Crimson opinion writer
Ellie H. Ashby
Latest Content
The Spaces We Hold
The spaces we hold — physical and non-physical — form, and potentially reform, each other. We must acknowledge the spaces that are already present, while also recognizing the absence of adequately representative space for some.
South Transept Window in Memorial Hall
The South Transept Window in Memorial Hall commemorates the forces that motivated Union soldiers in the Civil War. Inscribed in the stained glass in Latin is the phrase “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name may there be glory.”
A Leap Into Faith
My column this semester is meant to acknowledge the overwhelming array of intentions and outcomes of religious peoples. But what I want, more than anything, is for this first piece to convince you not to solely study religion as a quantifiable rule.
To Cook Or Not To Cook
Part of learning to see the world with nuance is realizing that your own actions are not always right, that they are not always on the positive side in the spectrum of decisions.
'Twas The Day Before The Game
Together, Texas and Harvard football exemplify the two extremes of social change. Change requires a marriage of the two, for just listening to a person and refusing to act leads to stagnation, but just attacking a system without the grounding direction of those who are affected leads to performative activism.
Southern Accents and Slowing Down
College is a time of transition, of transformation, and while we should be figuring out who we are and who we want to be, we must also remember who we have been and where we come from. I will always untangle my necklaces with care, with gentle fingers and delicate intention, and I will always elongate the “a” in my favorite word “y’all."
College Rankings — A Function of Wealth and Privilege
The entire college ranking system is a function of wealth that disenfranchises institutions that serve systematically marginalized communities (HBCUs) and elevates institutions (via the college rankings algorithm) that admit white, wealthy students.
A Final Club Is To a Fraternity
Final clubs just scratch the surface of exclusivity at Harvard. The problem with making final clubs the sacrificial lamb in our conversations on Harvard exclusivity is that this lets all other manifestations of our hypercompetitiveness slither under the radar.
Dissent: Harvard Should Never Close Its Gates
Our campus is at its most inclusive, most alive, and most beautiful when Harvard Yard and Harvard Square seem to bleed into one. After Oct. 11, unlike the rest of The Crimson’s Editorial Board, we look forward to seeing the gate restrictions disappear: Harvard University should never close its gates.
The South Is Red, The North Is Blue — But Is That Really True?
The South or North are not political monoliths. To find political truth, we need to stop treating them as such.