Mar. 18, 2021 THE HARVARD Issue 04 independentHE TUDENT EEKLY INCE T S W S 1969 Man- made? A series on the intersection of age & conventional “feminity” and “masculinity” PLUS! The hot scoop on Housing Day, All the gossip behind blocking groups, & an exclusive first-look at revelatory rap music MASTHEAD March 18, 2021 CONTENTS ARSH DHILLON ’23 President MARY JULIA KOCH ’23 Editor-In-Chief MEET MCDErmOTT BY OLIVER ADLER ’24 MICHAEL KIELSTRA ’22 Comp Director ELEANOR FITZGIBBONS ’23 03 Vice President ALAYA AYALA ’22 A BLOCKADE IN BLOCKING Marketing Director BY MARBELLA MARLO ’24 CADE WILLIAMS ’23 Associate Editor & News Editor NOAH TAVARES ’24 04 Arts Editor MUTED FANFARE LUCY HAMILTON ’21 BY CARLI COOPERSTEIN ’24 Visual Arts Editor ELLIE HAMILTON ’23 Illustrator 05 MARINA ZOULLAS ’23 Illustrator JILLY CRONIN ’21 REVELATORY RAP BY NOAH TAVARES ’24 MARISSA GARCIA ’21 ABIGAIL KOERNER ’21 ANNIE COLLOREDO-MANSFELD ’23 06 YASMEEN ALFAQEEH ’23 LULU PATTERSON ’24 KATE TUNNELL ’24 BArbAriC BArbiES CARLI COOPERSTEIN ’24 BY GOGO TAUBMAN ’24 GRACE VON OISTE ’24 YASMINE BAZOS ’24 MARBELLA MARLO ’24 07 OLIVER ADLER ’24 THE SUSTAINERS PHOTOGRAPHS The Sustainers are a group of Indepen- dent alumni committed to supporting our mission by funding one month of office AS TEAChiNG OBJECTS rent each year for at least five years. 09 BY GRACE VON OISTE ’24 MARK SHIELDS ’70 JIM VASEFF ’71 DAVID SMITH ’75 RANDY BUCKLIN ’82 MARK PELOFSKY ’84 “BAR HArbOR” WILL RECKLER ’99 BY LILY DAVIS ’23 Copyright © 2021 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved. 10 Meet McDermott The AD launching Harvardby OLIVER Athletics ADLER ’24 into the next decade rin McDermott had big shoes to fill ly elevate Harvard’s involvement in conference when she took the position as the John championships and its teams’ national place- D. Nichols ’53 Director of Athletics ments from recent years. inE May 2020. She replaced Robert L. Scalise, Just as she is committed to her ambitions who had held the position since 2001. But the for Harvard Athletics, McDermott is also com- Hofstra University basketball star was unfazed. mitted to the impact she might already be having For the nine years before stepping into her Har- on its athletes. Since her hiring, the Ivy League vard role, McDermott served as the leader of the has reached the milestone of half of its Athletic University of Chicago Athletics Department, Directors being women. “I take these facts very which, under her tenure, proved extremely suc- seriously. I consider it a great responsibility that cessful. Her success did not go unnoticed, as she I hold,” she says. “There are a lot of great women was the winner of the 2019 National Associa- in the Ivy League and beyond who recognize this tion of Collegiate Directors of Athletics’ Assis- responsibility.” In contemplating what it means tant Director of the Year Award. Assuming her for her to enter this role, she looks to the genera- position at Harvard, McDermott is not only the tion that came before her, expressing “gratitude College’s first new Athletic Director in 20 years, to the women who paved the way”—the trail- but also the first-ever female director of Harvard blazers that came after Title IX and proved that Athletics. women belong in and around sports. Despite her vast experience in the field of athletic administration, McDermott wasn’t ex- actly stepping in at the easiest moment—most “‘We want to represent athletic administrators don’t have to wrestle excellence in how we with a pandemic on their first day. “We are op- similar desires out of athletic leadership. “I’m erating so differently than any of us are used to,” compete and represent excited to see Director McDermott increase not she admits. “We have to do this in a very chal- only the visibility of women in sports but also lenging environment with disappointment and ourselves. our tangible decision-making power in a field confusion.” McDermott’s basketball days have that has historically been neglectful, if not open- prepared her for challenges, and taught her how Success is something ly hostile, towards women,” says Wilkstrom. to overcome them. She knows that each day isn’t we should aspire for, Her excitement comes with a level of caution: easy, having come to understand that “we’re not “I am hopeful that Director McDermott will be going to succeed every time we try to do every- and it isn’t mutually ex- judged by her work not as a female Director of thing,” and that adaptation is key to long-term Athletics—or any other mode of framing that success. clusive from excelling attaches her impact to a limiting qualifier word In a position and career that revolves around or phrase—but as a Director of Athletics, peri- cooperation, precision, and coordination, play- in every other aspect of od.” ing basketball taught McDermott another skill McDermott expects nothing less than that. that has proved extremely