On Tuesday, April 21, members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers went on strike against the Harvard administration after 14 months of bargaining for a new contract. For the past 72 hours, union members—which include graduate and undergraduate student workers at Harvard, such as Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, and Course Assistants—have […]
Despite Massachusetts legalizing marijuana more than a decade ago, it remains prohibited on Harvard’s campus, highlighting a disconnect between state law and university policy as national attitudes become increasingly positive. An addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Peter Grinspoon has used medical cannabis in treating […]
For over a century, Leavitt & Peirce has served Harvard Square patrons on Massachusetts Avenue. Above its entrance, three simple words announce what it sells: gifts, tobacco, games. But inside, there is nothing simple about it. The store is densely packed, stocked with everything from flavored tobacco and pipes to chess sets, Go boards, knives, […]
In December 2025, Professor James Hankins announced his departure from the History department, ending his nearly four-decade tenure at Harvard. He explained his decision to leave Harvard in his viral opinion piece published in the Dec. 29 issue of “Compact,” titled “Why I’m Leaving Harvard,” in which he gave a detailed account of the pedagogical […]
As students arrive on campus after spring break and dive back into midterm season, the relevance of the newly introduced Proposal for Updating Grading Policy—which suggests changes in grading, including a cap on A grades at “20% +4” of the class size—becomes increasingly salient. Students celebrated the administration’s choice to delay policy implementation to the […]
*Editor’s note: The last names of Harvard University Dining Service workers have been excluded for privacy purposes. As their contract with Harvard University nears its July 2026 expiration, Harvard University Dining Services workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 26, a labor union that represents hospitality workers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, are gearing up for […]
On March 28, approximately 180,000 people gathered in the Boston Common, marking the nation’s third No Kings Day protest. Organized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Indivisible Mass Coalition, and Mass 50501, the demonstration was just one of 3,300 across the country and one of 160 in the state. Boston’s rally experienced a […]
Riding the high of Harvard College Housing Day, first-year students have quickly been confronted with another pivotal College milestone: course registration. On Wednesday, April 1, the course registration portal opened for first-years, sophomores, and juniors to select their fall 2026 classes. For first-years, these choices carry added weight, with the looming October concentration declaration deadline […]
Harvard Square has always been a place of constant motion—students rushing to class, tourists pausing at storefronts, and locals weaving through the familiar maze of brick and cobblestone. Amidst the churn of coffee shops and bookstores, two flower shops have quietly bloomed. Petali Flowers and Brattle Square Florist have each carved out a small, fragrant […]
On Monday, March 30, in an email to Harvard faculty, Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh announced changes to the grading policy proposal she shared in February. The amendments included factoring in students taking a class pass/fail when calculating the 20% +4 grading cap, adding SAT+ to the existing SAT/UNSAT scale, and waiting to implement […]