HARVARD T.H. CHAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Deans’ Dinner Agenda October 30, 2018

Introductions

Proposal Presentations

1.) Task Force for a Multicultural Initiative at

Presented by: Noor Zanial and Vidiana Cervantes Prepared by: Noor Zanial, Vidiana Cervantes, Amanda Graff, Alexandria Lee

2.) Shared Governance at Harvard Chan

Presented by: Vidur Sharma Prepared by: Sam Zepeda, Bryan Buckley, Melanie Chitwood

3.) Proposal for Spaces with Acoustic Privacy

Presented by: Sanjana Sundaresan Prepared by: Jayson Toweh, Mathew Samuel, Nicholas Arisco, Ryan Ortizo, Sanjana Sundaresan, Sarah Zelasky, Spyros Potiris

Next Steps

Task Force for a Multicultural Initiative at Harvard University

Presented by: Noor Zanial and Vidiana Cervantes Prepared by: Vidiana Cervantes, Amanda Graff, Alexandria Lee, Noor Zanial

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Multicultural spaces at institutions of higher learning allow underrepresented minorities to feel a sense of belonging, inclusion, and empowerment. These spaces provide students with workshops, resources, events, and staff dedicated to celebrating their backgrounds and providing them with the tools they need to thrive at a university. Research has shown that underrepresented students who have access to these types of spaces have higher retention rates than underrepresented minorities who do not have such spaces and programming. With over 40% of enrolled students at Harvard Chan being international and 11% identifying as underrepresented minorities, diversity is clearly an important component of life at Harvard Chan. Therefore, a multicultural space could add tremendous value and support to the student body at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Longwood campus, and the greater Harvard community. Survey data collected from the Chan student body has demonstrated an interest and need for a supportive and inclusive space like a multicultural space.

BACKGROUND

A multicultural space is an inclusive space for campus communities to come explore, learn, network, and share their cultural identities. These spaces provide students and faculty with a physical location that allows them to feel included, celebrated, and empowered. In addition, multicultural spaces often times serve as nexuses in which students and faculty from different disciplines are able to work together on interdisciplinary initiatives that service their communities.

In 2017, available data found that 40% of enrolled students at Harvard Chan were international, with 11% of all students identified as underrepresented minorities and 48% of all students identified as non- underrepresented minorities. These figures reflect a growing trend in both international and underrepresented minorities across all Harvard campuses; 52.7% of students at Harvard College were underrepresented minorities in 2017 and 12.8% of students were international students. As a result of these growing figures, students across Harvard have called for a multicultural space that would fill some of the gaps in support currently experienced by minority students at Harvard.1 As reported by the Harvard Crimson several times, this popular idea has not been accepted by the administration for over 40 years for a variety of reasons such as being potentially divisive for the student body.2 Nonetheless, students are still invested in constructing this space and gaining the Harvard administration and leadership support in doing so.3 As the surrounding political and sociocultural climate in the United States continues to progress, there is a heightened importance in engaging with the different identities that are experiencing this change and providing a space for them to feel empowered and included in the larger Harvard student body.

The responsibility of ensuring diversity and multiculturalism on college and university campuses is a challenging goal that has often been designated and overseen by offices of multicultural affairs, such as HSPH’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. However, this effort is found to be better integrated and engaging when multiculturalism is promoted collaboratively across campuses and involving partnerships between university policies, programs and organizations, and curriculum.4 In addition, offices like ODI at HSPH have a limited capacity in what cross-Harvard engagement it can initiate for minority students. Its finite resources work tirelessly to ensure that Chan students feel welcomed within the walls of HSPH, and that is something that is well acknowledged and appreciated with the Chan student body. Moreover, there are several universities that have been promoting and instituting multicultural programming and spaces. Yale University has four cultural centers that have provide numerous programs and initiatives for students of a particular background while also advocating for intercultural collaboration through the Intercultural Affairs Council. The Office of Multicultural Affairs at MIT consistently unites various student groups and recently worked with the LGBTQ Office at MIT to open the MIT SPXCE Intercultural Center.

