instruction would be provided soon on how students can meet the fast turnaround.

“I do not take lightly the apprehension and disappointment you will experience with this news. In the coming days our faculty and staff will be working diligently to implement plans to best support you during this transition,” Khurana said.

Kenneth McIntosh ’58, a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School, said that while the decision to send students off campus was not guaranteed to curb the spread of coronavirus, it was still a smart move.

“I’m sure that the effort is to try to avoid that and minimize the epidemic. Whether it will be successful or not is not entirely clear, but I think that it’s better to do something that makes epidemiologic sense at this point than to wait,” McIntosh said.

The latest on student life.

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MARCH 11. 2020

PAGE 4

Unions Respond Sudden Move-Outs Pose Unexpected Issues to Univ. Closures MOVE-OUT FROM PAGE 1

By DAVIT ANTONYAN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

Three of Harvard’s labor unions are forming contingency plans and cancelling events after Harvard announced Tuesday that it would send undergraduates home for the remainder of the semester and hold classes online due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

The Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers — the largest union on campus — is working to ensure its members do not lose pay should the University further shutter its operations, according to HUCTW President Carrie Barbash. ­

We want to ensure that no members experience any kind of pay loss as a result of choices Harvard is making about staying open or closing.

Carrie Barbash HUCTW President

“We want to ensure that no members experience any kind of pay loss as a result of choices Harvard is making about staying open or closing, and that everyone has adequate sick time to either care for themselves or their family members,” Barbash said.

The Harvard University Security, Parking, and Museum Guards Union, meanwhile, is preparing for a tumultuous week ahead as students move out from their dorms.

HUSPMGU President Curt E. Rheault said the union would be treating the remaining five days like the end of a traditional school year.

“On the parking side, we’re considered essential personnel, so we’ve been asked to treat this week as the move-out for everybody,” he said.

Rheault added he is con-

cerned the closure could cause “about 60% of our overtime to be gone.”

Harvard’s graduate student union cancelled its scheduled work-in on Thursday and announced it would stop holding mass events following a University-wide email announcing that classes will move online beginning March 23.

The announcement comes amid contentious contract negotiations between the University and Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers.

HGSU-UAW wrote in an email to members that it would remain committed to addressing the needs of its members, even as Harvard prepares to move online.

In the email, the union demanded Harvard ensure that student workers not lose pay amid the closure; provide paid sick leave; address their immigration concerns; cover the costs of coronavirus testing for them; and reimburse their travel expenses.

“We have drafted a list of steps the administration should take to immediately protect the health and well-being of student workers,” the email read.

University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain said the University is working to address a number of concerns raised in the union’s email related to the threat of coronavirus.

“As President Bacow stated in his message to the community, the decision announced today by the University around virtual instruction is aimed at limiting exposure of members of our community to the coronavirus,” Swain said. “ There are a wide range of concerns the University is working to address in the coming days and weeks related to this decision and the ongoing public health emergency, among those are some that were also raised by HGSU-UAW,” Swain added. davit.antonyan@thecrimson.com

reopen after spring break, which stretches from March 14 to 22.

Within hours, the email sent students scrambling to pack up all their belongings and make plans to vacate. But Barton and others say it hit one group of undergraduates particularly hard: first-generation and low-income students, many of whom depend upon Harvard for food, housing, and stability.

“They’ve been evicted from their stability, they’ve been evicted from their homes, they’ve been evicted from their ability to live comfortably and safely,” Barton, who is an FGLI student, said. “There’s already enough concern, and now they’re concerned about being able to get home and have stable housing and food.”

Some students must ship or store their on-campus belongings without financial support from Harvard. Others who planned to stay on campus must now book unexpected flights home and accrue additional costs. And those who rely on term-time employment must confront additional financial concerns as they lose their primary sources of income.

Nicholas T. “Nick” Wyville ’20 called the College’s announcement “outrageous,” adding that he believes it will weigh most heavily on him and his fellow FGLI students.

“Harvard prides itself on having a massive student body that is a large percentage on financial aid,” Wyville said. “I think that they forget that those are the same students who often come from home situations that are uncomfortable.”

The financial burdens of leaving campus this week will disproportionately affect first-generation, low-income students at Harvard who cannot foot these abrupt costs, according to Primus, a group for FGLI students at the College.

“While many students can handle unexpected costs, this sudden change in housing highlights the large disparity within our student population concerning students’ access to disposable wealth and the re­

sources necessary to evacuate and move off-campus,” the group wrote in a statement emailed to its members.

First-generation students constitute 15 percent of Harvard’s undergraduate population; more than 20 percent of students are on full financial aid at the College, according to Primus’s statement.

James A. Bedford ’20 — who is on full financial aid — said he usually holds several jobs at Harvard simultaneously in order to support himself, working roughly 15 to 20 hours a week.

His roles have included serving as a Peer Advising Fellow, a Learning Lab Fellow at the the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and an instructor for SCRB 78: “Science Communication,” among others.

“I haven’t even been able to think about the realities of the lost income and the money that I won’t be able to make,” he said.

University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced in an email Tuesday morning that all Harvard courses will move to online instruction beginning March 23.

However, Wyville — who hails from Anniston, Ala. — said online courses are not feasible for him and some of his peers from rural or low-income areas, where many homes do not have internet access.

“It’s not as if we can just like up and go to the library or the coffee shop every day,” he said.

“The only equalizer at Harvard is the fact that we all live together and have the same accommodation. We live together, we eat the same food, we have the same faculty resources,” Wyville added. “But if you take away campus living and residential life then you take away that equalizer.”

While Eric Olvera ’23 expected Harvard would transition to online classes as a result of the coronavirus, he said he was shocked when he learned he had just five days to leave Cambridge. Olvera had planned a series of flights between Hawaii, Boston, and his home in Idaho based on the regular academic calendar. He then

Harvard, from the Law School to Longwood.

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planned to return to Boston for the summer.

“All of these flights total up to about $700. That’s like half my net worth,” Olvera said.

Olvera said he was unsure whether he could get refunds from the airlines or receive financial assistance from Harvard to cover sunk costs.

Similarly, some students have been forced to make substantial efforts to afford last-minute flights home.

