Coronavirus Feature
HMS Study Finds Mask-Wearing, Social Distancing Reduce Covid-19 Infections by 87% on College Campuses
Harvard Medical School researchers found that a combination of wearing masks and practicing social distancing can reduce student and faculty Covid-19 infections on college campuses by roughly 87 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study published last week.
Virtual Semester Reflections Graphic
Harvard's first full virtual semester, which concluded Dec. 20, drew mixed reviews from students and faculty.
Khurana Highlights Academic Continuity as Guiding Principle in Developing Spring Plans
Academic continuity was a guiding principle in Harvard’s planning for the spring semester, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Monday interview.
Harvard Will Not Permit Athletes Living Off-Campus To Train On Campus in the Spring
Harvard announced Friday that it will not allow student-athletes living off campus to participate in athletics training on-campus next semester, marking the University’s latest effort to regulate life on campus during the coronavirus crisis.
FAS Dean Gay ‘Hopeful’ Harvard Will Be ‘Close To, If Not Entirely, Fully Operational’ by Fall 2021
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Claudine Gay said she is “really hopeful” that Harvard will be “close to, if not entirely, fully operational” by the fall of 2021 in an interview with The Crimson Thursday.
Harvard Students Meet Spring Residential Plans with Mix of Excitement, Disappointment
Harvard College’s Tuesday announcement that it would prioritize bringing upperclassmen back to campus this spring drew a broad range of reactions — excitement, shock, and disappointment among them — from students.
Harvard FAS Looking to Pilot Some In-Person Academic Experiences in Spring 2021
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences hopes to pilot some in-person academic experiences in the spring of 2021, though instruction will remain remote by default, FAS Dean Claudine Gay said during a faculty meeting Tuesday.
Far from Cambridge, Students Balance Remote Classes, Virtual Social Lives, and an Uncertain Future
Harvard’s decision to house mostly first-year students for the fall semester motivated many upperclassmen students to search for off-campus housing.
Office of Career Services Evolves to Support Students Navigating A Tumultuous Job Market
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Harvard’s Office of Career Services had to abruptly adapt its resources to an online format, trading pizza events and lively career fairs for virtual advising and webinars.
After Virtual Semester, Freshmen Navigate the Pressures of Blocking
For members of the Class of 2024, the infamously stressful blocking process may be extra fraught due to pandemic-era social restrictions.
As Pandemic Wears On, Massachusetts Residents Have Increased Risky Behaviors, Survey Finds
Over the past seven months, Massachusetts residents have relaxed their adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines, according to a new survey.
Harvard Athletes Meet Ivy League Decision to Cancel Winter Season With Disappointment
Several athletes on Harvard’s varsity winter sports teams said they were disappointed — if somewhat unsurprised — at the Ivy League’s decision to cancel the winter athletics season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cambridge Tests Sewage to Track Coronavirus Infections
As COVID-19 cases increase across the state, the Cambridge Public Health Department announced a partnership with Biobot Analytics, Inc. Thursday to test local wastewater for viral RNA particles.
HMS Researchers Co-Design COVID-19 Telehealth Rehabilitation Program
Researchers and clinicians from Harvard Medical School designed new telehealth rehabilitation plans for COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitalization in a recently published study.
Harvard Grad School of Arts and Sciences to Reduce or Pause Admissions in Some Fields
Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will reduce the number of students it admits for the 2021-22 school year as it continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Faculty of Arts and Sciences administrators wrote in a letter to faculty Thursday afternoon.
GSAS Remains Online for Spring Semester, Continues Emergency Support Initiative
The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will continue all instruction and cohort-building activities for the spring 2021 semester remotely, GSAS Dean Emma Dench wrote in an email to students last Wednesday.
DSO Administrators Outline Plans for “Contactless” Student Move-Out
The Dean of Students Office released move-out plans to students living on campus in an email Friday, an endeavor the administration is hoping will be much smoother and well-planned than the hectic send-off students faced in the spring.
Athletes on Campus Begin In-Person, Sport-Specific Training Amid Pandemic Precautions
Student-athletes living on campus began sport-specific training on Monday as Harvard Athletics entered the next phase of bringing Crimson sports back to Cambridge amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cambridge Delays Entering Step Two of Phase Three of Mass. Reopening Plan
The City of Cambridge announced Friday it will delay entering Step Two of Phase Three of Massachusetts’s reopening plan, after determining it would likely lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases in Cambridge.
Navigating Reduced Hours and Remote Work, Students Adapt to Transformed Campus Job Market
Shelving dusty books, dishing up grill orders, leading patrons through Harvard’s art collections — in the coronavirus era, job-seeking students have found that campus mainstays are now defunct.
‘A Pandemic Economy’: Student Groups Face Financial Turmoil
As budgets shrink and student activities go remote, campus extracurricular groups are scrambling to remain financially viable amid the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic.
City Council Evaluates Disaster Relief Fund, Seeks Additional Support for Minority-Owned Businesses
The Cambridge City Council unanimously approved a measure Monday evening requesting city personnel to support Black and minority business owners applying for financial assistance from the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund.
Broad Researchers Identify February Biogen Conference as Source of Tens of Thousands of COVID-19 Cases
Broad Institute researchers identified a conference held by the Cambridge-based company Biogen in February as a “superspreading” event for COVID-19 that caused tens of thousands subsequent cases in the Boston area.
Students Face Prohibitive Costs, Logistical Hurdles as Harvard Storage Contractor Struggles to Meet Need
Harvard undergraduates said they are dismayed and frustrated with Olympia Moving and Storage, as some students have encountered financial and logistical hurdles in retrieving the items they stored with the company after leaving campus in the middle of the spring semester.
Harvard, AbbVie Announce $30 Million Research Alliance to Combat Viral Diseases
Harvard Medical School and biopharmaceutical company AbbVie will launch a $30 million research alliance to combat viral infections, like the novel coronavirus tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the study and development of new therapies, the University announced Tuesday.