Editor's Note

Dear Reader, As midterms and Turkey Shoot — The Crimson’s formal process for choosing leadership for the next year — approach, it’s hard not to think about how quickly this semester (indeed, this whole year) has been going. We’re reminded of the importance of slowing down, of being deliberate with our time and energy. It’s even harder to think about the tragedy and horror of current events. And it’s during times like these that we realize the importance of looking out for each other and, most importantly, ourselves. In this week’s issue, we’re publishing what amounts to 10 months of reporting and writing by KT on Harvard’s leave of absence policy. She weaves introspection with thoughtful and diligent interrogation of systemic issues in our College’s mental health supports, and walks us through the obstacles and oversights in the policy by highlighting the stories of five students. Thank you, all of you, for sharing your experiences. Thank you, KT, for being such a steadfast reporter, writer, EAL, and friend. Intrepid HD writes two articles for us this week. The first is about Adam Mastroianni’s rejection of academia and his turn toward a more accessible form of education: blogging. He also writes a dual profile of Alice Cai and Anh Phu Nguyen, Harvard’s first and only concentrators in Human Augmentation. But, while they share an interest in the technological advancement of humanity, they have two very different visions of what that will look like. NHS interviews Rochelle Walensky — who recently stepped down as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control — about her tenure at the CDC, what she’s doing at Harvard now, and what she reads for fun. The FM staff also shares tips on what are undeniably the top fifteen places to make out (on campus). Thank you to TRM for bringing the map to life with some last-minute Flourish help! END makes a beautiful comic that captures quite well the rainy fall weather we’ve been having. And be sure to check out our crossword tab for our new scrut-themed puzzle by BWF, crossword-extraordinaire. Finally, for our endpaper, SV shares her journey with loss. The loss of loved ones is universalizing — it’s also a loss of optimism, of traditions, of answers. It is crushing. It is irrevocable. But there is — and always will be — love. Thank you SS, SET, SCS, MHS, MQ, JH and JJG for your photographic and illustrative talents (and, of course, for layout prowess). Thank you to BLK and MX, as always. Thank you to BWF for scroofing magic. Thank you to our execs and writers — you’re our lodestars. And, of course, thank you IYG for keeping me sane. What would I do without my goth/emo queen? FM Love, AHL + IYG