{"componentChunkName":"component---src-pages-surveys-js","path":"/surveys/","result":{"data":{"page":{"id":"-a86ed3d8-a81f-5daf-aca9-2bd4bed3576b","title":"Survey Group","_rawBody":[{"_key":"df3482cdce04","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"df3482cdce040","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"HODP Surveys"},{"_key":"df3482cdce041","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" is the Harvard College Open Data Project's method of collecting survey data about the Harvard student body. In order to make taking surveys as easy as possible and without bothering those that are not interested in surveys, we use a survey group where students interested in helping with our mission can sign up and receive occasional surveys. They fill out their demographic information one time and all future survey responses will be linked to that initial demographic info. As a result, we are able to make surveys quicker and easier for students to fill out while still enabling sufficient information to conduct analysis."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"031a94fd0162","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"031a94fd01620","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Privacy Measures"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"101968413182","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1019684131820","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"HODP takes student privacy very seriously in our survey responses. We believe that to obtain a large quantity of genuine responses, students must feel that their survey responses will be properly anonymous. As a result, we have taken a series of measures to ensure the privacy of HODP students."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"23ed6c65029e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"23ed6c65029e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Aggregate Data Only"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h3"},{"_key":"d3eb3b62904b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d3eb3b62904b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We will never publish individual responses from the survey nor give them to any non-HODP party. We will only publish analysis based on aggregate responses, and we will only publish such analysis if we are confident that the data is properly anonymized such that the respondents cannot be identified."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"63f0149c2a14","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"63f0149c2a140","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Review of Data Requests"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h3"},{"_key":"ab738b51120e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ab738b51120e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Only HODP executive committee members wil have direct access to the database and be able to pull response data. Any HODP members who wish to access some subset of the survey data will be required to submit a request that will be reviewed by the executive committee. The retrieval of all data will be done by automated script so executive committee members will also not have direct access to the raw response data."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"da199adf1ccf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"da199adf1ccf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Internal Anonymization"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h3"},{"_key":"42fa0aebd989","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"42fa0aebd9890","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In order to link responses, we use email addresses. However, we also want to make it so that executive committee members cannot accidentally see individual survey responses. So, in our database we do not link individuals via email address, but using a unique hash of their email address so that at first glance any individuals in the database cannot be easily linked to their responses. See below for more specifics of the structure of the surveys database."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"_rawBodySecondary":[{"_key":"1bd644dc5b86","_type":"preview","header":"What Will Harvard Students do this Fall?","link":{"_type":"link","internalLink":{"_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_id":"613424dd-849e-4586-afae-3b4fc3a66d04","_type":"project","_rev":"5mW8uWF9hIPL0EjKSjknWU","_createdAt":"2020-07-31T23:30:22Z","_updatedAt":"2020-08-02T07:21:51Z","body":[{"_key":"1de83e4849e1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1de83e4849e10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"At a glance"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"2bcba628807c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2bcba628807c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"70 percent of students are at least somewhat likely to enroll, and 15 percent are extremely unlikely"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d6d3e11b7860","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d6d3e11b78600","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"First-years approve of Harvard policy more than upper-class students"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3e8969d44f23","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e8969d44f230","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"40 percent of off-campus enrollees will try to live with Harvard friends"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e113187ee0e9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e113187ee0e90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Majority of students are unhappy with the plan overall (average rating of 5.1/10)"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"990c21eba879","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"990c21eba8790","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Students who predicted more people in their year would enroll are likelier to enroll"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"33e83d26e5a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"33e83d26e5a50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most students want more assistance for students on financial aid"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b7c1e95f9710","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b7c1e95f97100","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"48b5d5b26880","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"48b5d5b268800","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On July 6th, Harvard students woke up to an all too familiar sight: an email from the administration with a major announcement about Harvard policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration announced that the Fall 2020 semester would be taught entirely online, and that only incoming first-years and a subset of approved upper-level students would be allowed to return to campus. Everyone else would spend another semester learning remotely, with seniors prioritized to return in the Spring."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"02780ee5779c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"02780ee5779c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We at the Harvard College Open Data Project wanted to see how students reacted to the new policy. We sent out a survey to the student body on the evening of Tuesday, July 7th, one day after the announcement, that ran until the evening of July 11th. In total, we received "},{"_key":"02780ee5779c1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1766"},{"_key":"02780ee5779c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" responses, which represents just above one quarter of the undergraduate student body, including incoming first-years. Here is what we found."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2435e79aa6a3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2435e79aa6a30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Who is coming back?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"6d0bddabb6d3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6d0bddabb6d30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With the majority of students not allowed to return to campus, and with heavy restrictions in place for those who are, many students are considering taking the Fall semester off and returning when things are more normal."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b739e5c2e58c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b739e5c2e58c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The majority of students, 74 percent, told us that they were at least somewhat likely to enroll for the Fall, while a sizable minority, 15 percent told us that they were extremely unlikely to return."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"4c0d68ebd65c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4c0d68ebd65c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The results also heavily differed by class year, with first-years significantly more likely to enroll than upper level students. (The high enrollment of first-years could be because they are the only class cohort allowed on campus in the Fall, because incoming first-years have already had a chance to defer, or some combination of both.)"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"598e4bbff8ef","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-79e5168b201b4d0e2aa99fa573be257f08311933-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"aacb97e0f5c5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"aacb97e0f5c50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Our sample had considerably more incoming first-year respondents than respondents from any other class year, so we re-weighted the responses based on how many students are actually in each class year."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d8f0a138693a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d8f0a138693a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After this adjustment, around 70.6 percent of the student body is extremely or somewhat likely to return."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"ac987174d8d1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ac987174d8d10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We also examined enrollment likelihood among international students and based on financial aid status. The same day that Harvard announced its policy, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that international students would not be allowed to remain in the United States if courses at their school were entirely online."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dd51ffc3bf9c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dd51ffc3bf9c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Predictably, international students were less likely than the general population to favor enrolling, given that they would not be allowed in the U.S. and would potentially be forced to live in a very different timezone. Conversely, students on financial aid (53 percent of our sample) were more likely to enroll than the student body at large."