<p>^But they haven’t canceled classes for graduate students at the med school – apparently we’re expendable. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Ouch, that’s cold! Hope you stay healthy!! And good luck with grad school.</p>
<p>lousyanamom, I just sent you a PM.</p>
<p>A sad news is in Crimson.</p>
<p>[The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: Harvard Sophomore Dies Early Sunday Morning](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=528095]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=528095)</p>
<p>This is so very sad. My prayers go out to the family for their loss. Does anyone have any info as to the cause of death?</p>
<p>Last time I saw a Crimson article worded like this, full of emotional tributes but no mention of the cause of death, it turned out to be a suicide.</p>
<p>A few questions…</p>
<p>1- When did you receive roommate info? Did the letter have their full names (so that they could facebook the others)?</p>
<p>2 - What about advisor information? Is that mailed before students arrive on campus?</p>
<p>3 - Re. the computer deal…you have to wait until August, correct?</p>
<p>“Last time I saw a Crimson article worded like this, full of emotional tributes but no mention of the cause of death, it turned out to be a suicide.”</p>
<p>My D knows this one also along with the others who died. In some other cases, it was known amongst the students that it was a suicide even though it may not have been reported that way. This one supposedly isn’t a suicide.</p>
<p>thanks for the info on the very sad news. I spoke with my son tonight and he thought maybe it sounded like suicide. Either way, it is such a terrible tragedy. My prayers are with this family.</p>
<p>laststopforme, if you’re talking about starting freshman year… my son received a letter with roommates names, home address and phone numbers. He also received his room and dorm assignment. The letter also had the advisors name. All this was received in the summer.</p>
<p>Laststop - The housing info arrives quite late in the summer - maybe just two or three weeks before move-in. H doesn’t allow any changes or appeals of housing assignments, so I’ve always assumed that they delay them in order to minimize the opportunity for filing futile appeals.</p>
<p>A flyer with the H computer hardware discounts will come out in July or August, but last April I had the following exchange with my D’s financial aid officer regarding an earlier purchase:</p>
<p>Me: “We spoke on the phone about my D’d desire to use some of her outside scholarships for a laptop computer, printer, and software. You indicated that she would make the purchase and send in receipts for reimbursement in September. Is there an date before which the purchase wouldn’t qualify for reimbursement? She is currently taking joint-enrollment classes at our local state university and could use their student discount to get the laptop at any time (and of course, she’d be delighted to have access to it sooner as opposed to later), as long as it qualifies for your reimbursement plan.”</p>
<p>Financial Aid: "The purchase of a computer now would be fine - but I would also like to remind you that she may want to think about the similar educational discounts received through the Harvard Technology Product Center, which also offers on-site service and support for students on campus. That may or may not be an important consideration during her four years here. But either way, the Committee would most likely approve the reimbursement if the purchase is made at this point. </p>
<p>“The application for reimbursement will actually be available in our office after July 1, but I’ve made a note in our system that you’ve inquired about this and may proceed with the purchase sooner rather than later. In general, we are encouraging families to wait until the summer, in order to take advantage of deals and to be certain of the awards students are actually going to receive.”</p>
<p>Thanks gadad. I had the same question about the laptop reimbursement. In your experience, will they reimburse a portable hard drive also?</p>
<p>My newly accepted D is not yet accustomed to receiving Harvard e-mails from anyone outside of admissions. Sunday, she received the e-mail from Harvard’s Dean, saw its first words “I am very sorry”, and thought her acceptance was being revoked.</p>
<p>How sad for this young lady and her family. I do hope that, for both the family’s closer as well as Harvard’s ability to prevent future tragedies, the correct cause is able to be determined.</p>
<p>So sad, talked to my freshman D today and rumors are running around. I do hope that Harvard addresses this directly with students, regardless of the cause. Although many may see it as a violation of privacy, I think that by discussing the cause it can help prevent future tragedies from happening> Whether it is suicide or Alcohol poisoning or drug overdose (the rumors they have heard) all are issues that could be addressed with the undergrad population that could help others in the future! It’s not fair to the girl and her family that by not saying anything these rumors tend to pop up, often the truth is a lot less harmful than all the specualtion.</p>
<p>nicely said EOA. Again, my prayers are with this family</p>
<p>The sudden death of Kathlene Joo is so heartbreaking for her family, a devastating loss for all who knew her, and deeply troubling for all in the Harvard community. Without even knowing her our hearts ache because we know how fragile life is and how this could happen to any of our children. When we send our babies off to college we do it on a wing and a prayer, knowing we have lost our ability to watch over them every day. </p>
<p>I agree with you EAO that Harvard, (with the blessing of the Joo family), should address this directly with the students in a sensitive but candid way. When a life so full of potential is so suddenly cut short, it is understandable that students and parents would question ‘how’ and ‘why’. Left unanswered it is inevitable that rumour and innuendo will abound, resulting in fear and confusion and unproductive speculation on the part of students. And as parents it is hard for us to offer any meaningful counsel as long as we do not know exactly what it is we are talking about. Our students are better served facing this tradegy with full awareness which in turn can offer a life lesson, as difficult as that may be.</p>
<p>My wife and I just returned from the 2009 Arts First Weekend and would like to congratulate all of the Harvard participants on an awesome weekend of performances. Some of the performers (or parents of performers) are regulars on this Forum. If you have an opportunity to go, I would highly recommend it. Performances and exhibits ran from Thursday to Sunday. On Friday evening we heard the Holden choirs perform Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” with a professional orchestra and some professional singers. On Saturday afternoon alone, there were 96 performances ranging from dance to theater to singing and music. The only problem was that some of the groups we wanted to hear were performing at the same time as others. We got to hear the Krocs, the Lowkeys, the Opportunes, the Veritones, the Dins, Glee Club Lite – and that was just some of the a cappella groups that were there. There were art exhibits all over campus and in some of the Houses. Any prospective student with an interest in the arts would have found something of interest his weekend.</p>
<p>Curious77–My freshman S was reimbursed for everything–laptop, printer, necessary cables, even ink!–but the total could not exceed $2,500.00.</p>
<p>Good to know. Thanks dvk.</p>
<p>I think they’ll reimburse up to $2500 (if you have that much left over in outside awards) for any hardware, software and peripherals that are not recreational in nature.</p>
<p>Shucks-- no X box? :)</p>