Issue
Why Educate Generally?
A petition reveals a disagreement over the purpose of the Gen Ed program
Harvard’s General Education (Gen Ed) program’s website invites its students to “Explore new ideas. Expand your horizons. Engage with the world.” It instructs faculty that their proposals for course claims should be “geared toward non-specialists” and “not an introduction to a scholarly discipline.” In short, Gen Eds are orthogonal to the main thrust of anyone’s […]
Is it My Turn Yet?
Harvard’s Vaccine Plan, Explored
On January 20th, students received an email from the University Health Services (HUHS) indicating that Harvard had acquired shipments of and received approval to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. Throughout the nation, underdog states like West Virginia are leading in vaccine distribution without priority-based phases, while wealthy states like California lag behind and face issues with […]
All Roads Lead to the Capitol
A Short Story
Like most, January 6th began with sunshine. The city often experiences winter differently than most places— it feels like the swamp underneath the city radiates heat and the cool of winter gets wrapped up in its blanket of humidity. I was there on that day to feel it. In the sun, it felt easy to […]
Boots
Boots can actually be cool.
Boots don’t have a good formal definition or a clean etymological lineage. Simply, it’s understood that boots must cover the entire foot and part of the leg. In the transition from the worst part of winter to the slightly less worse part of winter, boots reign supreme among all footwear. Demonstrated by the costar of […]
Harvard’s Historic Firsts in the Biden-Harris Administration
Representation of both Diversity and Harvard Graduates
Vice President Kamala Harris made history this year as the first woman to be Vice President of the United States, inspiring women and girls all over the country by shattering the glass ceiling and disrupting the pattern of men who preceded her. As Kamala Harris steps into her new role with President Joe Biden by […]
Lost in Transition
What do we gain, and lose, when residential life moves off-campus? Plus, what should off-campus students expect this spring semester? Housing has always been an integral element of Harvard student life. From the distinct personalities of the upperclassmen Houses to intramural sports and Housing Day, Harvard places a high priority on making residential life feel […]
Photographs of Transition
Over winter what changed?
The break between semesters often feels like a moment of drift. We are all of a sudden devoid of the artificial purpose injected by school. Photographers Ghislaine Taubman and Marbella Marlo investigated that space with their cameras over break. The Harvard Independent presents the series, Transition: We tumble into the break, free and exuberant. Free […]
2021 Letter from the Editor
Mary Julia Koch ’23 on the Independent’s next chapter
Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?
These words capture the enigma of the now — our endeavor to position the Independent on a timeline of its past, present, and future.
