Direct democracy—that libertarian pipedream—has entered the political scene at Harvard College. Since 1982, the undergraduate student body has been led by a group of 54 elected representatives known as the Undergraduate Council (UC). The Council’s responsibilities include representing students from each of the College’s first-year dorms and upperclassmen residential houses and interfacing with University administrators […]
One of the lesser-mentioned casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic here at Harvard College is the practice affectionately known as Shopping Week. For the uninitiated first-years and sophomores, Shopping Week occurred during the first week of each semester. Prior to the official start of classes and course registration deadline, students had the opportunity to “shop,” or […]
Imagine you’re strolling down JFK Street and you hear a strange sound. You turn to your right, peeking into the window of the Hicks House, an unassuming little abode on the corner of JFK and South Street. What you see inside astonishes you. In one room, a small group of undergraduates sit in a circle, […]
It’s tempting for students to study in preparation for a career rather than for the sake of learning. To a certain extent, this attitude makes sense. After all, what good is it to follow your academic and intellectual passions if there’s no way those passions can secure you a steady job or a spot in a graduate school once your four years are up?
Ah, April Fools’ Day! It’s the one day of the year on which many of us fully embrace our inner court jester, proudly embodying it for the rest of the world to experience and, hopefully, enjoy. A day filled with pranks and tricks, laughter and mirth, carnivalesque tomfoolery, and above all, humor. When most of […]
When people think of social life at Harvard, the image that comes to mind is often not-so-positive. Many of the social organizations with real estate scattered around Harvard Square are exclusive at best and at predatory at worst. This image is largely a product of the history and practices of men’s-only fraternities and final clubs. […]
Alabama has recently made national headlines as the future home of two CoreCivic mega-prisons. CoreCivic is the leading constructor and owner of private prisons and detention centers in the United States. Each of the top five owners of CoreCivic has links to Harvard University via employed alumni, and two of those five employ high-ranking executives who also serve as Harvard faculty members.
I wrote a previous article detailing Harvard and Harvard affiliates’ connections to CoreCivic. I explored some of the ethical particularities of private prison investment and some of the documented abuses at CoreCivic facilities. However, the public carceral system has had its fair share of documented abuses as well. When the Independent spoke to Dr. Anna […]
If you’re a Harvard student interested in religion, you’ve likely stumbled upon the Harvard Chaplains’ website at least once. Looking through the list of represented traditions the other day, I had a good (or at least general) idea of the way most traditions worked and what their practitioners believe. But reading further down the list, […]
I’m not big on making universal statements of truth, but I’m about to do it anyway. The thought of human flesh being used for anything other than covering human insides is extremely unsettling. You might only know of the practice as a horror movie trope used by films like Silence of the Lambs and Midsommar […]