New Virus, Old Wounds
In recent weeks, headlines about a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship in the South Atlantic have been impossible to avoid. Public health agencies have repeatedly emphasized that the outbreak, caused by the Andes strain of hantavirus, involves a limited number of cases tied to a specific exposure rather than widespread community transmission. In […]
Appreciate Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a beautiful place; it is chaotic neutral. In my head, the Yard could be compared to Times Square—if all the billboards were replaced by engraved brick buildings, and the costumed performers replaced by squirrels (can you tell I haven’t been to Times Square?). It really is a bubble, even though most days […]
Kitchen Sink No. 15
I came to in a body that was only mine, the singleness foreign. For months, I had woken into crowding—the press of another attention behind my eyes, the sense of a second man already up and working before I had woken at all. That was gone. The body lay on the bunk, and the body […]
A Walk in the Park
In T-minus 3 days, I will embark on my summer adventure to intern in Los Angeles. Living alone, 3,000 miles away from home, this will certainly be a change of pace from the past three months of the non-stop Harvard College lifestyle. I grew up essentially an only child. While I have three half-siblings with […]
Blooming With Time
April 2026 A week after Harvard College’s 2026 admitted students weekend in April, dubbed “Visitas,” I found myself at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts’ “Art in Bloom” exhibition. Flower arrangements were displayed throughout the museum, mimicking the curated pieces displayed in each room. The artistry in the flowers reflected that of the paintings, sculptures, and […]
I Hate the Word “Grief”
I hate the word “grief.” What is it supposed to mean? Am I meant to be crying every single day, an uncontrollable emotional mess, angry at the world? Grief carries a pressure to mourn in a “correct” way. Immediately after my Dad’s death, I felt absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. No intense sadness or anger. […]
Pictures in Pockets
I, like many other teenagers, spend far too much time on TikTok, consuming copious amounts of AI slop and content so mind-numbingly stupid it almost makes my lectures seem interesting … almost. However, amongst all the OOTDs (Outfits-of-the-Day) and food reviews, some gems make you stay beyond the 0.2 seconds it takes to scroll. I […]
Letter from the Editor: Through the Looking Glass
Dear Readers, With the Commencement Issue—and the final Indy Thursday of the semester—approaching, it felt only right to reflect on the past five months in this extraordinary, challenging role. I’ve loved to write for as long as I can remember. Something goes right? Pick up the pencil. Something goes wrong? Open the Google Doc. Writing […]
Kitchen Sink No. 14
A man opposite the bunk had been talking since before dawn. Not to anyone. The words came out of him in a low, steady pour, the way water comes out of a tap left slightly open—not enough pressure to arc, only enough to run. He was talking about a horse. He had been talking about […]
Sarah Lewis Shapes Narratives
I met with Professor Sarah Lewis ’01 over Zoom, anxiously prepared to make the most of the 45 minutes I’d managed to secure in her busy schedule. Sitting in her History of Art and Architecture class, “Unseen Black Art,” last semester, always left me with a lasting impression of her attention to detail—evident in her […]
To Be Seen
“It’s one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.” These words come from Caleb Azumah Nelson’s “Open Water” and speak to a question I’ve found myself grappling with this semester. What does it mean to be seen? I have a running bit with some of my close friends where, if we spot […]
Study Abroad in The Quad: A New Harvard Tradition
Every Housing Day, Harvard College witnesses a wide array of emotions from first-year students. After receiving news of their future dormitories from upperclassmen, some leap for joy, while others break down crying. This disparity often arises from one location in particular: the Radcliffe Quadrangle, affectionately known as the “Quad,” not the River. Located on or […]
Kitchen Sink No. 12
The ward is quiet this morning. Rain on the window and the sound of it has the same sound it had that week, and I am writing this at the desk by the window, and my wrists are light against the wood where the ties have been loosened for the hour they are loosened. I […]
