“What’s your headline?” a voice asked me from a rectangular Zoom window during a 10 AM editorial meeting for a daily New York City newspaper. I had only prepared a pitch—how the overturning of Roe v. Wade would impact college students’ abortion access—not a headline. Our meetings didn’t run that way at the Harvard Independent. […]
Of everything I have written at the Independent, I am proudest of the longest and shortest pieces. The longest, a history of the Harvard Graduate Student Union, was probably the most “journalistic” piece I ever produced. The most “Indy” piece, though, was just five words, which I came up with during a late-night mid-pandemic brainstorming […]
The Saturday morning after Passover began, I woke up to photos, sent to me by other students, of an art display targeting Israel newly erected in Harvard Yard near Canaday Dorm. Created by the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), it featured a black-and-white rail of cattle cars, bearing the names of Israeli and American […]
By Thucydides Every Housing Day, the same controversies arise. We hate the quad. We are wrong to hate the quad. We want to block with athletes, singer-songwriters, linking groups, or pure strangers. Harvard’s housing lottery has become a stunning demonstration of the human urge to find patterns in randomness. With only a few slight changes, […]
“We are on the hunt to find the clit.” This popular phrase from straight men reveals that their communal quest to pleasure their female counterparts is, well, still ongoing. It can be challenging for these men to succeed, and, at times, awkward for the women to watch them try, often fumbling in vain. How much […]
Growing up, we’re first introduced to sex as the pinnacle of love and trust in romantic relationships. As we get older, however, popular media and personal experience reveal how sex exists on a spectrum: one night stands, friends with benefits, casual sex, situationships, and yes, even in relationships. Here on Harvard’s campus, we’re exploring how […]
Over half of respondents to the Independent’s sex survey said they masturbate one to four times a week. 20% masturbate every few weeks, and 14% masturbate five to nine times a week. But how can you sexually treat yourself while living with a roommate? Part 1: How to Masturbate in Your Double Now, how can […]
Privacy is hard to come by on campus. The Dean of Students Office warns first-years that “Very few singles are available” in the Yard. In some houses, even seniors might have to share a bedroom. Outside of residential life, students share classes in lecture halls, meals in dining halls, and parties in the rarefied halls […]
Why do we believe in soulmates? In his book, What If?, American author Randall Munroe asks us to imagine a world where each person was randomly assigned an exclusive partner who would complete them. Imagine a version of ChatRoulette, where people cycle through strangers, locking eyes for a few seconds before moving on—enough time to […]
In the 2010s, the discourse around slut shaming shifted in American culture. Through girl boss propaganda and Buzzfeed articles, feminists went from advocating for women’s sexual expression without societal punishment to pushing the idea that having sex with many men is a form of empowerment that should be celebrated. Women who questioned such advocacy were […]