The French Alternative to the Smoke Sesh: L’apéro
When I first saw the theme for this issue, I wasn’t sure what I could contribute. Weed is illegal in France, and without a trip to Amsterdam under my belt, I have no funny stories or observations to share. I briefly considered writing about Europe’s smoking culture, but there are only so many ways to […]
Psychedelic Week at Harvard
The Harvard Undergraduate Psychedelic Club hosted a series of trippy, serious, and deeply fascinating events for their first annual Psychedelic Week from March 30 to April 4. A beat reporter was on the scene. This is not, however, a traditional news piece, since the reporter was involved with the organization. The inescapable entanglement between subject […]
Letter from the Editor: High Ground
Editor’s note: The Independent’s annual Weed Issue arrives amid upheaval on Harvard’s campus. On April 14, University President Alan Garber ’76 declared in a message to the community that Harvard would not comply with the terms set forth by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Trump administration responded by freezing $2.2 billion on multi-year grants as […]
Yardfest on Five Substances
I started my Yardfest day slinging back mimosas and Coronas bright and early. The goal was simple: pace myself so I could reach my peak—both drunk and high—at precisely 7 p.m., when Natasha Bedingfield would finally grace us with her beautiful British presence. Contrary to the title of this article, I had a plan, and […]
High in Reverse
I smoked for the first time my sophomore year of high school. Smoke might be generous—I took a few puffs off my crush’s gas station cart before she ditched me for a Zoom therapy appointment, leaving me to watch “The Office” with her best friend (whom I had just met, and was incidentally drop-dead gorgeous). […]
I Started Growing Weed At Five
“It is just like any other farming,” I often tell people when I mention that I was brought up growing marijuana. Depending on where my listeners are from, that tends to get a mixed reaction. So let me clarify from the jump: I didn’t grow weed by myself, my family wasn’t running a commercial-scale operation, […]
A Baked Dozen
In a dimly lit Eliot dormitory that doubled as an arena of absurdity, a cadre of unconventional knights gathered at their makeshift round table to challenge a gargantuan dragon that loomed over their consciousness—a beast as enigmatic as any myth. The knights readied their chalice—a crystal-clear, single-chamber bong bestowed upon them by Merlin, the very […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: 5mg to Forget
She wore a Miu Miu headband and carried a pastel tote bag as she stepped out of the dispensary, clutching a few 5mg hybrid gummies and a pre-roll “for later.” I passed the storefront—blush-pink shelves, botanical product cards, a wall of tastefully labeled vapes—and thought: we didn’t decriminalize weed. We domesticated it. Not repaired the […]
I Was Here
In December 2023, shortly after my acceptance to Harvard, I traveled to Poland to visit all six Nazi extermination camps—where over 2.7 million people were murdered, the majority of them Jews. Those two weeks were emotionally exhausting and grueling. My instinct afterward was to mentally lock the experience away, to avoid confronting the weight of […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: High on Nationalism
America has the munchies. From sea to shining sea, from Doritos Locos Tacos to Manifest Destiny, this country was built on a bottomless appetite—insatiable, indiscriminate, and utterly divorced from actual need. Expansion wasn’t just policy—it was craving. A sudden, stoned hunger for land, for oil, for more. Why stop at thirteen colonies when you could […]
Dazed and Confused
The Knights have returned—not for glory, but to kill the same dragon, high and half-laughing. Everyone is tired. Not in the way sleep fixes, but in the way that lingers behind the eyes. The kind of tired that sits beneath conversation, beneath caffeine, beneath even the desire to name it. One night, I felt it […]
Food For Thought
With only five weeks left in my first year at Harvard, I’ve begun reflecting on the people and places that have made Cambridge feel like home. And surprisingly, despite everything that Harvard University Dining Services lacks (which is…a lot), Annenberg—affectionately known as ‘Berg’—is one place I know I will miss. Dining hall culture is a […]
Bon Appé-Temps: The Art of Savoring French Meals
There’s always something to do in the kitchen—something to chop, something to peel, something to stir. Last weekend, after tiring myself of reading, painting, and walking around my host family’s country home, I wandered into the kitchen, where my host dad’s sister was preparing dinner and the next day’s lunch. Eager for a task, I […]
Daylight Craving Time
If you polled college students, most would claim that their favorite time of year arrives during spring break, the winter holidays, or the last few weeks of school. For me, it’s the day that daylight saving time begins. Daylight saving time begins in early March when the clocks jump forward an hour and ends in […]
