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Articles by Luke Wagner
BC Opens Conference Play Against Virginia Tech
After taking care of business with a win over Maine, Boston College football (2–1) looks to defend its undefeated home record and maintain a win streak as it hosts red-hot Virginia Tech on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles came out strong in the first quarter last week, scoring two touchdowns and forcing a safety for a total of 16 points. Running back Evan Dickens finished with 15 carries for 102 yards, including a 39-yard rushing touchdown.
Kitchen Sink No. 15
I came to in a body that was only mine, the singleness foreign. For months, I had woken into crowding—the press of another attention behind my eyes, the sense of a second man already up and working before I had woken at all. That was gone. The body lay on the bunk, and the body was mine in every direction, my feet at the end of it, my hands where I had left them, my lungs pulling air in a single rhythm that did not stutter or divide.
Letters: Durban decay, xenophobia fears and Ebola crisis spark alarm
Durban's sewage crisis threatens sailing events. Wastewater flows into storm drains along the Durban Harbour from Margaret Mncadi Avenue (previously known as Victoria Embankment) Image: Luke Wagner Letters to the editor eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele is delusional when he says Durban is not collapsing, that it is “transformation” (Daily News, May 25). Meanwhile suburbs are without water for weeks on end; without power for days on end.
BC Takes On UConn In Hockey East Semifinals
Coming off a dominant 5–0 performance against Maine last week, Boston College men’s hockey will look to carry that momentum as they travel to TD Garden for the Hockey East semifinal—a game that will determine not only whether the Eagles’ conference championship dreams stay alive, but also could make or break their chances of getting an NCAA Tournament bid.
Kitchen Sink No. 6
The weeks accumulated like dust on the library’s upper shelves—fine at first, then enough to blur the edge of the wood, dulling the days until it was unclear where one ended, and the next began. At first, I had mistaken this for stability—an order upheld gently by schedule and certainty, the comforting tyranny of bells and deadlines and meal-times.
Kitchen Sink No. 5
The ward was quieter than it should have been. Not silent—the ward was never silent, there were always pipes rumbling in the walls, footsteps somewhere above and the low moaning of a man three doors down who had not stopped since Tuesday—but the particular stillness of Edward’s bunk sat in the room like a new piece of furniture I had not asked for, now stark in the absence of his breathing. They had moved him two days ago. Or three. I was not certain.
Kitchen Sink No. 1
I woke up, and my shoulder was sore. Not sore—throbbing. A deep ache in the muscle where they’d injected the medication yesterday. Or was it this morning? Time moves strangely here. Above me, I could hear Thomas breathing. He was already awake. He’s always awake before me, which he mentions constantly, as if being awake first proves something, as if consciousness were a moral achievement.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Leaving, Falling, Letting
By the time leaves begin to fall in the courtyard outside of New Quincy, the semester is already racing by—too fast for anyone to notice. They gather first in the tight corners of the brick path—wedged beneath bikes, pressed against the base of the lamppost, scattered along the entryway like an afterthought. In the mornings, I watch a maintenance worker blow them into soft, reluctant piles. By noon, they’ve scattered again, trampled flat by students rushing to class. No one looks down.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Seamless Surfaces
Each morning this summer, I passed the same wall on my way to work. Behind me, the brakes of a bus hissed, and a gust of warm air carried the smell of exhaust and garbage. The wall changed constantlyâfirst a movie poster, then a perfume ad, then a mural commissioned by a sneaker brand. Each new layer hid the last, though traces remained: dried glue, uneven color, the faint outline of an older slogan. The city is always painting over itself, practicing renewal without ever beginning anew.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Dead Ends of Consensus
I still remember the first time I stayed silent in section—watching the moment slip by until someone else jumped in with a safer, more polished thought. That pause felt small then, but it lingers now, as LFDOC photos flood my Instagram feed and I step into the rhythm of “last firsts.” It makes me reflect on how my time at Harvard has shaped me—not just in the obvious ways, but in the subtler ones. Before I ever sat in a Harvard classroom, the institution was already part of my life.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Why Higher Education Is Failing Students
During the last week on campus in Sever Hall, I spotted a fresh sheet of printer paper taped beside the door of a freshman expository‑writing class. In bold Helvetica, it warned: “No ChatGPT, no Claude, no Copilot—ALL work must be entirely your own.” The sign wasn’t just a classroom rule; it was proof that Harvard’s current stance on AI is one of outright denial, ignoring the ways AI already shapes the professional and educational worlds its students are entering.
Thoughts from New Quincy: In Search of Lost Time
There’s a place I keep returning to—not physically, but in memory. My freshman dorm room. It had a small bed crammed under a wall of movie posters I don’t relate to anymore. A portable A/C unit the school kept emailing me to remove. The carpet was that dorm-issue kind—brown and blue, the color of nothing in particular. I spent whole days in there, sketching in a notebook I carried everywhere.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Into the Unknown
The road curves out ahead of us, the trees pulling long shadows across the asphalt. I’m driving—my dad in the passenger seat, one arm out the window, tapping his fingers on the door in rhythm with the song on the radio. The Stones are playing low, something from “Sticky Fingers” I only ever seem to hear when I’m with him. The air coming in smells like salt and cut grass. We’re heading to Rhode Island, winding through the backroads we’ve driven a hundred times before—at least, he has.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Permanent Collection
I. You don’t remember arriving. The museum breathes with a low mechanical rasp—the kind of sound that, once heard, can’t be unheard. The overhead lights buzz, a grid of harsh rectangles sunk into the ceiling. They stutter, casting a cold, exhausted glow. The floor tiles, the color of old teeth, shift slightly underfoot—almost like the ground itself is thinking about letting go. The air tastes metallic. Artificial. Somewhere deep inside the walls, a duct sighs. No line. No lobby music.
