1. science
2. social science
3. philosophy

Freshman Dean’s Office
Yard Bulletin
Volume 2018
Issue XXVII
April 10, 2015
You may view the Yard Bulletin on the FDO Website (www.fdo.fas.harvard.edu).
Upcoming Events
 Thursday, April 16, 4PM - Learning from
Performers: A Conversation with Composer
Tania León. David DeBoor Canfield of Fanfare
Magazine hails the artistic voice of Tania León
as “utterly distinctive, and once one has
listened to her music for any length of time, it
will not be mistaken as the work of any other composer.”
León—the Eileen Southern Distinguished Visitor through
the Department of Music—will discuss her career encompassing composition, conducting, teaching, and arts
leadership with Alejandro L. Madrid, Associate Professor in
the Department of Music, Cornell University. Admission is
free; tickets/RSVPs not required. Seating is first-come, firstserved. Farkas Hall Studio, 10-12 Holyoke St.
 Thursday, April 16, 8:30-10:30PM After Hours at the Harvard Art
Museums. Come celebrate the end of the
year on Sever Quad at 8:30PM with snacks, refreshments
and mingling. From 9-10:30PM, explore the Harvard Art
Museums’ galleries and be the very first to see a new work
of contemporary art by artist Carlos Amorales in the
Calderwood Courtyard. Join us in the museum for photos,
giveaways, and musical performances, and learn how you
can get involved with the museums. Chic attire encouraged.
Please note that food and drink is not permitted in the
museum. Sever Quad & Harvard Art Museums.
 Friday, April 17, 4PM - Jazz Program
Presents: A Conversation with George
Coleman and Harold Mabern. Named
Harvard University Jazz Masters in
Residence, tenor saxophonist George Coleman and pianist
Harold Mabern will be featured in “Memphis Jazz Giants,”
a tribute concert with the Harvard Jazz Bands, and a public
conversation. Coleman and Mabern grew up in Memphis,
Tennessee, and their distinctive “hard bop” performance
style is influenced by the city’s rich musical menu of rhythm
and blues, gospel, and blues. Admission is free; tickets/
RSVPs not required. Seating is first-come, first-served,
subject to venue capacity. For more information, call: 617495-8676. Barker Center, 12 Quincy St.
Freshman Fun
 Friday, April 17, 8PM – Pops Ahoy! A
Nautical Narrative. Ahoy mateys! Warmer
days are finally upon us, and Harvard
students Blair and Wyatt are gearing up for a
tropical vacation during spring break.
Unfortunately for them, Pyrite Isle is about to
be overrun with a vengeful group of Pirates of the Caribbean
(Zimmer) in search of an old treasure, and they’re not
leaving a single Doubloon (Feinstein) behind. Will Blair and
Wyatt enjoy themselves by Livin' la Vida Loca and dancing
The Tango Ivy League (Badillo), or will these two Poor
Unfortunate Souls (Menken) experience a disaster of Titanic
(Horner) proportions? Join the Harvard Pops Orchestra to
find out! $8 tickets are available from the Harvard Box
Office. Lowell Lecture Hall.
 Friday, April 17, 9PM-1AM - Puerto
Lowell. Come to Puerto Lowell, and win a
free trip to Puerto Rico! Your admission
ticket acts as a raffle ticket. Drawing will take
place at end of the night; you and one friend
can win an all-expenses-paid, one-night trip to San Juan.
Flight will depart Saturday morning and return Sunday
evening. 9PM: arrive at party; 12:30AM: raffle drawing;
6AM: fly to Puerto Rico!! Tickets can be bought at the
Harvard Box Office, our Facebook event page, and SEF for
$10 in advance, or $15 at the door. Lowell Dining Hall.
 Monday, April 20, 5PM - Cultural Navigation: Finding
One’s Way Across Traditions. Join members of the Silk
Road Ensemble as they discuss navigating cultural and musical traditions. Moderator Steve Seidel (HGSE) will join
musicians Cristina Pato (bagpipes), Sandeep Das (tabla),
Joseph Gramley (percussion), and Hadi Eldebek (oud and
percussion) for this special event. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded
the non-profit organization Silkroad, which seeks to create
meaningful change at the intersection of the arts, education,
and business through cross-cultural partnerships. This event
is free and open to the public. More info, visit:
radcliffe.harvard.edu. Radcliffe
Institute for Advanced Study,
Knafel Center, 10 Garden St.
Spring Culinary Course
UC’s Nutrition Study Break
Wednesday, April 15, 8:30-10:30PM
Grays Common Room
As part of Freshman Health Week,
this nutrition study break will be
an opportunity for you to eat
nutritious food, including Chobani
yogurt, and relax with classmates!
A small group of freshmen learned how to prepare rack of lamb, chicken breast, beet/citrus/mint salad, and tomato/
olive salad from HUDS Chef Matthew Pierce on Thursday, April 2, at Dean Dingman’s residence.
