The Community Builder

Community members say without hesitation that Bailey’s first year on the job has been a successful one. Still, they say, problems remain for the BGLTQ community at Harvard.

The UC: Forceful + Weak

Former and current UC representatives say that Council president Tara Raghuveer and vice president Jen Zhu are more assertive than their immediate predecessors, but that they are no more effective in convincing administrators to take action.

Some students say that the dearth of private common rooms in Old Quincy, the first building to undergo renovation under House renewal, does not allow them to socialize on their own terms.

As Harvard undertakes extensive renovations on its undergraduate Houses, spatial changes intended to improve the quality of physical accommodations have the potential to alter the way students interact with their community.

Some suggest that the practice of circulating lists of easy classes indicates a growing concern with transcripts and post-college pressures to have good grades.

Though the Undergraduate Council led by Tara Raghuveer '14 and Jen Q. Zhu '14 has vocally pressured the administration on certain student issues, the student body still remains at the whims of administrators when it comes to pushing for policy change.

Building a Community

Harvard's first director of BGLTQ student life, Vanidy "Van" Bailey, has prioritized forging connections across the University.

Over the last few decades, current and former administrators say, the resident dean position has evolved from a role that equally balanced academic and administrative work to one that entails a sometimes overwhelming list of bureaucratic duties.

Soledad O' Brien Addresses Harvard College Seniors

Soledad M. O’ Brien ’88-’00 encouraged thousands of students, parents, and alumni gathered in Tercentenary Theatre to break down barriers and “seek out goodness in others.”

Two Freshman Deans To Depart

Come fall semester, two familiar faces in the Freshman Dean’s Office will no longer be there. Resident deans William Cooper ’94 of Ivy Yard and Jonas V. Clark of Oak Yard are leaving the FDO.

Evelynn M. Hammonds, who will step down as Dean of the College on July 1, speaks about Wintersession programming at a reception in the Barker Center last September.

Beset by Crises, Hammonds Sought To Protect

With Hammonds’s five-year tenure drawing to a close this summer, students and faculty say that this strong commitment to safeguarding her students was often impeded by unforeseen crises and administrative shortcomings. The dean who cared so much about protecting students, they say, could not get the job done.

Hammonds's Exit Made Official

Evelynn M. Hammonds will step down as the Dean of Harvard College on July 1, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith announced in an email to the Harvard community today, ending nearly two months of speculation about the embattled dean’s future.

It was an unusual year at Harvard, marked by three University closures, two major scandals, and an act of terrorism just miles away.

Evelynn Hammonds Expected To End Tenure as Dean of the College This Summer

Evelynn M. Hammonds has been in negotiations about a possible departure from her position as Dean of Harvard College and is expected not to return to the post in the fall, a person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday.

Evelynn M. Hammonds, shown speaking at the Harvard College Governance panel in a file photo from last November, is expected not to return as Dean of the College in the fall, a source confirmed Friday. The confirmation comes weeks after news broke that she and other administrators had authorized two sets of secret searches of resident deans' email accounts, including one that explicitly violated the Faculty of Arts and Sciences privacy policy.

Premed students say they do not feel prepared for the MCAT after taking Harvard science courses.

Harvard's Newest Sorority Seeks To Enter the Harvard Social Scene

With an inaugural group of 46 women, Harvard’s newest sorority Alpha Phi has sought to transition into the Harvard social scene in recent weeks.

Visiting Students Reflect on Strange Year at Harvard

Students in the Visiting Undergraduate Student Program said they were not expecting to witness a massive cheating investigation, two University-wide closures resulting from the weather, an email search scandal, or a deadly act of terrorism when they came to Harvard this year.

Premeds in Search of MCAT Prep Say Harvard Classes Provide Insufficient Instruction

With the Association of American Medical Colleges slated to introduce a new MCAT in 2015, Harvard students say that the premed track at Harvard does not adequately prepare them for the exam. And, they say, they often face prohibitively expensive costs when they turn to classes run by test preparatory companies for instruction.

Anne Harrington and John Durant Named Pfoho House Masters

History of science professor Anne Harrington ’82 and her husband John R. Durant have been appointed as the new Masters of Pforzheimer House, resident dean Lisa Boes announced in an email to the Pfoho community Thursday morning.

Harvard Honors 81 With Hoopes Prize

The winning projects, most of which were senior theses, were selected from a pool of nominations by students’ faculty supervisors. Hoopes winners are awarded $4,000 each and their nominators receive $1,000.

Athletic Department Announces New Women's Rugby Coach

As the Harvard women’s rugby team transitions to varsity status next year, the Crimson will have an experienced leader at the helm of the emerging program. The Harvard Athletic Department announced the hiring of Sue Parker last Wednesday. Parker will take over as head coach of the varsity team starting in the fall of 2013.

Students Tested After UHS Confirms Case of TB On Campus

The Cambridge Public Health Department and Harvard University Health Services are urging a limited number of students and faculty to undergo tuberculosis tests after a member of the Harvard community recently tested positive for the infection.

Faculty Approves Changes to Reading and Examination Periods

A proposal that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved at their monthly meeting on Tuesday will restructure reading and exam periods starting in 2014.