The Crimson Editorial Board
Latest Articles
Harvard Confuses Privilege With Merit
Harvard shouldn’t be a finishing school for the children of wealthy coastal elites. The Supreme Court may have limited Harvard’s ability to consider race in admissions, but it hasn’t prevented the College from reconsidering the unfairest advantages it confers.
To Fix Primaries, Vote 'Yes' on Ballot Question 3
The change proposed by the ballot referendum will give a wider array of candidates a strong chance to advance to the general election, in contrast to the status quo, which rewards candidates for preaching to their own choirs.
Cambridge Should Divest
Despite the sea change that has occurred in American public opinion, the issue of support for Israel has been sidelined by a gridlocked federal government. We are hard-pressed to find another lever as well-suited to initiate change.
Don’t Concentrate on the Money
Higher education is valuable for learning how to think and navigate the world. One can’t faithfully assign a dollar value to that — even in the form of a future paycheck.
Good Friday Is No Day for Housing Day
After several tumultuous years for religious life at Harvard — and commitments to strengthen religious pluralism — the College has a remarkably easy opportunity to practice what it preaches.
Harvard, Cornell, and the Perils of Paternalism
The lesson is that universities have considerably less leverage over students’ private associations than administrators might hope. Harvard tried to force the clubs to change, but instead lost what influence it had over them.
Where the Grade Cap Falls Flat
Had Harvard prioritized mastery alone — assessing against demanding standards appropriate to each discipline — rather than distinction from one’s classmates, many of these dilemmas would never have arisen.
The Game Does Not Belong at Fenway
Students deserve to have the venerated tradition held in the comfort of the University’s backyard, not the streets of Boston. Safe inside the Harvard bubble, students get the chance to let loose in a secure environment for one fun-packed day of the year.
Forty More Voices Won’t Make Cambridge Safer
We choose our policymakers to be well-informed, talk to the right experts, and make informed value judgments. They should be more than capable of reviewing whether surveillance technology reflects the will of their constituents.
When Conservative Scholarship Belongs at Harvard
Harvard cannot guarantee conservative scholars will choose to come here. It can build a culture they would call home.
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