Race
Student Affinity Groups Turn to Alumni for Funding Amid DEI Office Closures
After the College restructured its diversity offices over the summer — leaving student affinity group leaders unsure about the availability of grants for club initiatives — some groups are seeking other avenues of funding, including alumni outreach.
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.
Harvard College To Remove Designated Spaces for Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life
Harvard College will close the designated spaces that previously housed the Women’s Center and the Office for BGLTQ Student Life, following a July decision to shutter those offices — along with one for minority students — and fold their staff into a new center within the Office of Culture and Community.
Harvard Welcomes Class of 2029 to a Campus Reshaped by Trump’s Second Presidency
From the start, Harvard’s Class of 2029 witnessed how the College is refashioning itself for a new political era, embracing calls to address antisemitism while backing away from diversity programs disfavored by the White House.
Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows
A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of the University’s campus use rules.
How Grievances at the Harvard Law Review Became Ammunition for the White House
A string of leaks this spring made the Law Review a target for the Trump administration. But the same fights — over the Israel-Palestine conflict, race, and meritocracy — have a longer history inside its own walls.
Trump Expands Race Data Disclosure Requirements, Putting Harvard Admissions Under Scrutiny Again
Harvard and all other American universities will now be required to submit data proving that they do not consider race in admissions, following a Thursday memorandum from President Donald Trump.
Conservative Legal Group Backs Justice Dept. Investigation Into Harvard’s Admissions Policies
America First Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group founded by senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, published a letter Wednesday backing a federal investigation into whether Harvard has failed to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action.
Harvard Merges Gender Equity and Community Conduct Offices
Harvard announced Monday that it will combine its gender equity and nondiscrimination efforts under a new Office for Community Support, Non-Discrimination, Rights, and Responsibilities in order to unify the University’s Title IX and Title VI compliance efforts.
Harvard College Closes Diversity Offices, Reassigns Staff to New ‘Harvard Foundation’
Harvard College will close its offices for minority students, LGBTQ students, and women and fold their staff under a new Office of Culture and Community, according to a Wednesday message from College Dean David J. Deming.
Rejecting Grad Union’s Title IX Request, Harvard Asks To Ban External Arbitration in All Discrimination Cases
As it negotiates with its graduate student union, Harvard is looking to excise contract language that lays out antidiscrimination protections and instead shift authority over complaints to policies and procedures maintained by the University.
Harvard Will Not Fund Affinity Group Graduation Celebrations Following Ed Department Warning
Harvard will no longer host or fund affinity group celebrations during Commencement, the University’s former diversity office wrote in an email to affinity groups on Monday afternoon.
New Ed Department Guidance Against Race-Conscious Policies Could Impact Scholarships, Ceremonies at Harvard
The Department of Education issued guidance on its letter that threatened to revoke funding from universities that have any race-conscious programs on Friday, putting affinity commencement celebrations and minority scholarships in jeopardy.
Department of Education Takes Aim at All Race-Conscious Higher Ed Practices
The Department of Education warned Harvard and other federally funded institutions not to use any race-based decision-making on Friday, arguing in a Dear Colleague letter that all such practices are illegal under the Supreme Court’s decision outlawing race-conscious admissions practices.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Diversity Dean Position Left Vacant For Nearly Two Years
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences has been without an associate dean for diversity, inclusion, and belonging for nearly two years after Sheree M. Ohen left Harvard for Amherst University in April 2023.
More Than 80% of Freshmen Believe Harvard Should Create Diverse Student Body
An overwhelming majority of members of the Class of 2028 — the first class admitted to Harvard after the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action last year — that responded to The Crimson’s freshman survey said Harvard should continue aiming to foster racial diversity in its student body.
What’s Next for Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative?
When the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative’s Remembrance Program identified more than 100 living descendants of enslaved people owned by University affiliates, it marked just the beginning of what will likely be a yearslong process to engage and support those descendants.
Ash Center Event Examines Rightward Shift of Black and Latino Voters
Two professors argued that Black and Latino voters in the 2024 presidential election shifted rightward because of their broader dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party during an Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation webinar Thursday evening.
Harvard Kennedy School Diversity Report Shows Rise in International Students
The Harvard Kennedy School’s proportion of international students climbed for the fifth year in a row to 59 percent, according to an annual diversity report released on Thursday.
Underrepresented Minority Enrollment at Dental School Halves Post-Affirmative Action
The number of students at Harvard School of Dental Medicine who identify as underrepresented in medicine halved this year, HSDM Dean William V. Giannobile said in an interview with The Crimson on Wednesday, the first since 2021.
Keith Ellison Discusses Derek Chauvin Murder Trial at Harvard Law Event
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison discussed his experience serving as a special prosecutor in the trial of Derek Chauvin — the police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd — during a talk on Monday at the Harvard Law School.
At IOP, Cheri Beasley Urges American Voters to Reject Racialized Attacks in Politics
The panelists discussed the impact of race and gender in the 2024 U.S. presidential election during a Harvard Institute of Politics forum on Thursday.
HLS Black Law Students Association Endorses Candidates to Serve as Next Dean
Harvard Law School’s Black Law Student Association endorsed professor David B. Wilkins ’77 and controversial former Winthrop House Faculty Deans Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. and Stephanie R. Robinson in the search for a new dean.
Spike Lee, Ice T, and LeVar Burton Among 8 Du Bois Medal Recipients
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee and Grammy Award winning rapper Ice T will be among eight recipients of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research announced in a press release on Monday.
Harvard Fuerza Latina Hosts Annual Ritmo Latino Celebration
More than 50 Harvard students and faculty celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on Friday with Harvard Fuerza Latina at its annual Ritmo Latino event.