“I just paid an entire paycheck to get a plane ticket home on the shortest notice possible,” Barton said.

Faced with financial, logistical, and personal challenges Tuesday, students and University affiliates have attempted to cobble together makeshift solutions.

In wake of the announcement, many students offered their homes to peers who require housing via a Google spreadsheet that connects undergraduates seeking housing with those who can provide it. As of Tuesday night, over 80 students signed up on the spreadsheet, including information about the number of beds they have available.

Others have called on Harvard administrators to offer students greater support. Barton, Olvera, and several other students penned an open letter to the administration Tuesday on behalf of a new student group, Harvard Undergraduates for Decent and Urgent Accommodations.

The letter condemns administrators for demanding students make sudden travel plans that “exhaust” their resources and put unexpected financial pressure on their families, as well as process “tremendously expensive” shipping fees.

“The nature of financial struggle is one of inaccess,” the letter reads. “Being asked to fully move out and ship our rooms away with no system of subsidies and on-campus, accessible storage makes this issue undeniable.”

“These are costs that Harvard cannot mediate, and in such, a timely notice with com-

prehensive subsidies was necessary,” the letter further stated.

Primus’s leaders wrote that they are focused on continuing to communicate with affected students and working with administrators and alumni to connect students with additional resources.

In its open letter, HUDUA demanded that Harvard open its petitioning process to remain on campus to economically disadvantaged students.

They further asked that Harvard increase subsidies towards, as well as the availability of, urgent, on-campus storage facilities before the evacuation deadline. The College is currently not offering any on-campus storage to students.= The letter has more than 100 student signatories as of Tuesday evening, according to Barton.

College spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote in a statement that, per Khurana’s email to students, Harvard’s commitment to the health of its affiliates and its responsibilities to the “larger community” guided the decision.

“Public health experts have advised us that the best way to delay the virus transmission and to contain any breakout is to decrease the number of people on our campus, and as a result, the decision was made in a timely manner and communicated as soon as it could be,” Dane wrote.

In his email, Khurana wrote the College understands students will face challenges and that faculty and staff will implement plans to support students during the transition.

“I do not take lightly the apprehension and disappointment you will experience with this news,” he wrote. “As you deal with the uncertainty of these unexpected challenges, I hope you will be gentle and respectful with others and with yourselves so that we can meet these challenges in ways that will reflect the College at its best.” juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com amanda.su@thecrimson.com

PAGE 5

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 11. 2020

SCHOOLS FROM PAGE 1

FACULTY FROM PAGE 1

Harvard Schools Outline Faculty Prep for Transition Their Contingency Plans to Online-Only Teaching after spring break whenever possible, came just days after Registrar of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael P. Burke announced stricter travel restrictions related to coronavirus.

Many of the announcements — which contained directions for graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and staff — addressed issues pertaining to transitions to virtual classes, restrictions on public events, and continuity of research and academic activities, among other issues.

Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria and Executive Dean for Administration Angela Q. Crispi wrote in a Business School-wide announcement that Harvard’s sudden transition to online classes is “a shift with few parallels in our history.”

“The last time we had to pivot our operations so significantly was in the 1940s, against the backdrop of World War II, when the School’s campus (and that of the University) was turned over to military training,” they wrote in the email.

Harvard School of Public Health Dean Michelle A. Williams wrote in an email to School of Public Health affiliates that the novel coronavirus could pose one of the “biggest public health challenges we face in our lifetimes.”

Top schools administrators — including those from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard College, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard Extension School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and the Radcliffe Institute — sent similar announcements on their respective schools’ response.

The Graduate School of Education did not respond to requests for comment on whether administrators sent similar messages to its affiliates.

While Bacow’s message encouraged the general student

population to remain home after spring break, Harvard Medical School administrators wrote in an email to Medical School affiliates that the school plans to “proceed with clinical activities” and that its students should “plan to return to campus following their breaks.”

“Given that portions of the HMS learning environment are largely hands-on and that medical students need to complete rotations and patient exams to meet graduation requirements, we plan to proceed with clinical activities and will work with our affiliated hospitals to employ heightened protocols aimed at ensuring the safety of students, patients, staff and faculty,” Medical School Dean George Q. Daley ’82 and Executive Dean for Administration Lisa M. Muto ’79 wrote.

Daley and Muto added that extra cleaning and precautions would be implemented and the decision could be revisited “should the current situation escalate.”

FAS Dean Claudine Gay wrote in an email to faculty that the school is entering “somewhat uncharted territory.”

“I want to acknowledge that this is a lot to take on,” she wrote.

“It can be overwhelming, frustrating, and anxiety-producing to have to shift gears so dramatically in the middle of the semester, and finding a way to be creative in a situation of considerable pressure is difficult to say the least. I want you to know that you have a community of people ready to support you in this, and that includes me.”

Gay added that students will be looking to the faculty for support during transition as they confront “uncertainty, but likely also disappointment to be leaving campus.”

“Your care, compassion, and sense of confidence that we can reach solutions to the challenges intrinsic in this transition are perhaps the most powerful tools we have in this moment,” Gay wrote. “Give yourself a moment to prepare how you will lead in your research group, class, pro-

Archaeologist Talks History of the Pacific

By HANNAH J. MARTINEZ and JING-JING SHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Archaeolog ist Matthew Spriggs spoke about the often-overlooked contributions of indigenous people and women in archaeology in the Pacific during a talk at the Harvard Museum of Natural History Tuesday evening.

In Tuesday evening’s lecture — which was livestreamed due to ongoing concerns regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus — Spriggs, who is an archaeology professor at the Australian National University, presented an overview of his project, which is five years in the making.

The project, which is titled “The Collective Biography of Archaeology in the Pacific,” focused on influential findings in early settlements in the Pacific and the history and methodology of archaeology in that region.

“Investigations like [the CBAP project] are really critical in these sensitive times,” Spriggs said at the beginning of his talk.

Spriggs began the CBAP project five years ago as an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow.

His research had nine objectives. Those goals included creating a subfield of the history of archaeology in the Pacific, recovering information about pre-World War II excavations in the Pacific, and investigating the extent to which “descendant communities” and female scholars aided in the fieldwork.

