The Harvard Crimson The University Daily, Est. 1873 | Volume CXLVII No. 23 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Tuesday, February 25, 2020
news PAGE 4
editorial PAGE 6
sports PAGE 8
Harvard and Cambridge police share longstanding relationship
The fight for Classroom to Table should be taken up by faculty, too
Women’s basketball extends losing streak to three
HUPD Details Investigation By Ema R. Schumer Crimson Staff Writer
Outside law enforcement experts will review the internal climate of Harvard’s police department and its dealings with the University more broadly following accounts of racism and sexism within HUPD that surfaced last month, according to an internal department email. HUPD Chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley announced the review earlier this month, citing a Crimson investigation that found repeated instances of racism and sexism in HUPD over three decades. In court documents and interviews, 21 current and former employees alleged that Riley created what they described as a hostile work environment. In an email sent to HUPD employees Monday morning and obtained by The Crimson, Riley announced the appointments of national policing experts Ronald L. Davis and Brenda J. Bond-Fortier to lead the review alongside five HUPD employees
HCFA Still Takes Parent Group Funds By Juliet E. Isselbacher Crimson Staff Writer
and Harvard Human Resources representative Maria Mejia. Riley laid out the scope and goal of the forthcoming investigation, which he will oversee alongside University Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp. “The review’s scope will include both internal operations and support for our uniform and non-uniform ranks, as well as how our Department engages with the broader community, ensuring that we are in the strongest position possible to effectively, honestly and respectfully carry out the public safety mission we are charged with,” he wrote. In seven bullet points, Riley charged the committee with responsibilities including revamping department procedures for handling internal complaints, promoting retention of minority officers, improving department morale, and soliciting feedback from University affiliates. The committee will periodically update Riley and Lapp with
Campus Christian group Harvard College Faith and Action continues to receive funding from the non-profit organization Christian Union, despite the College’s Feb. 2018 statement that HCFA must disaffiliate from its “parent ministry” to remain a recognized student group. Current HCFA co-presidents Mattia A. Mah’moud ’20 and Allen Y. Lai ’20 wrote in an emailed statement that Christian Union currently provides them with office space, food, and scholarships for retreats, as well as full-time and parttime staff “who serve as spiritual mentors and advisors to students.” Christian Union’s tax filings show that the organization gave HCFA a sum of $796,180 between July 2017 and June 2018 That period overlaps with the year-long “administrative probation” which the College imposed on HCFA in Feb. 2018. The decision to place HCFA on probation came following the
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See HCFA Page 7
Harvard College Faith and Action continues to receives substantial funding from its external parent group, Christian Union. zadoc i. n. gee—Crimson photographer
HGSU Students Voice Cacophony of Opinions on Lowell Bells Alleges Bad-Faith Bargain By Declan J. Knieriem Crimson Staff Writer
When Lowell House reopened in fall 2019 — after two years of renovations — the sounds of construction in River Central gave way to the peals of bells. The bells are rung by the Lowell House Society of Russian Bell Ringers, an organization of “earplug-wearing and weather-braving” undergraduate bell ringers — and are officially known as “Klappermeisters,” according to the Lowell House website. The bells sound every Sunday at 1 p.m., in addition to other special events, such as an annual performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” or other “important House or University occasions.” Still, despite their musical charms, some undergraduates reported mixed feelings about the bells. Some students said the bells can be distracting or disturbing during hours when they are studying or napping in their
HGSU accused the University of lacking ‘good faith’ in bargaining By Davit Antonyan Crimson Staff Writer
fter a Friday bargaining sesA sion, Harvard’s graduate student union accused the University of “hiding behind the Trump administration” to undermine contract negotiations in an email to members Monday. Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers and the University met for a bargaining session last Friday, joined for the fifth time by a federal mediator. No new tentative agreements were reached, and the two sides remain at an impasse over key issues including compensation and procedures for discrimination and harassment. In Monday’s email to members, HGSU-UAW bargaining committee member Jennifer “Jenni” K. Austiff wrote that the University “has no intention of bargaining in good faith toward an agreement.” Austiff wrote that throughout the six weeks of mediated bargaining sessions, “the administration has refused to bring even a single proposal” regarding the union’s “core demand” of protections against discrimination and harassment. HGSU-UAW has argued that its members should be given the option to raise complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination through a union grievance procedure — a dispute resolution mechanism outside Harvard’s extant internal channels, and one that could in some cases lead to third-party arbitration. The University, on the other hand, has insisted that these complaints be handled through internal discrimination procedures. In Monday’s email, Austiff wrote that Harvard’s refusal to engage with the union’s proposal comes at a time of particular frustration, as colleges and
See HGSU Page 7 Inside this issue
Harvard Today 2
Some students have complained about the noise from Lowell House’s regular bell ringing, which promoted discussion from some Lowell affiliates. kathryn s. kuhar—Crimson photographer
rooms. Leverett resident Lana M. Gorlinski ’20 said she thinks the bells are “obnoxious” and can be disruptive to her day. “I think there’s definitely a trade off between tradition and preserving it, and convenience of the students that have to listen to that tradition, which frankly, sounds awful to anybody that’s not actively ringing the bell,” she said. “Whenever I walk by, when they’re ringing, I get irrationally angry.” Numerous posts on Harvard Confessions — a Facebook page which allows students to anonymously opine on their personal lives or Harvard related subjects — have also referenced the Lowell bells negatively. The Lowell House Society of Russian Bell Ringers declined to comment for this article. Several students, however, have come to the defense of the bells. Aidan B. Carey ’21 — a former Crimson news editor and Lowell resident — acknowledged that he understands why
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At IOP, Former FBI Dir. Comey Defends Record By Jasper G. Goodman and Hannah J. Martinez Crimson Staff Writers
James B. Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who was fired by President Donald J. Trump in 2017, defended his controversial tenure as head of the FBI at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum Monday night. In a more than hour-long discussion with Eric B. Rosenbach, co-director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, Comey acknowledged that decisions he made in handling investigations into Trump and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton “hurt the FBI.” However, he insisted repeatedly during the discussion that he made the best possible choices given the situations he was in. “Decisions that I made hurt the FBI — and that’s important,” Comey said in response to a question from Rosenbach about public trust in the Bureau. “I
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Editorial 6
still believe if I had chosen the other door, I would’ve hurt the FBI worse. But there’s no doubt, I knew we were spending the FBI’s credibility.” Less than two weeks before Election Day 2016, Comey sent shockwaves through the political sphere when he reopened an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as Secretary of State under then-President Barack Obama. Comey has also drawn criticism for publicly assailing Clinton as being “careless” during a July 2016 press conference during which he announced the FBI would not recommend charges against her. Following her loss to Trump, Clinton publicly said Comey was a factor in her defeat. Asked by audience member Benjamin B. Bolger whether he would apologize to Clinton for his actions, Comey said he would not. “If you really understand
See COMEY Page 7
Sports 8
James Comey, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, discusses his career with Eric Rosenbach, co-director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. allison g. Lee—Crimson photographer
Today’s Forecast
Mostly Cloudy High: 52 Low: 38
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