Harvard Makes it Rain
Harvard College just made a game-changing announcement: it’s expanding its financial aid. If your family makes $100,000 or less per year, congratulations—you get to attend Harvard for free! If your family makes $200,000 or less, do not worry—you still get a piece of the pie, because your tuition will be fully covered. For a lot […]
Comment if You Care
“So beautiful OMG.” “OBSESSED WITH YOU!” “Sickkk!” Scroll through any college student’s Instagram, and you’ll find comment sections overflowing with enthusiastic displays of praise. But look closer, and you’ll see a microcosm of college social dynamics. From heart emojis to sarcastic one-liners, Instagram comments can reveal not only how users seek validation but also how […]
A Broad, Abroad: Lessons from Stress
Despite my love for Eliot Dining Hall, I spent much of sophomore fall hopping between different Houses’ dining halls—not for camaraderie, but for answers to Stat 110 p-sets. Each week, hours of my life disappeared in crowded office hours, hovering around a teaching fellow in hopes of getting a single question answered about probability, Bayes’s […]
Not All Passports Are Equal
Much has been said about the challenges faced by international students at Harvard, but perhaps the most significant obstacle of all is the visa. The visa, along with the restrictions it carries, can be a significant burden on its holder. However, the difficulty of the process varies greatly depending on the passport you hold. A […]
A Love Letter to The Humanities
In practically every finance internship interview, I’m asked some variation of the same question—why Art History? I’ve come to understand art history as the history of culture: how we creatively express ourselves, respond to the world around us, and protest. Art is constantly in conversation with itself; artists revisiting and reinventing themes, variations, and […]
When Will the Ivory Tower Speak Again?
On the morning of March 8, federal agents entered a Columbia University-owned apartment and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student, campus activist, and lawful U.S. resident. Officials cited unspecified national security concerns, stripping his green card and transferring him to an ICE facility in Louisiana, without trial. No formal charges were announced. The detention […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: The Death of Counterculture
Every few weeks, the Independent hears a quieter kind of silence: a writer backs out. “I started drafting something, but I’m not sure I want my name on it anymore.” I feel a pang of sadness with each of these withholdings. These hesitations do not always stem from controversial exposés or radical manifestos—often, they’re thoughtful […]
I’m NEON Green
As an Android user, I stick out like a neon green bubble in a sea of blue. If you’re in a group chat with me, then yes—I’m the one making them green (oops!). Don’t poke fun at me, though; this is a monumental confession. Back in middle school, when we first discovered the joys of […]
Making English Official: A Blow to America’s Diversity
“This order designates English as the official language of the United States.” —Exec. Order No. 14224. With President Donald Trump’s reelection, many anticipated sweeping changes to American life. From economic policies to foreign relations, the United States was poised for a dramatic transformation—whether for better or worse. In early March, the administration made a bold […]
China Bowls
On the left side of my mother’s kitchen, a cabinet is filled with mismatched china bowls. At family dinners, we all eat from different portion sizes, but through second helpings, we somehow eat the same amount of rice and chicken. Usually, I use a white china bowl, its rim lined with a blue pattern, and […]
Dispatch from New Jersey
The Nass was founded in 1979 as an outlet for alternative, creative, and journalistic pieces. Below are a series of short essays by members of the magazine’s upper masthead that meditate on counterculture and the role of alternative publications on college campuses. … When thinking about the role of counterculture, there are a series of […]
A Broad, Abroad: Between Constants and Cafés
On Housing Day my sophomore year, as I walked into Eliot Dining Hall for an enhanced dinner, I was greeted with the smells of lobster ravioli and fresh apple crisp and the excited energy of new and old Eliotites mingling for the first time. Little did I know that this space in my new House […]
Beyond the Headlines: The Real Costs of Slashing USAID Funding
On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would cut over 90% of the US Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and reduce overall U.S. assistance worldwide by $60 billion. Since then, headlines have captured the widespread shock among international development agencies, as many critical programs face funding cuts, directly impacting those […]
Abreast on Abroad: Letter Three
