Students Criticize Harvard’s Decision to Hold Classes on Veterans Day

Though the University observes Veterans Day as a paid holiday for its employees, some Harvard students and veterans criticized the decision to hold classes on Monday.

In particular, some pointed to the fact that — unlike many peer institutions, including Yale and Princeton, that held official Veterans Day ceremonies — Harvard did not offer spaces to celebrate and commemorate veterans on and off campus.

“I think there’s sometimes an awkward double standard between what Harvard says and what Harvard does,” said Thomas Nelligan ’27, who worked in military intelligence for seven years.

Richard Glazunov ’26, who served as a Navy Corpsman for five years, pointed to the fact that “the University hasn’t even posted about Veterans Day on their primary Instagram page, which would be the bare minimum.”

While some “don’t want any special treatment,” he said, “there’s a bunch of veterans that would like a day off, to spend a day remembering friends that they may have lost, reflecting on their own service and maybe some of the traumas or good days that they went through.”

The University’s official website, however, did display an “In Focus” feature on the history of student and alumni military service over the past several days and the official Harvard Facebook account published a post commemorating veterans. In the Harvard Gazatte, a University-run news publication, the lead story in the Friday newsletter highlighted the sharp rise in undergraduate veteran enrollment over the past six years.

Some student-veterans, however, said they were less concerned about the University’s decision to hold classes.

Quinn H. J. Ewanchyna ’25, who served as an infantryman, said “the value of my military service is not dependent on whether a school chooses to have a day off or not.”

Harvard has the most Medal of Honor recipients out of any non-military college in America, and 136 names are inscribed in Memorial Hall in honor of alumni who died while serving in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.

The dissatisfaction over Harvard’s decision to hold classes, though some staff were given the federal holiday off, extended to non-veteran undergraduates as well.

Many students took to Sidechat — an anonymous social media platform — to voice complaints over the University’s decision to hold classes on the federal holiday, with some citing the difference from last Wednesday, when some professors canceled classes in the wake of the presidential election.

On Sidechat, students also expressed concerns over an email sent out by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics on Monday morning, which did not specifically acknowledge the holiday. Later that evening, the IOP sent out an updated announcement and, in a separate follow-up, Director of the Institute of Politics Setti D. Warren wrote that “as a third generation combat veteran I am proud to have served my country.”

Aaron J. Rosales ’26 highlighted the steep learning curve and social challenges that come with being a “non-traditional” student.

“It’s very difficult for a student like myself, who has a family and a wife and daughter,” Rosales said, referencing his family residing on the West Coast.

Conor R. Meyer ’28 said that while the University has made efforts to increase veteran admission and promote inclusive policies, there is a lack of “actual intellectual diversity” on campus.

“There is, I think, not a whole lot of embracement or understanding of the difference in background that people have,” Meyer said.

Some student-veterans, Meyer said, felt Harvard’s decision to hold classes on Veterans Day had a “marginalizing effect” that made them feel “inferior to the kind of coastal, elite background that I think is overrepresented at Harvard.”

Matthew P. Hallman ’27, who served in the U.S. Navy, said though he appreciates the administration’s effort to provide support for veterans, there are still gaps in veteran initiatives.

“One big thing that veterans have been asking for since I’ve been here, and even speaking to predecessors on campus, is the idea of a veteran space,” Hallman said.

“Veteran advocacy is always going to be a battle,” he said.

—Staff writer Katie B. Tian can be reached at katie.tian@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Samantha D. Wu can be reached at samantha.wu@thecrimson.com.