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Diversity statistics demonstrate that we have a large number of underrepresented minorities and international students that could benefit from a multicultural space. Research shows that first generation and underrepresented minorities face more challenges than their non-underrepresented minority peers. Retention rates are much lower because they struggle with: inclusivity, having to work part-jobs to help financially support themselves and families, academic challenges, and more. Furthermore, students of color often experience isolation and marginalization by their white counterparts due to microaggressions, intentional and unintentional alike. These microaggressions include assumptions of being first-generation, athletes, or acceptance only due to affirmative action.5 6 7

From the beginning of higher education, underrepresented minorities feel a general lack of belonging across campuses.8 However, an increasing body of literature supports that these students (e.g. students of color, LBGT communities, etc.) are more likely to continue pursuing their education if they feel that they belong and can partake in building a community at their university or institution.9 10 11

While individual cultural organizations promote, include, and celebrate particular communities, there is concern that involvement in only self-identified groups may contribute to separatism on campuses.12 13 This may lead to students missing opportunities on campus and decrease cultural sharing and interactions between various identities. In this context, a multicultural space, where many of these organizations could more easily interact and collaborate, could reduce division between communities and promote greater involvement and cooperation.14 15 Such a multicultural space could thereby provide more opportunities for growth and development, as a result of greater exposure to various life experiences.

Lastly, promoting diversity and inclusion is one of the core values of public health. By promoting healthy educational environments in which students feel belongingness and connectivity with students of similar backgrounds, there is a subsequent effect of empowering students. This leads to healthier mindsets that allow students to succeed academically and have more positive growth trajectories. Therefore, promoting a multicultural space is a step towards improving the well-being of students at Harvard.

WHAT DO HARVARD CHAN STUDENTS THINK?

A survey conducted amongst the Harvard Chan student body assessed the views that current students have on efforts towards inclusivity and feelings of belongingness at Harvard. It also assessed what students believed a multicultural space would do for their Harvard student experience. The survey was conducted as part of the larger HCSA survey on other proposals being put forth. Out of the 115 students who completed the HCSA survey, 86 chose to complete the survey questions regarding the proposition of a multicultural center.

Firstly, 70% of students expressed that they sometimes only felt integrated in the larger Harvard community as compared to 16% who expressed that they never do and 14% that they always do. Secondly, over half of the participants expressed that they wish that Harvard administration, faculty, and schools would facilitate connections between student organizations at the different Harvard graduate schools and Harvard college. Additionally, 23% of students expressed that they wished they could be connected to alumni that come from similar backgrounds. Lastly, 41% of students expressed that a multicultural space would potentially make them feel more supported and included compared to 32% who believe it would and 28% who believe it would not. Overall, the responses indicate that there is a larger need for cross-Harvard programming conducted by student and staff alike to include and promote all cultural and ethnic backgrounds at Harvard.

THE PROPOSAL: CREATING A TASK FORCE TO CHART A PATH FORWARD

A multicultural space is an initiative that will take much effort and time to advocate for and construct. Therefore, it is important to begin this initiative with an exploratory angle that would be informative of the need and perceptions of students at the different Harvard schools. The proposal at hand is to create a task force whose mission would be to conduct a thorough exploration of all of the initiatives at the different

2 Harvard schools that have a similar mission of promoting cross-culturism. In addition, the task force would convene with different Harvard faculty, staff, students, and leadership at each Harvard school to understand their perceptions on an initiative to construct a multicultural space.

