A Crimson Crew
The Spring 2025 season has been another for the history books for Harvard Sailing. The co-ed squad won the Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championship on April 24. The women’s team followed this with a third-place finish on April 27 at the Women’s ICSA National Championship. Heading into the Open Fleet National Championships, the No. 1-ranked […]
NBA Conference Semifinals Game 3 Predictions
As the NBA playoffs move into the conference semifinals, we at the Independent recommend you save money on tickets at your hometown arena and opt instead for a comfortable couch near the TV. For the first time in league history, all four of the visiting teams stole Game 1—an East-to-West upset that humbled three 60-win […]
150 Names, One Voice
On April 22, over 150 American university and college presidents signed a public statement opposing federal interference in U.S. postsecondary institutions. Titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” the document was published following meetings convened by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. While some institution presidents had […]
Race, Admissions, and a New Reality After Affirmative Action
As colleges prepare to welcome the class of 2029, students remain uncertain about the new admissions landscape following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to eliminate affirmative action in higher education. After a year of adaptation and growing uncertainty, elite institutions like Harvard and Amherst College are withholding demographic data until the fall, leaving the public […]
50 Aprils Later: Remembering Saigon
50 years ago, on April 30, the capital of South Vietnam fell to Northern Vietnamese forces, unifying the two nations under Communist Party rule. The Fall of Saigon signaled an end to one of the 20th century’s most controversial and bloody wars—both at home and abroad. The deaths of over 3.4 million Vietnamese, as well […]
Tim Walz Calls for Full Democratic Party Reset
On Monday, April 28, Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz joined the Institute of Politics John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum for a conversation on the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic Party, and the state of American democracy and politics. ABC News National Political Reporter and Spring 2025 IOP fellow Brittany Shepherd […]
Reading Between the Lines
Throughout late March and early April, Harvard University leadership has sent a series of emails to the institution’s affiliates: “The Promise of American Higher Education,” “Upholding Our Values, Defending Our University,” and “Our Commitment to Community,” among others. Written in response to moments of apparent national crisis, these messages raise questions about the role of […]
Where Words Are Welcome
Harvard often presents itself as a champion of free expression in the classroom, with its official handbook stating that the University is “committed to reason and rational discourse.” And while no institution is perfect, I’ve found that in the right environment, with students and educators who genuinely value intellectual vitality, spaces at Harvard can foster […]
You Need to Climb Trees
When was the last time you climbed a tree? If the answer is more than a few months ago, then you need to read this. It’s a matter of utmost importance. Your courage and whimsy depend on it. Climbing trees is medicine for your mental health. If you ever feel sad, overwhelmed, burnt out, depressed, […]
A Broad, Abroad: La Finale
The other day, sipping on a macchiato while struggling to finish my art history final paper in a café near the Sorbonne, I overheard two abroad Americans chatting. They were discussing their excitement to return to the States—eager to see friends and family, ready to be home. As I listened to them rationalize why they […]
Abreast on Abroad: Letter Five
Coucou Mes Chéries, Ça va? I simply cannot believe my time abroad is ending in a mere two weeks. Complete and utter denial is setting in. While studying abroad was definitely not a spontaneous decision, if you told me a year ago that I’d be taking weekend trips to Mallorca, I would’ve laughed in your […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Invisible Rituals
Each day begins the same way: a diagonal cut across Plympton Street near the Harvard Book Store, my head quickly snapping sideways to check for oncoming cars. From there, I pass beneath the iron gate by Wigglesworth C—its outline etched into muscle memory—as I make my way through the Yard. These gestures aren’t calculated, but […]
Floreat Domus de Eliot
This summer, Eliot House will begin to undergo a major transformation, forcing all of us proud residents to relocate to overflow housing for the next couple of years. While the community and people will still be here (thankfully), it’s hard not to feel a little sentimental about leaving the building itself behind. Eliot is more […]
On The Job from 9 to 5
On the opening night of “9 to 5: The Musical,” a large audience gathered in Agassiz Theater to watch Harvard’s musical adaptation of the famous 1980 movie. Patricia Resnick and Colin Higgins wrote the original screenplay, which Resnick later adapted into a book (script) with country star Dolly Parton, who also provided the soundtrack and […]
Your Summer 2025 Reading List
“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin ’00 A beautiful novel that explores the depths of friendship over decades between two childhood friends, Sadie and Sam, who begin creating video games together alongside Marx, Sam’s college roommate. The novel is partially set in Cambridge—Sam and Marx go to Harvard, and Sadie attends MIT. The […]
A Love Letter to the Moon and to the Theater
This past weekend, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club put up a sparkling example of theatre at its best in the Loeb Experimental Theater. One of the semester’s final theater productions, HRDC’s production of PigPen Theatre Co.’s “The Old Man and the Old Moon,” was near-perfect. Directed by Ria Cuéllar-Koh ’26, the show was light-hearted in tone […]