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"ce48e61d9015","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-70813407f0c7d14eeae77c7ceadee17af6709882-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"49cf1c1558d10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To get a slightly better estimate of fall enrollees, we conducted simulations assuming that "},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d11","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"99"},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d12","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of “Extremely likely,” "},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d13","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"75"},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d14","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of “Somewhat likely,” "},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d15","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"25"},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d16","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of “Somewhat unlikely,” and "},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d17","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1"},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d18","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of “Extremely unlikely” respondents would enroll in the Fall. Our simulations predicted that around "},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d19","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"68"},{"_key":"49cf1c1558d110","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of students would enroll."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"179053c10476","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-86cc59bb9c887d51d74e9bf905fb73554b857934-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"25e4e9c668d6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"25e4e9c668d60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Another way of trying to gauge the percentage of students who will enroll is to use the wisdom of the crowds, so we asked students what they predicted the overall enrollment would be. The average prediction was around "},{"_key":"25e4e9c668d61","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"70"},{"_key":"25e4e9c668d62","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent, which is exactly the reported proportion of students likely to enroll after re-weighting for class year. The distribution of predictions is below, with the dashed line representing the (unweighted) proportion of respondents who said they were extremely or somewhat likely to enroll:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"651692d072e6","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-c1983149a183fe6aef7bc92ba32a3a42e0f102ce-1028x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"f2a595f27127","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f2a595f271270","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We also asked students how many students in their class year they thought would enroll, and once again, the results are more or less consistent with what students were reporting about their own enrollment:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"49feb277da28","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-adc312bf17ddb65a0de26969af8c6611dad5a4d3-1028x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"a075a2b940f8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a075a2b940f80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One interesting point that we found in an "},{"_key":"a075a2b940f81","_type":"span","marks":["9a73f482d3d4"],"text":"earlier analysis"},{"_key":"a075a2b940f82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" was that students were most likely to enroll if they thought their friends would enroll. We tested that prediction by comparing a respondent’s individual likelihood of enrolling to the proportion of students they predicted would enroll in the fall. We found that respondents who thought a greater proportion of students would enroll were more likely to enroll themselves:"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"9a73f482d3d4","_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_ref":"5ffb489d-1927-4341-aa13-56af4924ce31","_type":"reference"}}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9b13d5157c37","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-03d6d3d95d95fb679c58e6c917c85e64c9577fb6-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"db0a524865a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"db0a524865a90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The relationship was even stronger when comparing individuals’ likelihood of enrolling with the share of students they predicted would enroll within their class year. This makes sense because most students likely want to stay with friends in the same year, so students who think most of their friends are not coming back would also be less likely to enroll themselves:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3c4b93f866a0","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-44d9b987135ac498a8680f2e07d97788501e7334-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"9a7b4cf455ba","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9a7b4cf455ba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With many students considering taking time off, we wanted to understand if they would only take one semester off, or an entire year. For the most part, students who were considering taking time off said they would take the Fall off, and then wait and see for the Spring. However, around a third of students reported that if they took time off, they would plan to take the entire year off rather than just one semester:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6d1748b8d613","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-e513004cdbf31cc09c1db18f9498c1b7163bfbdc-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"8d389a571238","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8d389a5712380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We also wanted to see what restless Harvard students might do if they took time off."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c6737d065403","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c6737d0654030","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"65 percent of students reported that they would try to find an internship or some type of industry work if they took time off."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"597ae6e9913e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"597ae6e9913e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Only "},{"_key":"597ae6e9913e1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"3"},{"_key":"597ae6e9913e2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of students said they would “Chill at home” without seeking other opportunities."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a740e2a23d00","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-048ae77c3e0c8a0c7da4a15cb7cf78f1c260fa75-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"abdf53a805cd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"abdf53a805cd0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On campus or at home?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"92bfbe167b75","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"92bfbe167b750","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While only incoming first-years were guaranteed to return to campus, Harvard is allowing upper-level students to petition to return to campus under certain circumstances. "},{"_key":"92bfbe167b751","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"19"},{"_key":"92bfbe167b752","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of upper-class students reported that they were planning to petition to return."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e14755c6b950","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e14755c6b9500","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Under Harvard’s petitioning process, students must indicate which criteria for needing to be on campus apply to them. We posted these same criteria in our survey, and found that the most common criteria satisfied by students had to do with mental health or difficulties working at home:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e30f8d87a4d1","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-e67eb18a67faab32506ee62565a2500042779ba0-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"c72e16681619","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c72e166816190","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"42"},{"_key":"c72e166816191","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of students indicated that they would not satisfy any of the criteria, with an average of "},{"_key":"c72e166816192","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1.26"},{"_key":"c72e166816193","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" criteria satisfied per student."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"33d104cf6370","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"33d104cf63700","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Students were generally pessimistic about their chances of returning. Among upper-class students planning to enroll, upwards of "},{"_key":"33d104cf63701","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"60"},{"_key":"33d104cf63702","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent thought that they would be extremely unlikely to be eligible to return."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b81cedcd2b88","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-52d91bc428e62ed7114d96e4776e0cf08a65e023-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"0855a9dc6848","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0855a9dc68480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most students however, would be happy to return if given the chance. Over "},{"_key":"0855a9dc68481","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"80"},{"_key":"0855a9dc68482","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of all respondents said that, if eligible, they would be extremely or somewhat likely to go on-campus in the Fall."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fa08549bb2e3","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-fe591feb6e8e309f1a8c698ac1c3f63b33224b5f-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"9a23966a64ba","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9a23966a64ba0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To gauge whether students were more likely to return if they thought the risk of infection was lower, we asked students to predict what proportion of students on campus they believed would be infected by COVID-19 during the semester. We found that students who were more likely to return if allowed had had a lower perception of the risk of infection from COVID:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ce3338b6239d","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-6cffae23d3b7f598c740b74b60b4ea703bd3bee2-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"030113c734e4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"030113c734e40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We also asked students to predict how many students would actually be on campus among those enrolled. On average, students predicted that 40 percent of enrollees would be on campus, compared to 43 percent of students who reported that they would be enrolling and likely on campus in our survey. This was about on par with the administration’s stated intention to bring back 40 percent of the student body on campus:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7796f2b20bba","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-d005f8cc39dd874a5ab562393a4f6d989d105760-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"b336cfcc013c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b336cfcc013c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Finally, we were curious about where students would take classes if they were not allowed to return. Many students had discussed renting apartments or AirBnbs to live with friends during the semester. Though 85% of students in an "},{"_key":"b336cfcc013c1","_type":"span","marks":["5206198a73fa"],"text":"earlier survey"},{"_key":"b336cfcc013c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" reported living in their family home after leaving campus in March, we found that only half of students planned to take courses from a family home in the Fall."