Hey chicas, Happy Spring to those who celebrate, and happy it’s-still-fifty-degrees to those already wearing jorts. In this week’s letter, I tell a rather sad tale—with an optimistic, dare I say even happy, ending. When I first came to Paris, I aspired to be a little more Jane Birkin and a little less Emily-in-Paris. While […]
Semicolons
Editors’ note: this narrative contains graphic depictions of suicide and self-harm that could be triggering for some individuals. If you are having thoughts of suicide, or are concerned that someone you know may be, please reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or text HOME to 741741 for support. […]
House of Cards: How Harvard’s Housing System Was Rebuilt
As Housing Day approaches, anticipation, excitement, and fear of the Quad fills the air in Harvard Yard. Freshmen across campus grapple with the intricacies of blocking groups, house culture, 8-minute-long housing videos, and the annual River Run tradition, where Harvard freshmen visit each River House the night before Housing Day to avoid being placed in […]
The Universal Law of Luck
If you think you can escape the infamous “Harvard Bubble,” take it from me—you can’t. Growing up in Cambridge, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with Harvard affiliates. From crossing paths with undergraduates as they oscillated between Harvard’s libraries on a typical Tuesday to finding myself behind Michael Sandel in line for coffee last […]
A Broad, Abroad: Turning 21 in Europe
If you had asked me four years ago to envision my ideal 21st birthday party, I would have described a glamorous soiree like the one Rory’s grandparents threw for her in Gilmore Girls—my favorite show at the time. Two years ago, I might have dreamed of a birthday bash at Bar Enza. Two months ago, […]
Abreast on Abroad: Letter Two, “Scarebnb”
Hey Shitstains, How’s the weather in Cambridge? “Spring,” am I right? Anyway, welcome to this week’s edition of “Abreast on Abroad.” In my last letter, I discussed how my decision to “cross the pond” ultimately hinged on the ability to wander the world. What can I say? I dreamed of becoming the next insta-travel-baddie and […]
Lucky Charms: More than Just a Cereal
When most people hear “Lucky Charms,” they probably picture the cereal in the dining hall—a favorite between-class snack, a nostalgic breakfast, and a last-minute meal before a late-night study session in Lamont. But lucky charms—beyond the colorful marshmallows—have existed in cultures worldwide for centuries. From four-leaf clovers to rabbit’s feet, people have long sought symbols […]
Point/Counterpoint: Is a College Degree Worth It?
As tuition fees soar and the job market evolves, the true value of a college degree has sparked intense debate. Proponents argue that a degree offers a necessary ticket to entry for many high-paying jobs and that college serves as a period for exploration and personal growth. On the other hand, critics point to the […]
Not So Unlucky: In Defense of the Quad
We’ve all seen the videos of Housing Day—the chaos, the revelry, and most of all, the excitement for the future. Housing Day is one of the most iconic Harvard experiences, no matter whether you’re a freshman or a senior. It’s the culmination of weeks of speculation, strategizing, the chaos of blocking, and the Housing Lottery. […]
Fractured Faith
August 2022: My mother is smiling to herself while old Bollywood music quietly plays off my Baba’s new computer. As my Nannos hum Hindi lyrics, I scratch away at a lottery ticket with a dulling quarter. “I won five dollars,” I say. My aunt calls from across the dining table, “Hey, I knew today would […]
Abreast on Abroad: Letter One
To whom it may concern in the Harvard vicinitas, Greetings from the beautiful city of Paris, also known as my home for the rest of the spring semester. How’s Cambridge? Don’t answer that. In this new column, “Abreast on Abroad,” I want to write a love letter from across the pond, detailing my wild life […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Popping the Bubble
Ask any student rushing from their dorm to a morning lecture, clutching a cup of Blank Street coffee, about their day ahead, and you’ll hear a whirlwind of commitments: guest speakers, club meetings, and networking events. At Harvard, everything—friends, food, a library shelf with your name on it—feels just a few steps away. The proximity […]
The Social Cost
I’ll never forget the day I got into Harvard. I was standing by my gate in the middle of Newark International Airport with my parents. It was around 7 p.m., and my flight to Orlando was taking off in 50 minutes. As the hum of flight announcements and the sound of rolling suitcases filled the […]
Inconstant Senses
Trigger warning: mentions of suicide. We remember hospitals to be quieter than they truly are. Their hallways form “private rooms:” large spaces partitioned by sheets of blue instead of walls, so that while a patient might not see anything around them, they hear everything. Footsteps reverberate off the tiled floor while noise grows and fades […]
