Conversations
Accessing Harvard
When Valerie J. Piro ’14 was Currier HoCo chair, she couldn’t storm the freshman dorms on Housing Day like everyone else—she had to hand off the housing letters to a friend and watch as the rest of the group ran in. Dianna Hu ’15, a computer science concentrator, can’t use the back door of the science center—she has to enter through the front despite where she’s coming from, as there is no automatic button at the back for her to press. No matter how much she may want to, Chanel E. Washington ’15 can’t attend social events in certain houses; if the common rooms aren’t accessible, then she’s out of luck.
Daisy Chain: Mentor Networks
The strength of Harvard’s alumni network today rests on the relationships formed between students while they’re undergraduates. As freshmen, students often take their first steps into the Yard with little concrete advice on how to navigate the academic and social scene on campus. That’s where upperclassmen “mentors”—friends, siblings, role models in organizations—come in to help spell out the “dos and don’ts” of Harvard. These mentors—both current Harvard students and recent alumni—have helped shape the course of their younger peers’ college experiences, leaving a mark on Harvard that goes beyond their own four years in Cambridge. FM set out to investigate one strand of these upperclassmen-freshmen mentor relationships, beginning with current freshman Priscilla K. Russo ’17 and following the network through to Ryan A. Peterson ’08.
The Lines They Walk On
In conversation at Harvard, be it over a dining hall meal, a problem set, or a drink, it is not rare to learn that your fellow interlocutor is an athlete. Of the many responses or follow-up questions that might arise, a natural one is whether the person walked on or was recruited.
The Mind Behind the Chairs
“I was always thinking, ‘Is there something inexpensive and not too crazy that we can do to make the Yard friendlier for a public school kid from Ohio?’” says Michael R. Van Valkenburgh, Graduate School of Design professor. The consensus answer was to purchase a number of bright Luxembourg chairs and place them throughout the Yard.
15 Questions with Lester Brown
Lester Brown: "I’m often asked, am I an optimist or a pessimist? I like to think I’m a realist. We’re going to have to move very fast if we want to prevent climate change from spiraling out of control."
10 Questions with Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio R. Villaraigosa sits in an armchair at the Institute of Politics, his hair slicked back. The former Mayor of Los Angeles and 2012 Chairman of the Democratic National Convention, now a visiting fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics, is ever the genial politician as he sits down with Fifteen Minutes.
Daisy Chain: What We're Listening To
FM set out to find the students on campus with the best taste in music. The chain started with Henry Kennelly, a freshman in Greenough, who then named his “best music friend” (BMF), who named their BMF, and so on. Listen in!
10 Questions with Gail Collins
Donning a purple pant suit, Gail Collins seems quirky and laid-back—a far cry from the intimidating personality one would expect of a journalist of her stature.
Who will win the World Series?
There is a palpable buzz in Boston this week surrounding the World Series, which will feature the hometown Boston Red Sox versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Here on campus, it’s not hard to guess who we’ll be cheering for. But statistically speaking, which team has the higher chance of winning? FM decided to talk to Carl N. Morris, statistics professor and sports analysis guru.
Bill Baxley Reflects on 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
William J. “Bill” Baxley, the former Attorney General of Alabama, spoke at Kirkland House on his role in prosecuting one of the men involved with the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing—a moment often thought of as a turning point in the civil rights movement.
Scholars at Risk
“Will I be safer?” Birtukan Midekssa echoes. She lets out a laugh, pauses, then shakes her head, but her wide smile doesn’t flicker. “I don’t know,” she says. “Honestly.”