A Case For American Nuclear Energy
Science, politics, and economics all say nuclear energy is the key to a clean future. The source currently accounts for just 18.6% of total electricity generation in the United States, despite capacity (the construction of new plants) remaining relatively steady since 1990. The semi-forgotten clean energy source has received minimal investments over the past 30 […]
The Unconsummated Kiss
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter.” In “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” John Keats, an English Romantic poet, addresses an ancient urn and imagines the scenes depicted upon it, including a “Bold Lover” who can never kiss his beloved, forever poised at the edge of fulfillment. Yet he is told not […]
Ruminations on “Wild Geese”
“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. […]
Befriending “Paradise”
“Paradise is not easy to reach,” said Nonna Manu. From the ridge upon which her house sat, I could see the white rooftops of Lipari spilling down the island’s green hills and into the sea, where the port and the “Laurana,” the ship that my travel companions and I had just arrived on, were nestled. […]
The Holy Trinity of Highs, Ranked
“Edible, joint, or bong?” Asking this question is sure to spark fierce debate between anyone and everyone partaking in April 20 festivities, from people lighting up for the first time to veteran stoners. These three forms of weed are backed by a loyal network of advocates. But is there an objective answer to the age-old […]
A New, Green Era
Don Draper drank at his desk. Jay Gatsby glamorized the Roaring 20s—and his odd love life—with extravagant cocktails and parties. James Bond downed enough vodka martinis to need a new liver. Hollywood has always known how to make a vice look aspirational, and for alcohol, it went all out. With bottles popping to celebrate or […]
Weed Cell Blocks
On Dec. 18, 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research.” “The Attorney General shall take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in the most expeditious manner in accordance with Federal law,” Trump wrote. […]
The “Fent” Cart
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy a good edible every once in a while. After all, according to the weed wizard Snoop Dogg himself, “It’s actually growing from the ground straight to you, so it’s just like eating a vegetable.” But despite my best efforts to always have a safe sesh, I […]
A Commentary on Conservatism (Not the Nasty American Kind)
The late English philosopher, Sir Roger Scruton, spoke on conservatism in a 2017 lecture, describing a conservative as “someone who has found something to love and wants to retain it.” He then went on to define it, more generally, as a “philosophy of love.” Although I’m sure this will be perceived as controversial, especially on […]
Bad Trip
The Knights of the Round Table have always known two versions of the dragon. They gathered anyway. Same rooms, different buildings, the same low music, cold coming through the window that someone cracked for airflow. This is what the Round Table looks like in practice: six people distributed across every available surface, coats still half […]
Kitchen Sink No. 11
The sink in the ward was not like the sink in room fourteen. It was larger, institutional, the porcelain yellowed at the drain where decades of hands had passed over the same spot, the iron taps stiff and slightly out of plumb. There was only cold water. The hot tap was a decoration, a concession […]
Kitchen Sink No. 10
The ceiling had not changed. The crack ran from the corner to approximately the center of the room, branching near the light fixture into two thinner, diverging lines. My eyes had traced it so many times that I had begun to suspect it meant something—though deep down I knew it meant nothing. It was only […]
The Power of Housecentric Fundraising
On March 27, Harvard hosted its annual Housing Day—a fun-filled tradition of “dorm storming,” celebration, and welcoming freshmen to their residential House for their next three years. While the day is always filled with rituals and superstitions, the College added a new aspect this year: the Housing Day Challenge. This event offered alumni, community members, […]
We Were the First
Man was not made to inherit the stars but to be stewards of the Earth. “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” These words, spoken by President John F. Kennedy in […]
Where Does the Spirit Go After Housing Day?