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5206198a73fa","_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_ref":"5ffb489d-1927-4341-aa13-56af4924ce31","_type":"reference"}}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ffd323987c9c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ffd323987c9c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A considerable portion (40 percent) of likely off-campus enrollees indicated that they would try to live with Harvard friends."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"ddac8fe4a0cb","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-1a8c0501112897fdd6c1631482e63f685dda90b9-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"6c441c008342","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6c441c0083420","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Overall reactions"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"dbf087646287","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dbf0876462870","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This survey was by far the most popular survey that HODP has ever sent out, likely due to the fact that students have strong opinions about Harvard’s policies."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f4d6a69bffcb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f4d6a69bffcb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We asked students to evaluate the policy overall, and it was met with a generally lukewarm response, with an average rating of 5.15 on a scale of 1 to 10:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"e13e2097a679","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-b241e9da79f9eace5bf76144e8a77acff5e3a465-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"480eda223d32","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"480eda223d320","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Unsurprisingly, first-years, who are allowed on campus in the Fall, rated the Fall plan a full point higher than the next cohort. Seniors, who are slated to be allowed back in the Spring, were the next most approving."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0acf9312e651","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-9865630bbb226df0d419114c5fff9ba093446dae-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"a97fd0cc1783","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a97fd0cc17830","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most respondents felt that too few students were allowed to return to campus, although disaggregating results by year shows a number of upper-level students agree with the number of students allowed to return, but thought a different cohort should have been chosen in the Fall."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"42aebec2b535","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-43eb60753f0eb123bcaf6e4bc229dd3c003dc011-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"0ee51d1c5b7c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0ee51d1c5b7c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Students were more satisfied with the number of precautionary measures taken to protect on-campus students, which includes testing every three days and heavily restricted movement. On-campus students will have swipe access only to Harvard University Health Services, their dorm, and one assigned dining hall. No guests (including other Harvard students) are allowed in dorms."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"190872fd78af","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-6536bb473464cd44fc4a63b3ae3a7a97c64d6187-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"c69c2628a9d8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c69c2628a9d80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We can gauge how effective students think these precautions will be based on how many students they think will be infected during the Fall semester. The distribution was right-skewed, so the mean prediction of "},{"_key":"c69c2628a9d81","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"22"},{"_key":"c69c2628a9d82","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent was considerably higher than the median prediction of "},{"_key":"c69c2628a9d83","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"15"},{"_key":"c69c2628a9d84","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of the on-campus students being infected by COVID-19."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e2e24620aae1","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-5adaef7686094b2ac6b3e8c5e9afeb5263c21164-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"9b1a38c5841b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9b1a38c5841b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In addition to announcing the policy on returning to campus, Harvard also announced that they would take measures to address a variety of concerns students had with another virtual semester. For the most part, respondents were most unsatisfied with how Harvard addressed maintaining social interactions both on and off campus, but thought the administration did a better job addressing equity of access to school resources."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2d167bb957cc","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-84654e779d9b7ce5246d33f0d5410b88d2e006d4-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"4caade9b3121","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4caade9b31210","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We were also curious about how international students or students on financial aid rated Harvard’s policies. We did not survey students on the ICE order or how it affects Harvard’s plan since the order was released after Harvard announced their plans for the Fall (Harvard and MIT have since "},{"_key":"4caade9b31211","_type":"span","marks":["0e545bb69e76"],"text":"sued"},{"_key":"4caade9b31212","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" ICE, a move supported by many universities nationwide). However, we did want to check if international students’ opinions of the plans were notably different from their peers’."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"0e545bb69e76","_type":"link","blank":true,"href":"https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/7/8/harvard-mit-sue-immigration-authorities/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dfb45de14d36","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-3715094910044e655338c867e738443ea29953b0-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"d95ed796680a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d95ed796680a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We also wanted to gauge reactions to the plan’s accommodations for students on financial aid. Harvard announced that enrolled, off-campus students on financial aid will receive $5,000 a semester (in lieu of traditionally receiving aid that covers dorm costs) for their living expenses."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"099ebe4cc27b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"099ebe4cc27b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"43 percent of students believe Harvard isn’t providing enough money to students on financial aid, and a little over half believe the policy should have been individualized to student needs. 32 percent took no issue with the policy."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"b70c10905310","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-be226bfc24e2eea16ab488cc49fe2f3618f40c5b-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"2cd2902c4299","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2cd2902c42990","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Note that these percentages don’t add up to 100, since students could select multiple concerns (for example, that the money given should be increased and individualized)."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c19867cd4f58","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c19867cd4f580","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"53"},{"_key":"c19867cd4f581","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of our respondents reported being on some form of financial aid, matching almost exactly the "},{"_key":"c19867cd4f582","_type":"span","marks":["8db621b6302f"],"text":"55 percent of students"},{"_key":"c19867cd4f583","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" at the College on some aid. Financial aid policy opinions among students on financial aid matched the opinions of the overall sample."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"8db621b6302f","_type":"link","blank":true,"href":"https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ae684f659ebb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ae684f659ebb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In our "},{"_key":"ae684f659ebb1","_type":"span","marks":["9345dea3946e"],"text":"last analysis"},{"_key":"ae684f659ebb2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" of COVID-19 at Harvard, a majority of students favored a fully on-campus semester, but a plurality of respondents also said that if they were administrators, they would only allow some students on campus, which is what administrators actually did."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"9345dea3946e","_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_ref":"5ffb489d-1927-4341-aa13-56af4924ce31","_type":"reference"}}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e9c48e02969a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e9c48e02969a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Now that Harvard and many of its peer colleges have concretized plans, we wanted to see which fully fleshed-out plan students preferred. Many other Boston-area and Ivy League institutions are allowing more students on campus at a time and are allowing each class year back at some point."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5083d85c2c63","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5083d85c2c630","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Yale and Cornell stood out as having Harvard students’ preferred plans."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"b5f1b7b5d487","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-790661d5775e5aaf5c3b56034843a328d7ad66f1-1022x636-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"b5d1ce075b8a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b5d1ce075b8a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Yale announced a hybrid remote and in-person instructional model, with almost all undergraduate classes to be remote. First-years, juniors, and seniors will be allowed on campus in the Fall, and sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Spring, maintaining a 60 percent campus density compared to Harvard’s 40 percent. Cornell will welcome its entire undergraduate body back to campus in the Fall, also with a hybrid learning model. Both universities will impose social distancing rules on residential students."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fba097a2772c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fba097a2772c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Finally, we asked students for their qualitative thoughts on the policy and gave them a long-form answer box to reply."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"458cbbd58073","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"458cbbd580730","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most students mentioned wanting to be on-campus, while many also pointed out issues with tuition (which Harvard has left unchanged), social interactions, mental health, and online classes."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"64ed64b99009","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-dbd3d761c40ebad6bc6f4c7bbd4667df8515b4b9-1218x1140-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"A cloud of the most frequent words in students’ free-text responses. Common words such as “the” and “and” were removed, as were “students” and “Harvard.”"