The task force would begin its work at the Longwood Medical Campus to understand the current situation at HSPH, (HMS), and Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) and what multicultural spaces/initiatives have been put into place before. The task force will attempt to initiate and promote multicultural programming through the various offices at the Longwood Medical Campus. This pilot of a multicultural program at the Longwood Medical Campus would provide resources, events, workshops, speaker series, etc. that gives the Longwood Medical Campus community the opportunity to celebrate their cultural identities, promote inclusivity, and feel empowered. While programming is in the works, the intention is to also advocate for a multicultural space at the Harvard Longwood Campus where this programming will eventually be transitioned in to. Simultaneously, the task force would continue its explanatory work at the different Harvard schools.

A sample framework of this task force could be comprised of:

Chair: Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Harvard Chan Members:

1 HSPH faculty member 1 Harvard Medical School faculty member 1 Harvard Dental School faculty member 1 HSPH student 1 HMS student 1 HDS student 1 staff member from each school of the equivalent of the Harvard Chan Office of Diversity & Inclusion, if applicable

This initiative is one that will span years to come and will build upon the efforts of several students, staff, and faculty over those years. Therefore, there is a preliminary timeline for milestones. The intention is to bring this initiative back to the table for the Spring Dean’s Dinner to give updates and report on findings. By the Spring Dean’s Dinner, our goal is that a task force has been created, held least one meeting, established faculty and administrative connections at every Harvard school, constructed a preliminary analysis and review of the exploratory search, and set a plan for programming to be initiated at the Harvard Longwood Campus.

We humbly request the public support and commitment of Dean Williams through the announcement of the task force, for example, to HSPH and to her counterparts across Harvard as appropriate in launching this task force. A strong launch is key in ensuring successful conversations with faculty, staff, and student leadership across Harvard. It would substantiate the efforts being put forth and ensure the legitimacy of the initiative.

REFERENCES

1. "The Case For a Multicultural Center | Opinion." The Harvard Crimson. May 8, 2017. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/5/8/multicultural-center-staff-ed/. 2. "Inter-Ethnic Center Requested Again | News." The Harvard Crimson. December 15, 1995. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1995/12/15/inter-ethnic-center-requested-again-pafter-a/. 3. Hailu, Ruth A., and Olivia C. Scott. "The Harvard Crimson." The Half-Century Fight for a Multicultural Center | News. February 15, 2018. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/2/15/fight-for-multicultural- center/. 4. Harper, Shaun R. "Creatiications/books/creating-inclusive-campus-environments-for-cross-cultural- learning-and-stud.

3 5. Bourke, Brian. "Experiences of Black Students in Multiple Cultural Spaces at a Predominantly White Institution." Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 3, no. 2 (2010): 126-35. doi:10.1037/a0019025. 6. Loranzo, A. (2010). Latino/a culture centers: providing a sense of belonging and promotion student success. In L.D. Patton (Ed.), Culture centers in higher education: Perspective on identity; theory; and practice (pp. 3-25). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publications. 7. Yosso, T.J. & Lopez, C. B. (2010). Counterpaces in a hostile environment: A critical race theory analysis of campus culture centers. In L.D. Patton (Ed.), Culture centers in higher education: Perspective on identity; theory; and practice (pp. 83-104). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. 8. Johnson, Dawn R., Matthew Soldner, Jeannie Brown Leonard, Patty Alvarez, Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon, and Susan D. Longerbeam. "Examining Sense of Belonging Among First-Year Undergraduates From Different Racial/Ethnic Groups." Journal of College Student Development 48, no. 5 (2007): 525-42. doi:10.1353/csd.2007.0054. 9. Hausmann, Leslie R. M., Janet Ward Schofield, and Rochelle L. Woods. "Sense of Belonging as a Predictor of Intentions to Persist Among African American and White First-Year College Students." Research in Higher Education 48, no. 7 (2007): 803-39. doi:10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9. 10. Negy, Charles, and Rachael A. Lunt. "What College Students Really Think about Ethnic Student Organizations." Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 1, no. 3 (2008): 176-92. doi:10.1037/a0012751. 11. Patton, Lori D. "The Voice of Reason: A Qualitative Examination of Black Student Perceptions of Black Culture Centers." Journal of College Student Development 47, no. 6 (2006): 628-46. doi:10.1353/csd.2006.0068. 12. Idib. 13. Idib. 14. Banks, Kira Hudson. "A Qualitative Investigation of White Students’ Perceptions of Diversity." Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 2, no. 3 (2009): 149-55. doi:10.1037/a0016292. 15. Bowman, Nicholas A., and Jay W. Brandenberger. "Experiencing the Unexpected: Toward a Model of College Diversity Experiences and Attitude Change." The Review of Higher Education 35, no. 2 (2012): 179-205. doi:10.1353/rhe.2012.0016.ng Inclusive Campus Environments for Cross-Cultural Learning and Student Engagement." NASPA. https://www.naspa.org/publ

