MARCH
3 - Two dozen students join a Central Square community protest of a proposed luxury apartment complex on the site of several local businesses. The proposed construction is one element of an ongoing gentrification of the Central Square area.
12 - Michelle L. Woodbury '00 appears partially-clad in Playboy's College Girls edition.
13 - Diana L. Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, and her partner Dorothy A. Austin are chosen to replace William and Mary Bossert as masters of Lowell House. They are the first same-sex couple to serve as masters of a Harvard House. The next day, physicist Howard Georgi and his wife Ann B. Georgi are chosen to replace John and Judy Dowling as masters of Leverett House.
Also, U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, Cambridge's representative in Congress, announces he will not seek reelection. Several Democratic candidates quickly step forward to run in the heavily Democratic district.
14 - The women's basketball team, led by forward Allison S. Feaster '98, defeats top-seed Stanford to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team's run ends two days later at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Feaster soon becomes the first female Harvard basketball player selected as a Kodak All-American.
15 - David L. Okrent '99 is found stabbed to death on Boston's Revere Beach. After a police investigation, the death is ruled a suicide.
24 - President Rudenstine meets with Jiang Zemin a second time, becoming the first sitting president to visit China while on a historic spring break trip through East Asia.
APRIL
2 - In an article in Commentary magazine, Justin C. Danilewitz '99 alleges that The Crimson's efforts to diversify its editorial board have resulted in anti-Jewish practices. Danilewitz had applied for but was denied a position on The Crimson's editorial board.
5 - A reference to DuBois professor of the humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. as "Head Negro In Charge" in a Boston magazine headline elicits protests from leaders of the city's black community.
7 - Robert J. Barro, Waggoner professor of economics, announces he will leave Harvard for Columbia University next year. A week later he reverses his decision, without explanation.
13 - Radcliffe College may relinquish its role as an undergraduate college and become an "allied institution," sources tell The Crimson. The next week, students rally in Radcliffe Yard in support of the college.
15 - Smoking will be banned in all undergraduate Houses for the first time, College officials announce.
25 - Hundreds of students attend Springfest despite the absence of a big-name band.
MAY
6 - Rudenstine wins a political victory as he leads a coalition to defeat the Riggs Amendment to the Higher Education Act, which would have banned federal funding to colleges using affirmative action in admissions decisions.
10 - Parade of Stars, an Oscar-like awards ceremony for the College, presents statues to organizations and individuals in several categories. The student-run event had been criticized by many students, and several groups declined their nominations.
14 - The yield for high school seniors accepting College admission rises to nearly 80 percent, the highest figure in decades.
18 - Harvard University and Radcliffe College announce new gifts supporting matching funds. Harvard's $15 million fund will match major gifts from women donors; Radcliffe's $3 million fund will match general purpose donations to Radcliffe.