},{"_key":"028c5af2e958","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"028c5af2e9580","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We performed a sentiment analysis of the comments using a "},{"_key":"028c5af2e9581","_type":"span","marks":["538cc78a9cb8"],"text":"PyTorch Transformer"},{"_key":"028c5af2e9582","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" to gauge whether they were positive or negative. Three quarters of responses to Harvard’s policy were classified as negative, with first-years generally more positive than upper-class students. However, it is important to note only around half of respondents left a comment, and that those leaving a comment likely also had the strongest feelings about the policy."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"538cc78a9cb8","_type":"link","blank":true,"href":"https://github.com/huggingface/transformers"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dc0d0fda431a","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-c884b4baca7bec8e292f967aad88972750377d0d-1000x618-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"Sentiment analysis by Asher Noel"},{"_key":"cba7971d8471","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cba7971d84710","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sample Representativeness"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"122f3c0fa406","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"122f3c0fa4060","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We want to be transparent about the representativeness of our survey sample: We emailed the survey to undergraduate students in the classes of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. We had "},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4061","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1766"},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4062","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" respondents. "},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4063","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"54"},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4064","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of respondents reported being on financial aid, and "},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4065","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"13"},{"_key":"122f3c0fa4066","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent were international students, compared to 55 percent of students and 12 percent of students in the College overall, respectively."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"074d0d39b951","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"074d0d39b9510","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The racial and ethnic demographics of our respondents roughly match that of the College, though Black students were underrepresented by about "},{"_key":"074d0d39b9511","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"4"},{"_key":"074d0d39b9512","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percentage points ("},{"_key":"074d0d39b9513","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"10"},{"_key":"074d0d39b9514","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of our sample compared to "},{"_key":"074d0d39b9515","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"14"},{"_key":"074d0d39b9516","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of the College)."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cb3a036c46eb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cb3a036c46eb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The most significant skew in our data was an overrepresentation of incoming first-years. Members of the class of 2024 comprised about "},{"_key":"cb3a036c46eb1","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"38"},{"_key":"cb3a036c46eb2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" percent of our sample while comprising around a quarter of the student body overall. The proportions of sophomores, juniors, and seniors were roughly equal. To account for this, we re-weighted our data for visualizations in which we saw differences by year, such as enrollment, so that first-years accounted for a quarter."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d3207fd3a137","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d3207fd3a1370","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Final thoughts"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"01f6a2126a03","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"01f6a2126a030","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"It is fair to say that Harvard’s policy is not what most students were hoping for, but it’s also fair to say that with COVID-19, the semester could never be normal. Students are in for another semester of major disruptions to their learning, friendships, and college experiences. We are facing an unprecedented number of students planning to take time off to wait out the worst of the pandemic’s effects."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6a7fef01b6c5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6a7fef01b6c50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If students cannot return to campus for the Spring semester, many will have lost more than a quarter of their college career to COVID-19. And even if students are allowed back in the Spring, it will be a very different campus than the one they left in March 2020."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8d0cb744a1ab","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8d0cb744a1ab0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We are extremely grateful to the many students who filled out our survey, without whom this analysis would not have been possible. For students who are considering petitioning to live on campus, the deadline is tomorrow, Monday, July 13th. The non-binding deadline to decide to enroll or take a leave for the Fall semester is July 24th."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"69cc8ebb4a34","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"69cc8ebb4a340","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We hope that our analysis here has helped inform the Harvard community and will assist them as they continue to plan for the Fall semester."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cfb861ac0475","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cfb861ac04750","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\n"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"categories":[{"_key":"c4b9c8218616","_ref":"6e40d903-3845-4d26-9e73-529a3fdeb70d","_type":"reference"}],"excerpt":[{"_key":"9b364afbf0f5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9b364afbf0f50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Responses to the Fall 2020 policy and plans for the uncertain future."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"layout":"default","mainImage":{"_type":"mainImage","asset":{"_ref":"image-294fdde7dd7c897adea3b842e6b972f876b944fc-1400x875-png","_type":"reference"}},"members":[{"_key":"90632d37f074","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"e8320214-6421-47b0-a196-ab007c70aebb","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author"]},{"_key":"af6c88b137ec","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"58f9f783-d528-4c25-9aa7-9be55cf05098","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author"]}],"publishedAt":"2020-07-12T07:00:00.000Z","relatedProjects":[{"_key":"8c89a5ea27b1","_ref":"5ffb489d-1927-4341-aa13-56af4924ce31","_type":"reference"}],"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"what-will-harvard-students-do-this-fall"},"subjects":[{"_key":"639d0b98a7fc","_ref":"c4a3e461-ea18-4002-8a56-80500bfe17c2","_type":"reference"}],"title":"What will Harvard students do this Fall?","id":"-36d90027-6777-58b2-9517-1125ef107b82","children":[],"internal":{"type":"SanityProject","contentDigest":"dfaf9877e8c49199e1c059662223fb19","owner":"gatsby-source-sanity","counter":344},"parent":null,"__gatsby_resolved":{"slug":{"current":"what-will-harvard-students-do-this-fall"},"publishedAt":"2020-07-12T07:00:00.000Z"}}}}},{"_key":"28e57e3abd57","_type":"preview","link":{"_type":"link","internalLink":{"_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_id":"5ffb489d-1927-4341-aa13-56af4924ce31","_type":"project","_rev":"5mW8uWF9hIPL0EjKSjdUYI","_createdAt":"2020-07-31T23:29:57Z","_updatedAt":"2020-08-02T06:10:22Z","body":[{"_key":"0b078031541c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0b078031541c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"On March 10th, Harvard College students awoke to a new reality. President Lawrence Bacow announced in an email that students had to leave campus by the end of the week in light of the threat posed by COVID-19. What followed was perhaps the most unusual semester in Harvard history."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4180084e40f9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4180084e40f90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We at the Harvard Open Data Project wanted to investigate how students responded to the pandemic and the disrupted semester. We conducted three surveys over the course of the semester to capture both students’ immediate responses and their retrospective accounts: we sent out the first survey in March, right after students were starting online classes (437 responses). The second survey was conducted in April, as the University announced that all undergraduate courses would be graded with an Emergency SAT/UNSAT system (190 responses). And the final survey took place at the end of the semester, with students looking ahead to an uncertain future (179 responses)."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"788233879aa6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"788233879aa60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In this article, we use our survey results to analyze how students reacted to leaving campus and taking classes at home, as well as what they think will happen looking forward. We hope this is able to better inform the Harvard community about how the pandemic has affected students, and to hopefully guide decisions moving forward."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c7e0d5cb2c92","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c7e0d5cb2c920","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Leaving campus"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"e0139e3d2168","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e0139e3d21680","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With only five days’ notice, undergraduates had to quickly make plans to leave campus. Students had to figure out where they would live, how they would get there, and where they would store their items on campus. The College and the Undergraduate Council announced that they would provide stipends to assist with moving, but many students nonetheless had to pay out of pocket to cover the expenses. The median student spent $250 moving off campus. 19% of students reported no out of pocket expenses from the moveout, while 10% of students reported spending in excess of $1000."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a848c809d0b6","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-8ee89e00fd8452279995554e9c77d9f3e5b09510-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"017cdd6f535b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"017cdd6f535b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The vast majority (85%) of students returned to a family home, while only 3% of students reported staying on campus. The remaining students either stayed with a friend (6%), had their own apartment (3%), or had some other living arrangement (2%). Three quarters of students lived with a time-difference of less than 3 hours from East Coast time, with 61% of students living on the East Coast."