Editorials
Harvard Faculty Did the Right Thing. The University Should Too.
With this lawsuit, they’ve laid out a blueprint for resisting Trump’s assault on the academy. Now, it’s time for the University — alongside other institutions — to follow it.
Harvard Opened Its Wallet. Now It Must Open Its Doors.
In the face of potential significant funding cuts in Harvard’s future, the University’s move to expand aid demonstrates a commitment to ensuring top talent, once admitted, can attend. That said, increasing financial aid for students does not solve Harvard’s underlying lack of socioeconomic diversity.
Obedience Didn’t Protect Columbia From Trump’s Attack on Higher Ed
So rather than scrambling to appease a federal administration that treats academic independence as a threat, Harvard must do what’s best for its students.
The Hiring Freeze Is a Decent Defense. But It Won’t Save the Academy.
Each revoked NIH grant, each funding threat, each regulatory assault weakens not just the elite institutions, but all universities, research hospitals, and the entire ecosystem of American innovation.
Abolishing Pass-Fail Won’t Fix Gen Eds
So if the FAS wants students to be more academically engaged in Gen Eds and beyond, there are better places to start — like stronger attendance requirements, no-laptop policies, and designating a broader range of courses to fulfill the Gen Ed requirement.
The Ed Department Is Coming For Diversity
The threat to inclusivity is more real than ever — and DEI is far from the only thing in danger.
Dissent: On Tyrannical Middle Eastern Regimes, the Editorial Board Wavers
Harvard has taken millions of dollars from countries with reprehensible human rights records, including Bangladesh, Qatar, and others. Does the Board truly believe Qatar sends Harvard money simply because of a benevolent urge to support academia and research in Cambridge?
Worried About Foreign Influence? Start With Trump, Not Harvard
As lawmakers obsess over Harvard’s finances, they have largely ignored the far more direct — and troubling — examples of foreign influence at the highest levels of government.
The Ad Board Needs a New Addition
Including students in the Ad Board is not just about representation — it’s about creating a disciplinary system that is better informed, more transparent, and ultimately more trusted by those it governs.
Harvard Calls Cambridge Home. Its Payments Should Show It.
As Harvard renegotiates the terms of its PILOT agreement, we urge the administration to remember how much we benefit from our community. After all, Harvard students are also Cambridge residents — the University should act like it.
Dissent: If Moderate Conservatives Are Quiet, It’s Not for Lack of Space
This isn’t to say that our campus speech culture is perfect, but the distinction here is important: Whether students want to participate politically is a completely different issue from whether they are free to do so.
Some Conservatives Have Gotten Louder. We Think Most Stay Quiet.
For those of you who find yourselves somewhere in between the far-right and the left, we urge you to come to the table of discourse to help fix Harvard’s broken speech culture. Talk to your friends, your classmates, and those with whom you disagree.
To Improve Classroom Conversations, Train Our TFs.
TFs are indispensable to the academic work of our University. The least Harvard can do is equip them with the guidance they need to do it well.
Trump Can’t Order Away Ideas
With one brash red herring after another, the Trump administration is using the platform of the federal government to wage a culture war. It won’t win.
It’s Our Turn To Save Harvard’s Speech Culture
Rather than backlash from professors or the University itself, social consequences appear to be the root of students’ self-censorship. If students are the problem, they must also be the solution.
Harvard Must Resist Trump’s War on Transgender Students
But despite Harvard’s ongoing public posture of preemptive compliance, Trump’s attacks show no signs of abating. Harvard can’t expect to win every political battle. But the surest way to lose is by surrendering in advance.
Extracurriculars Have Supplanted Academics at Harvard. Here’s How To Fix It.
What Harvard truly needs is well-purposed rigor — one designed to increase learning rather than merely enhance its difficulty. That starts with students taking greater personal responsibility, faculty stepping up to the plate, and a community-wide reckoning with Harvard’s pre-professional culture.
Who Better To Defend Harvard’s Academic Mission Than Its Faculty?
The University president — in their unique position as a member of the faculty and the Corporation — has a role to play in mediating between the two. Regular attendance at FAS meetings would be a worthwhile first step towards bridging the gap between our highest governing board and our largest faculty.
Dissent: Why Is Protecting Jewish Students Up For Debate?
Regardless of the Board’s concerns, these policies affirm a simple principle: Jewish students' identities deserve the same protections as any other — and that’s not up for debate.
Harvard’s Settlements Threaten Free Speech
The adoption of the IHRA definition and the updates to the NDAB FAQ page signal that the external pressure of a lawsuit is enough to force Harvard to step away from its purported commitment to the free exchange of ideas.
International Students Are Under Threat. Harvard Must Be Ready.
Of course, the University should comport its behavior with the law. But when faced with a choice between preemptive compliance and actions better suited to defending students, Harvard should err on the side of the latter.
Harvard, Get Used to the Chaos
Trump’s bold new order thankfully didn’t come to pass, but it signifies a new American era — one where the heart of higher education is threatened. It’s time Harvard steps up.
Massachusetts, Make Our Hours Happier
Repealing the Massachusetts happy hour ban could breathe new life into Boston and Harvard Square alike. Boston is a vibrant, young city teeming. It deserves a social scene to match.
Guest Speakers Improve Campus Discourse. Here’s How to Invite Them.
After a year of calling for more discourse, Masoud’s speaker series offers a dose of optimism and inspiration. But until University culture changes, initiatives like these will remain few and far between.
Harvard Is a School. We Need To Go to Class.
It’s significantly in its classrooms that Harvard trains the future leaders of America. Let’s make sure we show up to them.