Op Eds
Farewell, Dean Hammonds
Mostly, though, I’m disappointed not in our former Dean, but in Harvard. It’s a shame that when Hammonds found herself in a position of power, she misused that power.
It’s a Bee-sy Time of Year Again
As we dip the apple in honey and wish each other a sweet and productive new year, we would all do well to remember that the golden goodness with which we coat our fruit is in fact the culmination of the efforts of millions of honeybees that are foraging away to produce just a few drops of nature’s sweet elixir.
How Israel Has Become the Start-Up Nation
It is the Israeli openness to criticism and new ideas, respect for initiative-takers, and its culture of helping others that are the more important factors to consider.
Syria: Challenge and Opportunity
We could be entering a torturous, exorbitant, and deadly struggle. That doesn’t mean it does not hold out hope of a future worth fighting for.
Slow Tango in South Seattle
“Frasier” counters the popular narrative of a “separated” life, in which the household and workplace are holding us back, and replaces it with a convincing argument that embracing and understanding personal history is key to moving forward.
The Evolution of Warfare
The actions of the past two administrations have licensed a president to be judge, jury, and executioner.
Politics à la Mode
Because the question of who will govern best is murky, we often avoid asking it outright.
This Time It’s Different
Our leaders seem to have forgotten is that war—which is by nature messy, brutal, and chaotic—has a way of expanding beyond the bounds of rhetoric.
Dissent: Pay the Real Minimum
Just over two weeks ago, four Insomnia Cookies employees, citing allegations that the management violated labor regulations, staged what one striker described as an occupation of the store.
Fireside Tweets
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats did not take place next to the cozy hearth their name suggests—but they might as well have. Roosevelt spoke over the radio, after all, so no one could see him.
¿A dónde vamos?
To unknowing first-years seeking to become involved with the Hispanic community at Harvard, the number of separate organizations can seem daunting: Concilio Latino, Fuerza, Hola, Raza, Latinas Unidas, and the Latino Men’s Collective.
The Face That Launched A Thousand Tweets
The response to Rachel was unsettling not only because it was offensive, but also because it reinforces prejudiced beliefs of what type of person deserves respect in this country.
Knock-Knock: Opening a Discussion on Race in the Justice System
Issues of racial injustice in America must be openly discussed and confronted, not swept under the rug because of the discomfort they may cause.
Head in the (Instagrammed) Clouds
I think it’s important to remember that we should have accomplishments we can really see and touch, not just ones on a touchscreen.
Letter: Mischaracterizations in "The Rise of HPAC"
The Crimson asserted that the number of Harvard communicators has more than doubled since 2008. That is not even close to true.
Thank You for Surveilling
Putin, looking at America’s fledgling authoritarian state with a wry smirk the way warm-blooded humans might swoon over bumbling babies, agreed that it was “the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.”
Controlling Birth Control
When it comes to Plan B and the question of unintended pregnancy, the issue of agency takes on another dimension.
Homeward Bound and Tied
People do not take medical leaves because “Harvard’s environment is too much to bear.” Saying this implies that those who do so are “less than,” that they do not measure up to the majority of students who complete Harvard in four years’ time
The Graduation Plot
The diploma I will receive today, however wonderful it may be, is in no way indicative of what I have accomplished in my four years here, of my victories in the war against my own biology.
You Can Take It With You
Let’s take our memories, but let’s take more than that. Let’s take our friends. Let’s take our skills.
What Is the Harvard Bubble?
The Harvard experience might be more sheltered, in its own way here in Cambridge, than living in the heart of a big city or going to work everyday. But maybe one of the strengths of such a mega-bubble as Harvard’s is to reveal itself more obviously to those encased within it.
An Open Letter to the Kennedy School Faculty
The issue, and the point of this Open Letter to the Kennedy School faculty, is that adherence to the standards of the graduate school’s official Handbook needs to be enforced more rigorously in the approval of dissertations.
Old Government in a New World and Why its Failing
Times have changed. Our government hasn’t. New Republicans believe we can fix that and, in so doing, make America young again.