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"223367d4b2aa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"223367d4b2aa0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While it is not known how many students were infected with coronavirus, Harvard University Health Services did announce that Harvard affiliates had tested positive for COVID-19 prior to students leaving campus. It is unknown whether those infected were students."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"394a95ec6cb9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"394a95ec6cb90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"However, nearly 30 percent of students reported experiencing some flu-like symptoms in the weeks after leaving campus."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"de10570f45e6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"de10570f45e60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While we do not know whether or not these were related to COVID-19, it is nonetheless indicative of the potential danger of sending possibly infected students off-campus and across the country."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3cb81734a042","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-dd8d146d560d1472834eab5f27c1fed7de6b2cfc-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"Asked in March 2020, two weeks after leaving campus"},{"_key":"75810db9f183","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"75810db9f1830","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"At the time, it was difficult to get tested for the virus, and only 2 percent of respondents reported receiving COVID-19 test. However, the uncertainty over exposure on campus or on flights home led many students to self-quarantine after returning home, with 22 percent of respondents isolating even from family members."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"26fedc6c2bb9","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-c623dcce57b0215440775e810b1d756ff15dd683-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"Whether students self-quarantined in the days after returning home"},{"_key":"7fe9fe466bdf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7fe9fe466bdf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Living at home"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"24a74dd48cbc","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"24a74dd48cbc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Students returned home under the shadow of the pandemic. Social distancing became the new norm as governments shut down public areas and strangers became potential sources of infection. 44 percent of respondents to our end-of-semester survey reported having had no in-person contact with people outside of their immediate household since leaving campus."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f7bfbe8af452","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-4679dd7786184689cfedf7dd10caf107a68edf6d-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"Asked in June 2020, three months after leaving campus"},{"_key":"31acd7312019","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"31acd73120190","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Despite the decline in face-to-face interactions, students found ways to keep in touch with friends from school. The vast majority of survey respondents reported contacting their friends from school at least once a week, with 57% indicating that they communicated with their friends every day. However, much of this contact occurred through text messages or group chats, which are an accessible mode of communication but may not replace the richness of in-person interactions. When asked how often they contacted their friends through a medium other than texting/messaging, most respondents indicated that these interactions took place less frequently (once every 2–3 days or once a week)."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7a5a28cb34a4","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-f2333297a376d51a759e9b6606c3ce0f3145e79b-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"d98aeb95dcc4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d98aeb95dcc40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Many students also left behind the comparatively even playing field of a Harvard dorm. 30 percent of respondents reported not having access to a quiet workspace, while 14 percent of students reported a lack of reliable internet access. These figures are also likely underestimated, as students without reliable internet would be unlikely to fill out our online survey."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5fa51ac2979a","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-cb72cabd295baf19a2b23b433f98ec009ca0fb7e-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"95eb838931ed","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"95eb838931ed0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Academics"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"8eeafbc179c5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8eeafbc179c50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This inequality of working conditions also portended inequality in academics. Immediately after leaving campus, the College extended deadlines to switch classes to pass/fail and to drop classes. With students adjusting to online courses and facing the fear of infection, over 15% reported changing their course enrollment in some way."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"94d4b8b0cb0c","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-26097beeffb806e6c299606f362abcd8237d6179-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"c4f899628896","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c4f8996288960","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\nThis clearly shows that some students found the prospect of online classes a serious challenge. However, there were concerns that even a voluntary system would be insufficient. Disadvantaged students may have been pressured to maintain their courses or avoid going pass-fail for fear of judgement by admissions committees for graduate schools."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"261a291cca0a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"261a291cca0a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With rumors swirling about a potential grading change, we asked students in late March what their preferred grading system would be. The most popular was a Universal A/A- system that also received support from the Undergraduate Council at the time."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b295a666dd17","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-ffa194fd3c669604a37a2595a724938586bdf6fa-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"c519e79f3250","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c519e79f32500","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The University announced on March 27th that Harvard would adopt an Emergency Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading system to address potential inequities arising from distinct home environments. Notably, this was the least popular of our three listed grading choices in March."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7790e277f648","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7790e277f6480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We asked how students felt about the new mandatory SAT/UNSAT policy compared to the optional pass/fail option. Students seemed mostly ambivalent about the mandatory SAT/UNSAT grading system compared to optional pass/fail policy, likely because SAT/UNSAT prevents students from raising their GPAs.\n"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"61dac7a8bdba","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-4cd0d8f451de14173e99085484c21dad1c4c6cc8-1090x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"2494e8e9e7f5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2494e8e9e7f50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We were also curious about how well different departments transitioned to online teaching. We asked students to name their most effectively taught online course and their least effectively taught online course. Out of the most frequently mentioned departments, government classes had the highest ratio of positive to negative mentions and Expository Writing classes had the lowest ratio. The most controversial course in our survey was COMPSCI 51: Abstraction and Design in Computation, which five respondents rated as their most effective course and four respondents rated least effective. Reviews of computer science, economics, and general education courses were mixed, but math earned a largely positive rating, bolstered by MATH 21B: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3bff0c05b312","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-e67ba7636947fdd44d29f5577f053c8386e9618e-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"8b2e41362a5c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8b2e41362a5c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Rating the response"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"8474028733e7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"8474028733e70","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While Harvard’s response may have seemed sudden at the time, similar actions were soon taken by universities across the country. We were curious how students judged Harvard’s policies. In both the March and end-of-semester surveys, we asked students to rate Harvard’s response to the pandemic on a 1 to 10 scale. Despite the rushed move out and transition to online classes, students gave Harvard a median rating of 6 in March and a median rating of 7 at the end of the semester."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"bba03b4fbd80","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-a5b53c3e42693d52b209260b0e27851035f7a2cc-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"bd8650598d83","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"bd8650598d830","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"By comparison, students were much less happy with the government’s response to the pandemic in our March survey, which received a median rating of 3."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e25c69822689","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-c5bc82a9a43d419c49c2b0a86c1aa668aa58449d-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"a6f6927ef9f6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a6f6927ef9f60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Summer disrupted"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"27bf96f39c38","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"27bf96f39c380","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In addition to disrupting coursework and public health, the pandemic has also had a marked effect on students’ summer and post-grad plans. Many students’ plans became remote or were cancelled outright, and companies implemented hiring freezes that affected students who were recruiting during the outbreak. As seen in the plot below, many students who were planning on working in industry or completing an internship before the outbreak were forced to find other types of work. Students who had planned to do research or enter academia appeared to be less affected, while all respondents who had originally intended to study abroad or travel were forced to change their plans."