Surviving a “Harvard Meltdown”
About 10 weeks into my first semester at Harvard, I sat down with a friend for a catch-up, and we both ended up breaking down over our Harvard journeys so far. Although it was difficult to express how burnt out we were feeling, I was unexpectedly reassured when I realized I wasn’t alone in experiencing […]
“Small Island, Big Family”
For Taiwanese Cultural Society members, Wednesday dinner means family. Even though the food is standard dining hall fare (with an occasional grass jelly dessert), the sense of community always leaves members wanting seconds. Such meals happen every week, when the small but close-knit TCS gathers in the Eliot private dining room to catch up on […]
Le Course Qui est Mon Cours: Tales from Run Club
It’s 8:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I’m dodging pedestrians and street signs on Rue de Bonne Nouvelle in Paris as I jog at a relaxed pace. Suddenly, the runners around me speed up, and I find myself sprinting down the road, passing neighbors at a speed I didn’t think was possible after running nearly […]
Harvard Can Wait: Study Abroad Before It’s Too Late
At the start of the semester, just a week after winter break, two friends sat in Bluestone Lane deep in conversation about studying abroad. One, a junior who had just voided her final opportunity to study abroad for the spring, admitted to feeling unsure about whether she would come to regret the missed opportunity. Her […]
IOP: Internationals of Politics
To an outsider, the world of American politics might seem more like a brilliantly written SNL skit than a functioning institution. From the White House producing ASMR-style deportation videos to a billionaire worth more than the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 140 countries running a government department, stepping into this political arena feels not just […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Learning How to Connect the Dots
My Harvard career began with failure. Feeling unmoored as I arrived on campus, I threw myself into trying out for the College’s varsity squash. In high school, squash wasn’t just a sport—it was a defining part of my identity, and within weeks of arriving on campus I was training relentlessly—running sub‐five‐minute miles, working out tirelessly, […]
A Tale of Datamatch Troubles
By the time Valentine’s Day rolled around, there were no anonymous notes slipped under my door and no bouquet of roses from a secret admirer. It seemed there was only one plausible solution to save my first Valentine’s Day at Harvard: Datamatch. Datamatch is a Harvard-invented matchmaking service. It started as a solution to Harvard […]
News and Views: Ban the Books
Since being legalized in 2018, sports gambling has swept the nation at a breathtaking speed. In 38 states, plus Washington, D.C., you can bet on anything—whether it’s the Super Bowl, a Valorant match, or how many hot dogs Joey Chestnut can inhale in ten minutes. In the world of sportsbooks, there’s a market for everything. […]
Point / Counterpoint: Remy the Cat vs Sasha the Dog
At Harvard, competition is everywhere, extending beyond student organizations and rivalries with lesser-known colleges in Connecticut. Even Harvard’s most beloved animals have become the center of a fierce debate: Who is the true sweetheart of campus? The first contestant is Sasha, the Harvard University Police Department’s charismatic K9 officer, whose appearances at campus events, sports […]
Un Cambio de Aires: A Solo Weekend in Madrid
More often than not, I love spontaneity. However, a weekend getaway spontaneously becoming my first-ever solo trip was not the type of spontaneity I typically embrace. As a person who “doesn’t usually seek out alone time,” I was about to embark on a four-day weekend in Madrid, Spain completely on my own. I confronted this […]
Tunes and Touchdowns
This year, for the first time in my life, I voluntarily tuned into the Super Bowl. I am probably the furthest one can get from a football fan, but after days of listening to the frequent murmurs of excitement that Kendrick Lamar would be taking the stage during halftime, I decided it would be worthwhile […]
Love as Defiance: Celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2025 Amid Political Uncertainty
As I sit cross-legged on my common room sofa, it’s hard not to notice the vibrant Valentine’s Day decorations adorning each corner of the room—strings of heart-shaped “Be Mine” notes and pink tissue paper are draped across the walls. But as I settle into the room, the ambiance is interrupted by the abrasive comments of […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should You Take “Gems?”
At Harvard, the term “gems” is used by students to describe courses that, like a gemstone, are desirable to all: minimal work for an easy A. With a hungering survival instinct to maintain the highest possible GPA, it is no wonder that Harvard students might prefer the easiest classes. Often, students turn to General Education […]
Point/Counterpoint: What’s Your “Type?”