During the lecture, Spriggs focused on archaeologist Edward W. Gifford’s efforts to study Fiji.

Spriggs emphasized the role indigenous people played in Gifford’s work.

“His entire expedition [had] been directed by native Fijians and he had no idea that this was the case,” Spriggs said.

Also during Tuesday’s lecture, Spriggs chose to highlight

the lack of female representation in the field of archaeology.

As a result, Spriggs cited the absence of Gifford’s wife, Delila S. Gifford, from his publications.

Gifford did not acknowledge his wife despite her presence as a principal photographer.

There was “virtually no mention of his wife in his notes,

gram, and department.”

“There is still a lot we do not know, and we will not get everything right as we work quickly to shift operations,” she added.

Gay also noted in her email that faculty could postpone midterms, and that future FAS Faculty Council and Faculty Meetings would be held virtually.

Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Emma Dench wrote that her school is working to develop “guidelines for lab research.”

Dench also noted that graduate students who live in undergraduate housing as proctors or tutors would not be required to move.

Divinity School Dean of Faculty David N. Hempton wrote in an emailed announcement to faculty that the campus would not close its campus despite classes moving online.

“The HDS campus is open to students, faculty, and staff, including the library,” Hempton wrote. “I ask that when you are on campus you practice appropriate social distancing with a minimum distance of 6 feet and maintain procedures to prevent the spread of this respiratory disease.”

Dean of the Graduate School of Design Sarah M. Whiting wrote in an email to Design School affiliates that courses in her school would have to transition away from dependence on model fabrication.

Whiting wrote that Design School buildings would be locked to everyone but essential staff and students who complete a petition process — a policy which differs from other schools, where buildings will remain open.

“Transitioning an institution the size of the GSD—especially one whose curriculum is structured around collaboration, meetings, 1:1 instruction, and physical fabrication—is no small task,” Whiting wrote. james.bikales@thecrimson.com michelle.kurilla@thecrimson.com ruoqi.zhang@thecrimson.com

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay told FAS members at their monthly Faculty Meeting to prepare for the possibility of delivering lectures via Zoom, a video communication platform.

The University has added Zoom to course websites and is offering training on the platform to course instructors.

Molecular and Cellular Biology professor Hopi E. Hoekstra, one of the head instructors for Life Sciences 1B: “An Integrated Introduction to the Life Sciences: Genetics, Genomics, and Evolution,” said the course will hold lectures and sections online.

For the lab component of the course, teaching fellows and preceptors will record videos of them performing the labs themselves; they will then provide their collected data to students, and students will analyze and interpret them as an assignment.

“Of course, we would love it if students had hands-on experience, but I think that the second best option is being able to watch somebody do those steps,” Hoekstra said. “This was a sort of happy medium between, you know, having the students actually do the lab, versus just explaining the lab in words or getting a written assignment.”

The transition to remote learning poses particular challenges for departments which rely heavily on in-person experiences, such as labs and studio time. The Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are particularly affected.

AFVS Director of Undergraduate Studies Matthew Saunders ’97 said his department is working to distribute kits of art supplies — from painting supplies for the class Saunders teaches, Gen Ed 1114: “Painting’s Doubt: A Studio Course,” to tablets for animation classes — to allow students to continue making work remotely. The department may

also ship kits to students who are unable to pick them up this week.

Saunders said sections in his Gen Ed course would likely continue over Zoom, with students potentially uploading photos of intermediate drafts of artwork.

Saunders said one issue that has repeatedly arisen in internal planning discussions is the issue of time zone differences for international students participating over Zoom.

“We’re just gathering information of how many students are in that boat, and we’ll make accommodations accordingly,” Saunders said.

Certain film classes within AFVS, however, may not be able to continue as usual with students away from campus — particularly those which rely on films available through the Harvard Film Archive, according to AFVS lecturer Katherine S. Rennebohm.

Rennebohm said that while roughly four-fifths of the films used in her course AFVS 70: “The Art of Film” are accessible digitally, they may not be available in a format that students can view on their personal computers.

“Realistically, it will be very challenging,” Rennebohm said.

“I designed the class that way specifically to give students access to the kind of material that we really can only access here and it’s kind of an incredible resource.”

Likewise, many SEAS courses rely on in-person labs and hands-on projects as a major part of their pedagogy.

Physics professor Eric Mazur said that while his course Applied Physics 50B: “Physics as a Foundation for Science and Engineering, Part II” does not have lectures, he will have to rely on a number of digital platforms in addition to Zoom to continue group work and projects.

Mazur said he was very disappointed that students would not be able to work together on projects in person. For ex-

—Staff writer Kevin R. Chen contributed reporting. james.bikales@thecrimson.com

Allston is far away.

That’s why we live tweet games.

There are many more pacific angles to be explored.

Matthew Spriggs Archaeologist

let alone in his publication,” Spriggs said.

On Tuesday evening, Spriggs also chronicled the history of the prehistoric Lapita people.

The Lapita people settled the Pacific approximately 3,000 years ago and ultimately spread throughout Oceania, according to Spriggs.

Lapita pottery is distinguished by its stamped geometric patterns, according to Spriggs.

In 1948, Ratu Rambithi Vuikandavu Longavatu, the grandson of a Fijian chief, and archaeologist Lindsay Verrier discovered the first Fijian Lapita pottery, which they sent to Gifford.

Spriggs told the audience how he met with Rambithi’s children decades later and informed them that their father “found the first Lapita pottery in Fiji.” “[Rambithi’s son] never knew his father had been in archaeology. He just knew his father was a civil servant in Fiji,” Spriggs said.

Spriggs concluded his lecture by calling for more research on under-acknowledged contributions to early Pacific archaeology.

“There are many more Pacific angles to be explored,” Spriggs said.

ample, students in the course are currently in the middle of building a safe.

“Deep down, learning is a social experience,” Mazur said.

“It’s not something you can push entirely online.”

For upcoming projects, Mazur will give materials to at least two people on each team so the team can build together virtually, though students living in different time zones may pose a difficulty.

“Overcoming the time zone difference for activities that need to be synchronous is one thing that I haven’t completely figured out yet,” Mazur said.

