The Crimson Editorial Board
Latest Articles
America Won’t Beat China by Beating Harvard
Harvard should grapple seriously with the challenges posed by U.S.-China competition — but Washington should recognize that the call is coming from inside the house.
The Harvard Brand Is Not for Sale
The question is why a nine-day devotional event, initiated by overseas organizers and aimed primarily at followers of an outside spiritual leader, belonged in Sanders Theatre. The organizers’ conduct tells us their answer: Harvard’s brand.
In Defense of the Five-Day Mandate
Transitioning to a physically present work model will come with its challenges, but ultimately, in-person administrators will be more informed administrators — and that’s what the student body needs.
Dudley’s Closure Is a Loss for Harvard’s Culture
While we celebrate that the Houses have become more inclusive over the years to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse student population, that can’t negate the value Dudley brings to campus.
Harvard’s Hazy Line on Hazing
Students should retain some agency to decide what indignities they’re willing to tolerate in exchange for a community they value. Part of becoming an adult is learning what’s worth it and when to walk away.
Don't Tell Us To Write Our Papers With AI
It’s still unclear how AI could be used to support academic writing without meaningfully outsourcing one’s thinking. Professors might not be able to enforce a prohibition on its use for larger take-home work, but that isn’t a reason to encourage it either.
Harvard's Cuts Are Only Half the Job
If the FAS would like to show that the changes are as administrative as they claim, it has the opportunity to conduct targeted faculty hiring in vulnerable programs. Beyond facing administrative bottlenecks, these smaller departments lack the hires needed to teach, advise, and sustain their fields of study.
Where’s All the Commotion?
If we are committed to an environment of free exchange of ideas, students and faculty must also be unafraid to take a stand on the hard, controversial issues — especially when the federal government desires exactly the opposite from us.
The Future of the Liberal Arts Looks a Lot Like the Past
The next era of the academy should recover an older educational seriousness — one that emphasizes broad learning, close teaching, honest criticism, and intellectual risk.
Harvard, Jump off the AI Bandwagon
To create an environment in which AI’s inevitable presence does not degrade scholarship, Harvard must incentivize students not to use AI when it’s harmful for learning.
Latest Media
Harvard Proposes Cap on A’s, 13 Affiliates React
Last October, a now-infamous report sparked intense debate over Harvard’s grading system. A new faculty report proposing a cap on A grades has reignited that discussion. Are grades for mastery or distinction, and will the proposal restore rigor or damage pedagogy? 13 affiliates weigh in. — Heidi S. Enger ’27 and Zakiriya H. Gladney ’27, Editorial Chairs
How to Vote on the 2024 Massachusetts Ballot Questions
This Election Day, Massachusetts voters have the opportunity to decide the direction the Bay State will take in five important areas of public policy. The below are The Crimson Editorial Board’s recommendations for how to vote in each. —Tommy Barone ’25 and Jacob M. Miller ’25
Claudine Gay Resigns; Harvard Reacts
Yesterday, Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University, marking the shortest presidential tenure in the school’s centuries-long history. Gay, the University’s first Black president and second woman president, became mired in controversy after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the ensuing conflict on campus, followed by allegations of plagiarism in her academic work. How did we get here? Where do we go now? As the University arrives at a historic inflection point, the opinion section of The Crimson’s special edition on Gay’s resignation offers answers to these important questions from a diversity of perspectives across the Harvard community. —Tommy Barone ’25 and Jacob M. Miller ’25, Editorial Chairs