It’s 8 a.m. on March 27, but it’s unlike any other Friday morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard feels like a completely different place. It’s Housing Day. Upperclassmen crowd the Yard with color-coordinated outfits representing one of the twelve residential Houses. Freshmen watch from their rooms, wondering which cohort of students will knock on their doors […]
Cystic Stories and the Need for Faith
Describing my gap year as an annus horribilis is cruelly ironic, but given the circumstances surrounding it, it is an accurate reflection of what was the most tumultuous year of my life. The phrase annus horribilis itself was brought to prominence by Queen Elizabeth II in her own reflections on the year 1992, which she […]
In Defense of the Detour Destination
In discussing spring break this year, I found that pretty much everyone goes to the same places—“Flah-dah,” “Cali,” “the D.R.,” “P.R.,” Spain—you get the point. I heard about these locations over and over—that’s not to say they aren’t great trips. However, in looking for a good, unique, yet still budget-friendly trip, my friends and I […]
Kitchen Sink No. 9
The paper was in my pocket when I woke. I had not put it there—or I had put it there and forgotten, which amounts to the same confession. I unfolded it at the desk in the grey light and read it again: a name, an address, the handwriting almost mine but tilted slightly and with […]
Harming Harvard, Harvesting Harvard
More than a thousand years ago, sometime in the 12th century, a destructive invader by the name of Muhammad Bakhtiar Khilji destroyed one of the great Indian universities of the time: Nalanda University, located in present-day Bihar. But whereas Nalanda was destroyed by a foreign invader, Harvard University continues to be under siege by forces […]
Politics Doesn’t Stop on the Sideline
Sports are often idealized as a great unifier, existing in a vacuum away from the noise of politics and the stressors of everyday life. To an extent, I agree. There is something sacred about turning on the television or going outside with a ball in hand to escape the seemingly collapsing world around us. That […]
Lights Out in Havana
It’s 7:30 a.m. in Havana, Cuba, and the sun is slowly rising above the malecón, the highway that runs along the city’s northern coastline. The orange glow of the sunrise reflects off the waves beating against the seawall. I run north, then east toward the harbor’s edge. After turning around, I pass the U.S. embassy […]
Rethinking the College Dropout Narrative
There is a sense of romanticism attached to counterculture—the idea of actively rejecting the dominant values, norms, and expectations of mainstream society. One of the glorified narratives is that of the college dropout, which frames leaving as an act of rebellion, a rejection of the traditional postsecondary academic path in pursuit of something riskier, freer, […]
Kitchen Sink No. 8
The bitter wind had been blowing against my face for so long that I had stopped feeling it. My teeth ached. The collar of my coat was wet and was chafing a raw line along the back of my neck. I walked on. I had been in my room reading Henley. Then I was on […]
Kitchen Sink No. 7
The ash was under my left thumbnail when I woke. I noticed it before I noticed anything else—before the grey light coming through the curtain, before the cold, before the particular silence of early morning that the building produced when it was trying to pass as uninhabited. I lay still and held my hand up […]
Green Shoots in Red Soil: The Texas Primary Race
Money is the engine of politics. It fuels campaigns and elections, and, by extension, our politicians. Each dollar purchases yet another 15-second campaign advertisement or a canvasser to knock on undecided voters’ doors. Currency and power are synonymous in a game that systematically rewards the highest spender. The hopeless cycle in which money determines political […]
Iranian Women Weep Too
In February 1998, Tony Benn, then over 40 years into his career as a Member of Parliament, rose in the House of Commons and delivered a legendary speech in opposition to the proposed bombing of Iraq. His words that day left no shortage of memorable lines: one in particular has never left me. “Are not […]
The Green Line
Every March, Boston slips into shades of green. The city’s color palette, usually a winter wash of red brick and slate, takes on an unmistakable hue. This green does not arrive with the weather, but rather a ceremonial cast on the 17th. It appears in flags hanging off of fire escapes, in the bunting draped […]
Luck is in the Yard
No matter what time one walks through Harvard Yard, there will undoubtedly be throngs of tourists surrounding the John Harvard Statue. Many will be snapping photos of them touching John Harvard’s foot, now polished bronze after years of wear. Whether it should be touched or not is another question, but the fact remains that rubbing […]
Are You In a “Chinese Time of Your Life”?
All over social media, being Chinese has become the new trend. Over the past year, Americans have begun “Chinamaxxing,” imitating Chinese culture in all aspects of their lives. From adopting Chinese wellness practices like traditional medicine and tai chi, to discovering a newfound passion for Popmart figurines, the year of the horse, and dim sum, […]
Where Are You Really From?