Kate: I refuse to take notes on paper in class. The moment I walk into any lecture, my bag hits the ground and I quickly open my computer. My Google Drive tab is already pulled up, and within seconds, I create a new document in its assigned folder and begin pre-formatting the page. On the […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: A New GOAT
Last March in “Family Matters,” Drake infamously said, “Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy,” during their back-and-forth diss tracks. When the Grammys rolled around, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” won five Grammys, including awards for both song and music video. While “Not Like Us” was widely praised, Drake’s comment raises […]
The Controversy of Altered Consciousness
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.” In other words: use your intuition, connect, and never conform. This mantra of psychedelic counterculture was coined by Harvard Psychology professor Timothy Leary, who taught from 1959-1963. Leary was in charge of the Harvard Psilocybin Project, a set of experiments where often both researcher and subject ingested psychedelic substances. […]
The Add/Drop Period
Gruesome battles, horrific confrontations, broken alliances, and the looming threat of another world war? Nope, it’s just blocking season for Harvard first-year students. With Housing Day just around the corner, it is time for this year’s batch of first-years to scramble around looking for their ride-or-die squad. What seems to be a simple decision is […]
I Now Pronounce You Debt Free
Like many members of Gen Z, I’ve come to question the institution of marriage. Once seen as a lifelong commitment, it now feels more like a fragile contract—nearly 50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Add the traditions rooted in misogyny, the cost of throwing a wedding in this economy, and the […]
The Tragedy of the Comment
In the age of social media, the mechanism of desire is caught within the machinery of repetition and addiction. Nowhere is this clearer than in online dating, where the exchange of affect is indistinguishable from mass production. The platforms that claim to liberate the subject by granting them access to infinite potential suitors only further […]
Paris Vous Aime: Feeling Loved by the City of Love
I don’t seek out alone time. I don’t actively avoid it—though my packed G-Cal might suggest otherwise—I simply prefer company. I’m an extrovert, so being surrounded by people, any number, energizes me. At Harvard, this means countless lunches, dinners, club meetings, and working in social spaces where I can always have people around me. Applied […]
A Space for Grief
You have one message unread. Text messages have become my new norm for receiving bad news. Fresh off the high of finishing my college applications, I was heading home when my phone buzzed. A seemingly blasé occurrence, I glanced at my iMessage notifications and froze. Your Opa has just passed away. My Opa (German for […]
to love me, to love me not
every year when valentine’s day rolls around, i find myself questioning my current understanding of love. sure, this holiday is conventionally focused on secret admirers and forever soulmates. however, my upbringing, shaped by trauma rather than tenderness, leaves me wondering if i can recognize, let alone celebrate, such a loaded emotion. a few weeks ago, […]
Tales of a Failed Situationship
The One with the Ghoster On a campus with so many students, the world often feels unexpectedly small. It raises the question: is it truly possible to ghost someone? For those who have been the unfortunate victim, you eventually reach the point where you stop waiting for the text back and instead look forward to […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: On the Male Crisis
We have entered a loneliness epidemic. Humans are wired for connection, yet modern life has left many men more isolated than ever. Yet, while loneliness has increasingly been recognized as a public health emergency for all, men face unique challenges—they are less likely to seek emotional support and, as of 2022, are at a higher […]
TikTok or TikToxic: Scrolling Ourselves Sick
It’s 11:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night. I have a 10:30 a.m. class on Wednesday, and I have just finished most of my readings for tomorrow’s classes. Satisfied with this work, I decide it’s time to hit the hay. I brush my teeth, put my retainer in, and crawl into bed. I put my blue […]
News and Views: We Want Your Voice
Joan Didion begins her 1979 book The White Album with a striking assertion: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” In journalism, op-eds—short for “opposite the editorial page”—are where these stories take shape. Such narratives aren’t neutral reports on events but a fusion of arguments, perspectives, and deeply felt convictions. The most salient narratives […]
Trump’s Revised School of Thought
