Letters
Open Letter of Dissent
We, as Crimson alumni, are writing in support of Harvard's Jewish community and the many others at Harvard who believe in the state of Israel’s right to exist, and to express our dismay at the current editorial direction of The Harvard Crimson, an institution to which we have all been devoted.
To the Editor: In Support of the BDS Editorial
I was president of The Crimson in 1973, nearly 50 years ago. I agree entirely with your superb editorial endorsing the nonviolent Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign, designed to promote justice in Israel/Palestine.
Letter to the Editor: Editorial Normalizes Growing Campus Anti-Semitism
It takes no courage on campuses to oppose Israel’s existence. It takes great courage today to tell the complex truth about the history of the Israeli/Palestine conflict, which begins with the refusal of the Palestinian leadership to accept the two-state solution proposed by the United Nations.
To the Editor: In Response to ‘In Support of Boycott, Divest, Sanctions and a Free Palestine’
In general I think the content of the Crimson should be up to undergraduates not alumni, and in the almost 30 years since I was president this is the first time I can remember that I am furious enough to write with a complaint.
To the Editor: Harvard Students Are Not Alone
I was disappointed, but not surprised to read Libby E. Tseng’s op-ed (April 9) “ To the class of 2026.” Her description of the student experience elucidates findings of our national study of higher education, in which nearly half of one thousand students across 10 disparate campuses view college principally as a means to build a resume and get a (first) job
To the Editor: On ‘UC Meeting Stalls Due to Lack of Attendance’
I was disappointed to see The Crimson’s coverage of the Undergraduate Council general meeting that took place on Tuesday the 22nd.
A Response Letter from 73 Faculty Members
We, the undersigned, write in strong opposition to the open letter signed by 38 Harvard faculty calling into question the sanctions against Professor John Comaroff. We are dismayed that these faculty members would openly align themselves against students who have lodged complaints about a tenured professor.
To the Editor: In Support of Basic Rights
The goal of our letter was to advocate for the improvement of processes guaranteeing the integrity and fairness of Title IX investigations for students and faculty, whether they be accusers or accused.
To the Editor: On Body Positivity
A recently published opinion, “The Practice of Body Positivity Requires More,” argues that the body positivity movement has neglected the importance of physical health. But the assumption that undergirds its logic — that fat individuals do not engage in healthy habits — is as false as it is fatphobic.
To President Bacow, From Harvard Faculty for Divestment
Your new position is an important step and a testament to the power of sustained social justice activism. It is also a reminder of how much we owe to the student activists of Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard, and to student activists on campuses around this country and around the world. They have helped us understand the urgency of the crisis and the responsibility we have, in our positions of privilege and power, to act commensurately.
Letter to the Editor: Concrete Reforms for Preceptors
With “Respecting Preceptors Means Reform,” you join the long tradition of abstractly calling for greater respect for preceptors at Harvard, while not supporting the kind of concrete improvements to our working conditions that such respect, if real, would entail.
When We Learned We Had to Leave
The Crimson Editorial Board has spilled much ink, during those days and in this year after, on the reverberations of this seismic decision. On its anniversary, we decided to invite every student who experienced this day as a Harvard undergraduate into our paper. Historic days leave everyone with a story: where you were when you heard the news, how you reacted, and where you went from there.
Letter to the Editor: How to Rethink Classical Music
Who is being left out when calls for expanding classical music center entirely around white men? There are women composers, BGLTQ composers, Black composers, and other composers of color with limitless talents that deserve similar celebration.
Letter to the Editor: Misrepresenting the Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict
A recently published opinion piece, “Armenia’s Two Battles: War Amid the Pandemic” (October 2) misrepresents the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and misleads its readers into taking action against Azerbaijan.
Letter to the Editor: The Latest on Contact Tracing Tech at Harvard
The current versions of the MyDataCan and TraceFi technologies address most concerns raised and provide thought leadership to contact tracing technology on college campuses.
Letter to the Editor: The Work We’re Doing (and Still Must Do) in Biostatistics
As Dr. Ocampo’s letter suggests, a continued open dialogue can only improve our mutual understanding and provide valuable insights for how to better support our students of color.
Letter to the Editor: Abolishing HUPD Is Not The Answer
HUPD is not innocent of aggressive policing, but abolishing HUPD is not the answer to systemic racism in the criminal justice system, either for America in general or Harvard in particular.
Letter to the Editor: My Own Experience of Inequity and Progress in Harvard’s Anthropology Department
If the potentially transformative measures currently being eyed go forth, as I hope they will, they won’t be solely the outcome of such accusations, or even of new and dynamic departmental leadership.
Harvard Coalition Pens Letter to President Bacow Calling for Racial Justice
The Harvard Coalition for Black Lives, a group spanning multiple schools and student organizations, penned a letter to University President Lawrence S. Bacow Friday asking the University to take a number of actions to promote racial justice.
Letter to the Editor: The Dignity of Dorm Crew
While not always glamorous or exciting, there is dignity in custodial work that is worthy of a more nuanced and thoughtful examination by the Harvard community.
Responding to University Carbon-Neutral Pledge, Activist Groups Reiterate Divestment Demands
After Harvard pledged to transition its endowment to carbon-neutral by 2050, fossil fuel divestment activists wrote a letter to University administrators Wednesday urging them to take “drastic climate action.”
Letter to the Editor: In Response to ‘The End of the Harvard Century’
My hope is for students to be exposed to a broad range of ideas (which is why I invited Mr. Teng, among others, to speak in my class in the spring of 2015) and to form their own judgments about China's past and present.
Harvard Researchers Advocate Economic Aid for ‘Devastated’ Native American Tribes Amid Pandemic
Harvard researchers sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin last week advocating for support for Native American tribes facing economic hardship in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Myth of Infinite Money
Limitations on federal debt are not simply theoretical constructs from “mainstream discourse” in economics as the author suggests; they are historical facts.
HKS Equity Coalition
The Equity Coalition at Harvard Kennedy School drafted a letter advocating for increased diversity within the school's culture and environment.