The âSecondâ Class of 2024
More than 20 international freshmen interviewed said their first semester of college was marked by nocturnal schedules, social isolation, and inadequate support from the College. Many said they feel pessimistic that things will get better this spring.
Like many Harvard students, Nabin Poudel â24 stays up late to complete his assignments in time for typical midnight deadlines.
Unlike others, though, midnight in Cambridge falls around 10 a.m. local time the next morning for Poudel, who is taking classes online from his home in Nepal this academic year.
âSometimes I would find myself working [the] whole night on assignments,â Poudel said.
As undergraduates embark on their second week of the spring semester, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana commended on-campus students for a safe and smooth move-in process in a Friday interview.
The College announced in December it would welcome back seniors, juniors, and students with challenging learning environments to live on campus for the spring semester. Similar to the fall, students arrived on campus in the week before classes began this semester and were required to undergo Covid-19 testing and a quarantine period.
Khurana said he was heartened to see the relatively low positivity rate of Covid-19 among students moving in. The positivity rate among Harvard affiliates during the last seven days was 0.24 percent as of Sunday morning, per the University-wide Covid-19 Testing Dashboard.
Amid skyrocketing nationwide case counts of Covid-19, Harvard administrators announced Monday that the College is cautiously moving forward with welcoming increased numbers of students back to campus for the spring semester.
In December, Harvard College announced that it would expand on-campus living to prioritize seniors, juniors who were enrolled in fall 2020, and students with learning environment needs.
Writing to all University affiliates Monday morning, University President Lawrence S. Bacow cited “record high numbers of cases worldwide and in the United States” as cause for caution and increased flexibility for spring plans.
“Those plans depend on the status of the pandemic and may need to change if the situation continues to deteriorate,” Bacow wrote. “Each School has developed contingency plans and will be in touch with more specific information as spring term approaches.
The storming of the U.S. Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob Wednesday drew shock, anger, and horror from Harvard University administrators, who called for a renewed commitment to truth and democracy.
Violence erupted on Jan. 6 after rioters breached the Capitol building as Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol Police officer.
In a statement Thursday, University President Lawrence S. Bacow called the events âan incomprehensible spectacle in the heart of our nation.â
âThe rioters who forced their way into the Capitol assaulted the democratic process and endangered public servants who have devoted themselves to the defining work of our democracy â carrying out the will of the people,â Bacow wrote.
Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Monday interview he has âa great deal of confidenceâ that upperclassmen invited to return to campus for the spring semester will adhere to Covid-19 residential rules.
Harvardâs housing plan for the spring semester â which welcomes roughly half of all undergraduates to fill 3,100 beds on campus â prioritizes seniors and currently enrolled juniors, rather than freshmen as it did in the fall.
Students living on campus during the fall semester were required to sign a community compact assuring their compliance with social distancing and other safety guidelines, a requirement which will continue this spring. The College also developed a Community Council â composed of student volunteers, faculty, and staff members â to enforce the compact.