4 Shared Governance at Harvard Chan

Presented by: Vidur Sharma Prepared by: Vidur Sharma, Sam Zepeda, Bryan Buckley, Melanie Chitwood

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Students at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health feel that their voices are not being heard in decisions related to faculty hiring, academic policies, and course offerings and curricula at the program, department, and school level. The Harvard Chan Student Association (HCSA) recommends that the Harvard Chan administration adopts a modified model of shared governance that includes students in all key decision-making processes at Harvard Chan. HCSA understands that achieving an effective shared governance model is a long-term project of which this is the start.

Shared governance is a process predominantly in higher education through which constituents contribute to a decision-making process. Engaging key stakeholders in decision-making processes is also a cornerstone of the field of public health. As an institution of higher education and public health, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is dually responsible for setting an example for effective stakeholder engagement, particularly students.

SHARED GOVERNANCE AND WHY IT MATTERS

Shared Governance in Higher Education

The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) defines “shared governance” as “the process by which various constituents (traditionally governing boards, senior administration, and faculty; possibly also staff, students, or others) contribute to decision making related to college or university policy and procedure.” There are two competing views on students’ role in shared governance. As Steven C. Bahls, President of Augustana College and frequent commenter on shared governance for AGB, writes, “Some believe that students are mere ‘travelers’ through an institution and have little role. Others believe that students should have a meaningful role because they are our raison d'être.” In its recent white paper on the future of shared governance, AGB found that student involvement in key decision-making processes is a “threshold requirement” for effective shared governance.

At a higher level, an effective model of shared governance – between faculty, students, staff, and administration – creates an opportunity for university leadership to align goals, establish common priorities, and create a healthy campus environment. Involving students in the shared governance model can help universities make informed decisions and smooth implementation. Effective shared governance that includes students can also directly impact key learning indicators at universities such as retention and completion rates, and learning outcomes, career placements.

Shared Governance in Public Health Settings

The concept of shared governance is not unique to higher education. Shared governance is frequently practiced in public health settings though by other names. In ID 216, a course at Harvard Chan that makes up the school’s public health core curriculum, students spend multiple classes learning how to conduct a stakeholder analysis and needs assessment. Students are taught to analyze key influencers and their role in a community, what a stakeholder can contribute, and if it is important for them to be at the decision- making table prior to making decisions that will impact a community. At Harvard Chan, faculty, students, staff, and administration are the key stakeholders internally.

5 STUDENTS FEEL THEY ARE NOT A PART OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AT HARVARD CHAN

Methodology

The Harvard Chan Student Association (HCSA) released a survey to the student body on the morning of Tuesday, October 9 and closed it on the evening of Friday, October 12. The survey, administered through the platform Qualtrics, was circulated through Facebook, WhatsApp, school-wide and department emails, and in-person efforts. 115 students completed the survey out of which 84 students completed the section on student voice. Students were asked if they felt their voice was heard in decisions at Harvard Chan related to faculty hiring, academic policies, and course offerings and curricula within their program, their department, and school-wide by ranking 1-5 (1 being “not at all,” 3 being “neutral,” and 5 being “completely”). Finally, students were asked, “If given the choice, would you volunteer a modest amount of time to serve as a student representative on a committee that routinely makes decisions affecting students in your program, department, or school?”