Two Januaries ago, on the top floor of a Chicago skyscraper, I fiddled with the gold, engraved buttons of my cardigan as my Harvard interviewer and I swapped stories about Harvard’s craziest classes and Chicago’s hidden gems. In a pause in conversation, she jumped at the opportunity to ask what I was most excited to […]
Still the Hardest Summer You’ll Ever Love
Three summers spent in the Cambridge sun, chasing kids on the playground, teaching chemistry, running through sprinklers, peering into museum cases, dancing with parents, serving food, sitting quietly, directing loudly. Three summers spent working at the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) Summer Urban Program. The best three summers of my life. *** It’s a classic […]
Queue the Cameras: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Sports Media
On Jan. 14 and 21, four Boston-area collegiate women’s ice hockey teams competed in their biggest tournament of the season: the Beanpot. Bringing together students from Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern, this renowned athletic event has been occurring annually since 1952. However, while the Men’s Beanpot around two weeks later is accompanied by […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: The Apathy Industry
As I sat on my flight back to school last weekend, I found myself immersed in a spectacle of violence and eroticism radiating from the screens around me. A man two rows ahead of me was engrossed in a brutal shootout, while another nearby watched two men fight to the death with their bare knuckles. […]
Chocolat Chaud, Pas Planète Chaude: Environmentalism the Parisian Way
From December through February, the first thing I did when I got home from middle school was whip up a big pot of hot chocolate to thaw myself after braving the cold of Midwestern winters. Save for an uncharacteristic cold spell the first week I was here, Paris has thankfully proven milder than Cleveland, Ohio, […]
MBTA: A Chapter of Renewal
Boston is a world-class city. Each year, the city receives around 23 million tourists, along with people moving from all over the world to Boston to get an education, advance their careers, and build their lives. Yet, for years, the city has struggled with a subpar transit system—the MBTA, or simply “the T.” Don’t get […]
My First Letter From The Editor: The Power of the Pen
I had a plan before arriving on campus. I had read the horror stories about joining too many clubs or getting caught up in the Harvard “bubble.” In my notes app, I kept a list of the organizations I was eager to join after hours of research—Expressions Dance Company, the Institute of Politics, and WHRB […]
The War on Truth
“Beta, did you hear the news? As of February 2025, working from home is going to be banned!” exclaimed my dadima, my paternal grandmother, visibly worried as she clutched the stairway. “How are people going to keep their jobs?” I looked at my sister—she looked back at me—and we both nearly keeled over laughing. Clutching […]
Dedans ou Dehors?: The Ins and Outs of Study Abroad
While riding in a taxi to the airport two weeks ago, I felt a mix of apprehension and a need for contemplation. I was simultaneously reflecting on an adventure-filled winter break and fall semester and forecasting my next semester in Paris. I jotted down a list of ins and outs in anticipation of this article, […]
Dawn Redwoods
I discovered the Dawn Redwoods the old-fashioned way: by walking a new path. I’d been climbing my favorite tree in Harvard Yard, the Emerson Tree, looking out over the crisscrossing pathways in the yard between Sever and the gate facing the Art Museums. I wanted to walk towards the Littauer Tree near the Science Center, […]
Whose Home for The Holidays?
Dec. 24, 2020, 11:47 p.m. On my fourth listen of “Snowman” by Sia, I am finally able to scrawl out the phrase I never thought I would write on a tear-stained piece of paper: Please let them be divorced by next year. While my dramatics may have been augmented by general teenage angst, the root […]
Does Democracy Matter?
In theory, above all else, the United States is supposed to function as a democracy. Yet, despite this foundational ideal, the 2024 election showed a stark disconnect between America’s democratic values and the priorities of its voters. While 73% of voters agreed democracy was under threat, only 34% considered it as the most important issue […]
Dear Administration: You’re Wrong About the Tailgates
During the fall of my sophomore year, I took what was the most transformative course in my college career, Lib Ec. Formally known as Econ 1017: A Libertarian Perspective on Economic and Social Policy, Lib Ec is a semester-long, empirically driven introduction to modern libertarianism taught by Professor Jeffrey Miron. The course lays out the […]
Discovering Boston During The Game
It’s that time of the year. Final exams are looming, the sun is setting at four in the afternoon, and the temperature is dropping by the day. But even though Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened, Boston is transforming for the holidays. If you can carve out a few hours between your p-sets and essays, you will […]
Dating Apps: Hook-up or Hang-up?
