Columns
Should Harvard Admit More Rich Kids? Actually, Yes
So, sure, get rid of admissions preferences for legacies. Hell, do the same for recruited athletes. But maybe it would be best for Harvard to avoid biting the hand that feeds it.
Studying for My Midterm in Neo-Marxist Class Warfare Propaganda
The government can’t win over the hearts and minds of the youth through gradual institutional reform — their best strategy is to sharpen the contradictions until we cast off our false consciousness and unleash the productive forces of a new world order.
A Conservative Case Against the Endowment Tax
It should be obvious. But raising taxes, on endowments or otherwise, is the antithesis of conservatism.
Harvard Must Defy Trump
Harvard’s leaders must begin to consider, behind closed doors, how far Harvard is willing to go in enabling the Trump administration’s attacks on fundamental rights.
Harvard Is Too Elite, but Trump’s Culture War Won’t Change That
Harvard’s critics aren’t wrong that we’re too elite. But they’re wrong about the solution. We can’t just replace a liberal elite with a conservative one.
When Words Lose Their Meaning
Doesn’t it make sense for an institution as wealthy and powerful as Harvard to accept the responsibility of speaking out broadly for the truth, and perhaps even for justice?
Trump Wants to Overwhelm Harvard, and It’s Working
If the Harvard community stands united, we can make it clear that we won't back down. Together, we can fight back and protect what makes Harvard great.
Free Speech is Dead at Harvard. I Doubt It’s Returning Anytime Soon.
Unless Harvard makes serious changes to the campus environment, nothing will change. The University will remain overwhelmingly liberal, with the most extreme voices — those that are most interested in silencing any dissent — dominating the discussion.
Low Classroom Engagement? Blame Course Registration, Not Students.
Ultimately, we are students, not superhumans. Drastic administrative interventions that place excessive blame and unreasonable expectations on students represent a deeply imperfect attempt to boost student engagement.
The FAS Finds the Right Problem but the Wrong Solution
All that is to say the FAS would be well advised to forgo acting as though they coddle and herd toddlers at a paternalistic preschool, and rather help run America’s premier research university in a way that educates undergraduates to lead society forward. Students, faculty, and our nation deserve no less.
Can a Woke Harvard Still Be the Ivory Tower?
What is new to our time is the hostility of woke to normality and the ambition to transform it. No longer will students graduate and hit “reality” in the form of hostile normality. No more apologies for going to Harvard!
500 Days After October 7th, Life Is Finally Improving for Jewish Students
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jewish students, activists, and allies, we’ve persevered through the very worst, relying on community to guide us toward light and hope. At Harvard, at least, we are finally seeing light at the end of this harrowingly long tunnel.
I Don’t Go to the Gym To Wait in Line
There is a direct relationship between exercise and mental health. Especially as freshmen transition to a strenuous and fast-paced schedule, the least Harvard could do is make the gym a more positive and stress-free environment.
The Conspiracy Theory Behind the War on DEI
The true danger to academic freedom and democracy does not come from DEI, but from those who, in their fervor to dismantle it, are willing to embrace the darkest traditions of suspicion and hatred. We must not be fooled into helping them.
There Are Many Victims of Trump’s NIH Cuts. DEI Isn’t One.
Harvard and a hostile Washington have been preparing for ideological war. If Trump isn’t careful, the entire American higher education system — “woke” or not — risks being torn apart in the crossfire.
The American Dream Is in Danger at Harvard
Our University has a duty to protect its international students and stand firm against the strongman tactics of the new president and his Congressional cronies. It has a duty to keep these students safe, not just as an educational institution — but as an American one.
Harvard’s Registration Is So Off-Course
Changes to course registration are small but critical. They balance the needs of students while allowing faculty to plan out productive semesters that make for more effective teaching and advising.
Harvard Has an Optimization Epidemic
So this semester, try to let yourself breathe a bit. Notice when you feel the urge to continuously “do,” and combat it. After all, there is an opportunity cost to optimization — enjoying your life.
Maybe Harvard Students Aren’t Engaged in Class. But They Aren’t the Only Ones To Blame.
Extracurriculars are also symptoms of larger forces, and trying to minimize extracurriculars while leaving those untouched would be a fool’s errand. If Harvard eliminated all extracurriculars tomorrow, would students suddenly show up to every large lecture class that they aren’t able to focus in?
Allston Is Gentrifying and Harvard Is To Blame
It’s not too late, however, for Harvard to change its course, especially during the current community benefits negotiation process. With Allston’s future in the balance, a more responsible Harvard is non-negotiable.
Saving Money Is One Thing. Trump’s NIH Cuts Are Another.
There are ways to save the American people money without endangering world-class lifesaving research and the credibility of the world’s leading institution in biomedicine. But that won’t happen when we cut costs by cutting corners.
Harvard, Turn Down the Heat
Harvard’s transition away from hyper-sweltering indoor environments will not only give me one less thing to complain about but also tackle a far more important problem — protecting the health of our community.
Trump Must Be Beacon Hill’s Wake-up Call
The next four years will be difficult across the country, but if we can have true leadership here at home, we can avoid the worst of it. It is time to demand that this legislature fix the mechanisms that have rendered it ineffective.
Say No to Screens. Say Yes To Learning.
No-screen policies don’t undermine student autonomy. It gives our autonomy back to us. It’s a different, better kind of freedom — not the freedom to do what you want in class, but to do what you should.
I’ll Say It: Harvard Square Doesn’t Suck
We can’t stop change. Thankfully, in this case, it is serving us well. So the next time you criticize Harvard Square’s commercialization, think: When was the last time you had a Jefe’s bowl?