“Where are you from?” I gave my answer, as one does, and they looked at me, confused. I looked back at them, also confused (I was only a child; I hadn’t realised that this was a canonical “living while Black” moment). Like two dueling cowboys who both missed their first shot, we stood feet from […]
New World, Same Indy
What’s the use of a college newspaper if it doesn’t actually represent the student body? Discourse in a democratic society can rarely survive with only one source of news, and the microcosm of the world that is Harvard’s campus is no exception. In 1969, Morris Abram, Jr. ’71, Roland Cole ’70, Richard Paisner ’70, and […]
Harvard: Not Your Mother’s School
If you think your mother went to Harvard, that likely isn’t the full story. If she graduated before 1999, her diploma bears the seals of both Harvard University and Radcliffe College and the signatures of both schools’ presidents. While it is easy to overlook this detail, it points to a chapter of Harvard’s history when […]
Kitchen Sink No. 6
The weeks accumulated like dust on the library’s upper shelves—fine at first, then enough to blur the edge of the wood, dulling the days until it was unclear where one ended, and the next began. At first, I had mistaken this for stability—an order upheld gently by schedule and certainty, the comforting tyranny of bells […]
Kitchen Sink No. 5
The ward was quieter than it should have been. Not silent—the ward was never silent, there were always pipes rumbling in the walls, footsteps somewhere above and the low moaning of a man three doors down who had not stopped since Tuesday—but the particular stillness of Edward’s bunk sat in the room like a new […]
Bring Back Boy Bands
When my mom was in college, she was obsessed with boy bands. A defining cultural phenomenon of the late 1990s and early 2000s, these groups dominated the pop landscape at the height of their influence, gathering cult-like followings. My mom was among the many young girls lured in by the intoxicating cocktail of heart-aching ballads, […]
Shaken Not Stirred
“The U.K. has been colonised by immigrants,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the INEOS chemicals group and minority owner of Manchester United Football Club, said in a recent interview with Sky News on Feb. 12, 2026. Though Ratcliffe has since apologized for these comments, his sentiment reveals a rapidly growing, pervasive […]
When Your Artistic Side Needs a Résumé
It is almost impossible to spend time at Harvard without feeling the gravitational pull toward consulting, banking, or law school. It can feel like ambition has a uniform, calling undergraduates to join the sea of interns wearing the Aritzia ‘Effortless Pant,’ J. Crew quarter-zips, and lunching at Sweetgreen between coffee chats. Some flock to consulting […]
My Love Language is Clementines
On every door hangs the symbol for fortune, “福.” Under every pillow, red envelopes rest. Aromas of oyster and soy sauce fill the air. These are the indicators of the Lunar New Year’s arrival. For me, this holiday is bittersweet, filled with celebration, but also a reminder of loss. I grew up looking forward to […]
Wellness in a Hopeless World
In 2021, just after the peak of COVID-19 had subsided, I started high school at a small boarding school in northern Massachusetts. Before leaving home, I didn’t have to think much about who I was, what was happening in the world, or what I owed to it. My first disorienting memory came the night of […]
At My Khala’s House, We Eat Banana Bread
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 I hear a rustle from outside our college dorm door, and I know that my roommates, Ella and Mia, are back from class. Together, they burst in, throw down their bags, and sprawl themselves on the couch. Ella complains about her upcoming sociology paper, and Mia gets started on her next […]
Emma Gray and the “Sober Party Girl”
“I’ll come out, but I’m not going to drink tonight” has become an increasingly familiar refrain as I find many of those around me falling in line with reported generational decreases in alcohol intake. While these words are not quite a commitment to full-fledged sober living, the physical and mental benefits of decreased drinking are […]
Selling Self-Care
When did wellness stop being a habit and start becoming a trend? When I was younger, it meant staying home with a mug of tea when I had a sore throat, or eating the fruits and vegetables my mom set out with dinner. Now, those small, quiet acts feel insufficient. Ever since the pandemic, it […]
The “New York Times” is Wrong About Cannabis Legalization
Since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, cannabis dispensaries have multiplied nationwide, turning the once-distinct smell of weed into an everyday reality. But despite state policies, the American populace continues to question legalization. Some claim that the principles of liberalism and freedom—so fundamental to America’s identity—should apply to marijuana access and use. Others are concerned […]
Kitchen Sink No. 4
I had been watching her for six days. This was not unusual. I watch most things. But I had been watching her with a specificity that surprised me—the way she replaced books on the shelves, for instance, running two fingers along the spine before releasing it, as though verifying it was properly returned. The angle […]
10 Things I “Love” About Harvard
Dear Harvard, Given that it’s Valentine’s Day and all, and we have this entire season devoted to love, I figured it was an appropriate time to write this letter to you. Others are writing love letters to crushes and situationships, but you—arguably my most intense relationship—deserve one too. After all, I’ve given you more time, […]
Boyfriend or Foe?