Freshman Dean’s Office
Morton Prince House
6 Prescott St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-495-1574
Fax: 617-496-1624
E-mail: fdo@fas.harvard.edu
Hours: Mon. - Fri., 9AM-5PM
Submissions
Please send submissions by
Tuesday at 9:00AM to:
yardnews@fas.harvard.edu
Published Fridays.
Safety Notice
To contact an FDO representative in
the event of a serious, non-academic
emergency, please call your proctor, or
the Harvard University Police at (617)
495-1212, or, on campus, 5-1212.
Safety and other emergency messages
are displayed as soon as possible on the
News and Notices section of the
College home page at
www.college.harvard.edu.
Academic Events
 Sunday, April 12, 7:30PM - Philosopher Peter Singer: "The Most Good You
Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas about Living Ethically."
Effective altruism is built upon the simple but profound idea that living a fully
ethical life involves doing the "most good you can do." Such a life requires an
unsentimental view of charitable giving: to be a worthy recipient of our support,
an organization must be able to demonstrate that it will do more good with our money
or our time than other options open to us. Singer shows how restructuring one’s life to
live altruistically often leads to greater personal fulfillment than living for oneself.
Peter Singer is often described as the world’s most influential living philosopher. His
40 books have appeared in more than 25 languages. Singer is also the founder of The
Life You Can Save, an effective altruism group that encourages people to donate
money to the most effective charities working today. Science Center C.
 Monday, April 13, 7PM - 2015 William Belden Noble Lecture: Stanley
Nelson, Jr. President Drew Faust will interview documentary filmmaker
Stanley Nelson, Jr. Selected clips of his work will be shown and discussed.
One of Stanley Nelson Jr.’s films, Freedom Summer, will be screened
Sunday, April 12, 7PM, in Boylston Hall 110. Memorial Church Sanctuary.
 Tuesday, April 14, 5PM - Economist Daron Acemoglu: "States and
Rights." Professor Acemoglu will discuss why it has been difficult
throughout history to build state capacity, and why the development of
the notion of generalized rights has been instrumental in the emergence
of states that have the capacity to deliver services, but are constrained in their ability to
dominate society. Daron Acemoglu is the co-author of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of
Power, Prosperity and Poverty. In 2005 he received the John Bates Clark Medal awarded
to economists under forty judged to have made the most significant contribution to
economic thought and knowledge. Science Center B.
Resources & Opportunities for Freshmen
The Clothesline Project: April 1-30. Part of the OSAPR’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), this
collection of experiences through the eyes of survivors, their loved ones, and allies is displayed across campus as
a physical reminder of voices often silenced. Stop by OSAPR or the Women’s Center to create your own. Stay
up-to-date with other SAAM events via the OSAPR website: osapr.harvard.edu/pages/calendar; or facebook.com/harvardosapr.
If you have any questions, email: osapr@fas.harvard.edu.
Advising Corner, 12-2PM, in Annenberg: Monday, April 13 – Philosophy; Tuesday, April 14 – Anthropology; Wednesday, April
15 – English; Thursday, April 16 – Social Studies.
Give Life. Please come donate blood or volunteer at one of Harvard's three April blood drives. Visit hcs.harvard.edu/redcross to
sign up. We need your help. Together, we can save a life! Red Cross blood drives: Monday, April 13; Tuesday, April 28; and
Wednesday, April 29, 1-6PM, Northwest Labs, 52 Oxford St.
The Narrative of Out: A Harvard Gaypril Panel Discussion of Coming out Stories and Their Relevance
Today. The panel will feature: Dr. Van Bailey, Director of the Office of BGLTQ Student Life; Ray Cook, author,
speaker, and former Morman; Charles Curti, Radcliffe Institute Director of Human Resources; Rebecca Dornin,
Harvard UIS Senior Software Engineer; and Mark Vassar, Harvard BGLTQ Faculty & Staff Association Chair.
This event is free and open to the public. Tuesday, April 14, 12-1:30PM, Radcliffe College Room, Schlesinger Library.
Join a Life after Nihilism Meetup. Want to meet individuals who consider themselves nihilists, those who have adopted a nihilistic
worldview in the past, friends of nihilists and "ex-nihilists," as well as fellow students with a general interest in nihilist thought?
Then come explore nihilism in a supportive and accepting environment. Potential topics include: subjective experiences leading to
nihilist realizations; thoughts about human mortality and what it could mean for a nihilist to live a "meaningful life;" and
nihilism-related ideas, such as Nietzsche's conception of nihilism. For more, please email Cris: csoliman@college.harvard.edu.
Serve as a My.Harvard Ambassador. The Office of the Registrar is hiring students to be ambassadors for the launch of the new
Student Information System (SIS, my.harvard) that will be used next academic year for online class enrollment, academic advising,
viewing grades, updating personal information, declaring concentrations, and more. Students will earn $1,000 to provide direct
input to the project team during the pre-release beta testing period, engage other students to gather
feedback and answer questions, communicate key information via communications channels, and
otherwise serve as an extension of the RO and HUIT Project Team. In-depth training will be provided.
Please visit sis.huit.harvard.edu/myharvard-ambassador for more information and to apply.