College Life
Upperclassmen Call Harvard’s Decision to Not Return Them to Campus a ‘Reality Check’
Students voiced indignation, disappointment, and “heartbreak” after Harvard announced Monday morning that it would allow freshmen and very few upperclassmen to live on campus this fall.
Harvard to House Freshmen, Select Upperclassmen for Fall Semester
Harvard said Monday that it will open its dorms to the Class of 2024 this fall, asking sophomores, juniors, and seniors to seek approval to return.
Harvard College to Require Pre-Registration for Fall Classes
Harvard undergraduates will pre-register for courses for the first time this fall, according to an internal email circulated to Government department faculty.
Harvard Drops Social Group Sanctions Following Supreme Court Sex Discrimination Decision
Harvard will not enforce its social group sanctions as a result of a recent Supreme Court decision on sex discrimination, University President Lawrence S. Bacow wrote in an email Monday afternoon.
Student Focus Group Instructed to Assume Harvard Will Bring Up to 40 Percent of Undergraduates Back in the Fall
Undergraduates who return to campus may have to form self-contained social “pods,” submit to regular testing, and face discipline for breaking Harvard College social distancing rules, according to students who attended focus groups this week.
Harvard Removes Standardized Testing Requirements for Class of 2025 Applicants
Applicants to the College Class of 2025 will no longer need to submit any standardized test scores, according to a Monday note from Harvard’s admissions office.
Harvard Affiliates Petition to Rename Mather House Due to Slaveholding Namesake
Four Mather House students crafted a petition arguing that the House should no longer bear the namesake of former Harvard president and slave owner Increase Mather.
College Announces New Faculty Deans in Five Houses
Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana announced that five new faculty deans will join Cabot House, Eliot House, Kirkland House, Quincy House, and Winthrop House beginning July 1 in Thursday emails to affiliates of those Houses.
Five Takeaways from Harvard College’s Fall Planning Town Hall
Harvard College hosted a town hall Tuesday afternoon for affiliates to hear about the administration’s planning process for what is certain to be a singular fall semester.
Amid Fundraising Effort, UC Votes to Increase Donation Matching to Racial Justice Groups
The Harvard Undergraduate Council unanimously voted on Monday evening to increase the donation amount they will match from Harvard College affiliates that give to racial justice groups to $10,000.
After Series of Murders Nationwide, Undergraduate Groups Mobilize to Condemn Anti-Black Racism and Police Brutality
Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, Harvard College students have mobilized to condemn anti-black police brutality and call for racial justice.
Comedian Conan O’Brien Addresses College Class of 2020
In Harvard College’s first-ever virtual graduation ceremony, the Class of 2020 celebrated its achievements and commemorated its losses on Thursday with a colorful address from comedian Conan C. O’Brien ’85.
Harvard Students Report Strain of Online Semester in Undergrad Council Survey
The Undergraduate Council’s Student Experience Survey found students were dissatisfied with their transition to online learning and hope to return to campus this fall, according to a summary of the data presented this week.
Seeking Purpose Amid Pandemic, Harvard Undergrads Reimagine Summer Plans
After evacuating the College in mid-March, undergraduates are adapting to cancelled internships and remote programming and even taking relief efforts into their own hands.
'Nearly All' Respondents to Undergraduate Survey Prefer Fall On-Campus, Khurana Says
Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Tuesday interview that “nearly all” respondents to a College-wide survey about the coming semester expressed a strong desire to return to Harvard’s residential campus in the fall.
‘A Ghost Town’: Harvard's Resident Tutors Cope with Changing Roles, Empty Houses
Since students’ departure, House resident tutors have balanced their responsibilities for their students, Houses, and jobs — all the while taking care of themselves in the middle of an unprecedented time in the history of Harvard’s campus.
Conan O’Brien ’85 to Address Harvard Seniors as Part of Commencement Festivities
Comedian and television host Conan O’Brien ’85 will speak at the Class of 2020’s virtual Commencement celebration on May 28, Harvard wrote in an email to College seniors Tuesday afternoon.
Anticipating a Fall Semester Away from Campus, Students Mull Leaves of Absence
As undergraduates await news of whether the fall semester will continue remotely, many students say they are entertaining taking leaves of absence.
As Coronavirus Creates Uncertainty, Admitted Students Weigh Whether to Attend Harvard
Prospective College freshmen often have to weigh a long list of concerns when deciding where to matriculate — location, academics, housing, social scene. Entrants to the Class of 2024 have one more: how their school of choice will handle the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal Judge Grants Anonymity to Student Plaintiffs in Sanctions Lawsuit
Two Harvard College students suing Harvard over its sanctions against unrecognized single-gender social groups will be allowed to move forward with their lawsuit using pseudonyms, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Harvard Undergrads Partner with Common Spaces to Launch Digital Postcard Project
In the wake of campus's closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard undergraduates have developed a “virtual postcard” project for University affiliates to share messages of reflection, hope, and gratitude.
In First Meeting In Over A Month, Undergraduate Council Votes To Conduct Student Experience Survey
Harvard’s Undergraduate Council voted to publicize a student experience survey that will guide its future advocacy efforts during a general meeting held over Zoom on Sunday, its first in over a month.
Harvard Junior Braeden Foldenauer Named Truman Scholar
Harvard undergraduate Braeden J. Foldenauer ’21 was one of 62 college students to join the 2020 class of Truman Scholars, a prestigious graduate scholarship awarded to aspiring public servants.
Incoming Harvard Freshman Creates Platform to Supplement 'Virtual Visitas'
Admeeted — a personalized video call platform developed by Harvard undergraduates — aims to virtually connect the incoming Class of 2024 with each other and current Harvard affiliates to help mirror the experience of the cancelled in-person admitted students’ weekend.
As Planned, College Will Announce Ten New Faculty Deans By End of May
Harvard College will aim to conclude its five ongoing faculty dean searches by the end of May as planned, according to Dean of Finance and Administration Sheila C. Thimba.