Some love it; some hate it. Either way, this time of year is unavoidable: shop windows become crowded with roses and chocolates, reservations are made in the blink of an eye, and couples and singles alike begin to prepare for the fated holiday of Valentine’s Day. As Feb. 14 creeps closer, the question on my […]
Point/Counterpoint: Club-cest
*Both of the long-term club-cest relationships referred to throughout the piece have (sort of) ended at the time of this publication. Homie Hopper: I’m a firm believer in club-cest. I’ve dabbled across most of my clubs, but one of the most egregious of my club-cest violations occurred within this very organization. Retired Rizzler: Unfortunately, Homie […]
“What Punishments of God Are Not Gifts?”
In a 2019 interview, Anderson Cooper asked Stephen Colbert if he really believed a statement he had previously quoted from a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien: “What punishments of God are not gifts?” Colbert, after a brief pause, replied “Yes” with a smile on his face. The interview between the two is heartbreaking, wholesome, and everything […]
Dear Harvard Administration,
My name is Hayden Brackeen. I am a junior at Harvard College writing to register my staunch opposition to the new grading policies as proposed in Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh’s recent email. I will not mince words in the interest of brevity. It is ridiculous for a school that primarily admits undergraduates based […]
Kitchen Sink No. 3
Professor Hendricks didn’t introduce himself in the usual way. He walked into the lecture hall five minutes past ten, late enough that all but the last few students had taken their seats, yet early enough that none had debated leaving. He strode down the aisle, a gauche gait with a limp in his left leg—noticeable […]
What HKS Students Lose by Not Having Physical Newspapers and Magazines
Walk into any public library in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville—or in most cities across the country—and you will find physical copies of the “New York Times,” “Washington Post,” and “Wall Street Journal,” alongside a few magazines. But walk into the Harvard Kennedy School of Government library, and you will not find any print periodicals—to access […]
We Should Love, Even When the World is Decaying.
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” I vividly remember the moment I heard those words while watching the television screen. I hated Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” but that sentence stuck, even more than a big spoonful of honey when sick: slow, heavy, impossible to swallow. Those words dwelled because, […]
Modern Media Selling Shock
When it comes to recent blockbuster television and cinema, it feels like we are all going to the proverbial cottage. Every time I reach for the remote or head to the movies, I seem to be unknowingly subscribing to a porno-violence screening, often, and unfortunately, with my family. Sex and blood have always been central […]
“I’m From the Government, and I’m Here to Help.”
Perhaps Ronald Reagan was right all along when he jokingly said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” ICU nurse Alex Pretti, as well as writer and poet Renee Good, were killed in the streets of Minneapolis in Jan. by ICE and United […]
The Next Chapter
Anyone who knows the two of us knows the Harvard Independent. They know where we are every Monday night, how we start our Thursday mornings, and what we are texting, calling, and brainstorming about at all hours of the day. To say that the Indy is woven into the fabric of our college experiences would […]
The Nature of Change
When I landed at Los Angeles International Airport this past December, I immediately noticed the way that Southern California smelled. As the automatic doors slid open with a hiss, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia—as well as a literal wave of hot, dry air. Growing up in the Greater Los Angeles area, I […]
The New 2016?
