Harvard Today: September 9, 2014

Happy Tuesday! Or maybe not-so-happy, if the fact that today is study card day is bringing you down. Hopefully you’ve made some sort of decision on your classes for the semester, or will be able to decide (and get the required signatures) by 5 p.m. Either way, add/drop day isn’t until October 6th, so you have a few more weeks to agonize if you’re still deciding.

In other news, we hope you’re ready for all that the real first week of classes has to bring: the start of labs, sections, reading, problem sets...oh my. Balancing that with the start of extracurriculars is the eternal challenge. Can we petition for the petting zoo to come back to relieve all this stress? It’s now or never, Harvard. #bringbackthebunnies

By Matt O. Ricotta

 IN THE ATMOSPHERE
Today’s high is an amazingly reasonable 71 degrees, with only a 10% chance of rain. This is what we’ve all been waiting for, folks, the Mama Bear of weather. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Hopefully you can escape your classroom or motivate yourself to leave your dorm room for a few minutes today to soak up the sun; it won’t be around forever!

IN THE D-HALLS
Lunch
Popcorn Chicken
Sausage Pizza
Seitan Fajitas

Dinner
Normandy Style Pork Loin
Swai with Honey Ginger Glaze
Portobello Mushroom with Quinoa Stuffing

IN THE NEWS
1) Recognizing Gift, Faust Speaks of a “Public Health Moment”: Hundreds of alumni, students, and faculty members vied for standing room in the School of Public Health’s cafeteria Monday afternoon, as top University officials formally unveiled the largest single gift in University history and honored its catalyst, alumnus Gerald L. Chan.“This gift will inspire the next generation of public health students who will in turn be the following generation’s public health leaders and advocates,” University President Drew G. Faust said.

2) Integrity Committee Prepares to Assemble Honor Council: As the College prepares to radically change the way it adjudicates cheating cases, the committee that first proposed the reform is gearing up to choose and train members of a student-faculty judicial body that will address academic dishonesty.

3) Voters Head to Polls for Numerous Primaries on Tuesday: "At the top of the ballot are the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primaries. Two state political veterans, Republican Charles D. Baker ’79 and Democrat Martha M. Coakley, have separated themselves from their respective competition. Incumbent Democrat Deval L. Patrick ’78 is not seeking a third term." Read more about this race and the others in contention today in the rest of this article.

ON FLYBY
1) Around the Ivies - The quick and dirty about what's been going on around the Ancient Eight (and other schools too).

EVENTS
As mentioned above, today is study card day! Be sure to drop off your signed study card to the office of the registrar in University Hall if you’re a freshman, or the appropriate office in your upperclassman House, by 5 p.m. to avoid late fees.

Today is also primary day in the state of Massachusetts! If you are registered here, make sure to get to your polling place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. to help decide who will be on the ballot for this November’s elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and more. If you’re registered under your on-campus address, you can find your voting location at iop.harvard.edu/find-your-polling-place.

The Department of African and African-American Studies is holding a welcome back event in the Barker Center's Thompson Room at 4 p.m. today. There will be a barbecue dinner served, and professors from the department will be on hand to answer questions. Free food and networking? Doesn’t get better than that.

The Institute of Politics is hosting a panel discussion at 6 p.m. in the JFK Jr. Forum called Ebola: Can We Avoid A Global Pandemic? Featured speakers include faculty from the School of Public Health and Her Excellency Ellen John Sirleaf, the President of Liberia.

Finally, the Farmer’s Market will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Science Center Plaza. Stop by for your weekly dose of fresh fruits and veggies, just-baked bread, and all sorts of arts and crafts!

PHOTO OF THE DAY
A boat rests at Long Wharf-North in Boston.