On Monday night, two hours after Indy storyboard ended, I downloaded Tinder. I chose my favorite photos that I felt depicted my best features: my silly personality and cheeky smile, obviously. Having heard the Tinder horror stories from my girl friends, I opted to make it clear in my bio that I was on the […]
A Guide to DFMO-ing
The dance floor makeout, or DFMO, is an art form. Whether you’re at a club, house party, concert, or even an outdoor festival rave, a successful DFMO requires extreme precision and immense skill. I, a DFMO enthusiast and self-proclaimed expert, am here to teach you how to perfect the act for your next night out. […]
Keeping it Casual
It’s 11 p.m. on a Thursday and your hookup buddy is on their way to your dorm. You’ve showered, cleaned your room (stuffed all the clutter in the closet), filled in your roommates, made sure the lighting is absolutely perfect, and put on an effortless outfit. After all, this is a random, meaningless hookup—you’ve both […]
Staying the Safest
During the summer of 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States made the historic choice to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973). The landmark decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) held that the Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion; instead, the decision to permit abortion would be decided by […]
What (Wo)Men Want
He leads when dancing. She should follow. He is the one who asks her out. She should accept. He makes the first move. She should consent. The gendered standards between men and women inevitably place sexual power in his hands, and she is taught to be all too eager to comply. As women, we are […]
Losing it All
The first time I had sex, I started crying. It was delicately messy and awkwardly chaotic and uncomfortable, even with my loving boyfriend at the time. And it was undeniably painful, exacerbated by the all-encompassing stress I felt in the moment. In giving my body to someone else, it seemed like I had lost all […]
Let’s Talk About Sex
Aren’t you embarrassed? TMI. I didn’t need to hear that. Wow, you’re brave. Talking about sex is bound to elicit one or many of these reactions. But there’s nothing unpleasant about discussing sex, and in fact, we should be discussing it more. Women are made to feel like talking about sex is awkward and inappropriate. […]
Beyond the Body Count
She slept with 1000 men! Peggy Guggenheim was an extremely influential art collector and socialite, who participated in the salvation of thousands of works of art during World War II. She also was widely known for her sexual promiscuity. Guggenheim’s open embrace of her sexuality greatly defied the norms of her time, which tended to […]
Cocoa Kisses and Maca Makeouts
The link between chocolate and sex long predates the invention of the Hershey Kiss. The Aztecs, famous for inventing chocolate and hot chocolate, might have been interested in the delight for more than just its delicious cocoa aromas. The Aztec emperor Moctezuma drank copious amounts of chocolate before rendezvousing with his lovers because of its […]
Freedoms Restricted
I grew up in one of the 13 states that had a trigger law enacted after the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade was announced, affirming that abortions were no longer a constitutionally protected right. I immediately lost my ability to have a legal abortion. This is nothing but reflective of the ways that […]
Old Branches, New Leaves
“Treetises” is a column where I discuss the best trees to climb around Harvard’s campus. I wrote three Treetises—“The Best Tree in Harvard Yard,” “The Tree Trials,” and “Perchin”—during my junior fall, six years ago, in 2018. I left school after that year because I wanted to hitchhike and write. I didn’t plan on taking […]
The Classroom Conundrum
Debates surrounding gender inequality and women’s rights have taken center stage across the nation and on Harvard’s campus, especially in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. As these issues have intensified, they have cast a spotlight on how institutions like Harvard address—or fail to address—gender equity […]
Rest as Resistance
In a society that celebrates overworking and rewards all-nighters, the pressure to always be productive has become inescapable. From calendars packed with back-to-back meetings to libraries thriving at 2 a.m., the push to do more is always there. Especially at Harvard, where boasting how much you overwork and how little sleep you are getting is […]
Ten Features Instagram Should Implement
Each social media platform simultaneously plays imitator and innovator to keep the position of people’s favorite app. Improvements to Instagram’s algorithm make my reel feed more entertaining, but Meta’s data has so much untapped potential. Instagram can track and share more data than users could ever possibly need. Imagine if Meta capitalized on it. Yet, […]
Bring Back the Trick
Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! Some readers may read this little jingle with a bit of confusion or even disgust, but for me, this jingle takes me back to elementary school, to the gummy smiles of chocolate-stained faces and the crinkle of cheap polyester costumes. Trick or treat. […]
From Watching The News To Living In It
Tensions run high every four years in every corner of the U.S. during election season. In the months leading up to the presidential election, it seems like it’s all anyone talks about. But it’s not just the Americans tuning in to watch. Around the world, people are tuning in to find out who will lead […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should Gun Control be Made Stricter?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. In an age where firearms are widespread across the nation, the Second Amendment and the conversation around gun rights remain major talking points in national debates. Proponents of […]
Don’t Give Up on Your Dream Job, Just Wait on It.
Sitting in an airport diner, my blockmate and I talk about our hopes and dreams. Over Caesar salads and Diet Cokes, we ask each other the question: “What did you want to be when you grew up?” We laughed about the silly answers we’d once thought we could be, like movie stars and astronauts. As […]