Results

Overall, students felt they had the least voice in school-wide decisions. Students felt that their voice was heard more in departmental or program-level. By topic, students felt they had the greatest voice in course offerings and curricula followed by academic policies. Students felt they had the least voice in faculty hiring.

Still, there is ample room for improvement. Scores remain low – for no question was the mean 3 (neutral) or higher – which points to a lack of student voice at the Harvard Chan School. HCSA understands that the survey does not stand up to rigorous scientific standards; however, it is indicative of an important trend nonetheless that despite best efforts and intention, there is a greater opportunity to include student voices in program, department, and school-wide decisions.

THE PROPOSAL: STUDENTS OUGHT TO BE INVOLVED IN KEY SETTINGS WHERE DECISIONS RELATED TO THE EDUCATION AND WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS ARE BEING MADE

Current Representation

There are a number of settings where students have the opportunity to share feedback and participate in decision-making processes at the School. For example, students serve in a voting capacity on the Council of Educational Policy, CAD, and the Disciplinary Council. Students serve in an advisory or non-voting capacity on Faculty Council, the Dean’s Advisory Council for Diversity and Inclusion, and advisory committees for the Office of Alumni and Career Advancement, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Department of Biostatistics.

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) is hiring a student worker beginning next week who will develop a more exhaustive inventory of the School’s decision-making processes and overlay it with the current venues in which students have the opportunity to participate to identify gaps and opportunities for student involvement. The student will also assist in understanding the shared governance status at other Harvard graduate schools and at other Schools of Public Health.

HCSA’s Responsibility in Fostering Effective Shared Governance

HCSA acknowledges that an effective shared governance model adopted by the administration will not make students feel like their voice is heard en masse by itself. HCSA pledges to be a partner with faculty, staff, and administration in helping students understand how their voice was heard in the decision-making processes of their program, department, and/or school. HCSA is constantly working to improve communication to and with students.

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As a part of that process, HCSA is early in the process of re-examining its Constitution and Bylaws to structure itself in a manner more conducive to being an effective partner of a shared governance model and representative of the needs of the student body. This includes developing an efficient nominating process for students who hold committee appointments, an expectation that students attend each meeting and are good stewards of sensitive information, and that there is a feedback loop that includes the student body. To this end, HCSA is organizing a “meet-and-greet” event on November 15 during the lunch hour where it will communicate the proposals, discussion, and outcome of this meeting with attendees.

A significant challenge to implementing shared governance and including students in meetings is the transient nature of the student body. A significant number of students at Harvard Chan are on campus for one or one-and-a-half years making it difficult to ensure continuity between HCSA administrations from year-to-year. HCSA pledges to institutionalize and facilitate an effective transition of information, norms, and standards between years through both direct and indirect (i.e. written) means. HCSA is open to suggestions from faculty, staff, and administration on best practices on transitioning.

Despite the challenges, HCSA is excited to promote more student voices in the School’s decision-making processes and looks forward to playing its part in an effective shared governance model.

7 Appendix 1 An Inventory of Available Practices Across Harvard Graduate Schools

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

There are several committees affiliated with the Student Association that gather and share feedback with the relevant faculty and administrators regarding curricular matters.

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

HBS students historically have not served on search committees.

HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

The Kennedy School Student Government meets with the Dean and the School’s senior leadership on a periodic basis. KSSG representatives serve on several standing School committees.

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

HKS students are involved in faculty hiring processes though the level and mechanism of involvement varies by department.

HARVARD SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

Students hold a voting position on the Admissions Committee and a student representative to the American Dental Education Association attends meetings related to the curriculum however does not have a voting role.

HSDM is among the smallest graduate schools. As a result, the HSDM Student Body President states that student involvement and feedback is provided through informal mechanisms instead of institutionalized or formally documented means.

