Thank you, Sarah, and The Salient. Your story aligns with many in our book, Finding God at Harvard. And the sequel (my story). And the Veritas Forums in which I'd bring truth-seekers like you together. Grateful for this profound essay!
At last night's meeting of the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard, one of the past year's accomplishments was listed as helping reverse the ban on distributing print copies of The Harvard Salient on campus.
Sounds like progress, yes, but progress from a very low starting point. Kind of like trying to establish the right to a free press in the former Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China.
One can get that impression from reading the Harvard Crimson, but interacting with colleagues on the Council on Academic Freedom creates a much more optimistic impression. However, things at Harvard proceed at a glacial pace, and as Ira Stoll has documented, there are many instances of backsliding.
Thank you, Sarah, for this personal perspective on the past 15 years, or so, at Harvard. Having a Harvard experience that spanned more than a decade, you bring a unique set of vantage points to this forum.
As a 1980's alumnus of the College - and father to a talented ballerina, pianist, and Harvard applicant for the Class of 2030 - I am more than casually interested. My conservative daughter, Katherine, is intrigued by Harvard, not only for its stature, resources, and architecture but also because she has a 3 generation legacy there. Should she attend, she would be the fourth generation.
She and I both, however, are a bit concerned about the extremity of the left wing biases that have emerged there during the past 10 years, or so. Not only is it a matter of feeling welcome as a conservative, but it is also a matter of personal safety. Katherine is a petit ballerina and pianist. She is not a military veteran with self defense skills, something that might be important for today's Harvard conservatives.
As she prepares for her final high school piano performance in May, when she will play the solo piano part of the dramatic and complex Piano Concerto in A Minor by Grieg, Katherine is currently leaning towards my wife's alma mater, Brigham Young University, here in Provo, UT. Her older brother Benjamin has just begun his undergraduate college career at BYU. I also work at BYU, now, as a part-time lab instructor, while I pursue a PhD in Molecular Biology under the tutelage of a BYU Professor who did his PhD at Yale and his post-doc at Stanford.
BYU has been investing substantially into the Provo campus. Since the turn of the 21st Century, BYU has invested an estimated $2 Billion into new buildings and improvements, which includes a beautiful new Music building with a wonderful performance theatre and a very nice new lab building for the Life Sciences (where I go work every day). Planning is also underway for a new BYU Medical School to come online in 3-4 years time. I assume that will require at least another $1 Billion investment, maybe more.
For Katherine, this combination of conservative culture, new plant and equipment, proximity to our family home (my commute is less than 4 miles each way), and her wonderfully protective older brother may prove to outweigh the allure of Harvard. There is also something about keeping the whole family together in the same county which appeals to me. Nevertheless, if she is accepted at Harvard this year, I'm sure she will carefully consider it.
My own personal and family issues aside, I will continue to take an interest in what is happening at Harvard, not only as an alumnus but also as a concerned citizen of the USA.
So beautifully said. Thank you! Godspeed on your life's journey.
Thank you, Sarah, and The Salient. Your story aligns with many in our book, Finding God at Harvard. And the sequel (my story). And the Veritas Forums in which I'd bring truth-seekers like you together. Grateful for this profound essay!
Beautifully written.
At last night's meeting of the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard, one of the past year's accomplishments was listed as helping reverse the ban on distributing print copies of The Harvard Salient on campus.
Sounds like progress, yes, but progress from a very low starting point. Kind of like trying to establish the right to a free press in the former Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China.
One can get that impression from reading the Harvard Crimson, but interacting with colleagues on the Council on Academic Freedom creates a much more optimistic impression. However, things at Harvard proceed at a glacial pace, and as Ira Stoll has documented, there are many instances of backsliding.
It remains to be seen, I think, whether lip service translates into meaningful action.
Thank you, Sarah, for this personal perspective on the past 15 years, or so, at Harvard. Having a Harvard experience that spanned more than a decade, you bring a unique set of vantage points to this forum.
As a 1980's alumnus of the College - and father to a talented ballerina, pianist, and Harvard applicant for the Class of 2030 - I am more than casually interested. My conservative daughter, Katherine, is intrigued by Harvard, not only for its stature, resources, and architecture but also because she has a 3 generation legacy there. Should she attend, she would be the fourth generation.
She and I both, however, are a bit concerned about the extremity of the left wing biases that have emerged there during the past 10 years, or so. Not only is it a matter of feeling welcome as a conservative, but it is also a matter of personal safety. Katherine is a petit ballerina and pianist. She is not a military veteran with self defense skills, something that might be important for today's Harvard conservatives.
As she prepares for her final high school piano performance in May, when she will play the solo piano part of the dramatic and complex Piano Concerto in A Minor by Grieg, Katherine is currently leaning towards my wife's alma mater, Brigham Young University, here in Provo, UT. Her older brother Benjamin has just begun his undergraduate college career at BYU. I also work at BYU, now, as a part-time lab instructor, while I pursue a PhD in Molecular Biology under the tutelage of a BYU Professor who did his PhD at Yale and his post-doc at Stanford.
BYU has been investing substantially into the Provo campus. Since the turn of the 21st Century, BYU has invested an estimated $2 Billion into new buildings and improvements, which includes a beautiful new Music building with a wonderful performance theatre and a very nice new lab building for the Life Sciences (where I go work every day). Planning is also underway for a new BYU Medical School to come online in 3-4 years time. I assume that will require at least another $1 Billion investment, maybe more.
For Katherine, this combination of conservative culture, new plant and equipment, proximity to our family home (my commute is less than 4 miles each way), and her wonderfully protective older brother may prove to outweigh the allure of Harvard. There is also something about keeping the whole family together in the same county which appeals to me. Nevertheless, if she is accepted at Harvard this year, I'm sure she will carefully consider it.
My own personal and family issues aside, I will continue to take an interest in what is happening at Harvard, not only as an alumnus but also as a concerned citizen of the USA.
Thanks again for sharing your point of view.
Best wishes for the future!
Jonathan L. Gal (rhymes with "ball")
AB Biology 1989
When will there be another Conservative & Republican Student Conference at Harvard?
Beautiful essay Sarah
Zionism is up there with fringe right & woke left
Brava!