News Front Feature
Student Activists Protest Award Ceremony for Law School Dean
A group of five Harvard Law and roughly 15 to 20 Brandeis protesters stood at the back of the Brandeis library where Minow delivered her acceptance speech, holding signs and interjecting with a chant.
Harvard House Masters Now Called ‘Faculty Deans’
Each of Harvard’s 24 House masters will now be called a “Faculty Dean,” Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith wrote in an email to undergraduates and FAS members early Wednesday evening.
A Week In, Law School Activists Continue Occupation
As Law School activists continue their occupation of the Caspersen Student Center lounge—along with students from other schools— administrators have publicized a series of efforts to address problems of diversity and inclusion on campus.
Michelle A. Williams to Lead School of Public Health As First Black Harvard Faculty Dean
Michelle A. Williams, an epidemiologist and professor at the School of Public Health, will lead the school as its next dean beginning in July, becoming the first black person to head a faculty at Harvard and the first female dean of the school.
Recent Graduate Sues Harvard Over Sexual Harassment Case
A recent Harvard College graduate filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, charging that College and University administrators mishandled a response to her sexual harassment case and allowed an alleged perpetrator to live in Cabot House with her.
Law School Activists Occupy Student Center
Student activists began to occupy a portion of Harvard Law School's Caspersen Student Center Monday evening in an effort to create a space on campus they say has been denied to minorities at the school. Calling the lounge “Belinda Hall” after a former slave of prominent Law School benefactors, the group of activists led by Reclaim Harvard Law said they plan to remain there indefinitely.
Law School Affiliates Remember Alum Scalia for Fiery Personality, Contributions to Law
Harvard Law School affiliates remembered alumnus and Supreme Court Justice Antonin G. Scalia, who died Saturday at age 79, for his vibrant, fiery personality and his substantial contributions to United States law.
UC Mandates Sexual Assault Training for Some Clubs
Student organizations requesting high levels of Undergraduate Council funding will be required to send executive board members to sexual assault prevention training under a new ordinance passed by the UC’s Finance Committee.
Unconventional Overseers Candidates Qualify for Ballot
After Ron K. Unz ’83 flew cross country to turn in almost 300 signatures to Harvard’s doorstep, he and four other alumni—including five-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader—can now call themselves candidates for the Board of Overseers.
Lowell House Slated to be the 'Most Complex' Renovation
Lowell House renovations will last two years as what House masters described as the “largest and most complex renewal project thus far,” requiring residents to live in swing housing for the entirety of construction.
Faculty Overwhelmingly Donate to Clinton
Ninety-one percent of contributions to current presidential candidates made by Harvard faculty, instructors, and researchers in 2015 went to former Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton.
Malan, Harvard Filed Separate CS50 Trademark Applications
In the past few years, CS50 instructor David J. Malan '99 and the University have filed contradictory applications to trademark the course, a set of public documents indicate.
Harvard Democrats Canvass in New Hampshire Ahead of Primary
More than 50 Harvard College Democrats braved the snow to join the fray—and occasional ornery residents—to canvass for their chosen candidate across the mom-and-pop shop lined streets of New Hampshire’s second-largest city.
Med Students Deliver Petition to Mass Hall
The group of students planned to deliver the petition to University President Drew G Faust, whose office is located in Mass. Hall, but she was not there to accept the petition, according to Nelson Malone, one of the petition’s main organizers.
Faust Condemns Free Tuition Proposal from Outsider Overseers Ticket
University President Drew G. Faust critiqued both major proposals put forward by five alumni last month in their grassroots campaign for the Board of Overseers, the University's second-highest governing body.
Outside Overseers Candidate Arrives in Square, Petitions in Hand
Per Unz’s estimate, he had collected almost 300 signatures over a series of weeks—shipping petitions to alumni across the country—to earn a spot on the ballot for Harvard’s second highest governing body. He arrived in the Square to collect a few more signatures.
Lassonde Will Stay on Campus To Teach
Stephen Lassonde, who publicly stepped down from his role as Dean of Student Life effective Feb. 1, will remain on campus as a lecturer this spring, although early signs indicated otherwise.
Gen Ed Proposals Could Increase Job Security for Humanities Ph.D.s
Each semester, hundreds of students shop one of professor Shaye J.D. Cohen’s General Education courses on the Hebrew Bible, enticed by the possibility of fulfilling a requirement while receiving an “easy A.”
College Has Yet To Replace House Master Title
After unanimously agreeing to change their collective titles last December, Harvard’s House masters have yet to agree on a replacement. However, that has not stopped speculation on potential replacement titles.
HUPD Closes Law School's Black Tape Investigation
Harvard University Police Department has not identified the perpetrator responsible for the November vandalism of black Law School professors’ portraits and shuttered its investigation into the incident, ending more than a month of interviews and forensic examinations.
Dean Of Student Life Steps Down
Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde will leave his position on Feb. 1 after less than three years in the post and will no longer be an employee of Harvard College.
In Debate Over Names, History and Race Relations Collide
In the the midst of discussions across Harvard about historical legacies and race, University President Drew G. Faust said that Harvard should not begin renaming its buildings or titles en masse.
Outsider Slate for Board of Overseers Calls for Free Tuition, Questions Affirmative Action
A group of five Harvard alumni are running for the Board of Overseers, the University’s second-highest governing body, on an unconventional ticket: eliminate undergraduate tuition and make public how Harvard considers race in its admissions practices.
‘Hunting Ground’ Filmmakers Slam Law Professors
In the latest development of a heated publicity battle, filmmakers of a popular documentary that criticizes Harvard Law School’s handling of a sexual assault case penned an op-ed for the Huffington Post sharply rebuking Law professors who have challenged the film.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2015
2015 was a tumultuous year for Harvard. Final clubs faced immense administrative pressure to go co-ed, faculty saw a proposal to overhaul the College’s General Education program, and perhaps most consequential of all, a University-wide survey revealed what administrators called a “troubling” climate of sexual assault on campus. Amidst a fast-paced capital campaign and Title IX scrutiny, Harvard’s top administrators were called to respond to perceived racial injustice on campus and a graduate student unionization movement. Divest Harvard protesters even blockaded University President Drew G. Faust's office for a week. At the close of a particularly turbulent year, the Crimson looks back on the ten stories that most shaped Harvard in 2015.