Harvard Publications: The Good, the Bad and the Silly

As you will notice within about three hours of your arrival in Cambridge, Harvard boasts a lot of ambitious people who like to write. Harvard also leaves most of its undergraduates with a lot of free time; as a result, there are quite a few undergraduate publications around. Reading them can be a full-time job--some of them are good and some, well, erratic. Actually, all of them can be pretty erratic, but if you join the staff of any of them you can have a good time, do some interesting writing, and meet some of the more colorful people on campus.

With that in mind, here is a brief look at the undergraduate publications:

The Harvard Independent--A weekly newspaper, founded in 1969 at the urging of University officials and alumni, most of whom believed The Crimson's politics were too far to the left. A lot of people still feel that way. At any rate, the Indy, as it's known, covers Harvard news in a weekly-review style. Its emphasis tends to be on social issues of Harvard life, and its political stance is pretty middle-of-the-road. There are usually two solid pieces in it per week, but unfortunately just about anyone who shows up at the Indy's office in the Union is allowed to write, and this tends to weaken the paper's overall quality. And for some reason, their reviewers seem to gush over everything. The Indy has some problems, but it is definitely worth reading. And it's free.

The Harvard Lampoon--In a weird building on Mt. Auburn St. lives the Lampoon, a bunch of guys who think they're really funny. Usually they aren't. A lot of people on campus hate the Lampoon. Their humor, if you can call it that, tends to range from preppie-obnoxious to racist, but they do have occasional bursts of brilliance. The problem is that they're generally convinced of their genius. Two years ago, after a series of racist items in the magazine (how does a cover showing the statue of John Harvard with a black child shining its shoes grab you?), black students demanded that the University take action against the 'Poonies, as they are affectionately, or at least commonly called. There was, as usual, a lot of talk, but they were not disciplined, as they form an independent organization. They were reprimanded, however, and they have toned down that act since. The Lampoon also features an incredibly humiliating competition for election to the staff, which culminates in "Fool Week," during which aspiring funnymen get to follow orders from sadistic 'Poonies, make total fools of themselves both in public and in the dark reaches of the Castle (where only editors can go), and drink themselves sick. All in good fun. Sure.

The Advocate--A literary magazine that operates out of a charming little building near Kirkland House, this is one of the oldest continuous publications around. Lots of self-proclaimed artsy-intellectual types who wouldn't be caught dead without their New Yorker. They publish four or five times per year, and most of the stuff is good, with both occasional stinkers and outrageously good pieces. Oh yeah, the Advocate's parties are the greatest.

Padan Aram--A mysterious poetry/literary magazine that appears once every few months, then goes away again. Uneven quality, and it's only in its third year of operation. Lots of weird poetry.

Harvard Political Review--This is a pretty serious quarterly magazine that features long articles by staff members on various political subjects--mostly national issues. Most of the writing is clear and incisive. Its political line is mostly straight liberal. The Political Review is a small organization, closely--one might say incestuously--linked to the Institute of Politics. If you write well and are an aspiring politico, this is the place for you.

The Harvard Chronicle--Here we have a brand-spanking new paper, which published its first three issues last spring. It represents the libertarian political viewpoints. The four-to six-page issues have an amazingly odd range of material in them, mostly denouncing something or other as a threat to individual liberties and so on. Its future is unclear, but it's interesting to watch, even if the writing in it is something short of lucid.

Harvard Yearbook Publications--Some of you may have worked on your high school yearbook. In fact, you were probably the editor, and although it was a hell of a lot of work, you probably enjoyed it. But, come now, could you really see doing it again, for a bigger and more indifferent student body? HYP seems to be a real drag. And each year the yearbook doesn't have a name; instead, it is known by the number of the graduating class--as in 342, or whatever. Pretty stuffy, eh? You bet. The one essential service provided by the HYP every year is the Freshman Register, which can be used as a handy reference book, object or humor, or tactical weapon, depending on your mood.

The Harvard Crimson--Us. The only daily around. A lot of people hate The Crimson, too. But without patting ourselves on the back, it is the only daily on campus, and the only continual source of information about what the University is up to and why.

That's the list--enjoy, or whatever.