Physics preceptor David E. Abrams wrote that the lab component of his course Engineering Sciences 54: “Electronics for Engineers” would also be difficult to continue online.

“My guess is we will have to transition to paper designs rather than the current handson experience,” Abrams wrote.

“I think this is unfortunate for the students since building circuits and using lab equipment is not only fun, but also a valuable learning experience.”

“I have no doubt we will persevere, but I am saddened by the students’ loss,” Abrams wrote.

In addition to preparations being made in the classroom, Harvard University Information Technology spokesperson Tim Bailey wrote in an emailed statement that HUIT staff have been working “around the clock” to prepare to support remote learning.

“We are working closely with key vendors, including Zoom, to ensure continuity and stability of services throughout this period of exceptionally high demand from the Harvard community,” Bailey wrote. “We are closely monitoring our network infrastructure and are prepared to quickly expand capacity of our support services to meet increased demand.”

The Crimson @THCSports

e.

s.

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 11, 2020

PAGE 6

EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD

COLUMN

March 10, 2020: Harvard Stops, But the World Cannot

Connection Means More Than Instagram Stories

H

arvard does not shut its doors.

Even during the 1918 Spanish Flu — when 50 million died and 500 million were infected — Harvard did not close. There have been days off — hurricanes, blizzards, the Boston Marathon bombing — but as Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III quipped, “Harvard University will close only for an act of God, such as the end of the world.”

Yet here we are. If not at the end of the world, then as President Lawrence S. Bacow announced yesterday morning — to students waking up, walking into midterms, touching up the final clauses of senior theses — we likely find ourselves at the end of our physical time on campus this semester.

And though we have much to say in the days to come — words of hope, critiques of process, fears of personal and global proportions — we find ourselves first wanting to speak to the obligations, which out of necessity or as a troubling abdication, the University in sending students home indefinitely abandons.

We want to highlight the concerns of those most vulnerable in our community and for the world our institution seeks to serve.

Pandemics exacerbate inequality — from who can and can’t afford not to work to who has and lacks health insurance. Harvard’s decision has already begun to lay bare these inequalities and will no doubt continue to do so in deeply troubling and dangerous ways.

Coronavirus will hit the most vulnerable members of our community and Cambridge at large with force. Those who stand to lose include people expe-

riencing homelessness, University employees making hourly wages, students with pre-existing risk factors, international and low-income students — particularly those from countries the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified as warning level three — and students who may face other forms of precarity.

The University must extend support to these groups. It could start by compensating all workers, allowing international students who find themselves in a broad array of challenging immigration conditions to stay on campus, and supporting those from unstable home backgrounds — many of whom will struggle with Zoom-ing and the other means of remote learning. Furthermore, the University should support organizations that serve vital community service functions, like the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and Y2Y, which run on student labor, to ensure they can perform their work going forward. And it might also consider collaborating with Cambridge on supporting the local economy and small business owners.

Beyond these first concerns — concerns of life here and now — there is also the message Harvard sends to the world.

It may not be an exaggeration to say that in removing students from its campus, Harvard has conceded that knowledge production and transmission has effectively stopped. With empty classrooms, archives, laboratories and offices, the closed gates of Harvard University turn away those who see in it the promise of institutions devoted to learning, knowledge, and open dialogue.

At times of instability and catastrophe, our institutions should be beacons of hope. In desperate times, they must continue the vital human work of being, thinking, and acting together. As one of the leading institutions of scholarship in the world, Harvard’s response will inevitably amplify a growing sense of global collapse.

Especially as our government — in its messaging, policies, and aid — fails to put together anything even approaching a coherent response to the pandemic, institutions of knowledge should fill the void — step up where President Donald Trump has now repeatedly stepped away from waiting eyes. The production of knowledge has a significance that, at its best, shines through uncertainty, confusion, and doubt. And as we feel an existential humility in the face of this pandemic, Harvard’s choice to close its doors gives us deep reason for worry as students and global citizens.

We must as a community remain courageous, compassionate, and committed to each other. We must, as a University, remain committed to the ideals and hard work and of knowledge as a human enterprise and an enterprise for the betterment of humankind.

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

Submit an Op-Ed Today!

The Crimson @thecrimson OP-ED

The Three Percent in the Face of the Coronavirus

By RAQUEL CORONELL URIBE

F

our years ago, I was in the hospital going through chemotherapy to treat my leukemia. At the time, I had 0.0 neutrophils — the white blood cells that protect you against foreign pathogens; a healthy range is considered 2.5-7.5 neutrophils.

I spent two and a half years undergoing chemotherapy, which killed all rapidly reproducing cells, like hair and blood cells, along with the leukemia. Thus, for two and a half years, I had chronically low white blood cell counts. If I had gotten even a whiff of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, then, I would have almost certainly been dead within a matter of days.

I am lucky that I am no longer in treatment and that I do not have such an extreme white blood cell deficiency anymore.

However, there are thousands of children and adults currently undergoing chemotherapy to fight for their lives, just as I was those four years ago.

They, like people over 65 years old, are in danger during this pandemic.

As I walk around campus during the days leading up to spring break, I hear many people in my classes talk about their travel plans. They are going to Paris, to Seattle, to Spain … to myriad places that are critically affected by this vi-

rus. When prompted to rethink their plans, they often respond, “I’ll be fine”; “I would survive the coronavirus;” “It has a 97 percent survival rate — I’m taking my chances” or “I paid! Why would I cancel my trip now?”

All of these things are true. If you are a healthy, young individual, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. You can tour Europe at all time low prices and come away from it with nothing but a mild cough.

But the problem is that you might carry the coronavirus to someone who won’t survive it as you likely will. Your actions will have consequences for the people you come into contact with, but also for those you don’t; exposing the caretakers of people undergoing chemotherapy, relatives of vulnerable grandparents, and mothers of toddlers risks the lives of people many degrees of separation away from you.

You’re right. You deserve to travel to a place you paid good money to go to. And it’s unfair that these invisible pathogens are uprooting your entire life when they probably wouldn’t even cause you harm.

