Editorials
Fear and Loathing in Jerusalem
The new détente is a vindication of President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry’s dogged diplomacy and of the newfound moderation of Iran under President Hassan Rouhani.
The UC, Going Forward into Irrelevance
In the end, Clark-Mayopoulos’s success usefully highlighted problems with the UC at little real cost.
In Favor of Fall Break
A fall break would reduce student stress and enrich the Harvard experience.
A Student Center and a Cement Monstrosity
The success of the building will hinge on how responsive the designs are to student suggestions. This new space simply will not work if it feels sterile or separated from the rest of Harvard. If it feels like the SOCH, it will be a failure.
Advice and Contempt
An experienced and respected law professor as well as a former federal official Barron has put in the time and proven the talent necessary to sit on the federal bench.
Pre-Game Responsibly
We consider Yale’s decision a sensible reaction to an accident that exposed the shortcomings of its tailgating policies and the resulting responsibility gap.
No Racism on the T
“In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel; defeat Jihad.” So reads an advertisement from the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization that spews equally racist rhetoric across the country. After the MBTA rejected the proposed advertisement because it violated rules that ads could not be “demeaning or disparaging,” the AFDI filed a lawsuit against the transit agency.
Gong and Goffard for U.C.
While neither vision inspires us, Gong and Goffard impress us with their concrete experience and their earnest desire to unify and represent students.
Vote Yes on the Bottled Water Ban
If the Environmental Action Committee’s referendum passes, the Undergraduate Council will urge administration to end the sale of single-use plastic water bottles on campus while installing water fountains and refill stations in all academic and residential buildings. We at The Crimson suggest that you vote for this measure.
Raise the Minimum
In a recent poll of economists by the University of Chicago, a plurality of economists agreed that the increased benefits to minimum wage earners would outweigh the “distortionary costs” of increasing the minimum wage to $9.
Assessing Harvard Arab Weekend
As the seventh iteration of North America’s largest pan-Arab conference, Harvard Arab Weekend, organized by the Harvard Arab Alumni Association and a large team of student volunteers, has set the bar for regional and national conferences at Harvard, which tend to operate more as boutique events than must-attend annual gatherings.
Finances and Funding
Without consistent and meaningful federal funding, American university research will be left in limbo, vulnerable to the instability of financial currents.
Don't Pet It Bring You Down
It’s a sunny October Thursday afternoon, and the Science Center Plaza is alive. Students perch on rocks, wooden benches, beanbags, and oversized Tetris pieces as they chow down on delicacies from nearby food trucks. The sky is bright, but the smiles of students’ faces on the adjacent lawn outshine even the sun. Why? They’re at pet therapy, of course.
Let Them Eat Code
The decline of the humanities major need not give us reason to anticipate the decline of the humanities: Academics do not have unique access to the instructions for being human.
Upkeep The Houses
Harvard’s unparalleled yield and the disconnect between freshman and upperclassman housing reduce the importance of high-quality facilities as a draw for prospective students, but this is not a justification for allowing facilities to rot—in some cases literally.
A Step in the Right Direction
The College can go even farther by reaching out directly and more proactively to qualified students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Modern Housing
Activism makes a return to the UC ballot this month in the form of a referendum asking the College to universalize gender-neutral housing options. We will be voting yes.
Digitizing Dickinson
“Saying nothing,” wrote Emily Dickinson, “sometimes says the most.” The Crimson has never subscribed to the saying-nothing doctrine, and so in the wake of the October 23 launch of the Digital Emily Dickinson Archive we take the opportunity to express our pleasure in seeing all of Dickinson’s oeuvre united in one place for public enjoyment.
Taking Responsibility for U.S. Espionage
Regardless of how we feel about the proper reach of American counterterrorism, the real travesty is that a president of the United States could claim ignorance about the surveillance activities of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Connolly for Mayor
The city’s next mayor needs to address the opportunity gap present in Boston, and the candidate with the best preparation to do so is City Councilor John R. Connolly.
Racing Ahead but Racing Apart
In a knowledge-based economy, education is the key to financial mobility.
A Student on the Council?
While we do not believe that students should feel entitled to a seat on the City Council, we are supportive of the idea of student candidates and particularly of candidates who seek to bridge the town-gown divide.
We Love The Nightlife
If we are predestined for hell, so be it. But we are stopping at Shake Shack along the way.
A Disquieting Start
Today, following a half-month congressional stalemate during which Republicans demanded amendments to or an outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act, perhaps the greatest challenge to that law comes not from a Senate filibuster or an impending debt ceiling crisis, but from its own website.