While many spent their winter break watching home videos on DVD players or sorting through old photo albums, this private nostalgia transitioned to public social media this new year. On Jan. 1, 2026, Instagram feeds were suddenly filled with the long-forgotten dog-ear Snapchat filter, quirky poses in front of Los Angeles’ iconic pink wings, and […]
The Rot and Guilt of Winter Break
As the fall semester came to a close last December and exams piled up, it felt as though the world was crashing down. But there was one light at the end of the tunnel: Harvard’s January Term. Better known as J-Term, this period consisted of a luxurious six-week break with no homework, tests, or student […]
Kitchen Sink No. 1
I woke up, and my shoulder was sore. Not sore—throbbing. A deep ache in the muscle where they’d injected the medication yesterday. Or was it this morning? Time moves strangely here. Above me, I could hear Thomas breathing. He was already awake. He’s always awake before me, which he mentions constantly, as if being awake […]
Redefining “New Year” Energy
Hard work is constantly redefined at Harvard as the student body perpetually sets new milestones, surmounts challenges, and beats records once thought impossible. The vein of ambition running through our Cambridge campus confirms that many students undoubtedly have even more personal, extravagant, and demanding targets for the new year. Whether this looks like taking on […]
The End of the Old Order
In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ’87 proclaimed that the “old order is not coming back.” In the face of President Donald Trump’s consistent challenges to multilateralism, trade threats to allies, and the more recent open questioning of European sovereignty—as it pertains to Greenland—truer words […]
Our Renewed Commitment
The Salient was founded in 1981 in pursuit of truth and to restore Harvard’s tradition of thoughtful, balanced discourse. Over the past months, the Salient has strayed from that purpose. The forefathers of conservatism, from Edmund Burke to Abraham Lincoln, understood that the moral equality of all human beings must underpin any discussion of their […]
Letter from the Editor: Doing the Things That Scare You
Every semester, the Harvard Independent holds a meeting with our Graduate Board—a group of alumni from the newspaper who provide guidance, support, and help steer Indy operations. This fall marked my seventh one, and last as Editor-in-Chief. The feeling I experienced during those three hours, surrounded by the leaders who have inspired me to dedicate […]
Au Revoir: A Tale of Growing Pains
As November swiftly passes and December takes her place, the coming of the new year awaits me. Every year, I vow to make one significant change in my life, with promises like cutting out sugar, exercising daily, stopping myself from procrastinating on assignments until four hours before they are due, and, finally, addressing the wounds […]
A Sweet Escape: Reading Period Reflection
Full from Thanksgiving’s feast, Harvard students return to campus in early December ready for a palate cleanser. Only three days of classes stand between us and reading period, which arrives just in time for relaxation, preparation for finals, and a moment of pause from the academic feast we’ve consumed. But what if reading period were […]
No Place Like Home
“Why do I love this place / That’s never loved me?” These are the opening lines from “No Place Like Home,” a song written by composer Stephen Schwartz for the box-office triumph: “Wicked: For Good.” For many, it was just another song in the movie, but for me, it resonated on a much deeper level. […]
An Ode to the Penny
“This is a 1956 Pennsylvanian minted wheat penny,” Grandpa remarked as he showed me the tiny reddish-brown coin. 10-year-old me grinned with pride. The almost 70-year-old coin was an incredible find; the average coin’s lifespan is only 25 years, and most collectors had grabbed up all the wheat pennies when they ended their production. But, […]
A Tale of Two Presidents
Let there be no mistake: Claudine Gay made mistakes. Her 2023 Congressional hearing on antisemitism was, by all intents and purposes, a catastrophe, and her subsequent plagiarism scandal, though more accurately described, in my view, as a political witch hunt, was a low point for the University. That much we can all agree on. Billionaires […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: The Last Frontier
Conquest used to be geographic. Power was measured in acreage and borders—how many people you could uproot or how many maps you could redraw. For centuries, empires expanded outward: seizing land, minerals, bodies, and entire cultures. Colonialism was an economic project disguised as destiny. Europe treated the world as inventory: gold in the Caribbean, rubber […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Leaving, Falling, Letting
By the time leaves begin to fall in the courtyard outside of New Quincy, the semester is already racing by—too fast for anyone to notice. They gather first in the tight corners of the brick path—wedged beneath bikes, pressed against the base of the lamppost, scattered along the entryway like an afterthought. In the mornings, […]
The Game: A Storied Legacy of Pranking
Last year, I got my first chance to see “The Game.” There are really only two football rivalries that share this name. Growing up in Michigan, I had often watched Ohio State face Michigan, but this was my first time experiencing the storied Harvard-Yale match-up. The atmosphere was unlike any other Harvard athletics game I […]
The Art of Sexting
There are few things I appreciate more in life than a well-crafted sext. I have always, and will always, be a firm believer in the positive power of sexting. Truly good sexting requires a level of intimacy and understanding of your partner that a purely physical hookup often does not. To arouse someone through a […]
