Sister, Sister!
How Women Have Sought Equal Ground in Harvard’s Social Life
When people think of social life at Harvard, the image that comes to mind is often not-so-positive. Many of the social organizations with real estate scattered around Harvard Square are exclusive at best and at predatory at worst. This image is largely a product of the history and practices of men’s-only fraternities and final clubs. […]
Photographs as Teaching Objects
A conversation with Makeda Best about her work to reframe photographic histories at the Harvard Art Museums
Where does this object start? What makes this object appropriate for a teaching museum? How has its function as a teaching object changed over time? On Tuesday, March 9th, Dr. Makeda Best, the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Art at the Harvard Art Museums, opened her talk with these questions. In a teaching museum, art […]
Revelatory Rap
Subverting oppressive Western power structures through rap music
History months in the U.S. separate Americans’ obligation to jump into the struggles of those who face oppression, which prevent us from experiencing and learning about the similarities and differences in their fights against systemic oppression. In February, Americans listened to protest music last month to learn about the Civil Rights Movement, but switched the […]
Muted Fanfare: How Housing Day Differs During a Pandemic
How can first-years be housed if they aren’t properly welcomed into House life?
Harvard Housing Day is notoriously loud. As members of each House storm the Yard, first-years’ excitement of finding out where they will live for the next three years bubbles up into a conglomeration of chanting, screaming, and celebrating. After all, there’s seldom a more unique time in your Harvard experience than discovering one’s next point […]
A Blockade in Blocking
Forming Friendships in the Pandemic
On Friday, March 12th, at approximately 11:15 AM EST, the Harvard College Class of 2024 logged on to Zoom to discover, either to their chagrin or pleasant surprise, what building and community they will live in for the next three years. First-years gathered—whether virtually on FaceTime with their soon-to-be blockmates or illicitly indoors in each […]
Meet McDermott
The AD Launching Harvard Athletics Into the Next Decade
Erin McDermott had big shoes to fill when she took the position as the John D. Nichols ’53 Director of Athletics in May 2020. She replaced Robert L. Scalise, who had held the position since 2001. But the Hofstra University basketball star was unfazed. For the nine years before stepping into her Harvard role, McDermott […]