However, whether you like it or not, you are a part of society. Consider the ramifications your leisure activities could have on the lives of those who coexist in this community with you. Your trip to the Eiffel Tower could cause the lives of people who, without any fault of their own,

have precarious health conditions.For a disease like this, a 3 percent mortality rate for the general population may not seem bad at all, but in reality, it’s a death sentence to the millions who are categorized as “high risk” populations. And these people are not “the others” — they are your professors, your classmates, and your grandparents.

As we leave Cambridge prematurely this semester, we would do well to remember that we all have the right to live our lives. That means visiting different places, learning about new cultures and pursuing happiness. But at the same time, in the most literal sense, a right to live also means a right to continue breathing. As privileged members of the world, we must be cognizant of our role in protecting this right and ensuring opportunities for those more vulnerable than us.

And when it comes to this virus, the most vulnerable are the elderly, the immunocompromised and those who are left stranded once college housing closes on Sunday.

In the face of a global health crisis like the novel coronavirus, we must remember that looking out for the vulnerable doesn’t stop even when we’re inconvenienced or scared.

—Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22 is a Government concentrator in Dunster House.

Javhlan Amgalanbaatar DARING TO BE The summer before college, before we all went to separate countries or states for college, my friends and I reassured ourselves that we would keep in touch.

Even with an ocean between us, we promised to talk to each other frequently and share updates of our lives since we have Instagram and Facebook to bring us together at any given moment. Since then, the promises have been, as expected, held infrequently and a surprising reason for that has been an impersonal use of the social platforms.

Moving on to the first semester of college, during the often lonely and busy days of the transition to a new culture and environment, I often spent all the free time I had on scrolling through Instagram and Facebook.

Sitting on my bed after a long day of school, tired and still adjusting to my new environment, I would see the smiley faces of my friends from home and watch their daily adventures on social media.

One friend posted a beautiful profile picture, another shared their thrilling travel experiences over the past few months, and third shared moments of wild parties with their new friends. I would experience these moments of my friends’ lives through bright pictures or twenty seconds of their Instagram stories, but I was usually left feeling drained and more disconnected afterward.

This one-sided interaction through stories and pictures on social media, as opposed to reaching out and talking, was enough for me to form mental images of how my friends were doing.

That friend of mine with a beautiful picture is glowing - they must be happily enjoying their new chapter of college; the friend who was traveling seems to have had so much fun, and the other one, with all the partying, must have found their close friends so fast. These would be the assumptions that would float around in my head and I would compare my mostly sad and stressful days to my friends’ experiences.

On top of that, since now I “knew” what my friends were up to, my curiosity about their lives diminished and I was usually left feeling inadequate and unworthy of direct interaction with others I haven’t talked to in a while.

I am certain that at least some of us have gone through a similar mental process in engagement with specific social platforms like Instagram.

Even though the concept of virtually being there with the people we care about in the moments of their lives is incredible, sometimes we can find ourselves on the detrimental side of its usage.

Rather than using the social applications as tools for directly talking and connecting screen-toscreen, hearing each other’s voices and sharing our respective lives with each other, we at times act as an audience of the public personas of people we know on social media.

This act of “watching” small segments of others’ lives for a long period of time, specifically the fun, happy, and best moments they choose to share, can often lead to lower self-esteem and social isolation.

This does not mean, however, that social media usage corresponds automatically to worse mental health and disconnection. It can be very fulfilling to engage with the people we care about fast through social platforms and we can find incredible community and connection online, leading to more socialization and happiness.

Although the discussion on the effects of social media on mental health has been extensively focused on its negative aspects, there are also some that show that the issue is not entirely one-sided and depends more on how we engage with it. As long as we approach social media positively, to create genuine connections, time spent on it might even contribute to our mental well-being.

The social media platforms are powerful in that they allow us to create or continue connections even thousands of miles apart, regardless of time and location. But in its usage, we have a choice every time we click and scroll: to engage with people we care about intentionally or be swept in the negative loop of comparison and disconnection. By being more aware of how we are interacting and learning about the lives of others online, we can surely create healthier habits on social media.

After last semester ended and I went home during winter break, I met my friends I haven’t talked to since I came to Harvard. It turned out that I was very wrong with my assumptions about my friends’ lives.

Despite posting cool pictures or travels or parties, we all in the end had unspoken common struggles of finding our places, missing home, and managing the chaos of college. I realized that only after talking to them personally, hearing their stories by asking them questions and sharing mine in return.

We can create the same genuine connection and better mental state on social media — we just have to reach out, tune in and connect.

—Javhlan Amgalanbaatar ’23, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Canaday Hall. Her column appears on alternate Wednesdays..

PAGE 7

THE HARVARD CRIMSON | MARCH 11. 2020

Conference Cancels Basketball Tournament

VACATE FROM PAGE 1

Coronavirus Closes Campus who are our colleagues, to understand enough about this disease to mount a reliable defense against it. Now more than ever, we must do our utmost to protect those among us who ­

Thank you all for your patience and your resilience as we all learn to temper increased distance with deeper care for one another.

Lawrence S. Bacow University President

are most vulnerable, whether physically or emotionally, and to treat one another with generosity and respect,” Bacow added.

The University previous-

By EMA R. SCHUMER CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

As coronavirus concerns spoil plans for events across Harvard’s campus, Harvard Athletics will require many student-athletes to sit out from trips and tournaments.

As a result of the virus, Harvard will no longer host the Ivy League basketball tournament, which was scheduled for this weekend. Harvard Athletics has also prohibited air travel for varsity teams, preventing several teams from going on their spring break trips. The Ivy League has not canceled conference competitions and training for the upcoming spring season, though it has imposed restrictions on attendance.

Ivy League Executive Director Robin J. Harris said in a Tuesday interview that the league considered several scenarios before settling on the decision to cancel the tournament.

She said the presidents of the eight Ivy League institutions — including University President Lawrence S. Bacow — made the decision in a conference call at 7:30 a.m. that morning. ­

ly took a number of steps to reduce risk to affiliates, including launching a dedicated coronavirus website and cancelling Visitas, the visiting weekend for the Class of 2024.

Administrators also began sending biweekly updates to College students last week from FAS Registrar Michael P. Burke and the Harvard College Emergency Management Team. On Monday, Burke informed undergrduates the College would cancel Housing Day festivities.

It remains unclear how the outbreak will affect other spring events like alumni reunions, Class Day, and Commencement exercises.