Sex and Salary Transparency
There are a few subjects that you just don’t bring up at the dinner table; sex and salary are at the top of the list. Not exactly what you want to unpack with your grandparents over pie. Yet it isn’t just among relatives that people hold back on discussing these “taboo” topics. Sex and salary […]
Make Harvard Fuck Again
As Harvard students, we are constantly under the pressure of rigorous coursework, demanding extracurriculars, and the struggle to succeed at the high level that this institution expects. Our schedules are busy at best and all-consuming at worst. The sheer effort it takes to manage it all leads many of us to deal with near-constant stress, […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Presence, Lost
Americans are having less sex than at any point in the modern era. The share of U.S. adults ages 18-64 who report having sex weekly has fallen from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024. Among young adults, the shift is sharper: the share of 18-29-year-olds who reported no sex in the past year doubled […]
God Doesn’t Care If You’re Gay, and Neither Should the Law
On Oct. 24, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously voted to amend the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct to allow judges in the state to refuse same-sex marriage ceremonies, if doing so would be contrary to their “sincerely held religious beliefs.” To be clear, judges are not required to perform marriages, but are now legally allowed […]
Sex Ed as an Asian in the South
Education has been an integral part of human history, allowing each generation to develop beyond what is currently known. Sciences build upon what is already understood to discover the next innovation. History hopes to avoid previous mistakes. English courses foster an appreciation for the stories of different cultures. But one type of education is dedicated […]
He Thinks, She Thinks: the Nine Stages of a Hookup
The “hookup” embodies one of our most basic impulses. The term has been diluted over time, used to describe anything from making out to simply meeting up. This analysis, however, focuses on the traditional interpretation: sex. While we have evolved from our cave-roaming days, the custom persists. Frat parties have replaced balls, flowers have replaced […]
Roommate Roulette
The moment that defined my freshman year was not move-in day—it was a late July sweaty afternoon. Arriving at a babysitting gig drenched in sweat from my 30-block walk to Union Square, I had known that it was the day our freshman rooming assignments were supposed to be released. But it was already 3:50 p.m., […]
A Love Letter to Bedrotting
In the midst of late-night Lamont sessions and 9 a.m. lectures, I find myself returning more and more to the one thing that is always there for me when I need it the most: the longest and most stable relationship I have ever had—bedrotting. A phrase popularized through TikTok, bedrotting involves spending extended periods of […]
Equally Scary: Halloween as Liberation in Fashion
Every year on October 31, the world dresses up. From oozing blood to plush fur, gleaming armor to inflatable suits, there is no limit to what people wear. For a single day, sidewalks turn into public runways. We stride through the night as designers, performers, and works of art. Halloween may be the most democratic […]
Keep Us Out of the Media
If you believe everything you read in the news, Harvard students are either future billionaires, political masterminds, or villains in a culture war. This narrative is making Harvard, a pinnacle of higher education, seem as if it’s plotting to undermine the country from within. The truth is, as always, less dramatic: most of us are […]
Remembering Setti Warren
Our late Director, Setti Warren, was a cherished mayor, pillar of the Harvard community, loving father and husband. He brought service to life at the IOP, and led with curiosity, humility, and an endlessly generous spirit that touched everyone who had the honor of knowing him. Setti kindled in generations of students the passion and […]
Academic Rigor or Institutional Anxiety?
The “smoke-filled” rooms of Loeb House— home to the University’s governing bodies and their administrative offices—have more in common with the crowded newsroom of the New York Times than you might expect: both are filled with people talking about Harvard, though hardly any of them actually go here. The University and its students remain under […]
College Students Need to Reprioritize Their Sleep, and Here’s Why
When I thought my sleep schedule in high school couldn’t get worse, I was wrong. As a junior, I could easily run on five hours of sleep like a champ. My average day in high school looked something like this… 7:45 a.m.: get ready 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: school 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: sports practice 7:30 a.m.-12:30 […]
Falling Back, Falling Apart
It’s time we fix the time. Each year, on the first Sunday of November, most Americans turn back the clock and relish an extra hour of sleep as we “fall back” to Standard Time, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time until March rolls around. Though our Halloweekends were blessed with an extra hour of […]
Harvard Ghost Stories
Students in Hollis Hall once received a chilling ultimatum: they had 36 hours to evacuate their rooms, or face a supernatural punishment. The message, purportedly from the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier, appeared in the winter of 1940 and claimed that the spirit was tired of living in the attic and wanted the entire […]