Harvard Newstalk

Harvard released its admissions demographic data for the Class of 2028 last week. This year more so than many years past, those numbers were a big deal.

Few things at Harvard are as tightly kept a secret as its admissions process. Every year, tens of thousands of applicants around the world hit submit, hope for the best. And then… it’s sort of a black box. The applications get sent off through the portal. Harvard’s admissions officers do their thing. And then on decision day, people get a yes, a maybe, or a no. 

At least, that’s how it used to be. For the past decade, Harvard’s admissions processes have been under the microscope. Its details scrutinized again, and again, and again — in the public eye, in a public controversy that made its way all the way up to the Supreme Court. 

It hinged on how Harvard thinks about race in its admission process, and whether its practices give preference to some racial groups more than others. On one end, we had SFFA: Students for Fair Admissions, led by a man named Ed Blum, alleging that Harvard’s admissions affirmative action practices did unfairly advantage some racial groups more than others. That they did break the law. On the other, we had Harvard insisting that affirmative action was absolutely essential to creating a more diverse Harvard. That there’d be no way to maintain its diversity without it. 

In June of last year, after nearly a decade of lawsuits, the Supreme Court weighed in. 

In a decision that made waves around the world, the Supreme Court ruled SFFA’s way. It said that Harvard would have to end all of its racial preferences in admissions. And Harvard said it would comply.

So all eyes turned to Harvard’s demographic numbers for the Class of 2028: the first class applied and admitted after the ruling. The first chance to see the ruling’s true impact on the University. 

Last week, after being delayed for months, those numbers came out. 

If people thought those numbers would tell the whole story, they were disappointed. Because they didn’t. But, if you looked closely, there was still a lot to see. And that’s exactly what our reporters did. This week on Newstalk, Harvard’s demographics for the class of 2028.

Newstalk is co-hosted and co-produced by Frank S. Zhou and Yael S. Goldstein.

It’s Harvard’s second week back in class and campus tensions are already back in the headlines.

Two Harvard graduate students charged with assault and battery during a pro-Palestine protest last May face yet another delay in their arraignment date.

A September 5th statement from the University provided updated guidance for those affected by doxing attacks, following months of criticism of its failure to protect students.

On Friday, President Alan Garber met with eight members of Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine in the Smith Campus Center to discuss the Harvard endowment. Outside the building, more than 80 students demanded divestment from Israel in the first pro-Palestine protest of the semester.

And, from our colleagues on the news desk, a deep dive into the Harvard Corporation’s selection of Harvard’s 31st president. How did Alan Garber successfully secure his position after a semester of extraordinary crisis?

Design by Sami E. Turner. 

Alan M. Garber ’76, Harvard’s longtime provost who suddenly became the interim leader as he sought to steer the University through its worst leadership crisis in decades, was officially confirmed as the 31st president, the Harvard Corporation announced on Friday.

Eight months after Garber was appointed interim president, the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — announced it will delay a formal search until 2026. Garber will serve in the position until June 2027.

Stay on top of the news at thecrimson.com.

For than 100 hours and counting, dozens of Pro-Palestine students and protesters have camped overnight in Harvard Yard, calling on the university to divest from Israel‘s war in Gaza. The encampment has now expanded to 50+ tents stretching across Harvard Yard, some a stone's throw away from Harvard president Alan Garber's office. 

On Newstalk, host Frank S. Zhou '26 and reporters Ellie P. Cassidy '27 and Julian J. Giordano '25 take us inside the encampment to talk to six students demonstrating despite the threat of disciplinary consequences. 

As skepticism of Harvard's governance mounts amid a year of turmoil, a group of prominent Harvard professors is seeking to revive a body that hasn’t existed at Harvard in living memory: a University-wide faculty senate.

Less than 20 years ago, Harvard faculty speaking with a collective voice helped oust a university president. But this proposal marks the first time Harvard's faculties have made a widespread push to unite under one governance body in more than a decade. Reporters Tilly R. Robinson '26 and Neil H. Shah join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss what the move means for Harvard and the future balance of power at the university.

On Friday morning, March 29th, the Harvard Law School Student Government passed a resolution calling on the Harvard Management Corporation to divest from Israel. On Tuesday, April 2nd, a truck displaying the faces of the HLS Student Government co-presidents made its way around campus. 

The “Doxxing” truck, as it’s known, has been a familiar presence on campus since October 7th. As the Harvard Undergraduate Association gears up for its own referendum on divestment, students are left with two major questions: what is Harvard doing to ensure the safety and security of its students, and are political statements in the purview of student governments? The Crimson Editorial Board members Vander O.B. Ritchie '26 and Jasmine N. Wynn '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss.

Harvard emerged mostly unscathed from its first application cycle since the fall of affirmative action, silencing critics who speculated the University’s recent controversies would deter students from applying to the College. 

This week on Newstalk, reporters Elyse C. Goncalves '27 and Matan H. Josephy '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss the state of Harvard admissions and what the data tell us so far.

As Harvard navigates its way out of a historic leadership crisis, DEI has come under heavy fire. Supporters point to DEI's capacity to support student wellbeing. Critics say it can get in the way of free speech.

Today on Newstalk, two members of The Crimson’s Editorial Board, Tommy Barone ‘25 and Allison P. Farrell ‘26, join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss what critics tend to get wrong, how students feel about expressing their opinions on campus, and ways out of Harvard's DEI dilemma.

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino — who came under fire for allegations of data manipulation — suggested that Boston University professor and co-author Nina Mažar tampered with her data, according to an internal HBS report.

This week on Newstalk, reporters Benjamin Isaac '27 and Kyle Baek '26 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to break down the Gino saga. 

Earlier this month, Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 announced that Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82 will serve as the University’s second highest administrator: the University provost. Unlike most top administrators, however, Manning has declined to schedule regular interviews with The Crimson and has proven to be one of Harvard's most media-shy deans. So who is John Manning? 

This week on Newstalk, reporters S. Mac Healey '27 and Saketh Sundar '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss.