Front Feature
Proposed Mass. Bill Would Make PILOT Payments Mandatory for Harvard, Other Institutions
The Massachusetts House is considering a bill that would make the previously optional payments which supplanted city property taxes for nonprofits such as Harvard mandatory.
Writer of Anti-Asian Racism Resource Flyer Says It Was Not Intended For Post-Atlanta Shootings
One of the writers of the Harvard anti-Asian racism resource page that came under fire this week for its controversial language said in an interview Friday that the resources were repurposed without revisions from a flyer created early in the pandemic before a dramatic increase in anti-Asian attacks.
Texas Files Amicus Brief Supporting SFFA in Harvard Admissions Lawsuit
The state of Texas filed an amicus brief Tuesday in favor of the anti-affirmative action group suing Harvard over its race-conscious admissions policies.
Court Orders Harvard to Produce Data on Student Suicides in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Harvard must disclose documents and other materials related to student suicides as part of pre-trial procedures in a 2018 wrongful death lawsuit, the Middlesex County Superior Court ruled last week.
Broad Institute Launches $150 Million Schmidt Center for Research in Machine Learning, Biology
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced Thursday the launch of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center, which will aim to integrate research in machine learning and the life sciences.
80% of Surveyed Harvard Faculty Say FAS Lacks Healthy Level of BIPOC Faculty Representation
Eighty percent of surveyed members of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences said FAS does not have a healthy level of BIPOC representation within its ranks, including 50 percent of respondents who strongly disagreed that the faculty is sufficiently diverse.
Siloed and Strained, Graduate Students Report Emotional Wellbeing as Obstacle to Online Learning
Since the onset of Covid-19, graduate students have not merely been tasked with adapting their learning and scholarship to a digital platform: the dearth of in-person interactions has forced them to reconsider what academic, social, and emotional work entails.
Peabody Museum Apologizes For Practices Around Native American Cultural Objects, Announces Policy Changes
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology administrators apologized for the “pain” the museum caused by its refusal to voluntarily return certain funerary objects to Native American tribes and pledged to reverse the policy in response to a letter from the Association on American Indian Affairs last month criticizing the museum.
Gay Levies Sanctions Against Prof. Nowak for Contacts With Jeffrey Epstein
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay will shut down Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics after determining that its director, Mathematics and Biology professor Martin A. Nowak, violated University policies through his extensive contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Harvard to Merge Title IX and OSAPR Offices, Forming Office for Gender Equity
Harvard will dissolve the University’s Title IX Office and the Office for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and move its sexual harassment and assault resources under one entity — the Office for Gender Equity — which will be supervised by the central administration.
Politicians, Over 100 Harvard Faculty Back Complaint to State AG Alleging Harvard’s Investments Violate State Law
More than 100 Harvard faculty members and nine local elected officials backed a complaint filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office last week challenging the legality of the University's investment in fossil fuels.
Harvard College Students Will Live on Campus, Learn in Person in Fall 2021, FAS Announces
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is “expecting a full return to campus” and a return to “in-person learning” for College students in fall 2021, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay announced Monday.
Bacow Hopes for ‘As Close to a Traditional’ Post-Covid Commencement As Possible for Classes of ’20, ’21
University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview Thursday that Harvard intends for future in-person celebrations for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to closely mirror traditional Commencement Exercises with just “as much pomp and circumstance.”
Asian American Cultural Groups Hold Vigil for AAPI Victims of Hate Crimes
A number of Harvard’s Asian and Asian American cultural groups held a virtual vigil Thursday night for victims of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Where Do Harvard’s Employees Work? We Mapped 11,700 of Them.
Harvard’s 13,000-member workforce is represented by 10 unions, spread across hundreds of miles, and supports thousands of students. We’ve mapped it and what pay protections workers are receiving this spring.
Vaccine Supply at Harvard Will Remain Scarce Until April, Health Services Director Says
Harvard University Health Services Director Giang T. Nguyen said in a Friday interview he anticipates that state vaccine shipments will remain low through March but is “hopeful” that supplies will increase in April, in time to send students home for the summer vaccinated.
Divestment Activists Allege Harvard’s Fossil Fuel Investments Violate State Law in Complaint to State AG
Activists with Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard filed a complaint with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura T. Healey ’92 on Monday, alleging that Harvard’s highest governing board is violating state law through its continued investments in the fossil fuel industry.
Undergraduates Celebrate Second Consecutive Virtual Housing Day
Bedecked in House-themed paraphernalia and boasting festive Zoom backgrounds, undergraduates welcomed members of the Class of 2024 to their upperclassmen houses during the College’s second consecutive virtual Housing Day Friday.
Native American Nonprofit Accuses Harvard of Violating Federal Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
The Association on American Indian Affairs sent a letter to University President Lawrence S. Bacow in February alleging that Harvard is in violation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Harvard Reversed Course And Offered Cornel West Consideration for Tenure After Public Outcry, He Says
In an interview with The Crimson, Professor Cornel R. West ’74 said Harvard changed course following public pressure and offered to consider him for tenure, but the fact that this reversal came only after external scrutiny merely solidified his decision to leave the University.
March 10, A Year Later
One year ago today, just after 8 a.m., Harvard students, faculty, and staff learned of a seismic shift to their daily lives — the coronavirus pandemic was shutting Harvard down. In this special issue, the Harvard Crimson's News, Multimedia, Design, Arts, Blog, Magazine, and Editorial staff come together to chronicle the 365 days since.
Cornel West To Depart Harvard, Return To Union Theological Seminary
Professor Cornel R. West ’74 announced his departure from Harvard to Union Theological Seminary Monday in an interview with the online publication The Boycott Times, weeks after West alleged Harvard denied his request to be considered for tenure.
FAS Dean Gay Says Harvard Planning for ‘Full Return’ in Fall 2021
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Claudine Gay said in a Friday interview that Harvard is currently planning for fall 2021 with the “overriding goal” of “charting a path to a full return for our students, our faculty, and staff.”
How SFFA Is Trying to Convince SCOTUS To Hear Its Suit Against Harvard
When the anti-affirmative action group suing Harvard College over its race-conscious admissions practices petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case last week, Students for Fair Admissions reiterated arguments it has made since first suing Harvard roughly seven years ago — and also introduced fresh arguments to the justices of the nation’s highest court.
Massachusetts Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over Harvard’s Possession of Slave Photos
A Middlesex Superior Court judge on Tuesday dismissed Connecticut resident Tamara K. Lanier’s lawsuit against Harvard alleging that the University unlawfully possesses and profits from historic photos she says depict her enslaved ancestors. Lanier plans to appeal the decision.