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

Students have not been involved in faculty hiring processes though students believe it would be beneficial.

HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

The HDS Student Association typically meets with the Dean once or twice a semester to express concerns and discuss issues taking place on campus. Students serve on the following standing committees:

HDS Administrative Board HDS Alumni Council Committee

8 MDiv Curriculum Committee MTS Curriculum Committee Rock Cafe Advisory Committee Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion Student IT Advisory Board University Committee on Rights and Responsibilities

The HDS Student Association Academics Chair coordinates the search and application process for these student committee representatives.

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

Yes, students serve on faculty search committees.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

The Graduate Student Council meets monthly with Deans and Administrators in GSAS in order to discuss concerns and provide feedback on the graduate student experience. The student leaders also meet with Claudine Gay, the Dean of FAS. In addition, the GSC has representatives on a number of university committees:

GSAS Committee on Graduate Education Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility Harvard College Safety Committee Harvard Graduate Council HUIT Committee GSC Conference and Travel Grant Selection Committee

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

Unknown at this time.

HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL

Student Representation in the School’s Decision-Making Processes

The Extension School’s student representatives have little involvement in the School’s decision-making processes. Decisions are communicated first to student representatives prior to the broader student body though students are not involved in the decision-making process.

Students Involved in Faculty Hiring Processes

Students are not involved in faculty hiring processes at the Extension School.

9 Proposal for Spaces with Acoustic Privacy

Presented by: Sanjana Sundaresan Prepared by: Jayson Toweh, Mathew Samuel, Nicholas Arisco, Ryan Ortizo, Sanjana Sundaresan, Sarah Zelasky, Spyros Potiris

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Students at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have expressed a need for additional private, quiet space to work and study individually and in groups. A discrete need that has emerged is for a space with acoustic privacy to take phone or video calls for professional or informational interviews with prospective employers and alumni. We conducted a mixed methods survey to understand the frequency of telecommunications for interview purposes, desirable features to be included in the design of a silent space, location preferences, and challenges faced. Through this proposal, we aim to consolidate the results of the survey and propose feasible and economical solutions to create spaces with acoustic privacy around the school while understanding the lack of appetite for capital intensive projects.

CONTEXT

Students at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have voiced a desire for space with acoustic privacy to take phone or video calls for interviews with prospective employers. A student on the phone with a cup around their mouth is a common sight on the second floor of Kresge, underneath the Kresge steps outside even in light rain, and pacing the halls below and near the FXB lounge. The inflection of background noise stemming from the Kresge Cafeteria and the FXB entrance make them difficult places to conduct professional phone calls. Employers use phone screenings and, as of late, even AI-enabled video interviews conducted automatically for first-round interviews which only underscores the need for a dedicated private space with acoustic privacy.

In a recent survey created by HCSA to better understand the needs of students, 93% of respondents indicated that such a space does not exist at Harvard Chan. The need for one, however, is evident. 71% of students report that they would use this space for phone calls once or twice per month, while a quarter of students would take professional calls in this space more than four times per month. Similarly, 78% of students would use the space once or twice per month for video calls. The space would be needed primarily for 30-minute or 1-hour blocks.

Consistent with the intended use of the space, students ranked reliable cellular reception as the most important feature to be taken into consideration in the design, followed closely by the ability to reserve the space in advance.

Another important theme emerging from responses is that this space should not take up the already limited study space at HSPH. The main student computing laboratory in Kresge LL19 and the area beyond the stairwell in the student lounge on Kresge 2 were the top options when students were asked to rank existing HSPH spaces that could potentially be converted to serve this purpose. Additional suggestions include converting part of the FXB student lounge.

A representative sample of comments collected from students illustrates the need for this type of space:

“Quiet! The space needs to be quiet - no embarrassing interruptions or distractions.”

“Anything with acoustic privacy. Often I go to TMEC and find an empty med school room.”

