 | | FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE OFFICE |  | Volume 2027 • Issue 22
March 4, 2024 |
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All times listed in the Yard Bulletin are Eastern Time (ET). Note: due to Spring Recess, there will be no Yard Bulletin published Monday, March 11. | | Message from Dean Straker | We are looking forward to celebrating Housing Day Eve and Housing Day with you on Wednesday and Thursday! While there is a good amount of anticipation and excitement, remember that this should be a joyous time where all College policies and local laws are in effect. The First-Year Experience Office will be hosting food trucks, a snack bar, and games down at the MAC on Wednesday evening, and we will be up celebrating with you first thing the next morning.
While you will have regular swipe access to the Houses on Housing Day Eve, we ask that you allow the Ho-Cos space to prepare to welcome you on Housing Day. There will be additional staffing throughout campus, especially in the Yard and river communities, to make sure everyone stays healthy and safe. If at any point you need assistance, do not hesitate to contact HUPD or the Proctor on call for your Yard. | | As you prepare for spring break, please make sure you lock your doors and windows when you leave and throughout the rest of the semester, as we continue to work to keep our community safe and secure. Do not prop open room or floor doors or tape door locks to remain open. Doors should never be propped open with bricks or other items. If you open your window, make sure the vent locks are engaged and screens are in place. If doors, locks, or windows are in need of repair, place a work order through Yard Ops. | | First-Year Fun! |  | Friday, February 23, participants gathered in the Straus Common Room for the Share Your Words with the World: From Pitch to Publication workshop with Expos staff. | | | First-year students donned their best duds and joined classmates for the FYSC’s Gatsby Gala in Annenberg on Friday, February 23. | | | It may still be winter, but sunset is now 5:39PM. Get out there, and take advantage of the light! | | First-Year Arts |  | Hand Building Ceramics Planter Course. Create functional ceramic planters using traditional coil building and pinch forming techniques with clay! Craft and decorate a personalized planter from scratch. A small plant and soil will be provided once the planters are finished, so you can watch its growth. No arts experience necessary. Sign up to attend. Drop-in classes will run Wednesdays: March 20, March 27, and April 3, 4-7PM, First-Year Arts Room, Holworthy. | | DSO Student Leadership Awards |  | DSO Student Leadership Awards are open! Every spring, the Dean of Students Office recognizes individuals and student organizations across the College who demonstrate outstanding leadership and significant contributions to student life. There are four categories dedicated to first-year students: Civic Engagement (public service); Creativity (arts); Emerging Global Leader (community building); and Veritas (intellectual curiosity). Submit nominations by Friday, March 29. | |
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 | First-Year Intramurals presents the grand finale of March MAC-ness, a 3v3 basketball tournament. This is the last IM event before Housing Day. Team up with two dormmates, register, and play at the MAC tonight (Monday)! Email froshims@fas.harvard.edu if you can't find a team but still want in, and we'll help coordinate. Reminder: no experience/skill necessary to play IMs. Have fun! |  | Join the Harvard College Women’s Center for this lecture led by Natasha Alford, Harvard College alum and author of American Negra. Barker Center 133. |
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 | This Mahindra Humanities Center event will bring together formerly incarcerated artists and writers to explore the relationship between making art and creating change, both within prisons and outside the walls. The panel will feature Russell Craig, Morgan Godvin, and Eric Christo Martinez. Moderated by Elizabeth Hinton. Sever Hall 113. |
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 | Join the Mahindra Humanities Center for a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Kai Bird on Oppenheimer. B is the co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, which was the basis for the 2023 film Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan. Science Center, Hall C. |
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Check the First-Year Events Calendar regularly for events of special interest to first-year students. | | Reminders |
Today, March 4, 11:59PM: Excellence in Academic Advising Awards Nomination deadline. These awards recognizes individuals in the pre-concentration academic advising network who have contributed to excellence in academic advising, through their critical academic support and guidance of undergraduate students.
Thursday, March 7: Housing Day. You will receive your House assignment during scheduled morning activities.
Friday, March 8: Deadline to take the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (NCHA). You should have received an email from Executive Director of HUHS, Dr. Giang Nguyen, with your personal link to take the NCHA survey. The survey takes 20 minutes, and you will receive a $10 gift card.
March 9-17: Spring Recess. Annenberg will close after dinner on Friday, March 8, and re-open for brunch on Sunday, March 17. Students remaining on campus during Spring Recess may eat at Adams, Currier, or Quincy House dining halls.
Sunday, March 10: Daylight Saving Time begins. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour!
