PBHA Grants ‘Call of Service’ Award to Vivek Murthy, Honors Robert Coles’ Legacy

Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy ’98 said he wished more college graduates pursued service-oriented careers in remarks at the 20th annual Robert Coles Call of Service Lecture and Award on Friday.

First Year Urban Program Director Laid Off Amid FAS Restructuring

Varsha Ghosh, the Phillips Brooks House director of student engagement and leadership and longtime staff adviser to the First-Year Urban Program, will depart this week after 13 years leading FUP, according to a Thursday email to FUP leaders.

Nearly Half of Phillips Brooks House Staff Positions Impacted by FAS Restructuring

The Phillips Brooks House was the hardest-hit Harvard College unit by share of staff positions in a recent round of layoffs tied to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ sweeping administrative overhaul, with 11 of its 23 roles either laid off or offered new positions, according to a document obtained by The Crimson.

PBHA Meets Fundraising Goal for 2026 Summer Urban Program After Annual Auction

The Phillips Brooks House Association raised more than $150,000 at its 23rd annual auction Friday night, meeting its goal for the Summer Urban Program, which operates five-week day camps for roughly 700 low-income children in Boston and Cambridge.

Prasad and Gonzalez to Lead Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association

Arya S. Prasad ’27 and Marina Gonzalez ’27 will serve as president and vice president of the Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association, the organization announced Thursday.

ACLU President Deborah Archer Receives PBHA ‘Call of Service’ Award

American Civil Liberties Union President Deborah N. Archer delivered a grim assessment of the state of civil rights protections on Friday at a Phillips Brooks House Association event honoring her with the annual Robert Coles “Call of Service” award.

Students Mobilize to Put Rent Control on the Ballot in 2026

As a regional housing crisis grinds on in the wider Boston area, Harvard students are mobilizing in an effort to bring back rent control to Massachusetts — three decades after a contentious referendum banned the policy statewide.

PBHA Launches Emergency Fund After Federal Funding Freeze

The Phillip Brooks House Association, Harvard’s largest organization dedicated to public service, announced the establishment of an emergency fund two days after Trump froze $2.2 billion in funding to the University.

Councilor Siddiqui Reflects On the City’s Changing Housing Landscape at PBHA Talk

After landmark zoning reform, Cambridge City Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui and A Better Cambridge co-chair Justin N. Saif ’99 unpacked its implications and  encouraged students to get involved in local politics at a Phillips Brooks House Association event on Tuesday.

‘It’s Not as Sexy’: The Challenges of Pursuing Public Service at Harvard

Many students anticipate stepping onto a campus where public service and civic action were integral to the undergraduate experience. But they often discover that students feel intense pressure to sideline their public service aspirations in favor of pre-professional pursuits, and where public service initiatives and organizations struggle with funding shortfalls.

Safo-Mensa, Fernand Elected to Lead Phillips Brooks House Association

Nana K.B. Safo-Mensa ’26 was elected the next student president of the Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association, the organization announced Thursday.

Judy Norsigian ’70 Awarded PBHA Robert Coles ‘Call of Service’ Award

Judith L. Norsigian ’70, who co-founded the women’s health nonprofit Our Bodies, Ourselves, received the Phillips Brooks House Association’s Robert Coles “Call of Service” award on Friday.

FAS Leadership in Talks to Expand Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship

Faculty of Arts and Sciences administrators are considering a proposal to transform the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship into a new “Center for Public Engagement” with expanded academic offerings, according to a draft document obtained by The Crimson.

‘The Rudder of the Organization’: Longtime PBHA Staff Member Lee Smith Remembered for Warmth and Intellect

Lee H. Smith, a longtime staff member at the Phillips Brooks House Association in Harvard Yard, died on June 19 in Burlington, Mass. She was 89.​​​​​​​

Lee Smith Portrait in PBHA

Evan Mandery ’89 Says Elite Colleges Increase Social Inequality at Harvard PBHA Talk

Evan J. Mandery ’89, a professor at the City University of New York, said that elite colleges and universities exacerbate social inequality in the United States during a talk on Monday at the Phillips Brooks House Association.

SCAS Expansion

The Small Claims Advisory Service office is located in the Phillips Brooks House Association building in the northwest corner of the Yard.

Harvard’s Small Claims Advisory Service Expands to Claremont Colleges and Columbia

Harvard’s Small Claims Advisory Service, a legal aid program run by undergraduate volunteers, expanded its organization to Columbia University and the five Claremont Colleges this semester.

Undergraduates Begin Training and Fundraising for Boston Marathon in April

A handful of undergraduates are in training to run Boston Marathon in April, with five running on behalf of Harvard College Marathon Challenge to raise money for PBHA.

Student Group for Deaf Awareness Begins Recruiting New Members

The Deaf Awareness Coalition, a student group dedicated to raising awareness about Deaf culture, accessibility, and American Sign Language, has started recruiting members for its fall class of volunteers.

Phillips Brooks House Association

PBHA Volunteers Phone Mass. State Reps. in Support of Covid-19 Housing Equity Bill

Students in the Phillips Brooks House Association phoned Massachusetts state representatives at a Tuesday event held by the group in support of a Covid-19 housing equity bill making its way through the state legislature.

Cambridge Homeless Shelters Hold Steady Amid Omicron Rise

Almost two years after the pandemic’s start, Cambridge homeless shelters have held steady operations amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

Anti-Violence and Disability Justice Advocate Mia Mingus Awarded PBHA ‘Call of Service’ Award

Mia Mingus, an anti-violence and disability justice advocate, received the Phillips Brooks House Association’s Robert Coles “Call of Service” Award on Friday.

Tarana Burke Zoom

Activist and founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke received the 14th Annual Robert Coles “Call of Service” Award and spoke in a fireside chat with the Phillips Brooks House Association Friday.