Op Eds
This Isn’t Negotiation. It’s Authoritarian Extortion.
Defending democracy requires sacrifice. There are moments when we must pay a price to ensure the long-term survival of our basic freedoms. This is one of those moments.
What Makes Harvard Great
The same forces behind events like January 6th and anti-LGBTQ legislation are driving the assault on higher education fueled by an unrelenting obsession with all things “DEI.” Their real target? Multicultural democracy and human freedom.
Senator Chris Van Hollen: Class of 2025, If Not You, Who?
Today, we face many challenges: economic inequality, climate chaos, brutal conflicts and wars, technological disruption, and a polarizing, poisonous political climate. And you, our next generation of leaders, have a say in how we respond to those challenges. You have a voice — but only if you use it.
To the Class of 2025: Congratulations on a Life Lived in Four Years
In college you have played, consciously or otherwise, at the fullness of life. As you confront the end of this span of your lives, you have the blessing of reflecting on and growing from what you did and who you were, and thereby the opportunity to begin your adult lives wiser and stronger.
Fight Fiercely for Harvard Values
Experienced voices are calling this a moment of existential crisis for Harvard and for American higher education. But for the Class of 2025 this crisis is also an opportunity: to fight fiercely for the values that Harvard has instilled in you, as it did in me when I matriculated here in the Class of 1964.
Harvard Defended You. Now It’s Your Turn.
University leadership would be unable to contest governmental tyranny without the wherewithal supplied by admirers, allies, and alumni — people like you who have been tremendously benefitted by the knowledge and know-how that Harvard bequeaths to the world. Do what you can to assist in this trying moment.
Welcome to Harvard. Everything is Fine. (Seriously.)
Let’s get one thing straight. The most unsafe I have ever felt as a student at Harvard University was on my second day of orientation, when I was chased screaming across the Yard by an angry wild turkey. Us kids are alright.
Hold the World to Harvard’s Standards
As President of The Crimson, I personally witnessed Harvard students demand the best out of their institution. Why let that spirit go when we graduate?
I’m a Proud Zionist. Here’s Why I Ran a Famously Pro-Palestine Editorial Board.
As Hillel President and Editorial Chair, I learned the times I spoke with peers who disagreed with me led to the greatest understanding and sympathy at a time when divisions consumed our campus. It is up to us all to fight for respectful discourse.
The Revolution Happening at Harvard is More Fundamental Than You Realize
Many have understood the changes Harvard has undergone as a response to pro-Palestine protest and the Republican assault. In reality, a sweeping reevaluation is underway at Harvard today predominantly because the University’s leaders believe in it.
From the Class Marshals: Our Years at Harvard Were Chaotic. We Still Thrived.
Since we anxiously clicked “check status update” and saw confetti explode on our computer screen, we’ve navigated the end of a global pandemic, historic campus unrest, and an unprecedented war on higher education. But as the nation’s eyes turned towards our campus, we’ve learned one thing: Uncertainty doesn’t define us — resilience does.
Giving Up Federal Funds Would Do Harvard Good
In January last year, increasingly intrusive government investigations led one of us to argue that Harvard should give up federal funding. The government’s latest actions — and the threat to Harvard’s independence — make this measure more urgent than ever.
Harvard Students Are Snowflakes. Is That a Good Thing?
I’m glad that many people in the Harvard community have a different experience of gun violence than me. It's important, however, to recognize that much of the backlash we face is because we are living a life that most Americans could never dream of.
Dear Visitas Kids: Here’s the Truth
But in a sense, this weekend was a relatively accurate preview of one path at Harvard: six hours of sleep, an over-scheduled Google Calendar, and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome.
Harvard’s Breaking With Birzeit Was the Right Move
Harvard should never have discriminated against Jewish students by sponsoring programs at Birzeit — now Trump is using our own failures against us. Harvard might want to “stay strong” against Trump, but that isn’t a reason to keep failing.
Why Harvard’s Lawsuit Matters — For All of Us
This case is about the freedom of a university to think, teach, and govern itself — without fear of political retaliation. It’s about whether federal dollars become a leash to force conformity. And it’s about whether students, faculty, and researchers across this University can continue to do their work in a space shaped by principle, not power.
Harvard Barred Me From Graduating. This Week, They Gave Me Hope.
There is much work still to do for Harvard to stand by its principles. But the University has at least now demonstrated that it still has principles.
Optimize Your Life. Ride a Bluebike.
And let’s be honest – we’re all optimization-obsessed freaks here, even if we resent it. So let’s accept that part of us and embrace the Bluebike. It won’t solve all of your problems — but here’s hoping I’ll see you at a station soon
Could a Major Advertising Push Fix Harvard’s Image Problem?
Harvard has a golden opportunity right now to become an institution people love again and make this assault much more painful for the Trump administration. To take advantage of it, the University needs to think and invest big in getting its story to the American people.
I Worked To Cure ALS. Then Washington Shut Down the Project.
Overnight, and to my surprise, I became the face of research at Harvard. But my daughter’s text was not the only surprise I would encounter that morning. I also learned I was the latest victim of Washington’s science funding cuts, the consequences of which will devastate American innovation for generations.
I’m an International Leading the Student Body. We Cannot Turn On Our Classmates.
Harvard has been given a choice: We can either turn on each other or stand together against a dystopian threat endangering the most vulnerable members of our community. Now, more than ever, we must stand united as a community and protect our international students.
Time for Harvard To Thank the American People
Yet an even more important ally is the American people. The American people have for many decades given us great gifts — decades of generous support for research, as well as young people to educate and financial support for those students.
Harvard Dismantled the Program That Changed My Life
What Harvard — and federal administrations, whether Biden’s or Trump’s — must understand is that abolishing programs like RCPI will not quash the movement for Palestinian liberation. If anything, it will only make our voices louder and our cause more compelling.
From CAFH Leadership: Harvard Must Not Submit to a Hostile Takeover
The government has a legitimate interest in protecting students from harassment and discrimination, but not in micromanaging the internal operation of the University, and certainly not in micromanaging what its members think.
Israel-Palestine Started Harvard’s Mess. Both Sides Must Help End It.
Since the ’60s, universities have played host to protest movements with extreme elements, and those offended by their extremity have criticized those elements. But America has never, in the age of campus protest, been this hostile to universities or led by politicians this reckless, craven, and fascistic.