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f20b0bb75fc7","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-bd56c49f3557ba7845d4560d46ac7faac31e544e-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"1286b656061d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1286b656061d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To more precisely capture the effect of the outbreak on students’ summer and post-graduate plans, we asked students to report all the ways in which their plans were impacted."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d116ed584eb0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d116ed584eb00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The majority of respondents (54.9%) reported that their summer or work experiences had become virtual instead of in-person, and a significant portion of respondents (37.8%) said that their plans had been cancelled entirely."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"2506d8cf4f32","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-5e14fde373eb3a7bec531cc9cba483e3511ff63e-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"},"caption":"Note: the percentages in this plot do not add up to 100 because some students’ plans were affected in multiple ways."},{"_key":"d13da28497bc","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d13da28497bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Looking forward"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"aa47a48f10dc","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"aa47a48f10dc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One area of particular interest to students is how the Fall 2020 semester will be handled. Given that the pandemic is unlikely to subside before September, it appears improbable that the fall semester will proceed as normal, and Harvard is expected to announce its plans for the semester in the next week. Many respondents to our June survey were pessimistic about their chances of returning to campus in the fall, with a plurality (31.7%) indicating that they thought this scenario was somewhat unlikely."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c8184d9adcf2","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-13a692596fce1a49743b49afd880383849fc4084-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"e7ffae26b748","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e7ffae26b7480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In contrast to the perceived unlikelihood of being brought back to campus in the fall, many students appeared to be willing to return if allowed to decide for themselves. The majority of respondents (66%) stated that they were either very comfortable or somewhat comfortable with the idea of returning to campus, with only 23% of students reporting that they were somewhat or very uncomfortable."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2767a0cbefd8","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-761e6f0dc846e40476c3166fedb66a77cd1e3052-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"fd3ca7c3fab4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fd3ca7c3fab40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Consistent with their high levels of comfort with returning to campus, most respondents expressed that their preferred policy for the fall was for students to be fully on-campus. The next most popular option out of those listed in our survey was to cancel/delay the fall semester to the spring, although this option does not "},{"_key":"fd3ca7c3fab41","_type":"span","marks":["608e0eb57ab8"],"text":"appear"},{"_key":"fd3ca7c3fab42","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" to be on the table for the administration. Less popular were the options of only allowing some students on campus, conducting a fully virtual semester, and starting virtual but migrating to campus during the semester."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"608e0eb57ab8","_type":"link","blank":true,"href":"https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/4/28/harvard-coronavirus-garber-fall-2020-email/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"95049ef20aa6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"95049ef20aa60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In contrast, when asked which policies they would implement for the fall if they were administrators at Harvard, far fewer students (26%) said that they would bring the whole student body back to campus. However, this option was still one of the most frequently chosen, along with allowing only some students on campus and starting virtual but going back to campus midway through the fall. The differences between respondents’ answers to this question and the previous question indicate that while students largely prefer to be on campus as usual, they understand that allowing all students to return may not be the wisest decision for the administration."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"49b3b403f8f2","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-544e74ac428a1ff7bf874184c5ab05def6b59625-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"432e8e1da8b1","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"432e8e1da8b10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If students are not allowed back on campus in the fall, many are considering taking the semester off. However, because Harvard is unlikely to be able to accommodate large portions of its student body taking leaves of absence and returning at the same time, it is unclear what the potential consequences would be for taking time off. Students may be forced to extend their leaves of absence so that their returns to campus are staggered, or on-campus housing may not be guaranteed upon their return. In addition, an important consideration for many students is whether their friends would join them in taking a gap semester."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fae4f935b5a6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fae4f935b5a60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Out of our survey respondents, 44% stated that they would take Fall 2020 off if there were no consequences for doing so, and a majority (51%) expressed that they would take the semester off if most of their friends were doing the same."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"07b56bb73968","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"07b56bb739680","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Far fewer students indicated that they would take a gap semester if the consequences were more severe, or if most of their friends elected to remain enrolled for the fall."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f606c7690e9c","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-e5eb0c23f79f63c0a5945e33dbfe9f52e5809e9f-1100x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"ea6a7ea4e056","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ea6a7ea4e0560","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Beyond the Fall semester, the COVID-19 pandemic may also redefine “normal” life for some time to come. Given the pandemic’s far-reaching effects, we wanted to see how long students estimated it would be before the world was able to return to normal. Because students were isolated from each other when making these predictions, this may represent a set of independent estimates that could be used to harness the wisdom of the crowds."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3242dcd36d7d","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-21b350eaab38292b8268c6f8a61f68f85e6c9adc-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"557b0f8d06a0","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-78d40d258b1c7c6186bda4bfa8635a059cf46c02-1000x590-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"f8b8f9028f3e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f8b8f9028f3e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In both our March and end-of-semester surveys, we asked students to predict how long it would be before things returned to normal. In March, a plurality of students (46.7%) predicted that things would return to normal within 3–6 months, while at the end of the spring semester, the plurality (38.4%) was more pessimistic in its prediction that it would take another 6–12 months to return to normal."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3de1af41296b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3de1af41296b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Conclusion"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"d72314b00729","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"d72314b007290","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"It has been around three months since the March survey was conducted and more than a month since the spring semester ended, and states have begun to reopen to a limited extent. However, most aspects of American life are far from normal, and cases are again "},{"_key":"d72314b007291","_type":"span","marks":["08bd46e69e9c"],"text":"surging"},{"_key":"d72314b007292","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" in many states. The future course of the pandemic as well as the academic future of students are far from certain."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"08bd46e69e9c","_type":"link","blank":true,"href":"https://apnews.com/3a3642cb4b7244665dda34c437c87988"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"52033fdbc49d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"52033fdbc49d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What is certain is that students are now facing a changed world, not just for the Spring 2020 semester, but for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, we are learning to adapt. While a digital experience may never replace an in-person one, we are discovering new ways to learn and to connect, no matter what happens in the fall."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"categories":[{"_key":"705be3bd0d66","_ref":"6e40d903-3845-4d26-9e73-529a3fdeb70d","_type":"reference"}],"excerpt":[{"_key":"962220a9027b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"962220a9027b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Three surveys, one very unusual semester."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"facebookUrl":"https://www.facebook.com/HarvardODP/posts/995894464189148","layout":"fullImage","mainImage":{"_type":"mainImage","asset":{"_ref":"image-580082811d07b9c96ab086f041a57a49c56b6006-1142x762-png","_type":"reference"}},"members":[{"_key":"f9242210c109","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"e8320214-6421-47b0-a196-ab007c70aebb","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]},{"_key":"c8b3391da047","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"f1d8a445-a169-4864-89c4-ce8e17e295d4","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]},{"_key":"e74929a09237","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"e92b6af4-6619-4b63-90ae-bb1a7c0220dd","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]}],"publishedAt":"2020-06-30T07:00:00.000Z","relatedProjects":[{"_key":"c5401e29743a","_ref":"21b162ca-7abd-45b2-9f19-507f9f9d7712","_type":"reference"},{"_key":"4912c0e5f677","_ref":"613424dd-849e-4586-afae-3b4fc3a66d04","_type":"reference"},{"_key":"00faaa648707","_ref":"3d2ad826-1013-45c2-acde-b424fd2b9863","_type":"reference"}],"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"harvard-in-the-age-of-covid-19"},"subjects":[{"_key":"9a4a7bfee545","_ref":"c4a3e461-ea18-4002-8a56-80500bfe17c2","_type":"reference"},{"_key":"58cc7aa33c1d","_ref":"73a55f32-7f14-4f4c-8722-b892218eae08","_type":"reference"}],"title":"Harvard in the Age of COVID-19","id":"-f427558d-f222-56dc-b8b2-e5a290fd6dd9","children":[],"internal":{"type":"SanityProject","contentDigest":"522ebb3275b7ce745cc2de69a44cccb9","owner":"gatsby-source-sanity","counter":341},"parent":null,"__gatsby_resolved":{"slug":{"current":"harvard-in-the-age-of-covid-19"},"publishedAt":"2020-06-30T07:00:00.000Z"}}}}},{"_key":"b5dff6533205","_type":"preview","link":{"_type":"link","internalLink":{"_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_id":"7194d9ad-f6cf-4790-bd05-d7da520f3273","_type":"project","_rev":"7lJidvhe1bfnzzVAmoi2WF","_createdAt":"2020-07-31T23:27:41Z","_updatedAt":"2020-08-02T05:05:12Z","body":[{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In