Scrutiny
Volume XXXIV, Issue XIX
Dear Reader, It’s officially December. Just like that, a full year has gone by. We’ve seen compers become writers, writers become execs, and execs climb to new heights. We’ve published 19 issues, with one last one on the way. But we run on Harvard time, and so it’s hard to believe that all this has happened because there is still so much more to do: finals, formals, and general finalizing. It’s hard to believe that it’s soon coming to an end. In this issue, our penultimate issue, JL and EKS write about Harvard’s history with Indigenous tribes. And boy is it a fraught one. Those involved with Harvard’s founding were some of the most prolific colonizers. For one, many of Harvard’s founders played leading roles in the Pequot Massacre, which resulted in the acquisition of thousands of acres of land for Harvard and the expulsion of the Pequot nation from southern New England. Because of a life-saving donation from a missionary society, Harvard’s charter of 1650 includes a promise to educate Native Americans. Since then, very few Native Americans from the tribes that Harvard has helped oppress have been able to benefit from a Harvard education. After a semester of researching and reporting, JL and EKS bring to light the ways that Harvard’s Indigenous students have fought for representation and education, and the bridges that the University still has yet to build. Guest writer SWZ reflects on the legacy of the late great poet Louise Gluck. AEP and MTB write about the experiences of those who are dual-enrolled in either the Harvard- New England Conservatory program or the Harvard-Berklee Dual Degree program, which many claim have issues with inter-school coordination and communication. HD writes a diligent profile of Harvard dropout Avi Schiffman, who is known for developing a Covid-19 case tracker and a website to help refugees find housing. In the time since, he’s shifted focus and is now building an AI necklace called Tab that acts as a “wearable life coach,” with the intention to “conquer” the world of wearable AI. VX does a deep-dive into Boston’s supper club scene, enjoying crostini and olive oil cake with a serving of human-interest reporting. She talks to the hosts of some of the most popular supper clubs and learns about the motivations for hosting what is, in essence, a small restaurant with little, if any, financial gains. ETS and AXN write about Cash for Your Warhol, a decades-long prank that started with the 2008 global financial crisis. NYS profiles Matta Zheng, a second-year student at the Harvard Divinity School, about their journey to discovering queer studies and performance — including drag — and Buddhist spirituality. NYS also hits us with a poignant inquiry about the toxic intoxicating thrill of hustle culture, grounded in her longtime love for Subway Surfers. MD and LG write about the new rage in Somerville: adopting storm water drains as pets. Some of the best (corniest) drain names: “The Grateful Drain,” “Emotionally Drained,” “You’re So Drain, You Probably Sink This Name Is About You.” SWF and MG (and their editors) crawl the streets of Cambridge to find the best bar vibe (in scarves). In a pair of levities, SJ takes us behind the scenes of the goings-on of the typical literary magazine, and CES writes an advice column in the voice of our very own John Harvard, who has more than a few pearls of wisdom to share with us. In this week’s 15 Questions, SEW talks to Andrew Manuel Crespo about his work on ending mass incarceration, criminal law, and the value of playing high school football. Be sure to check out the crossword tab made by JB, which will be sure to get you in the holiday spirit. RCG closes out this issue with an endpaper about calligraphy, a skill she picked up from her mother, where the physical meets the visual. Many thanks are in order. I will not be able to thank you all. Thank you to SS, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH, JJG, and especially all-star SET for being there for us always and forever to provide beautiful graphics for our stories and (redesigned) glossies this year and for brightening our Tuesdays. You guys put so much work into our little magazine, for which we will always be grateful. Thank you to BLK and MX for the work you do, thankless as it usually is, because without you, everything as we know it would crash and burn. It’s been a year; sleep easy in your retirement knowing that this paper is better thanks to all you’ve done. To our execs: Thank you to the pawpaw-loving-constantly-sunny SWF and our always-witty CK for absolutely killing it with social media and being our map masters, our resident sci-fi writer HD for AET and providing general assistance, our no-days-off comedian JKW and lovely token premed DRZ for always slaying the newsletter, our gentle poet MGB and coolest-in-the-room JL for being amazing comp directors, always-thoughtful KT and JKW for introspectioning, DRZ and our oh-so Jessica Day-esque MG for bringing the ragers, our stalwart-and-unexpected GRW for your keen eye and eagerness to help, bestie BWF for inquiry editing + crossword editing + always going above and beyond, everyone’s favorite exec MMFW for always bringing the vibes, always-serving KLM and beautiful-and-bubbly SEW for bringing joy and getting the hang of execing so quick. You all are the reason this magazine is alive and well — hell, you are this magazine. We know it’s not always easy. Thank you; you bring me so much happiness. MG and KT: What would we do without you? You have single-handedly changed the role of EAL (and chair) to make everything more sustainable with your brilliant scrut-editing, not to mention the many, many extra articles you have edited, proofed and adminned to accommodate for the execs and keep everything running smoothly. I am in awe of you, always, and will miss our weekly meetings deeply. Well, KT, you have many more of those meetings ahead of you. JL and YAK: While you have big shoes to fill, I know you will fill them well, and with style. You’re superstars. KT and HD, I can sleep well at night knowing that you will keep FM what it is and make it even better. I have so much