Friday, March 15 - Sunday, March 17: First-Year Earth Compassion Retreat. This spring break, retreat to the stunning Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA! All expenses paid; transportation from campus provided. Apply now; limited space available. | | Resources |  |
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QUIRC Community Dinner: Meditation. Join QUIRC for a community dinner centered around the transformative practice of meditation. We will discuss the benefits and challenges of maintaining a meditation practice and engage in a 15-minute meditation sit. Monday, March 4, 7-8PM, Smith Center, Riverview Commons. |  | The Power of Speech: Public Speaking Workshops. Engage with different layers of identity in these workshops, designed to get you more comfortable speaking from identity and applying it in various scenarios. Monday, March 4: Gray Areas: Speaking from Identity; Monday, March 18: Story Telling and Public Speaking. Sign up and learn more on the Writing Center Scheduler. | Language Placement Exams: French, German, Italian, and Spanish. If you have not met the language requirement, or are on track to do so by the end of your 3rd term, a language requirement hold will be placed on your record. Your advisor will lift the hold once you’ve discussed your plan to meet the requirement. If you have prior experience studying the language, and you plan on taking your first course at Harvard in one of these languages, you are required to complete the language placement exam. Your instructor will ask for the exam result. Registration runs Tuesday, March 5 -Tuesday, April 16. If you wish to use the placement exam in order to fulfill the requirement, you must qualify by taking a live verification exam. It is only the passing of the verification exam that fulfills the requirement. Plan accordingly, as verification exams are not given beyond Wednesday, April 17. Placement exams offered in other languages can be viewed on the Placement Exams website. Questions: placement-help@fas.harvard.edu. | Improving Your Performance After Exam Results (STEM). Join the ARC for a discussion on how to process your performance on an exam and identify opportunities to adjust your specific approach. Register through the ARC Scheduler. Friday, March 22, 12-1PM, ARC, 1414 Mass Ave., 382. |
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| Fun Stuff to Do over Spring Break |  | Staying on campus during spring break? Take advantage of your free time by exploring all the Boston/Cambridge area has to offer, and discover new things right in your own backyard! | | Chinatown. Love Chinese food and other types of Asian cuisine? Never tried Dim Sum? Transport yourself to another land, and check out Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, boasting restaurants on every block with authentic and delicious food. Accessible from the Chinatown T stop on the Orange Line or the South Station T stop on the Red Line. |
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| Bunker Hill. Learn about the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Monument through the exhibits at the museum. Then, climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument for a panoramic view of the city, and enjoy the surrounding park, situated in the historic heart of Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood. |
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| | Freedom Trail. Walk the path of the American Revolution on Boston’s Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile, red-brick path leading to several historic sites, like Paul Revere’s house and the USS Constitution. Stroll through many of the city’s hot spots, like Fanueil Hall, Beacon Hill, and the North End. |
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| Salem, MA. Need a witch fix? Want to see the House of Seven Gables? Take a trip to Salem, MA, infamous for the Salem Witch Trials and one of New England’s maritime treasures. Whether it’s haunted houses, graveyards, unusual museums, seaport sites, or great restaurants that pique your interest, you’ll find it here. Just a short trip on the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line from North Station. |
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| Discover more cool stuff to do! | | Career Sphere | Mignone Center for Career Success Workshops. Register to attend any of the following events: Pre-Health Question Center. Monday, March 4, 6:30-7:30PM, Annenberg and virtual. Making the Most of Your Summer Experience. Tuesday, March 5, 4-4:45PM, virtual. MCS & Salata Institute: Careers in Corporate Sustainability and Climate Action. Thursday, March 7, 6-8PM, MCS, 54 Dunster St.
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 | Checkout BAF 2024: “Afrofuturism.” The Kuumba singers invite you to Black Arts Festival—a week of creativity, storytelling, and artistic expression, as we celebrate Black communities! | Get Creative with Puppet Building: Little Shop of Horrors. Monday, March 4, 12PM, is the deadline to apply to join the creative team building puppets for an April, student-led production of Little Shop of Horrors. Working with Kate Brehm, resident puppet-expert in Theater, Dance & Media, students gain skills in stitching, carpentry, sculpting, costuming, and painting. Direct questions to Dana Knox. |  |
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Join the Orientation Welcoming Committee (OWC). Help welcome the Class of 2028 to campus! The Orientation Welcoming Committee (OWC) creates an exciting environment for first-year students through planning and executing social activities and events during Orientation. OWC provides opportunities for incoming students to connect with their class, the College, and the greater community. Be a voice in the planning of Orientation, and help create new signature events. Apply March 4-29. |  |
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Submit your Art to the First-Ever Women's Week Zine. Calling all artists and creatives! Are you passionate about highlighting the intersectional experiences of women and gender-expansive people? Then submit your work to the Women’s Week Zine by Friday, March 8! |  | Join the 2024 World Congress on Moral Injury, Trauma, Spirituality and Healing! Here for spring break? Come to this event where medical professionals, ethics experts, and spiritual leaders will discuss the intersection of medicine and spirituality. Monday, March 11, 1-5PM, Sanders Theatre. |  | Showcase Your Work in The Harvard Advocate. Got poems? Maybe even an art piece? The Advocate, the oldest collegiate literary magazine, wants your work! Join the ranks of Pulitzer Prize winners and starving artists: art and poetry due Sunday, March 17. | Submit Your Reflection for the General Education Prize. The Program in General Education has established this prize to inspire you to reflect on the transformational nature of your Gen Ed learning experiences. Up to five $500 prizes will be awarded annually. Submissions are due Monday, March 18. |  | Enjoy Uncommon Fare with Dean Khurana. Rakesh Khurana is the Danoff Dean of Harvard College, a professor of sociology and organizational behavior, and holds the Marvin Bower Professorship of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School. He is celebrated for his research in leadership and management and his contributions to the development of leadership studies as an academic field. Register to attend. Thursday, March 20, 6-8PM, Harvard Faculty Club. |  | Intern with the World Health Organization (WHO) This Summer. Harvard undergraduates interested in pursuing a summer internship opportunity with the World Health Organization (WHO) can apply directly through the WHO Careers site using the online recruitment system (Stellis). Limited funding is available through the Harvard Global Health Institute, however, there are many applicants, so funding is not guaranteed. Applications are due Wednesday, April 10, 11:59PM. |
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| Journal Project | Journal Project Prompt: Reflect on a moment when you felt a deep connection to a cause greater than yourself. How did this contribute to your understanding of self-transcendence? | |
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