September 2019, Act on a Dream, an immigrants’ rights advocacy group on campus, held a rally calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Harvard Crimson, "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd1","_type":"span","marks":["ffcda5dc2b70"],"text":"reporting on the event"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", contacted ICE for comment after the protest. Act on a Dream argued that this request for comment endangered undocumented students on campus by bringing ICE’s attention to the protest, which was attended by undocumented students. In response, multiple student organizations, led by Act on a Dream, announced that they would refuse to comment on Crimson stories until the newspaper apologizes and changes their policy on reaching out to ICE for comment. An online "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd3","_type":"span","marks":["d9cfa0d313b4"],"text":"petition"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" condemning the Crimson has also reached more than 900 signatures as of writing. The situation prompted a "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd5","_type":"span","marks":["b95f422e3e0d"],"text":"response"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd6","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" by Crimson leadership, and garnered attention in "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd7","_type":"span","marks":["65bde86f13de"],"text":"national"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd8","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd9","_type":"span","marks":["cdca80b0692a"],"text":"news"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" "},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd11","_type":"span","marks":["8728d74dd7ce"],"text":"outlets"},{"_key":"87b1a584a5cd12","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"ffcda5dc2b70","_type":"link","href":"https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/9/13/abolish-ice-rally/"},{"_key":"d9cfa0d313b4","_type":"link","href":"https://www.change.org/p/the-harvard-crimson-harvard-crimson-stop-calling-ice-for-comment?recruiter=48749462&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition"},{"_key":"b95f422e3e0d","_type":"link","href":"https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/22/note-to-readers-ice-comment/"},{"_key":"65bde86f13de","_type":"link","href":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/harvard-crimson-responds-criticism-contacting-ice-comment-n1070501"},{"_key":"cdca80b0692a","_type":"link","href":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/23/harvard-reporters-ask-ice-comment-face-blowback-students/"},{"_key":"8728d74dd7ce","_type":"link","href":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/23/business/media/harvard-crimson-ice-journalism.html"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fd1d6a481f52","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fd1d6a481f520","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With vocal arguments from both sides, we wanted to see where Harvard students stand on the issue."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"898a9e1ba3d9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"898a9e1ba3d90","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Our poll"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"0679ca7e891e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0679ca7e891e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To gauge Harvard students’ opinions, we sent a poll to the HODP survey group, an opt-in group that Harvard College students can join to receive surveys. Of the 295 students in the HODP survey group, 118 responded. Of the students who responded, 10.2% of students identified as Hispanic and/or Latino, 7.6% as Black or African American, 34.4% as Asian, and 54.2% as White (these percentages do not add up to 100 because some respondents identified with multiple races). Since these demographics do not exactly reflect the demographics of the College, we report responses weighted by ethnicity at the end of the article."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"06ced6e55ee8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"06ced6e55ee80","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We began the survey by asking how familiar students were with the controversy. We then asked four questions to gauge students’ opinions on a variety of issues surrounding the recent controversy. We tried to structure the questions not to encourage a specific type of response and to provide no more context than necessary: our goal was to gauge the current opinion of students, not what they would think if they were given more information. Finally, we asked respondents for any comments that they might have on the issue to gain additional insight into the rationale for student responses."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c17e4325c71d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c17e4325c71d0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"How much people know"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"c249aa529782","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c249aa5297820","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Almost everyone who responded to the survey expressed at least some familiarity with the Crimson controversy, with only 1.5% of respondents reporting that they were “not at all familiar.” Many of the respondents also expressed greater degrees of familiarity, with nearly 80% of respondents considering themselves moderately or very familiar. This was likely due, in part, to response bias. Students who were entirely unfamiliar would be less likely to respond to a survey about the issue, but these results nonetheless suggest that many students on campus are well-aware of the Crimson-ICE controversy."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4f0e7e53a080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4f0e7e53a0800","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Was the Crimson correct?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"7b1c7f0267d6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7b1c7f0267d60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One of the focal issues of the controversy is whether or not the Crimson was correct to contact ICE for comment. A slight majority (56%) of students responded that they either somewhat or strongly agreed that The Crimson was correct to ask ICE for comment, while 41% of students somewhat or strongly disagreed. The remaining 3% of students did not feel strongly either way or did not know enough to say."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"630be4f4021a","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-dfe040a04b81c5046314274cf1559e3a508ed9c7-700x359-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"40133f59b04a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"40133f59b04a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"These results are perhaps surprising given the number of student organizations who have announced that they will boycott The Crimson (18 have co-sponsored the petition) and the stances many UC presidential tickets have "},{"_key":"40133f59b04a1","_type":"span","marks":["3468581f186b"],"text":"taken"},{"_key":"40133f59b04a2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" "},{"_key":"40133f59b04a3","_type":"span","marks":["1cd2c1e62a5d"],"text":"against"},{"_key":"40133f59b04a4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" The Crimson. This suggests that there is a significant proportion of students who support The Crimson, but that they have been much less vocal than students who oppose the newspaper’s actions."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"3468581f186b","_type":"link","href":"https://www.jamesandify.org/media"},{"_key":"1cd2c1e62a5d","_type":"link","href":"https://www.thorandcase.org/post/our-statement-re-the-crimson"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"5bddf99c7463","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5bddf99c74630","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Did the Crimson endanger undocumented students?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"cb335e520c62","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cb335e520c620","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One of Act on a Dream’s core arguments is that the request for comment from ICE endangered undocumented students on campus. While it is difficult to empirically verify the claim that The Crimson’s request increased the risk posed to undocumented students on campus, we do have data showing that these fears are not without good cause. ICE removals in the Boston Area of Responsibility have increased by over 70% since 2016, which is likely due to policy changes by the Trump administration, although this is notably still fewer removals than in 2013."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"36e763a207a8","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-99b62c3023d253d158bb40dbf3fc937db24dd8f5-700x359-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"e8b863a33c29","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e8b863a33c290","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In terms of student opinion on the issue, exactly 50% of respondents either somewhat or strongly disagreed that the Crimson undermined the safety of undocumented students. Meanwhile, 44% either somewhat or strongly agreed."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f96ef9ebbab3","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-8145a5914c26a8fc48a7dabba87bd45b517b619f-700x359-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"158eefaca2a6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"158eefaca2a60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This is notably different from the responses over whether the Crimson was correct to contact ICE for comment. In particular, this shows that there are students who believe that the Crimson’s actions did to some degree undermine the safety of undocumented students, but nonetheless believe that The Crimson was correct to ask ICE for comment."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e63ef48983f6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e63ef48983f60","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Journalistic obligations"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"73bd9c955a37","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"73bd9c955a370","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One possible reason that some students would believe that The Crimson’s actions were correct, even if they undermined the safety of undocumented students, is the belief that The Crimson’s journalistic obligations outweighed harms to student safety. However, when we asked students whether they believed that The Crimson had an obligation to contact ICE, exactly 50% of respondents somewhat/strongly disagreed that such an obligation existed. Meanwhile, only 40% of respondents somewhat/strongly agreed, and 10% of students expressed no opinion either way."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b0536ae12d94","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-cde9316053cbdc7c595fd47fb6176dd482574649-700x359-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"f0662df044a0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f0662df044a00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Journalistic obligation has been the main defense that The Crimson and many of its supporters have offered to justify the policy of contacting ICE. However, it seems that many respondents in our survey were not persuaded by that argument. What is curious is that even though most students do not believe that The Crimson had an obligation to contact ICE, they still think that The Crimson was correct to do so."