“Soundproofing against passersby or environmental noise; a small table to set up a notebook or laptop to take notes during the call”

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“Sometimes when I know that I won’t be able to find a place to take calls in school or close-by, I end up having to miss class (sometimes multiple depending on the day during interview season) so that I have a quiet place at home to talk. A dedicated place at school would allow me to not have to decide between learning in class and finding an internship/job.”

GOAL

To have a dedicated, confidential, and reservable space in which students can take calls to support their professional conversations, primarily for internship, job, and informational interviews with prospective employers and alumni.

PROPOSAL

We recognize that there is a shortage of space across the school and are determined that it is possible to balance the tradeoff between additional investment and space for which there is a clear need.

Build modular booths in open spaces

We consider portable office booths (Zenbooth is an example) in open spaces. These booths are eco-friendly, completely blocked-off acoustically, and are easy to assemble and disassemble. After coming to a shared agreement on space best suited for these booths, we propose installing five of them across the school and re-evaluating the addition of more depending on its utilization. A base model zenbooth, which we believe to be sufficient for student needs, costs $4,500.

Suggestions for open spaces where these booths can be installed are: the hallway between buildings 1 and 2, FXB lounge, or other large spaces with cellular reception that the School thinks could be suitable. HCSA is eager to help the School implement this.

Repurposing classroom or empty office space

We suggest opening up existing rooms to students to reserve when classrooms are not in use. This is likely the most challenging and least preferred because there is no way to prevent interruptions as these rooms usually belong to particular departments. Similarly, having a centralized way to identify vacant offices that students could reserve for 30-60-minute blocks could utilize already existing empty spaces.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

While the consideration of finding a suitable space for conducting phone calls has been an ongoing issue, there is a larger issue of finding and utilizing space for other student tasks. Students voiced overall frustrations with the inability to book rooms at school and the struggle of finding space to do any sort of collaborative work with their peers.

Students are also wary of giving up already limited space. In conducting this proposal, care must be taken to balance utilizing the school’s current space effectively and efficiently. We had considered sectioning off the nooks in the 2nd floor lounge in Kresge, however several students asked that we not take away already limited space to meet with groups.

There were also concerns that existing, yet relatively unknown spaces within our campus, have been severely underutilized including departmental office spaces and lounges.

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HCSA’S ROLE

While there are a number of issues with space on campus, HCSA has been able to identify a discrete need and propose a solution that is not capital or structurally intensive given the potential for a new HSPH building in the near future. HCSA recommends Harvard Chan provide a reservable space with acoustic privacy to support students in their professional endeavors in a connected world. HCSA looks forward to collaborating with the Harvard Chan leadership through the implementation of this space on our campus.

12 Appendix 2 Proposed solution- Build modular booths in open spaces

Among companies manufacturing modern telecommunications booths, Zenbooth provides an optimal solution to the cater to students’ needs, while remaining economically feasible. Summarized below are details, features, and advantages of their basic Zenbooth.

Product details:

• Manufacturer: Zenbooth • Model: Comfort Booth • Price: $4,495

Features:

• Sound-proof, ensuring acoustic privacy • Glass door and ceiling • Power outlets • 2 high-speed fans

Advantages:

• Portable • Easy to assemble/disassemble • Compact

13 Next Steps

MULTICULTURAL CENTER

• Learn of best practices from other universities (Ivy league and non-Ivy) to strengthen the proposal • Use this proposal to connect with HMS and HDS counterparts for the task force

SHARED GOVERNANCE

• Create a blueprint for student engagement in governance including defining the exact role of students, identifying key stakeholders, format for student selection, and the like • Learn of best practices for shared governance from other universities

SPACES WITH ACOUSTIC PRIVACY

• Identifying key locations where phone booths can be placed at HSPH • Look at similar structures at the Broad Institute and the Harvard Law Library to understand the space better • Pilot an online reservation system for the booths once the locations and number of booths have been determined

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