Playwright Christopher Durang • Making College Accessible
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Playwright Christopher Durang • Making College Accessible MARCH-APRIL 2009 • $4.95 Advancing science and education 7 in WHAT THE CFA DESIGNATION MEANS TO INVESTORS. A financial adviser who is a CFA charterholder represents a tremendous reservoir of investment expertise, having demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, 9.625 in and comprehensive knowledge of investments and analytics. Take a moment to see if a CFA charterholder is right for you. Learn more at cfainstitute.org/adviser. ETHICS TENACITY RIGOR ANALYTICS A Institute ©2009 CF TOC-reg_final 2/10/09 1:51 PM Page 1 MARCH-APRIL 2009 VOLUME 111, NUMBER 4 FEATURES 24 Forum: Reopening the Doors to College The essential public role in making higher education broadly available again STU ROSNER by Theda Skocpol and Suzanne Mettler page 42 DEPARTMENTS 28 A Yodel for Help in the 2 Cambridge 02138 Modern World Communications from our readers The prolific playwright Christopher Durang, a 7 Right Now “choirboy with fingers dipped in poison,” deals Biological urges and history, in black humor savings incentives, Internet polarization, from slavery by Craig Lambert to comedy 12A New England Regional Section Campus events, love in the second half of 32 Vita: Fernando Zóbel de Ayala life, and Caribbean cuisine sans cruise Brief life of a peripatetic man of arts: 1924-1984 13 Montage by John Seed Gastrophysics, Alcott pair page 28 portrayed, dreaming of medicine and literature, The Developing Child GREGORY GROVE the Constitution beyond 34 the text, a traveler’s portfolio, Harvard scholars link science, education, and public policy sanatorium scenes to enhance the earliest years of life 56 The Alumni by Elizabeth Gudrais A green private-equity fund, helping hands for lower- income taxpayers, Overseer 42 John Harvard’s Journal and alumni association Building for big science ambitions in Allston, the candidates, and more University’s looming hard financial choices, a long- 60 The College Pump term vision for artistic practice in the curriculum and Purloined parts, oath awk- wardness, ancient wisdom on campus, a water expert from the World Bank, mapping Africa, cutting-edge radio, public-health 72 Treasure “Rice” paper: a pithy account helmsman, the unfinished quest for human rights, a 61 Crimson Classifieds laboratory dissects decisionmaking, House assign- ments—and apparel, the Undergraduate on lives On the cover: Early learning in a Santiago archived, an all-skills basketball star, and a classroom. Photograph by Aldo Benincasa page 51 wrap-up of winter sports page 13 FRANCESC GUILLAMET www.harvardmagazine.comHarvard Magazine 3 Letters.final2 2/9/09 3:04 PM Page 2 LETTERS Editor: John S. Rosenberg Senior Editor: Jean Martin Managing Editor: Jonathan S. Shaw Deputy Editor: Craig Lambert Associate Editor: Elizabeth Gudrais Cambridge 02138 Production and New Media Manager: Mark Felton Assistant Editor: Nell Porter Brown Diversity distortion, getting to green, iron workers Associate Web Developer: Blaise Freeman Art Director: Jennifer Carling Acting Art Director: Vera Leung Berta Greenwald Ledecky HABEAS CORPUS Undergraduate Fellows As jonathan shaw’s thoughtful article Christian Flow, Brittney Moraski observes (“The War and the Writ,” Janu- Editorial Intern: ary-February, page 24), the courts and Krysten A. Keches Congress recognize that the Constitution Contributing Editors allows for the suspension of habeas cor- John T. Bethell, John de Cuevas, Adam pus “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion.” Goodheart, Jim Harrison, Christopher But Shaw does not explicitly distinguish S. Johnson, Adam Kirsch, Colleen these limited situations from what the ar- Lannon, Christopher Reed, Deborah ticle variously refers to as “war,” “terror- Smullyan, Mark Steele ism,” “times of crisis,” “armed conflict,” Editorial and Business O≠ice “periods of crisis” and “hostilities.” 7 Ware Street, There are meaningful distinctions be- Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037 tween this nation’s distinguishable secu- Tel. 617-495-5746; fax: 617-495-0324 rity activities at home and in such foreign Website: www.harvardmagazine.com countries as Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghan- Reader services: istan. Unfortunately, the Bush adminis- 617-495-5746 or 800-648-4499 tration shielded these various activities which are reflected in the opinions and HARVARD MAGAZINE INC. from scrutiny by placing them under the proposals voiced by the “well-informed President: Henry Rosovsky, JF ’57, broad protective screen of a “war on ter- persons” quoted in Shaw’s article. They Ph.D. ’59, LL.D. ’98. Directors: Leslie E. rorism.” But the courts, the Congress, and all might be better informed, and better Greis ’80, Alex S. Jones, NF ’82, the public need to make distinctions if able to o≠er credible contributions to the Bill Kovach, NF ’89, Randolph C. the judicial and political processes are to dialogue revolving around this subject, if Lindel ’66, Tamara Elliott Rogers ’74, work. they first read his book. Kay Kaufman Shelemay, A. Clayton A war is not necessarily a war for legal John Richardson, LL.B. ’60 Spencer, A.M. ’82, Richard Tuck purposes because the president and ar- Orford, N.H. Harvard Magazine (ISSN 0095-2427) is published bimonthly guably even the Congress choose to name by Harvard Magazine Inc., a nonprofit corporation, 7 it as such. We should not suspend the Two hundred and fifty men held with- Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, phone 617- 495-5746; fax 617-495-0324. The magazine is supported by writ, congressional inquiry, or common out trial at Guantánamo: this is a drop in reader contributions and subscriptions, advertising rev- enue, and a subvention from Harvard University. Its edi- sense every time a political leader runs up the bucket considering that there are torial content is the responsibility of the editors. Periodi- a “war” banner. thousands of dangerous terrorists in Pak- cals postage paid at Boston, Mass., and additional mailing o≠ices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Circulation Robert H. Sand ’58, J.D. ’61 istan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, to say noth- Department, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cam- Brooklyn ing of those in Palestine, Lebanon, even bridge, Mass. 02138-4037. Subscription rate $30 a year in U.S. and possessions, $55 Canada and Mexico, $75 other Europe. Let them go: send them back to foreign. (Allow up to 10 weeks for first delivery.) Sub- scription orders and customer service inquiries should be In his brilliant study of twenty-first their countries of origin except for those sent to the Circulation Department, Harvard Magazine, 7 century terrorism and our response, vel whose countries of origin are dangerous Ware Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02138-4037, or call 617- 495-5746 or 800-648-4499, or e-mail addresschanges@har- non, thereto, Philip Bobbitt (Terror and Con- for them. They won’t make much di≠er- vard.edu. Single copies $4.95, plus $2.50 for postage and sent, 2008) notes at the outset that “among ence in the “War on Terror.” Even if every handling. Manuscript submissions are welcome, but we cannot assume responsibility for safekeeping. Include well-informed persons, a number of dubi- one of the Guantánamo detainees is dan- stamped, self-addressed envelope for manuscript re- turn. Persons wishing to reprint any portion of Harvard ous propositions about twenty-first cen- gerous, they will simply disappear into Magazine’s contents are required to write in advance for tury terrorism and the Wars against Ter- the sea of terrorists. The Bush administra- permission. Address inquiries to Catherine A. Chute, publisher, at the address given above. ror are widely and tenaciously held.” He tion was not really afraid of these men; Copyright © 2009 Harvard Magazine Inc. then lists 22 of these, more or less all of they have no magical powers. But they 2 March - April 2009 Letters.final2 2/9/09 3:04 PM Page 3 LETTERS might testify against the United States in the information war for status and re- spect in the world. Mary M. Smith ’61 South Portland, Me. Philip heymann’s description of Guan- tánamo as “only a small-scale detention problem” may be true, but only if one views Guantánamo as sui generis. In fact, Dear Readers, however, the United States holds hun- dreds more prisoners at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan and thousands more For many years, alumni like you have supported publication of Harvard Magazine in a variety of prisons in Iraq, not to men- by making small donations. These contributions—along with advertising sales tion the unknown number still held in and a University subsidy—have enabled the magazine to keep you in touch with black sites around the world. None of the community, prepare intellectually engaging articles, and provide objective these groups have captured the attention coverage of Harvard today. of the media or the public as have the prisoners held in Guantánamo, but all The rapid decline in advertising (historically the magazine’s largest source of share the same denial of habeas corpus rights (and those held in other locations revenue) and rising pressure on other funding sources during the past six lack even the meager rights that have months now force us to make many adjustments, even as our staff continues to been tenaciously won for the Guantá- work as hard as possible on your behalf. namo prisoners by courageous lawyers). David Remes asserts that anyone who The most significant change you will notice, beginning with this issue, is a “threw a grenade at an American soldier smaller publication: fewer pages translate into immediate, urgently needed sav- or shot at an American convoy” has ings on paper, printing, and postage—the principal costs in delivering your mag- clearly “attacked the United States.” But that’s only true if the American soldier or azine. (Internally, we have cut costs across the board, including compensation.) convoy was legally present in the country where the attack occurred.