Front Feature
David Deming Tries To Be Straightforward. His New Job Is Anything But.
David Deming assumed the Harvard College deanship in July. Colleagues say he takes a forthright approach to challenges — a skill that he might need to lean on as the College struggles to adapt to new federal policies.
College Suspends Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra After Hazing Investigation
The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra was suspended by Harvard College for the rest of the fall semester as the result of an investigation into alleged hazing.
Harvard’s Public Health Dean Was Paid $150,000 to Testify Tylenol Causes Autism
Harvard School of Public Health Dean Andrea A. Baccarelli received at least $150,000 to testify against Tylenol’s manufacturer in 2023 — two years before he published research used by the Trump administration to link the drug to autism, even though experts say a causal connection remains tenuous at best.
What Happened to Harvard Business School’s $25 Million Racial Equity Plan? The School Won’t Say.
Harvard Business School won’t say what happened to its $25 million Racial Equity Action Plan after the plan was apparently shuttered as Harvard backs away from the language of race and diversity.
A Surprise Tenure Denial in Harvard’s Gender Studies Program Leaves Some Faculty Shaken
Durba Mitra’s colleagues thought she was a near-perfect tenure candidate. When her bid was shot down in June, they were left questioning the process.
Harvard Receives $46 Million in Federal Grants, Ending 4-Month Freeze
Millions of dollars in federal research grants from the National Institutes of Health began to flow to Harvard on Friday, the first grant money to return to the University since a judge struck down the Trump administration’s sweeping funding freeze on Sept. 3.
The Man in the Middle
Yi-An Huang ’05 is Cambridge’s eleventh city manager, and he sits atop a bureaucratic machine that employs nearly 4,000 staff. Every pothole that gets fixed, every police call that is made, and nearly every city dollar that gets spent — all of it, eventually, can be traced to the man who sits in a corner office on the first floor of City Hall.
Adams Replaced Its Racist Fireplace. Now, Harvard Wants It Gone for Good.
The fireplace, which sits in the A entryway of Westmorly Hall, formerly depicted derogatory sculptures of African, Native American, and Asian figures that were rediscovered in a Crimson investigation in 2022.
Charisma Chen ’26 Elected First Marshal for Harvard College Class of 2026
Charisma W. Chen ’26 and Mohan A. Hathi ’26 will serve as the first and second class marshals for the Class of 2026, according to five people familiar with the decision.
Something in the Water: How Raw Sewage Floods Homes on the Banks of Alewife Brook
Alewife Brook has flooded regularly for decades after heavy rains, sometimes combining with sewage water from the combined sewer system below the brook, leaving residents to wade through the sewage that runs over the sidewalks for days after a storm.
Before Leading Harvard College, David Deming Had a Lot to Say About Its Admissions Policies
Prior to stepping into the role of Harvard College dean in July, David J. Deming was a vocal scholar on elite institutions’ admissions processes, investigating how legacy preferences, athletic recruitment, and testing policies benefit wealthier students in admission to Ivy League schools like Harvard.
Amid Mass. ICE Crackdown, Cambridge City Council Announces More Immigrant Resources
The Cambridge City Council directed City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 on Monday night to design and implement resources to address emergency immigration incidents in Cambridge, as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement cracks down on the Boston Metro area.
Harvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions
By ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply.
More Than 100 Students, Faculty Hold Vigil To Mourn Killing of Charlie Kirk
More than 100 students and faculty gathered on the steps of Widener Library for a Saturday night vigil to honor the life of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and condemn his slaying last week.
Harvard Sues Ex-HBS Professor Gino for Defamation, Accusing Her of Falsifying Evidence
Harvard sued behavioral scientist Francesca Gino for defamation in August, alleging the former Harvard Business School professor sent the school a falsified dataset to prove she did not commit data fraud.
Federal Agencies Begin Notifying Harvard Researchers of Reinstated Funds
Federal agencies have begun to inform Harvard researchers that they are reinstating portions of research funding frozen since the Trump administration’s pause on $2.7 billion in grants and contracts in the spring, according to a Harvard spokesperson on Wednesday evening.
Epstein’s Birthday Album Includes Notes Apparently Signed by Harvard Faculty, Administrators
Documents released by a House committee on Monday show the signature of former Faculty of Arts and Sciences dean and two-time acting Harvard president Henry Rosovsky alongside lewd images in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 birthday album.
Wu and Kraft Sweep Tuesday Vote, Advance to General Election
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 and philanthropist Josh Kraft will appear on the ballot for mayor in November after the two came out ahead of a crowded pool in Tuesday’s preliminary election.
Harvard Funding Cuts Endanger the Massive Fruit Fly Database That Powers Genetic Research
FlyBase lost a multimillion dollar grant when the Trump administration cut off Harvard’s federal funding in May. Now the repository is laying off staff — and researchers worldwide are worried.
Harvard Was Cleared To Get Some Federal Funds. Then DOGE Stepped In.
DOGE officials have used their control of a federal payment system to keep money away from Harvard — even after a judge’s ruling required the National Institutes of Health to let some grants start flowing in July.
After Harvard’s Court Victory, Students and Faculty Rally Against Deal With Trump
Three days after a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s decision to cancel more than $2.7 billion in federal research funding, roughly 80 Harvard students, professors, and supporters rallied to celebrate the court victory — and to urge the University to avoid a settlement with the administration.
Harvard Docks Course Assistant Pay, Cuts Back on Undergraduate Hiring
Harvard College cut course assistant pay in some departments by $2 and has begun reducing teaching assistant positions for undergraduates amid University-wide budget cuts.
Judge Hands Victory to Harvard in Funding Lawsuit, Ruling Trump Administration’s Freeze Unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated the Constitution when it froze more than $2.7 billion in research funding to Harvard, striking down the freeze in its entirety and delivering the University a major legal victory.
Harvard College Disciplinary Cases Tripled in 2023-24 Amid Pro-Palestine Protest Wave
Harvard College’s disciplinary review board tripled its case load during the 2023-24 academic year, calling 90 students to appear for non-academic behavior, according to a report released over the summer.
Deming Puts Positive Spin on Harvard College Diversity Office Closures, but Acknowledges Outside Pressure
Harvard College Dean David J. Deming told students that the College can no longer host programming targeted at specific races or identity groups during a presentation to Peer Advising Fellows last week — telling attendees he assumed they already understood why the change was necessary.