valuable: balance. “I’ve life at Harvard.’” “Harvard Athletics will continue to live in the been intentional with how I’ve used my time” to values of education through athletics,” she an- connect with faculty and students throughout ticipates. “We want to represent excellence in the period, the Athletic Director says about try- Parallelling her predecessors, McDermott how we compete and represent ourselves. Suc- ing to “build relationships, trust, and credibil- hopes to inspire women in Harvard Athletics. cess is something we should aspire for, and it ity” in a new environment. Spending many of “I hope that I am actually a role model in how I isn’t mutually exclusive from excelling in every her hours on Zoom each day, McDermott ad- behave and serve student-athletes and that they other aspect of life at Harvard.” For McDer- mits she shares the pandemic frustration felt by can see me and understand that they can pursue mott, excellence is the standard: in scholarship, many people whose lives and work typically de- the paths that call to them, even if women aren’t in athletics, in character, and in leadership. And pend on in-person contact and communication. currently in those positions,” she shares. While why shouldn’t it be? That’s the standard at which But to form crucial relationships between ath- motivating women to pursue their dreams, Mc- she has worked and will continue to work. letes and administrators during this time, Zoom Dermott wants to be “a model for leadership, re- is the necessary medium. gardless of a similarity or not in leadership, and Oliver Adler ’24 ([email protected] With her newcomer status and desire to regardless of gender.” vard.edu) is excited for the future of establish these connections, McDermott is de- Sofia Castore ’24, a member of the Field Harvard Athletics. termined in her goals for Harvard Athletics. Hockey team, feels this motivation. “It’s just “We want to honor that [athletes] are not just nice to see representation in high-up positions Illustration by Yasmine Bazos ’24 athletes,” she says, but “full people who come that have confronted and had to deal with simi- to [Harvard] in many different forms and fash- lar problems [as] female athletes.” Castore hopes ions.” McDermott wants athletic policies and that McDermott will bring with her “more hype initiatives to recognize the diversity of stu- around women’s sports,” increasing the atten- dent-athletes, and she plans to “work with our dance at competitions and encouraging women spaces” so that athletes can “feel proud of where at Harvard to feel comfortable in the athletic [they] train and compete.” The Athletic Direc- arena. tor has big plans for Harvard’s facilities in the Eleanor Wikstrom ’24 from the next few years—plans she hopes will ultimate- Cross-Country and Track & Field teams, has Sports | 03 A blockade in Blocking byForming MARBELLA friendships MARLO amidst ’24 the pandemic n Friday, March 12th, at approximate- ly 11:15 AM EST, the Harvard College Class of 2024 logged on to Zoom to dis- cover, either to their chagrin or pleasant ships in their room- surprise, what building and community they will mates. Since on-cam- live in for the next three years. First-years gath- pus students lived in ered—whetherO virtually on FaceTime with their single dorm rooms to soon-to-be blockmates or illicitly indoors in each limit their face-to-face exposure, opportunities international students. other’s physical presence—to watch Harvard’s at- for roommate bonding were limited. Sean McCabe Evan Macrae ’24 from Niagara Falls, On- tempt at making the century-old tradition of Hous- ’24, however, essentially won the lottery in finding tario, described how miles of distance and differing ing Day something that students could enjoy in the close friendships with the individuals that Harvard time zones strained students’ ability to make friend- era of COVID-19. randomly assigned him at the beginning of the year. ships. “As an international student, I can really feel Traditionally, Housing Day starts early in “Last semester I formed meaningful rela- for the other kids who are already on flipped sleep the morning, as students from each House gather tionships with whom I lived. And those were the schedules. I can’t see them making much of an effort in the Yard to dance, sing, and flaunt their House only really close friends I made, but they are now to log onto Zoom for an event happening at 3 AM,” pride. Classes are canceled for the entire Universi- my blocking group,” McCabe reflected. Though Macrae said. He represents an entire subset of first- ty, and the whole day is spent celebrating the dis- “there was not a whole lot in place last semester years who didn’t have the opportunity to live on tinct culture of each of Harvard’s 12 upperclassmen for me to meet people,” his experience of choosing campus in the fall and subsequently had to choose Houses.