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"400946cf65f4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"400946cf65f40","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Boycott of The Crimson"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"c61343a8960e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c61343a8960e0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In response to the Crimson’s decision to ask ICE for comment, a group of student organizations at Harvard has indicated that they will not comment on articles until The Crimson apologizes for contacting ICE and revises its policy on requesting comment from ICE in the future. This group of organizations, led by Act on a Dream, includes some of the largest student organizations on campus, such as the Harvard College Democrats, Harvard Women in Computer Science, and the Phillips Brooks House Association."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"afa84a507d7a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"afa84a507d7a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Despite the wide reach of these organizations, a slight majority of respondents (51%) somewhat or strongly disagreed with the response of student organizations, while only 35% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed with the response. 14% of the respondents expressed no opinion either way on the issue."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"be3db54bb514","_type":"figure","asset":{"_ref":"image-d2c7a617e3a54053d8c9fa5af06e74a21b6e24d9-700x359-png","_type":"reference"}},{"_key":"cd5e10b35577","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cd5e10b355770","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What is notable here is not only that there is substantial opposition to the boycott of The Crimson, but that the opposition was much stronger. 31% of respondents strongly disagreed with the boycott of The Crimson, representing the plurality view. It may be that students believe the boycott to be an overreaction to The Crimson’s actions, even if they do not hold particularly strong views on the issue itself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ae8a5347e7da","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ae8a5347e7da0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Perspectives in words"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"4c1275d1f1f5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4c1275d1f1f50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"To better understand the perspectives of students, we asked respondents for any additional comments they had. We believe that many of these comments provide insight into the thought process of students on campus, so we display them in anonymized form. Of the 118 people we surveyed, 24 offered additional comments, indicating passionate opinions on both sides of the issue."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3c835ab5f2ea","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3c835ab5f2ea0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"One respondent argued that the main issue with The Crimson’s actions was not that they asked ICE for comment, but that they did not inform members of Act on a Dream, who agreed to comment for the article, that ICE would be contacted:"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f30dc41fa5e2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f30dc41fa5e20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"They were right to ask ICE for comment, but wrong to use AOD’s comments without informed consent about asking ICE.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"841203d13f4a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"841203d13f4a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Many expressed general agreement with Act on a Dream’s position on ICE, but did not believe The Crimson to be at fault for their actions."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"aacba4704634","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"aacba47046340","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"I totally support [Act on a Dream’s] cause and was actually present at the Abolish ICE Rally. But, criticizing a media organization for doing their routine jobs of getting comment is just as undemocratic and vile as what ICE is doing.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"662ac04cff0d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"662ac04cff0d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Others took issue with The Crimson’s response to the controversy,"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"246f4ef92f7a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"246f4ef92f7a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"Students have faced harassment from total strangers, and national publications have vilified students on campus after the Crimson Leadership blasted out their `Note to Our Readers.`\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"38939dc69cdf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"38939dc69cdf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Finally, some students felt like arguments on both sides were problematic."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"af9e9c16c7eb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"af9e9c16c7eb0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"\"Do I think that the Crimson had some `moral obligation` to contact an organization that frankly probably doesn’t care about some protest by college students? Not particularly. Do I think that the Crimson was putting students in danger? Also not particularly.\""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"blockquote"},{"_key":"a29fb648875e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"a29fb648875e0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"A note on methodology"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h3"},{"_key":"f980232f88bd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f980232f88bd0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Our goal for this survey was to, as best as possible, gauge the opinions of Harvard students on the recent controversy. However, it is important to caution that our results may not be fully reflective of opinion on campus."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dee46c12753f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dee46c12753f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"First, students with strong opinions on this topic were probably more likely to respond, so it is very possible that many members of our survey group do not have particularly strong opinions either way, and did not fill out the survey as a result."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c3368c389c32","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c3368c389c320","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Second, our survey group itself is not fully representative. While we believe that our sample size is large enough to offer some insights into the views of the student body, it is still only a small proportion of the overall student body. Furthermore, our survey group is comprised of students who voluntarily agreed to fill out surveys for HODP, which may not be representative of all undergraduates. Our survey was also not ethnically representatives, so we offer response statistics in the link below weighted by ethnicity, as well as the response statistics within each ethnicity."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ee4b1d100d0f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ee4b1d100d0f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Conclusion"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"h2"},{"_key":"b56c3f35239d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b56c3f35239d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Our results indicate that there is more support for The Crimson among students than might be initially thought, given the widespread criticism of the newspaper by student organizations and activists. However, our results also suggest that opinion of the issue is more complex than simply supporting or opposing The Crimson. Even among the students who believe that The Crimson was correct to request comment from ICE, some nonetheless believe that the request may have increased the risk to undocumented students on campus or do not believe that The Crimson had an obligation to contact ICE. Overall, our survey shows that campus opinion is widely divided, with many students on both sides holding strong opinions on the issue."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f6bce9f43567","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f6bce9f435670","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We want to thank the many Harvard students who voluntarily registered to be a part of the HODP survey group and offered to provide their opinions on campus issues. If you are a Harvard College student interested in contributing to future analyses through the Survey Group, please sign up "},{"_key":"f6bce9f435671","_type":"span","marks":["163b01621dfb"],"text":"here"},{"_key":"f6bce9f435672","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Thank you!"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"163b01621dfb","_type":"internalLink","reference":{"_ref":"surveys","_type":"reference"}}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"dc8b19e3ac9a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dc8b19e3ac9a0","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":"Note: This article is intended to provide insight into Harvard students’ views on the Crimson-ICE controversy. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of HODP as an organization, or of any of its members."},{"_key":"dc8b19e3ac9a1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":""}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"categories":[{"_key":"58d2b8e5c83c","_ref":"6e40d903-3845-4d26-9e73-529a3fdeb70d","_type":"reference"}],"excerpt":[{"_key":"e9870bb0c507","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e9870bb0c5070","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Where Harvard students stand on the conflict between the Harvard Crimson and ICE"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"layout":"default","mainImage":{"_type":"mainImage","asset":{"_ref":"image-fc0f4c1629e2a9d4b5bde8bd9f13d50bdb17003a-1400x700-png","_type":"reference"}},"members":[{"_key":"1d30d8e11b62","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"e8320214-6421-47b0-a196-ab007c70aebb","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]},{"_key":"0c36c12c6a51","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"f1d8a445-a169-4864-89c4-ce8e17e295d4","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]},{"_key":"ac27e6f4080f","_type":"projectMember","person":{"_ref":"5db339b0-736d-4e01-a113-588b496e261f","_type":"reference"},"roles":["author","developer"]}],"publishedAt":"2019-11-11T08:00:00.000Z","relatedProjects":[],"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"poll-harvard-students-sharply-divided-on-crimson-ice-controversy"},"subjects":[{"_key":"bf9a02c3d39c","_ref":"c4a3e461-ea18-4002-8a56-80500bfe17c2","_type":"reference"},{"_key":"e5b56bd640b9","_ref":"cf65a9be-aaa1-46cf-98ab-6ceac2063b27","_type":"reference"}],"title":"POLL: Harvard students sharply divided on Crimson-ICE controversy","id":"-10380153-4f12-543f-9654-413a8cccb07b","children":[],"internal":{"type":"SanityProject","contentDigest":"6e710d5734f8a847c4efe78bd9c68fd2","owner":"gatsby-source-sanity","counter":365},"parent":null,"__gatsby_resolved":{"slug":{"current":"poll-harvard-students-sharply-divided-on-crimson-ice-controversy"},"publishedAt":"2019-11-11T08:00:00.000Z"}}}}}]}},"pageContext":{}},"staticQueryHashes":["2744905544","300934582","727047668"]}