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By Yvonne Abraham Globe Columnist  February 09, 2019 Right now, MIT, Tufts, and other local universities are grappling with important questions: Is it OK to accept tainted money when it funds a just cause? Is it ever right to accept donations that help deplorable people launder their reputations? MIT answered both more or less in the affirmative on Wednesday, announcing that it would not sever its financial and research ties with Saudi Arabia. This, despite the kingdom’s heartless role in the civil war that has brought Yemenis to their knees , and the growing certainty that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. There’s no question MIT’s ties with the kingdom have legitimized its autocratic ruler: When Salman visited MIT (and Harvard) in March, university president L. Rafael Reif spoke of his country’s “promising new future.” A photograph showed Reif warmly holding the ruler’s hand in both of his.

Timothy R. Barakett ’87, M.B.A. ’93, and Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar ’93 have been elected as members of the Harvard Corporation. Both will assume their roles on July 1. Barakett, a native of Canada, is a highly regarded expert in finance, an active investor and philanthropist, and an experienced trustee in education, health care, and beyond. He is also a dedicated alumni leader who played a prominent role in The Harvard Campaign, especially in efforts to augment student financial aid. Cuéllar, a native of Mexico, is a justice of the Supreme Court of California and a longtime leading member of the Stanford faculty. A lawyer and a political scientist, he has directed Stanford’s principal institute for international studies, has served in varied roles in federal government, and currently sits on the Harvard Board of Overseers. “We’re very much looking forward to having Tim Barakett and Tino Cuéllar join the Corporation next July,” said William F. Lee, the Corporation’s...

More than 50 Harvard students gathered outside the Charles Hotel Friday afternoon to demand the University create a formalized ethnic studies program. The Harvard Ethnic Studies Coalition, which comprises affiliates across the University, organized the event, dubbed “The 47-Year Fight: Student Rally for Ethnic Studies.” Students specifically chose to congregate at noon to attract the attention of alumni and administrators — including University President Lawrence S. Bacow — attending the Alumni Leadership Conference luncheon which took place in the Charles Hotel at the same time. Jeannie Park ’83, a Coalition member and president of the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance, said she hoped that holding the event at the same time as the alumni conference would encourage alumni to help publicize the need for a formalized ethnic studies program. “When I tell other alumni who aren’t paying as close attention, people are honestly stunned. 'Really? There’s no ethnic studie...

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Harvard senior Sally Chen addressed a group of protesters outside of the Charles Hotel on Friday. By Deirdre Fernandes Globe Staff  February 09, 2019 On the stand in federal court, on social media, and during rallies, they defended Harvard University in a landmark trial over affirmative action in college admissions last year, helping to shore up the school’s case that it doesn’t discriminate against Asian-American applicants. But in recent weeks, some Asian-American students and alumni say they have been frustrated by the glacial pace of Harvard’s efforts to improve diversity beyond admissions. The imminent departures of two Asian-American professors who specialize in ethnic and racial studies has stunned many. The moves have also drawn attention to the meager number of minority faculty on campus and renewed calls for Harvard to create an ethnic studies department.