Bacow wrote that administrators from various Harvard schools will continue to update their faculty, students, and staff about Harvard’s response to the virus in the coming weeks.

International Students Work to Coordinate After Closing

By ELLEN M. BURSTEIN and CAMILLE G. CALDERA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS

Students across campus were shocked by Harvard’s unprecedented decision to transition to virtual instruction and require students to leave campus by Sunday, March 15 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. But for international students, the news was particularly worrisome, with concerns ranging from securing visas and immigration statuses to coordinating housing and travel plans.

An open letter from Harvard Undergraduates for Decent and Urgent Accommodations — a newly formed student group — said the news sparked “raging” questions from international students at the College and University.

“As of now, questions are raging about international students on this campus, and how the aforementioned 5-day deadline will affect them,” the petition read.

Chin-I “Teddy” Lin ’23, who is from Taiwan, called Tuesday’s news “surreal.”

“Today is a little bit surreal for me. I was sleeping in bed. My roommate woke me up and he was like, ‘Teddy, you need to see this email.’”

The Harvard International Office sent an email to international students Tuesday assuring them that their immigration status would not be impacted, as long as they kept up with their online course work.

“Government guidance issued yesterday assures us that international students can participate in online classes without concern for their immigration status, provided they continue to make normal progress in a full course of study as required by federal regulations,” the email read.

But some students are still concerned about visas for future internships. David A. Paffenholz ’22, who is from Germany, said that despite the guidance from the University, there were “a lot of unanswered questions.”

“In one international group chat, some things that were being asked about how things such as like visa permission are going to be handled, whether we still count as full time students while the college goes on pause, whether our like visas for summer internships are still open, whether we can still apply for them,” he said.

Michael D. Conner, a spokes­

person for Campus Services, said students with concerns about working in the U.S. this summer should contact their advisor at the International Office.

Paffenholz said the International Office was a “chaotic scene” earlier Tuesday. Still, he applauded their efforts.

“The International Office staff was really trying their best and handling it quite well,” he said.

Students can request an exception to campus closure through an online portal application, which is due at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March. 10.

The application notes that “there will be no automatically pre-approved category of exception,” though exceptions will be considered for students who “reside in countries where a travel ban has been announced” and “who reside in countries currently at a Level 3 coronavirus threat level.”

Doh Hyoung “Daniel” Kim ’21, who is from South Korea, said that he has concerns about staying on campus, given increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the United States.

“In countries like Korea or China, the epidemic seems to have reached its peak already, although we’re not too sure, and it’s starting to wind down and the number of new cases are decreasing. But here in the U.S., it seems like the government isn’t really feeling the urgency,” Kim said.

“There is the kind of worry that like, even if I stay here, what if the epidemic blows up here while back in my home, things are getting better?” he added.

Noah N. Furlonge-Walker ’23, who lives in Trinidad and Tobago, said that he was worried that the island nation would not be “well equipped” to handle a potential outbreak of COVID-19.

“I’m just kind of battling that now, over what is really the safest decision to make — whether to stay or to go back home,” Furlonge-Walker said.

Satoshi Yanaizu ’23 said he believes that by requiring him to return to Japan, which the Centers for Disease Control has rated a Level Two in risk, the University is increasing risks to his health.

“It might be even more given that, like, the town I’m from, we have like 70 cases already, the same as the entire state of Massachusetts,” he said. “Even if I go back, I have no guarantee I will be in a safer environment. It might be even worse.”

College spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote in an email that the College will review applications to remain on campus “as soon as possible.”

“The College will review all applications and announce decisions as soon as possible, which will include information on the length of stay for students,” Dane wrote. “We are committed to ensuring that each case receives the full attention it deserves, while also remaining mindful of students’ need to get an answer quickly.”

After the University’s announcement, international students also raised concerns about their ability to take their belongings home. Paffenholz said he was worried about the potential cost of shipping his belongings back to his home in Germany.

The College is not providing any on-campus storage, according to faculty dean emails.

“I’m not quite sure on why that’s the case, particularly given that we have to take out everything and are able to store it here,” he said. “For people who live nearby, it’s easy to put it in a car, but shipping it back to Germany really isn’t quite flexible.”

Students also voiced apprehension about completing their virtual classes. given time differences.

Yanaizu said that he is concerned about his ability to complete coursework online if sent back home to Japan.

“Let’s say I have to go back to Japan. That means its a 13 hour time difference. When you guys are taking the actual session, I should be sleeping,” he said.

“My worry is, if the class takes attendance, will it still take attendance into account? I can’t be physically present at the same time so how do they deal with it?”

Paffenholz echoed these worries, particularly for his tutorial, “where participation is quite critical.”

Conner wrote in an email that individual faculty will communicate “expectations, formats, and necessary modalities to the students in their courses.”

“Faculty have received guidance about planning for remote teaching and are being supported in the different forms that may take,” he said. “Many courses can move to an online modality through existing tools, like Canvas and Zoom, without significant disruption.”

Harris said the leaders of the eight schools put thought into contingency plans for the tournament.

As a result of the tournament’s cancelation, the number one seeds in the men’s and women’s conferences will automatically advance to the NCAA National Tournament. Harvard men’s basketball, which finished its season in second place, will not have the opportunity to compete for a berth in the tournament. Instead, Yale University will represent the Ivy League. Harvard women’s basketball did not qualify for the conference tournament, which invites the top four teams.

Harvard men’s basketball Head Coach Tommy Amaker wrote that he supports the decision to cancel the tournament in a statement published on Twitter Tuesday evening.

Harvard men’s basketball player Bryce L. Aiken ’20, however, took to Twitter to condemn the league’s decision Tuesday morning.

“Horrible, horrible, horrible decision and total disregard for the players and teams that have put their hearts into this

season,” Aiken wrote. “This is wrong on so many levels and the @IvyLeague should do its due diligence to find a better solution. Everyone knows the risks of playing!”

A petition circulated online Tuesday demanding that the league reinstate the tournament. The petition, which has earned over 8,000 signatures, criticized the league for canceling the event while letting other sports competitions proceed.

