My Semester in 300 Words

There are times in the course of a young editor-at-large’s life he is tasked by the Arts Board to pen a vanity piece for its year-end publishings. He may be burnt out from thesising with nary a Celsisus in reach, or busy frequenting Western Front to study for his pharmacology final. He may, despite having risen to the occasion before, find himself presently lacking in the idea department.

Arts Vanity: The Top 5 Bad Bunny Songs You Don’t Hear at Every Party

The next time you’re on aux and you face accusations of “latinophobia,” consider switching things up by playing any of these five Bad Bunny classics that deserve more airtime.

Arts Vanity: Excerpts from the Book of Eccl-eal-siastes

Verily, it is said by the EAL: “Say thou to them, and to the after-comers of them, Each article of your section, that nigheth to those things that be hallowed, in which is uncleanness, it shall perish before the EALs.”

Closeouts: The Curious Case of No Chairs

ASR: “You and me, rave when?” ALH: "You and me, rave whenever."

The Black Box of Harvard’s Campus Police

How much does the public know about Harvard University Police Department, the University’s private police force? In what ways is HUPD a “black box” — a system whose inner workings are unknown to outside observers?

Does Harvard Have an Academic Freedom Problem?

In the face of what many characterize as an academic freedom issue at Harvard, professors and students have created their own spaces for exchanging potentially controversial ideas. Nonetheless, they disagree on the stakes.

Bloated or Beneficial? Harvard’s Growing Admin

In 2004, Harvard employed just under 5,300 full-time administrators. Nearly two decades later, this figure has seen a whopping 43 percent increase. In contrast, the University’s faculty, starting at 2,000 members, has only increased by 11 percent in that same time period.

The Nuclear Option: Why Harvard Tenured Professors Are Almost Never Fired

Technically, it is possible for a tenured professor to be fired. In practice, however, this power has rarely — if ever — been exercised. Every tenured Harvard professor embroiled in a recent controversy either chose to retire or remained a member of the faculty.

Dean Today, President Tomorrow: Gay Reflects on 5 Years Leading Harvard FAS

As Harvard students packed up to scatter across the globe for winter vacation, the University dropped a surprise announcement: Claudine Gay, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, had been chosen to become Harvard’s next president. After the celebrations, however, the FAS geared up to face its next big challenge: replacing its leader.

Rejecting the Rankings: Why Harvard and Yale Led a Widespread Boycott of U.S. News After Decades-Long Criticism

While the recent boycott of U.S. News rankings by top law and medical schools represents the most serious challenge to U.S. News since it began ranking colleges and universities 40 years ago, the magazine has pledged to continue its annual rankings practice by relying on publicly available data it can use with or without the participation of schools.

When Harvard’s Clubs Become Companies

While most clubs advertise opportunities to find social connection or gain pre-professional experience, a small-but-growing number of student organizations boast perks and resources more akin to those of small corporations — including themed apparel, glamorous formal events, all-expenses-paid travel, financial aid, and six-figure budgets.

Leaving Legacy Behind

With the Supreme Court widely expected to strike down race-conscious admissions this summer, another Harvard College admissions practice — legacy and donor preferences — could be collateral damage.

What’s in a Name? Ken Griffin’s $300 Million Donation Floods Harvard with Cash and Questions

Republican megadonor Kenneth C. Griffin ’89 $300 million donation to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences — which renamed the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences — raised questions about Harvard’s donor practices in general, with many wondering exactly how, why, and for how much Harvard sells the naming rights to its major schools and institutions.

A Crimson Commonwealth: The Harvard Alumni Who Run Massachusetts

As Harvard affiliates continue to interact with and fill the Massachusetts government, it often falls to the University’s own to create policy and settle disagreements that directly affect Harvard. How does their time at the University influence the way they approach these disputes, and what is the effect of Harvard’s impact on Massachusetts leaders?

Hanging Up the Harvard Jersey

Approximately one in four students who played on a varsity sports team in the 2019-20 season left their team before the 2022-23 season. Interviews with nearly a dozen former Harvard athletes suggested that time commitments, battles with injuries, and balancing a beloved sport and the desire for a more well-rounded Harvard experience contributed to decisions to step away.

As Bacow Departs, Political Tensions that Defined His Presidency Endure

During Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow’s five years in office, he encountered a unique convergence of challenges — one that reflected a higher education landscape under attack. Woven through all this was the pandemic, a crisis during which Bacow was forced to make consequential decisions without a blueprint.

‘Stabilizing in the New Normal’: Harvard Square Adapts to Post-Pandemic Challenges

While Harvard Square has welcomed a bevy of new businesses in the last year — ranging from vintage clothing stores to boba tea shops to athletic facilities — a number of longstanding businesses continue to feel the lingering pains of the pandemic.

What Critical Race Theory Was — and is — at Harvard Law School

How has the legal field of critical race theory been shaped by Harvard Law School, and how do its students and scholars view conservative attacks on the field?

With Winthrop and Sackler, Harvard Faces Denaming Dilemma

Over the past few years, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum and Building, Winthrop House, and Mather House have all been subject to calls for denaming due to the legacies of their namesakes. Now, for the first time, the Univeristy is officially considering requests for renaming proposals, but students and alumni remain split on what should be done.

What Happened to the Push for a Multicultural Center?

Following the onset of the pandemic, some believe students have stopped asking for a multicultural center, even as activism supporting an ethnic studies department and race-conscious admissions has persisted. Activists are now beginning to revive efforts for cultural centers or a multicultural space, though many have different views on what they would look like.

‘It’s Way Past Time’: How Cambridge is Reconsidering its 80-Year-Old Form of Government

Last August, the Cambridge City Council appointed 15 residents to a charter review committee set to reassess the city’s form of government and recommended changes. The committee continues to grapple with its first major dilemma: Should the city be run by a mayor or a city manager?

Year in Review 2023

Can HUPD Reform?

Nearly a year after HUPD Chief Victor A. Clay took over the department on a pledge to reform, he faces fundamental questions about the department’s role on campus.

A Harvard Without Affirmative Action?

Affirmative action has narrowly survived several Supreme Court scares before. But now, experts say the court — made up of six conservative and three liberal justices — is likely to overturn four decades of precedent allowing schools to consider race in their admissions processes. It remains less clear what might come next.

Harvard and the Fight for Foreign Collaboration

Debate over the regulation of foreign money in academia, once an afterthought, has become a microcosm of the U.S.’s attempts to remain the world’s top innovator, exposing a tension between the government’s efforts to remain competitive and academia’s goals to promote innovation and the free flow of ideas.