Front Middle Feature
Former Boston Mayor Kim Janey to Serve as Spring 2022 IOP Fellow
Kim M. Janey, who served as acting mayor of Boston for eight months last year before losing a bid for a full term, will headline the Harvard Institute of Politics’ class of Spring 2022 resident fellows.
Harvard Alumni Association Announces Board of Overseers, Elected Directors Nominees
Harvard announced the nominees for the Board of Overseers — the University’s second-highest governing body — and for elected directorships in the Harvard Alumni Association Monday.
Harvard College Disciplinary Actions Reach Six-Year Low
Disciplinary actions taken against undergraduates dropped to a six-year low during the 2020-2021 academic year, according to Administrative Board data updated last summer.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2021
At Harvard, 2021 was a year marked by change. The school’s long-awaited return to in-person operations injected new life into a campus that had been left dormant for over a year by Covid-19. And in an unexpected shift, the University announced its intention to divest its endowment from fossil fuels after a decade of public pressure. Separately, faculty controversies — including a federal conviction and a high-profile departure — ignited debates that rippled across academia. Below, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped the last year at Harvard.
The Arts 2021 Year-In-Review
The Harvard Crimson ranks the best movies, TV shows, albums, and books of the year, while writing some not-exactly-serious vanities.
Harvard Will Reopen Campus Child Care Centers Following Outcry from Parents
Harvard reversed its decision to close campus day care centers during the first three weeks of January on Wednesday after more than 120 families signed onto an open letter calling on the University to continue providing child care services while it moves most operations online.
Lieber Told FBI He ‘Wasn’t Completely Transparent’ in Prior Interview with Federal Investigators
Harvard professor Charles M. Lieber told the FBI in January 2020 that he “wasn’t completely transparent” in a separate interview with federal investigators two years prior, according to video of an interrogation presented in court by government prosecutors on Friday.
Harvard College Suspends Standardized Testing Requirement for Next Four Years
Applicants to Harvard College will not be required to submit standardized test scores for at least the next four years.
Harvard Campus Covid Cases Surge to Highest-Ever Rate as the Fall Semester Winds Down
Harvard's Covid-19 case count has surged to its highest point since the start of the pandemic over the last week, sending hundreds of affiliates into isolation while students begin to depart for winter break.
Charles Lieber’s Trial Begins Tuesday: Here’s What You Need to Know
Former Harvard Chemistry chair Charles M. Lieber is set to stand trial Tuesday on six federal charges related to his ties to the Chinese government, nearly two years after his initial arrest.
FAS Authorizes Three Ethnic Studies Faculty Candidates For Appointment
Harvard has authorized three faculty candidates specializing in ethnic studies for appointment, a significant step in its long-running cluster hire for professors in the field.
Experts Say Lieber Trial Could Decide Fate of DOJ’s China Initiative
As former Harvard Chemistry chair Charles M. Lieber goes on trial on federal charges beginning Tuesday, law and trade experts speculated that his case’s outcome could decide the fate of the Department of Justice’s China Initiative.
Students Delay Getting Covid-19 Booster Shots, Citing Inconvenience and Finals
Some Harvard students said they are holding out to get a Covid-19 booster shot until the conclusion of the fall semester, though public health experts recommend people get the shot as soon as possible.
Fauci Says Pandemic Still Far From Controlled in School of Public Health Address
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. still remains far from controlling the Covid-19 pandemic in a virtual lecture at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on Friday afternoon.
No Pants? Snow Problem. Primal Scream Makes a Hollering Comeback
Baring it all in the season’s first snowfall, hundreds of Harvard students gathered outside Wednesday night in jackets, underwear, and little else to resume the boisterous tradition of streaking around Harvard Yard the midnight before finals.
‘A Slow Rebuild’: Undergraduates Reflect on In-Person Semester
After his freshman year was truncated by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Roderick P. “Roddy” Emley ’23-’24 said he is slowly adjusting to life back on campus.
‘Exceeded My Expectations’: Student Performers Laud Return to In-Person Programming
After more than a year of adapting to virtual programming, Harvard’s vibrant performing arts groups have roared back to life. Though they have faced challenges adhering to Covid-19 restrictions, artists said the ability to come together in person again is well-worth it.
FAS Committee Recommends Scrapping Shopping Week in Favor of Previous-Term Registration
A Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee released a proposal recommending the College replace its current “shopping week” course registration system with a system of previous-term registration.
15 Places: Our Return to Campus
For our final issue, we chose to write about 15 places, a break from this magazine’s history of publishing end-of-year issues about 15 people. As we understand it, a place constitutes any physical space in the vicinity of Harvard, from the Weeks Bridge, to Appleton Chapel, to the Yard itself. These are spaces we inhabit and traverse, in which we cry and laugh, create and demolish — alone but also, especially after the past year, together.
Biden Administration Backs Harvard in Admissions Lawsuit
The Biden administration backed Harvard’s race-conscious admissions process in a brief filed to the Supreme Court Wednesday, recommending that the Court reject an appeal challenging the use of affirmative action in the school’s admissions process.
‘Functionally Food Insecurity’: Harvard Students’ Decades-Long Push For Hot Kosher Lunch
Roughly 40 undergrads keep kosher, following strict dietary restrictions according to Jewish law, but just one dining hall covered by Harvard’s undergraduate meal plan, Harvard Hillel, is kosher, and it is only open for dinner.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Pledges $500 Million for AI Institute at Harvard
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan ’07 pledged $500 million over the next 15 years to found the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced Tuesday.
Students from Southern Africa Cancel Winter Travel Plans Due to Omicron Travel Ban
After the United States banned travel from several countries in southern Africa due to the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, Harvard undergraduates from the region lamented that they will not return home over winter recess for fear of not being able to return to campus.
Custodians Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with Harvard
The union representing Harvard’s custodial workers reached a four-year tentative agreement for a contract with the University Friday, securing wage increases.
Acrimony and Inefficiency Mar Inaugural UC Meeting Under Cheng and de Kanter
Michael Y. Cheng ’22 and Emmett E. de Kanter ’24 were inaugurated as president and vice president of the Undergraduate Council Sunday during an acrimonious meeting that was derailed by accusations of bullying and intimidation leveled at the new president.