Let’s Be Real

A 21st century college campus is probably the least-hospitable environment for antiquated shows of social inequality. Be it the youthful spirit of progressivism, the rebellious disposition of young adults, or simply an ignorance of the realist demands of life not-yet-faced, college students do not have a reputation for sitting still amidst social injustice. The “Z-list” is one example of an institutional structure designed with little concern for socially equitable outcomes that has met with considerable animosity in recent months.

Admissions officers use the Z-list to annually admit thirty to fifty students more than the Harvard class size can fit; the officers extend admission on the mutual understanding that the students will take a gap year and join the subsequent class. What makes these students substantively different from their peers who are accepted through the regular process is largely unclear; indeed, many do become well-known, and essential members of the Harvard community. However, there are apparent disparities between the demographics of Z-listers and Harvard as a whole. In an article published by The Crimson in the summer of 2002, 76 percent of a sample of the incoming Z-list class had parents who attended Harvard. Although most students chide the College for allowing a practice that seems to unfairly favor those of more privileged backgrounds, I am unperturbed. The Z-list is necessary as an institutional fixture that facilitates progressivism at Harvard.

As a college student, I understand the impulse to rebuke injustice, but I also understand that Harvard is both a school and an independent corporation. Therefore, Harvard must navigate its way through the myriad financial difficulties that face any multi-billion dollar organization while acting in a responsible manner that befits its end goal of undoing social disparity and serving society.

In this context, Harvard must not merely pay maintenance staff enough so that they clean the school’s manifold facilities adequately; the College must pay employees wages that allow them a decent standard of life. They are obligated to accommodate students’ desires for stronger support of club sports, Yardfest, and other community-building endeavors around campus. Additionally, there are a multitude of socially beneficial initiatives that the University as a whole is undertaking at great difficulty; among these are the new science complex under construction in Allston, the new Engineering School, renovations to the University’s museum collections, and the “Green is the new Crimson” campaign.

Most importantly, the College must support one of the strongest financial aid programs in the country. Compared to the 70 percent that receive financial aid in a full class at Harvard, the Z-list has little more than 14 percent of its members on aid of any kind. Although Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 denies economic motivation behind Z-list decisions, the financial security of those on the list suggests otherwise. But if it is the case that these students are a financial asset to the College, than they are as equally qualified as athletes, actors, and the myriad other students with talents who are recruited to make Harvard a better place. Indeed, the student Z-listed to please a long line of donors and College supporters may be responsible for the financial aid that allows 70 percent of his or her classmates to attend.

Although Harvard is an astonishing place on multiple levels, the College cannot be asked to perform economic miracles. The substantial money Harvard spends on progressive initiatives has to originate somewhere. Harvard thrives financially because it has a wealthy network of benefactors and supporters who believe in its cause. Those who donate generously to this mission are friends of the institution and must be treated as such if we expect to continue leading the academic world. Sometimes this source of funding does not appear as noble or progressive to us as the places where the funds ultimately end. But we must keep things in perspective; students must stop speaking out against programs such as the relatively innocuous Z-list or face the reality of losing the expensive humanitarian lifestyle they simultaneously advocate for.

Adam B. Vartikar ’12, a Crimson editorial writer, is a government concentrator in Kirkland House.