Diversity
After Diversity Office Closures, Peer Counseling Services Face New Questions
Two months after Harvard College closed its three diversity offices, Harvard’s undergraduate peer counseling programs remain operational — but the shifting landscape of support resources has left counselors uncertain about where to direct students.
Harvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions
By ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply.
Student Affinity Groups Turn to Alumni for Funding Amid DEI Office Closures
After the College restructured its diversity offices over the summer — leaving student affinity group leaders unsure about the availability of grants for club initiatives — some groups are seeking other avenues of funding, including alumni outreach.
‘Basic Questions,’ Unanswered: Inside Harvard College’s Rapid Diversity Office Dismantling
Few details were finalized when Harvard College Dean David J. Deming informed staff on July 23 of plans to shutter the College’s Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations.
At Morning Prayers, Harvard’s Former Chief Diversity Officer Urges Students to Embrace Pluralism
Harvard’s chief Community and Campus Life officer Sherri A. Charleston, who led the University’s diversity office before it was renamed in April, said at a Memorial Church service on Thursday that her overhauled office was committed to elevating pluralism and going beyond “diversity in numbers."
Deming Puts Positive Spin on Harvard College Diversity Office Closures, but Acknowledges Outside Pressure
Harvard College Dean David J. Deming told students that the College can no longer host programming targeted at specific races or identity groups during a presentation to Peer Advising Fellows last week — telling attendees he assumed they already understood why the change was necessary.
Harvard College To Remove Designated Spaces for Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life
Harvard College will close the designated spaces that previously housed the Women’s Center and the Office for BGLTQ Student Life, following a July decision to shutter those offices — along with one for minority students — and fold their staff into a new center within the Office of Culture and Community.
Harvard Welcomes Class of 2029 to a Campus Reshaped by Trump’s Second Presidency
From the start, Harvard’s Class of 2029 witnessed how the College is refashioning itself for a new political era, embracing calls to address antisemitism while backing away from diversity programs disfavored by the White House.
Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows
A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of the University’s campus use rules.
Early Data Shows 85% of Admits Plan to Join Harvard’s Class of 2029, Despite Federal Attacks and Funding Cuts
Roughly 85 percent of admits accepted their offers to enroll in Harvard College’s Class of 2029, the admissions office revealed in a Saturday meeting with students that included a presentation of preliminary statistics on Harvard’s incoming class.
How Grievances at the Harvard Law Review Became Ammunition for the White House
A string of leaks this spring made the Law Review a target for the Trump administration. But the same fights — over the Israel-Palestine conflict, race, and meritocracy — have a longer history inside its own walls.
Harvard Will Open New Muslim, Hindu Prayer Spaces After Years of Uneven Access
For years, Harvard’s only dedicated spaces for Muslim and Hindu worship were in a dormitory basement. This fall, the University will open two new prayer spaces following April recommendations from two internal task forces to overhaul its approach to religious life on campus.
Trump Expands Race Data Disclosure Requirements, Putting Harvard Admissions Under Scrutiny Again
Harvard and all other American universities will now be required to submit data proving that they do not consider race in admissions, following a Thursday memorandum from President Donald Trump.
Conservative Legal Group Backs Justice Dept. Investigation Into Harvard’s Admissions Policies
America First Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group founded by senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, published a letter Wednesday backing a federal investigation into whether Harvard has failed to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action.
Harvard’s Accrediting Agency Proposes Removing DEI Standards, in Line With Trump Order
The nonprofit commission that determines whether Harvard receives accreditation proposed new standards earlier this month that removed references to diversity, equity, and inclusion — the latest shift away from DEI in higher education as the Trump administration pushes for its elimination.