pride and faith in you and am so excited to see what you’ll do this upcoming year. To our new execs: You are the future; I know all of you will do an amazing job. To our newly initiated compers: Congrats! We are so happy to have you! (Thanks AEP and JKW). To the ghosts of days of yore (SSL, MVE, JJG): Thank you for believing in us and teaching us everything. To Io, the love of my life. We have come a long way. The road has been, at times, treacherous, but it’s easier having a steadfast soldier like you by my side. I can say with confidence that we have given our all to our humble magazine and raised it the best we could. We’ve faced many fires, but I feel so very lucky to have been a part of this beautiful club, and especially to do it with you. Again, it’s hard to believe that this is coming to an end, that this will be my last closeout. Io, I know that we joke that we have become this magazine, but I think that it’s true. These past two years of college have been defined by FM, and I know it will continue to shape the rest of my life. I am so honored to have been able to help lead this wonderful publication, and most of all, to know the wonderful people who helped make it happen. FM Love, Amber
Smetters Courtesy
Kent A. Smetters is a Wharton School professor. Smetters thinks that if universities weren’t trying to play “the prestige game,” undergraduate student enrollment at universities like Harvard might’ve been three times as much as it was 30 years ago.
Weissbourd Courtesy
Richard J. Weissbourd is a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He suggests that a hybrid learning approach could allow universities to expand their enrollment.
class size cover graphic
Admissions discussions take Harvard’s regime of selectivity for granted, as though it had to remain a zero-sum game. But what if it didn’t have to? What if Harvard could think bigger?
physical campus
Recently, some universities have created online learning platforms, like edX at MIT and Harvard. If Harvard could sever itself from its physical roots, it could, in theory, provide a world-class education online at little-to-no cost to millions.
mandery courtesy photo
Evan J. Mandery ’89 is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and the author of “Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us.” “Meritocracy is a double-edged sword,” Mandery says. “If you say that you deserve your advantage, then you do necessarily mean that everyone else deserves their disadvantage.”
A Bigger Harvard? Rethinking Access in ‘Elite’ Higher Education
Admissions discussions take Harvard’s regime of selectivity for granted, as though it had to remain a zero-sum game. But what if it didn’t have to? What if Harvard could think bigger?
Volume XXXIV, Issue XVIII
Dear Reader, This time of year is a bit confusing. Temperatures are in the 40s or 50s and the sun is setting at 4:30, but beautiful fall foliage is still around. Students are registering for next semester’s classes while doing midterms for our current classes. We have piles of work to do, but it’s basically Thanksgiving Break and we take a day or two off to go to New Haven, only to lose The Game… But The Game isn’t the only way Yale is ahead of Harvard. In this week’s scrut, NHS and EJS write about Harvard’s undergraduate class size has stayed the same in recent years, while Yale and many other Ivies have expanded. But for people invested in Harvard’s elitism, though, this might be a win — after all, isn’t Harvard’s exclusivity what makes it Harvard? Read the scrut to learn more about why Harvard’s plans for class expansion fell through and ideas that people have for making Harvard more accessible. This week, FM brings you yet another map, but this time we didn’t just choose locations. We chose vibes. We chose states of being. We chose 15 liminal spaces, places of in-between. GRW and CPRJ write about the Harvard Study of Adult Development whose results have received much attention for finding that forming deep relationships is the key to a happy life. However, some of the data used by the study is connected to scientific racism and eugenics. AEP and MTB interview international students at Harvard about how their concentration choices were affected by the STEM Optional Practical Training extension program, which allows international students studying in the U.S. to extend their visas for an additional 2 years if they study a STEM field. ASA and ETS talk to Brooks B. Lambert-Sluder ’05, who oversees the PAF program, about the value of having a PAF, which he did not have as an undergrad, and how he helped build the program since. MVE makes a triumphant return to FM to write about the Harvard Bicycle Club, a group of men who rode penny farthings together, occasionally raced, and held elaborate club dinners. In this week’s 15Q, HD interviews Jonathan Zittrain on the regulation of AI, his work with the Applied Media lab, and the future of the Internet. In her endpaper HWD writes about the joys and challenges of being a cowboy at Deep Springs, and her subsequent transition to being a Harvard student in Cambridge, Mass. Thank you to SWF for becoming FM’s resident cartographer and making us some beautiful maps. To SS, SET, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH, and JJG, thank you for being the best maestro team anyone could ask for! Special thanks to LJPE, HL, SS, SCS, MHS, AZ, and, of course, SET for our most drop-dead gorgeous glossy yet and for allowing us to finish proofing in record time. Thank you to BLK and MX for all the help you give us, proofing and beyond. AHL, this week we had some of our lasts — our last normal writers meeting, our last maestro, and there are still more lasts to come. It was bittersweet. I’m gonna save the long sappy comment for my last closeout, so for now I’ll just say thank you for being such a brilliant, dependable co-chair, and for making this job much more fun. Now just to try and savor these last few weeks … and plan our retirement party. FM Love, IYG & AHL
Hands and Key
However, it is not just the privileges afforded by wealth that improve the chances of a legacy student, Chetty finds — it is their legacy status.
