Some have criticized the Harvard University Police Department reaction to the Occupy Harvard movement, pointing to their firm stand against letting protesters into the Yard and their stations at various gates as unnecessary. Indeed, I witnessed protesters yelling “Shame on you” at HUPD officers. However, the officers were simply carrying out their obligation to protect the student body and Harvard community. The antagonism toward them was unnecessary and detracted from the movement’s points. The Yard is a residential area for most freshmen and now, with Harvard students sleeping outdoors, it is especially important to ensure all of their safety. I generally support the Occupy movements, their goals and think they point to some key concerns our country needs to reckon with. However, the attempt by some affiliated with Occupy Harvard to vilify HUPD was uncalled for.
Kathy Wang ’14 is a Crimson editorial writer.
Mistakes on Both Sides
Observing Occupy Harvard and its multifarious responses has been an extraordinary exercise in evaluating polarizing rhetoric. Occupy Harvard touts Harvard as a fundamentally corrupt institution for the one percent, a perspective that is decidedly dichotomous and downright frightening. That is not to say that Harvard does not have ample room for improvement, but let’s give credit where credit is due: Harvard awards an enormous sum of financial aid to students in need and aggressively seeks to increase its socioeconomic diversity each year. Moreover, as the 180:1 campaign would have us know, the lowest paid Harvard employee earns upwards of $40,000 per year. In other words, the salary of every Harvard service worker is greater than or equal to the US median household income.
Yet critiques of Occupy Harvard are as problematic as the movement’s shortcomings. Occupiers have been disparaged for everything from lacking a coherent agenda to refusing to engage with existing political institutions to inconveniencing pedestrians in Harvard Yard. Such criticisms are wholly and fundamentally misguided: Occupy is cognizant of its refusal to engage with existing institutions, and that is precisely the point. Occupy is not about pushing a singular, unchanging political agenda. It is about transforming the political process. It is about creating a space for non-normative political participation and experimenting with absolute, unyielding democracy. It is about the means much more than the ends. If you don't know that, you haven’t been paying attention.
Marina N. Bolotnikova ’14 is a Crimson editorial writer.
A Student’s Right
There are certainly lots of valid critiques of Occupy Harvard, but it is absolutely ridiculous to tell Harvard students that they can't critique their university's policies in an effort to promote ethical investment, workers' rights, support of the local community, and more inclusiveness for students of all backgrounds. Sure, being a Harvard student confers immense privilege. That doesn't mean that Harvard students can't work to make their local and global economies more egalitarian and fair. In fact, it means that students here concerned about the increasing gap between the rich and poor in the US have even more responsibility to speak out about Harvard's complicity with fundamentally inequitable systems.
Sandra Y.L. Korn ’14 is a Crimson editorial writer.
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