Responding to the petition, Harris noted that regular league competitions are much smaller than the conference tournament, which would have brought eight teams to Harvard’s campus.

She also addressed precautions the league is taking as the spring sports season moves along.

“The spring sports are moving forward with very limited attendance, no general spectators or fans, only a limited number of guests of team members and essential personnel,” she said.

Harvard Senior Associate Director of Athletics Nathan Fry wrote in an emailed state-

ment Monday that the department has prohibited air travel for all of Harvard’s varsity sports teams until April 30.

As a result, the department canceled nine varsity teams’ spring break trips, including the softball team’s.

Harvard softball player Morgan T. Melito ’21 said Harvard student-athletes who play a spring sport are currently “in a holding pattern.”

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana asked College students in a Tuesday email to leave campus by Sunday evening. Melito said Athletics has not yet indicated how that University-wide policy will impact athletes whose season has not been canceled by the Ivy League. In the meantime, Melito said she and her teammates will continue to train.

“We had practice today,” she said. “We got dressed and went out to have practice and just made the most of it.”

In his statement, Fry wrote that Athletics will continue to monitor the situation and update its policies. ema.schumer@thecrimson.com

The latest on student life.

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ABOUT THE TEAM

2019-20 Overall Record 2-2 ______________________________________

UPCOMING GAMES ______________________________________

Conference Record 0-0 ______________________________________

Men’s Lacrosse vs Brown Saturday, 3 p.m.

Goals Per Game 11.75 ______________________________________ Shots Per Game 33 ______________________________________ Shots on Goal % 35.6 ______________________________________

Men’s Lacrosse vs Boston University Tuesday, 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Harvard Halts Losing Streak Friday, Then Loses to Yale

By A.J. DILTS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Seeking to end the 2019-2020 season with a successful road trip this past weekend, Harvard halted its five-game losing streak with a 63-59 victory over Brown on Friday night.

The Crimson looked to carry this momentum into its contest with archrival Yale on Saturday but came up short in a close 6058 Ivy League battle.

HARVARD 63, BROWN 59 Entering Friday night’s match up with Brown (8-18, 2-11 Ivy) was a Harvard squad (15-12, 6-8) hungry to move past its recent struggles and secure a win against the last-place conference foe. Freshman guard Lola Mullaney led the offensive effort with 17 points and 7 rebounds, and was joined in double figures by her sophomore backcourt partner Tess Sussman with a 13-point performance. Mullaney and Sussman combined for seven three-pointers, a clear indication that the shooting woes of previous weeks did not follow the Crimson to Providence.

After trading baskets with the Bears to start the first quarter, Harvard used an 11-1 run in the second to stretch its lead to a healthy 14 points. But just as the Crimson looked to grow this margin and carry a huge amount of confidence into halftime, a stretch of turnovers, foul trouble, and inefficient shooting sparked a 9-0 Brown run to cut the deficit to five.

“We played the first quarter the way we feel we should have played all year,” said coach Kathy Delaney-Smith.

“We played about half the second quarter that way, and then hit the wall. We got away from some stuff that we had been doing very, very well.”

Driving the first half lead was freshman guard Annie Stritzel, who tallied seven of her ten points in the second period. Stritzel’s solid play off the bench came on the heels of her career-high 18-point performance last weekend. As the season drew to a close and Delaney-Smith looked for consistent play from her reserves, the young and talented Stritzel was the one she turned to most.

“I think [Stritzel] has an incredible future, even though she’s a little nontraditional in how she plays,” said Delaney-Smith. “She has a tremendous heart, tremendous work ethic, and a great basketball IQ. [...] She became the sixth-player on the bench for us, and she does a great job of that.”

Harvard’s troubles late in the first half continued into the second, and, after being outscored 17-6 in the third quarter, the Crimson found itself trailing a Brown squad playing much better than the Bears’ record indicated. A three-point shot with seven minutes to play from junior forward Rachel Levy restored the Harvard lead, and her 17-rebound effort helped protect it until the final buzzer sounded, giving the Crimson the win it was desperate for.

YALE 60, HARVARD 58 Having recorded a home victory over Yale (19-8, 9-5) on February 7th, Harvard was determined to complete the season sweep and end its 2019-2020 campaign with a signature win against its foremost rival. Senior forward Jeannie Boehm paced the Crimson with a huge 19-point, 15-rebound performance in her final game in a Harvard jersey. Mullaney brought her recent hot shooting into New Haven as well, finishing with 16 points on four-ofseven shooting from beyond the three-point line.

MULLING THE DRIVE Lola Mullaney looks to drive in Harvard’s big win over Penn earlier this season. She closed the season strong, scoring 33 points in the Crimson’s final two games. TIMOTHY R. O’MEARA—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Having recorded a home victory over Yale (19-8, 9-5) on February 7th, Harvard was determined to complete the season sweep and end its 20192020 campaign with a signature win against its foremost rival. Senior forward Jeannie Boehm paced the Crimson with a huge 19-point, 15-rebound performance in her final game in a Harvard jersey. Mullaney brought her recent hot shooting into New Haven as well, finishing with 16 points on four-ofseven shooting from beyond the three-point line. The Crimson built its largest lead of the night in the first quarter, as three tri-

ples from Mullaney pushed Harvard to a 20-11 lead. But the dynamic play of Yale’s senior guard Roxy Barahman settled her team into the contest.

The rivals exchanged buckets through the first half, making for a thrilling, hard-fought game that featured four ties and seven lead changes.

“Yale has all the pieces,” said Delaney-Smith. “They have a veteran team, they have a point guard [Barahman] that can score, they have an inside player that is very talented, they have a lights out shooter that we did a very good job on. They have a bunch of kids that are blue col-

lar workers.”

After trailing by six points at halftime, a balanced scoring attack from all five starters produced a competitive third quarter in which each team scored 15 points. Rachel Levy continued her solid play from Friday, and her seven fourth quarter points led the Crimson as it erased the Yale lead down the stretch. Levy’s two free throws with 35 seconds remaining gave Harvard a 58-57 advantage, but a massive three-point shot from Yale put the Bulldogs on top 6058 at the 30 second mark.

With one final possession left to determine the outcome of

the game, a missed three pointer from Levy and a missed jump shot from Mullaney as time expired yielded raucous celebrations from the Yale bench.

