Op Eds
First They Came for Columbia
We must learn from the past. We cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarian attacks on our peers, even if they have not yet come for us.
Give Students a Chance To Be on the Right Side of History
It’s too soon to know whether we will come to regard demands for fossil divestment or “justice for Palestine” as righteous causes as we now think of the civil rights and the 1980s anti-apartheid student protesters. But enforcing strict protest regulations denies us the ability to find out.
Harvard Students Should Ignore Calls to Boycott Israel Trek
Shutting down intellectual exploration as applied to Israel and the Palestinian territories is inconsistent with the values of our University, and Harvard students shouldn’t fall for it.
I Teach at Harvard. Here’s What the Hiring Freeze Will Do to Us.
We need to remember that the work we do here, in every field, plays a huge part in pushing society forward. So, let’s hope that we can find a way to support the next generation of scholars, researchers, and innovators before this freeze takes an even bigger toll.
Why Harvard Has So Few Conservative Faculty – Or Does It?
Let’s not pretend we have a problem where we do not. For none of these groups is affirmative action called for.
Neither Silence nor Compliance Will Save Harvard From Trump. Resistance Might.
Now is the time for the richest University in the world to live by its principles, to draw a line and stand its ground, while it might still make a difference.
Harvard Must Take a Stand for Democracy
To silence ourselves in the name of neutrality would not only violate our own policy but also abdicate our broader civil responsibility.
This Housing Day, Quad Every Sophomore — Seriously
The time has come for Harvard to rethink housing. It has the opportunity to build a stronger community and a fairer living experience for its students. The University should lean into what it does best: burdening us — equally.
When It Comes To Free Speech, Harvard Students Must Look Inward
Many of my deepest friendships at Harvard have been formed and strengthened through meaningful disagreement, even on sensitive topics. Take a risk! If someone is not willing to listen, make that their problem, not yours.
I’m a Former HMS Dean. Here’s What Trump’s NIH Cuts Will Actually Do.
Of course the effects will vary across research institutions, as institutions differ markedly in their operating models and financial situations. Jobs will be lost, including faculty, trainees, and support staff. Ongoing and planned research studies will be canceled, and the advancement of life-saving science will suffer.
The Kennedy School Doesn’t Need To Legitimize DOGE
Now more than ever, Harvard needs to work toward strengthening public policy and governance in the U.S. and around the world. We ask that the Kennedy School leverage its institutional legitimacy to strengthen democracy, not contribute to its demise.
Harvard Didn’t Just Kill Its Slavery Research Team. It Flunked History of Slavery 101.
Many people are shocked and saddened at how badly Harvard has stumbled in its efforts to reveal and repair the legacy of slavery at Harvard. These stumbles may in fact be the most eloquent expression of the “legacy of slavery at Harvard” — a legacy driven by fear, denial, willful ignorance, institutional arrogance, and financial self-interest.
If Harvard Bends to Trump, It’s Already Lost
In sum, we urge Harvard to refuse the illusory safety of anticipatory obedience and the moral compromises it will inevitably demand. The University must not simply survive the next four years, but must do so with its values intact.
The Canceled HMS Panel Is a Failure of Empathy
Empathy should be our power — the ability to stand with people in their pain while fighting for their health. Our promise is to value the lives and health of others unequivocally. Our downfall is when we close our eyes, when we stop seeing a patient as we would see ourselves — when we stop viewing lives lost around the world as lives as full as ours.
Harvard Must Choose Veritas Over Survival
We may be able to justify, in the long run, the compromises we will make to help Harvard survive the difficult years ahead. But the University must defend truth as long as it can, and do so with fortitude and courage.