Statistical Report of the Statisticians
Hand-drawn graph included in the Statistical Report of the Statisticians that tracks the increase in the “percentage of Jews to total number of students admitted.”
Statistical Report of the Statisticians Chart
A chart included in the Statistical Report of the Statisticians that lists current students who “would have been excluded” under the “New Plan” of admissions. An “x” signifies if a student would have been rejected for being a “line case” or for failing English. Certain students are also marked with a red “J.”
‘The White Man’s College’: How Antisemitism Shaped Harvard’s Legacy Admissions
A Harvard education has the ability to change someone’s life, and, when leveraged properly, to influence the course of the nation. But as legacy admissions favor the children of alumni — who are disproportionately white and wealthy to begin with — many are left questioning the degree to which the University can truly act as an engine of change.
Volume XXXIV, Issue XVII
Dear Reader, We hope you’re staying warm despite the wind, rain, and old drafty dorm rooms. But now you have the perfect excuse to curl up with a cup of tea, forget your early-enrollment period stress, and read our issue! It’s a good (and chunky) one. In this issue’s scrut, SJ and YAK bring us back to the ’20s, when Harvard admissions first became competitive. During his term, President Abbott Lawrence Lowell aimed to limit the number of Jewish students on campus to maintain the Anglo-Saxon character of the school. Some of the measures that Lowell’s admissions committee implemented became part of what is now the Harvard Admissions Office’s holistic review process. Other measures evolved into legacy preference, which has come under scrutiny in light of the Supreme Court decision this summer that overturned race-based affirmative action. This scrutiny traces the antisemitic history of legacy admissions and what it says about the exclusionary history of the College. Who does a Harvard education aim to serve? Can college admissions ever be certifiably inclusive at an elite institution? Also in this issue, SSL goes on a run with Graham Blanks ’25, a record-breaking distance runner at Harvard — or more accurately, she goes on a bike ride to keep up Blanks’s “casual” seven-minute-per-mile pace as he chats about his running insights, training regimen, and shares a glimpse into the lifestyle of a collegiate athlete. CNS and AC interview Kylie Hunts-in-Winter ’25, a martial arts world title holder, a prominent advocate for raising awareness of the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and co-president of the Harvard Jiu Jitsu Club. They talk with her about how her martial arts training intersects with her advocacy for women's empowerment and Indigenous rights. AI, AEP, and TNR interview English professor Stephanie L. Burt, who is teaching a new course titled “Taylor Swift and Her World” in the spring, offering students an opportunity to analyze Swift’s lyrics, music, and influence in the broader context of American art and literature. IBC interviews poet Joseph N. Fasano who is dedicated to democratizing poetry by making it accessible to a broader audience. CJY and AXN write about The Aging Initiative at Harvard, co-founded by Alyson D. Harvey and her colleagues, which aims to generate interest and awareness of aging research and the social and financial implications of aging. MMN writes about the ALiVe Project, which is run by researchers at the GSD, in collaboration with the Wyss Institute and SEAS, who are exploring innovative architectural technologies to make more environmentally efficient buildings. CM and LG talk to Delilah Brown, a student at Harvard Extension School who is managing and improving Harvard’s campus eateries, revitalizing the Queen’s Head Pub as well as the Barker and Lamont Cafes. As for the beloved undergraduate hangout Cabot Café, AS and MD report that the managers have delayed its opening due to new regulatory processes, costly certification requirements for student managers, and budget challenges. VWR also ventures to the Quad and reports on the recent game of Harvard Survivor, where 16 participants faced various challenges, searched for hidden idols, and formed alliances. AEP writes a choose-your-own-levity: how will you, a lone biker, make it to Mather in a sea of scooters? EL makes a comic suggesting various ways to be productive on the endless ride between Central Square and Harvard Square on the T. Lucky reader, you get to enjoy not one, but two 15Qs! BWF talks to historian Jules Gill-Peterson about the history of DIY transitioning, trans girl meme culture, and the trans community’s resilience in the face of political attack on all sides. CJK sits down with historian Naomi Oreskes to talk about climate change denialism, the discordance between climate sustainability and economic growth, and