“We got the shots we wanted to win the game,” said Delaney-Smith after the final game of the season. “But again, its young kids taking the shot, rather than veterans taking the shot. [...] We need to get consistency. I thought everybody worked really, really hard, and we weren’t mistake free but we’re too young to be mistake free. [...] They’re great players, but we’ve struggled with consistency.”

MEN’S LACROSSE

Harvard Bounces Back With Strong Win Against Fairfield

By BEN MORRIS CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

After a three-game stretch to start the year that took Harvard all across the region, the Crimson finally returned — not only to its home at Jordan Field, but also to its winning ways, as it edged past Fairfield 15-12 in a back-and-forth game.

The week-long wait to take the field after a crushing, 15-14 loss at Albany (2-3) came to an end with the arrival of Fairfield (4-2), Harvard’s final non-conference opponent before the Crimson begins Ivy League play.

It was clear that the team

members were raring to get back on the field and prove themselves, as less than two minutes into the game, sophomore midfielder Nick Loring raced down the left end of the field, and, with a defender at his back, ripped a shot past Fairfield’s goalkeeper to give Harvard (2-2) the early lead.

“Our coaches instill a lot of confidence in us to make decisions within the flow of the game,” said Loring. “As an offensive unit, we’ve learned to trust each other’s judgment in terms of capitalizing on opportunities early in possessions. Our defense had done a great job preparing us all week

for what Fairfield was going to show us, so, fortunately, I was able to have a general idea of what to expect coming out of that first dodge.”

The Crimson kept up the early pressure, with senior attacker Ryan Graff and first-year midfielder Mark Stephens each adding goals before five minutes had elapsed off of the clock.

Not long after, senior attacker Jeremy Magno scored off of an assist from captain and senior attacker, Kyle Anderson, who, not four minutes later, netted a goal of his own.

The early abundance of goals, coupled with solid play on both ends of the field, allowed

A CHULA VISTA Sophomore midfielder Isaiah Dawson rips a shot against Fairfield. The Chula Vista, Calif., native scored one of Harvard’s 15 goals in the win. BRENDAN J. CHAPUIS—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard to carry a 5-2 lead, as well as a great deal of momentum, with it into the second quarter.

However, it would take more than a hot start to win this game.

As Anderson noted after the Albany game, it takes four complete and competitive quarters to secure wins. Despite the early lead, a Fairfield goal less than a minute into the second quarter — which brought the Stags within two goals — may have allowed this thought to re-enter into the mind of the Crimson.

But Harvard quickly responded to thwart any possibility of a comeback. Following Fairfield’s goal, the Crimson rattled off four straight goals from four different players (nine different players scored on the day), resulting in a 9-4 halftime lead.

“We felt as though we had yet to play our first complete game, as we had one to two-quarter long lulls in both the Albany and Holy Cross games,” Loring said.

“We definitely put an emphasis on closing out possessions and quarters strongly all week, and I think the biggest in-game difference that kept our pace of play high was both our ability to gain extra possessions through ground balls and riding, and also the energy that our bench brought throughout the game.”

Harvard was certainly tested again in the third quarter, as Fairfield netted four goals, including three straight to start the quarter. But the team remained true to its objective and responded with four goals of its own, two of which came from Loring, who netted a hat trick on the day.

In the fourth quarter, the Stags made their final comeback push, but strong defense, along with goals from junior midfielder Kyle Salvatore and sophomore attacker Austin Ma-

dronic (which earned him a hat trick of his own) helped keep Fairfield’s efforts at bay. By the time the contest came to a close, the Crimson had secured a hard-fought victory.

“We’ve struggled a lot with clearing the ball against the tenman ride,” said junior goalkeeper Kyle Mullin, who recorded 14 saves in the win. “This week in practice, we spent a ton of time preparing for Fairfield’s ten-man, and we did a good job against it on game day.”

Statistically, the game was fairly even across the board.

Harvard finished with 43 shots (including 31 on target) to Fairfield’s 39 (and 26 on frame), while the teams were almost even in the turnover and faceoff deparments. Both teams were effective in man-up situations, as the Crimson converted one of its two opportunities while Fairfield made good on two of three special teams chances.

Harvard struggled a little bit against senior attacker Dylan Beckwith and junior midfielder Taylor Strough. The two Fairfield stars, who have combined for 49 goals this season, netted five total goals and two helpers.

Strough in particular peppered the Crimson net with shots, taking 11 total, including seven on target, as he notched a hattrick in the loss.

Harvard will have to improve its defense quickly, as the Crimson is quickly approaching an Ivy League schedule that seems likely to be extraordinarily difficult this season, with the Ancient Eight seemingly boasting some of the best teams it has seen in a long time.

After going 2-2 to start the year, Harvard will now move into Ivy League play, beginning with Brown (3-2) next Saturday.

Although Brown may not be one of the top teams that immedi-

ately comes to mind in the Ivy League, the Bears are certainly still a foe to be reckoned with, as the team is coming off of a 1413 win against the defending NCAA Champion No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (4-1).

“The most important game of our season is always the next game,” said Mullin. “We are happy about our win yesterday, but by no means satisfied with how we played. We will continue to develop in practice and prepare for a big one this weekend. Brown is a tough opponent and we are excited for the opportunity.”

However, competition for the Crimson will only continue to get tougher after that. This year, over half of the Ivy League itself is currently ranked top-10 nationally: No. 5 Yale (2-1), No. 6 Princeton (4-0), No. 7 Cornell (4-0), and No. 9 Penn (1-2).

“The Ivy League is obviously incredibly strong this year, which is really exciting,” said Loring. “There are no weaklinks in the league this year, so we have to take each week as it’s own individual season. Our team is far from a finished product, so I think our biggest keys going into Ivy play are to continue to improve and to just stay focused on our next opponent.”

The message of staying focused on one game at a time has been reiterated by several team members and will be crucial for taking on the slate of top-rated foes still on tap.

Yet the Crimson has already been battle-tested this season, and, if the team can continue to play together, from start-to-finish, as it did against Fairfield, Harvard will be a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League this season, starting next Saturday against the Bears. benjamin.morris@thecrimson.com