Harvard Today: November 13, 2014

By Tiana A Abdulmassih

Happy Thursday, Harvard! We’re all probably wondering how we’re going to get through two more days of classes and what an injustice it is that the weekend isn’t here yet. Here are some things to help get you to Friday:

If you’re in need of….

1) Eye candy: Taylor Swift’s new music video, “Blank Space,” features a gorgeous Tswift in beautiful gowns, a ridiculously good-looking mystery man, and only the prettiest mansion ever.

2) Convo starter: Stuck in a mildly awkward lunch date with nothing to say? “Stillman Infirmary” and “attendance survey” seem to be buzzwords….

3) Sugar rush/cute way of asking someone out casually: Starbucks is bringing back its “Buy one holiday drink, get one free” offer between 2 to 5 p.m. from now until Sunday. Yay for 60 grams of sugar in one sitting!

By Daniel N. Yue

IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Be prepared for a huge change in weather from day to night! It’s going to be sunny and a high of 49 degrees all day, and then a 90% chance of rain/snow late in the night. Okay seriously, unexpected snow again?!?

IN THE D-HALLS

Lunch:

Chicken Fingers
Pepperoni Pizza
Black Bean Cake

Dinner:

Cajun Salmon
Orange Beef Stir Fry
Vegetable Dumplings

ON FLYBY

1) The 9 Types of People You Meet in Annenberg: You’re fairly positive that you and the “The Beautiful Stranger” type you always bump into at the salad bar will get married one day and live happily ever after.

2) Are Taylor Swift and Spotify Never, Ever, Ever Getting Back Together?: Tswift is really abusing our unconditional love for her by making us actually *buy* music.

IN THE NEWS

1) Computer Science Faculty To Increase by 50 Percent with Ballmer Gift: “Harvard’s computer science faculty will grow by 50 percent, or 12 professorships, following a gift from former Microsoft CEO Steven A. Ballmer ’77. Ballmer did not specify the size of the gift.”

2) Undergrad Ed Group Debates Accessibility of Q Difficulty Scores: “Students, faculty, and administrators debated how to improve the Q Guide’s difficulty rating, an online metric on Harvard’s course evaluation tool that has been a recent source of tension between students and administrators, at the semester’s final Committee on Undergraduate Education meeting on Wednesday.”

3) Committee on Study of Religion Endorses Section Cap: “The Committee on the Study of Religion endorsed a 12-student cap on section sizes Tuesday, becoming the sixth department or committee to extend its support of the Harvard Teaching Campaign, a group of teaching fellows and students calling for smaller sections.”

4) Bol Notifies Students Affected by Controversial Attendance Study: “Vice Provost for Advances in Learning Peter K. Bol, who authorized a now-controversial lecture attendance study that involved photographing students without their knowledge last spring, notified the students who took the affected courses by email on Wednesday.”

EVENTS

The OCS is hosting an Education Fair today from 3 to 5 p.m. at 54 Dunster Street. Hear from over 30 organizaitons about summer or term-time internships, volunteer positions, and full-time positions!

Valerie Biden Owens is having her final IOP Study Group today at 4 p.m. in Littaeur 166 at the Kennedy School. She will be wrapping up her series and discussing her semester here.

The Jubilee Project is having a film screening tonight called "Save My Seoul," a documentary about sex-trafficking in Seoul, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Austin Hall North. It is co-hosted by student organizations of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and there will be free Insomnia Cookies and other refreshments.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Former Microsoft CEO Steve A. Ballmer '77, left, jokes with with Harvard Computer Science Area Dean David D. Parkes during an interview with The Crimson on Wednesday regarding his donation to the computer science division.