her favorite rock (spoiler: it’s Labradorite). It’s that time of the semester and we get it: you’re drowning. No fear, FM is here to provide you with our recommendations for the top 15 best places to cry. We got your back. In this issue’s endpaper, CJK reflects on the impact of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” on her understanding of womanhood, lineage, and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. We also bring you a crossword puzzle themed for this week’s scrutiny, constructed by crossword master JGH. Thank you to SS, SET, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH, and JJG for maestroing all year and especially to our design team for bringing us amazing glossies, time after time! Thank you to our execs and writers — we love you. Thank you to BLK and MX for proofing. A huge thank you to KT and HD for filling in our shoes a little prematurely to help us edit during shoot — so proud of and thankful for you two. Thank you to the rest of superboard for making Turkey Shoot deliberations legitimately enjoyable. Good luck to the 151st Guard — you’ll do great! The biggest thank you, as always, goes to my steadfast co-chair. I don’t know what I would do without you by my side (while watching Instagram reels, knitting, and playing online solitaire). Labradorite is cool and all but my favorite rock is and will always be IYG. FM Love, AHL & IYG
Broken Recovery: Eating Disorders at Harvard
From anxieties about eating in Annenberg to busy schedules to specific dietary restrictions, one of the most essential tasks of daily life — nourishing ourselves — became a recurring difficulty for all of us.
Volume XXXIV, Issue XVI
Dear Reader, Happy Halloweekend! We hope you’re taking in the sun (while we still have it). And while the weather makes going out in skimpy animal costumes more enjoyable this Halloween, it’s hard not to feel unsettled by this unseasonal warmth. Even so, it’s a nice reminder to go outside, take a break, go on a walk, and admire the vibrance of the changing leaves. This is peak New England fall — remember to take advantage of it. In this issue’s scrut, JKW writes about the experiences of having an eating disorder at Harvard. She opens up about her own history of disordered eating and shares other Harvard student’s stories. After months of research, interviews, and introspection, she brings us a powerful, beautifully written story about how, at Harvard, student culture can encourage disordered eating and how bureaucratic oversight often makes the process of recovery fall solely on the individual. She also speaks with medical professionals and experts to uncover more broadly where the problem begins. Thank you, JKW, for bringing this important story to light, and thank you MG for your diligent editing and your empathy. RCA and AY report on the library in the SEC (yes, it exists) and its collection, which runs the gamut, spanning from graphic novels to poetry collections to memoirs, many of which discuss the intersection of the development of science and technology with questions of race, gender, and ability. AI and MMN write about the Cambridge Time Trade Circle, where people can make purchases and complete tasks using an alternative economy using time as a currency. This week, we bring you another map: this time, MTS and MEE report on all our favorite haunts (and the ghosts who haunt them). And in this issue’s 15Q, SWF interviews Bruno Carvalho, whose research focuses on cities and culture, talking to him about the current controversy surrounding bike lanes in Cambridge, the first things he notices when he goes to a new city, and Halloween costumes. In our endpaper, EMK writes about her favorite cry-read, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince,” and how it resonates with her continual search for home. Thank you to SS, SET, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH, and JJG for maestro magnificence. Thank you to our execs — the lifeblood of our backend production (and an especially big thanks to those who helped hand deliver the glossy!). Thank you to BLK and MX for proofing in the direst of circumstances (Turkey Shoot, Crimween, Parent’s Weekend). Thank you to our writers, and especially to our readers for sticking with us. To IYG: the funniest person I know. Thank you for being a good sport and for always being there — we’re chugging along, even with midterms and Turkey Shoot, and making (New York Times) connections along the way. I’m so excited to round out the rest of the year with you! FM Love, AHL & IYG
harvard stadium
AFRO members gather at Harvard Stadium. On April 14, a crowd of 10,000 gathered at Harvard Stadium, and voted to extend the three-day student strike another three days.
AAAS Cover
What does the campaign to found Black studies have to teach all people discontented with the university, society, and world they find themselves in?