Thoughts From New Quincy: Planetina, Plastic, and Performance
Earth Day feels like a funeral now. Not one with black veils or organ music—but a well-staged, well-catered wake. A jazz trio hums near the Science Center. Someone hands out succulent cuttings. There are cookies shaped like the Earth, iced in HUDS-friendly greens and blues—flavorless, but photogenic. A booth gives away bamboo forks in rice-paper sleeves stamped with the slogan: OUR POWER, OUR PLANET.
Thoughts from New Quincy: The Death of Counterculture
BY: LUKE WAGNER ’26 Every few weeks, the Independent hears a quieter kind of silence: a writer backs out. “I started drafting something, but I’m not sure I want my name on it anymore.” I feel a pang of sadness with each of these withholdings. These hesitations do not always stem from controversial exposés or radical manifestos—often, they’re thoughtful essays or personal reflections. Yet, in the unforgiving permanence of the digital age, even mild rebellion feels risky.
Putting a Cap on Time Caps
BY: BEN KAUFMAN ’28 A university as expansive as Harvard requires thousands of teaching staff to preserve its academic reputation of integrity and curiosity. Though they are known by various names—professors, senior lecturers, preceptors, and College fellows—each faculty member’s mission is to educate.
Thoughts from New Quincy: Popping the Bubble
BY: LUKE WAGNER ’26 Ask any student rushing from their dorm to a morning lecture, clutching a cup of Blank Street coffee, about their day ahead, and you’ll hear a whirlwind of commitments: guest speakers, club meetings, and networking events. At Harvard, everything—friends, food, a library shelf with your name on it—feels just a few steps away. The proximity of resources and a swirl of like-minded peers creates a sense of intense community and convenience that’s hard to resist.
Indy Sportsbook: Ins and Outs of Betting
With the start of a new year, many of us are setting goals and making resolutions—so why not extend that mindset to sports betting? Whether you are a seasoned bettor or casual gambler, 2025 is the perfect time to refine your approach. It is time to embrace strategies that maximize value and leave behind the bad habits that drain your bank account. Below are some ins and outs of sports betting for the year ahead. Let’s start with one of the biggest ‘ins’ for 2025: Alternate spreads.
What Harvard Could Learn from Yale
Is Yale better than Harvard? (The last two football games would say so.) This past weekend, I visited one of my friends at Yale to compete in a club squash round-robin on Saturday.However, I also got to experience New Haven, talk to students, take a walk around campus, and go out at night.
Indy Sportsbook: Soccer’s Biggest Stage
With the college and professional football seasons kicking off, baseball approaching the postseason, and the NBA and NHL entering preseason soon, one sport in America often goes unnoticed: soccer. The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is Europe’s premier soccer competition, where the best teams from each country compete for the Champions League title. While most soccer leagues started in mid-August (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A), we witnessed the Champions League’s return last week.
Indy Sportsbook: Setting the Line for the New Year
Everyone’s favorite column is back for another semester. For the first issue, the Indy Sportsbook decided to create some preliminary lines for academic statistics for the upcoming semester, Harvard style. Not everyone on campus may agree with our predictions, but here are some of our favorite lines for the upcoming 14 weeks in Cambridge: Classes missed: Over/Under 6.5 – Depending on how many courses you take, your classes’ timing, and if attendance is required, this number may vary.
Summer of Sports at Harvard
Summer might be the offseason for college athletes, but it still brought some major updates to Harvard sports. Every four years, one sporting event eclipses all other summer competitions: the Summer Olympics. Harvard was extremely successful in the Paris Olympics—it wasone of the most successful performances by the school’s students in its history.
Indy Sportsbook: Hitting Dingers
At this time of the year, we are gearing up to walk outside, sit on a lawn, and soak in the sun. We have been inside for what feels like months now, and are yearning to step outside at any chance we can get. And nothing beats baseball. We are some of the first people to hate on some aspects of baseball. This sport is enjoyable to watch, but it gets so repetitive. The sport almost outlasts three elemental seasons.
Indy Sportsbook: March Madness
As March rolls in, so does the biggest NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament of the year. March Madness is a once-a-year extravaganza that brings people together in celebration of the game we love. Win or lose, savor every moment of the tournament experience. Cheer for the buzzer-beaters, marvel at the upsets, and relish in the joy of being part of something bigger than yourself. After all, it’s called March Madness for a reason.
WASI 0.2: Unlocking WebAssembly’s Promise Outside the Browser
The WebAssembly System Interface (WASI) Subgroup recently reached a significant milestone by voting to launch WASI 0.2, also known as WASI Preview 2. This exciting new WASI standard is based on the Wasm component model, allowing application developers to build software like LEGO bricks, where different components can be easily connected to create larger and more complex applications.
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on the Next Harvard President
Since former Harvard President Claudine Gay from her post, the debate on whether or not she should resign has shifted to one concerning her successor. Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 has stepped in to fill the interim role until the search committee decides on a long-term replacement. While no sportsbook currently allows you to bet on this event, we at the Indy Sportsbook have created fictitious lines for who we predict to be the current favorites.
Indy Sportsbook: Is Gambling Bad?
In the realm of leisure and pastime, one practice stands out as steeped in contradiction: gambling. Since the which struck down the federal ban on sports betting, the industry has grown to a $15 billion-a-year industry. On one hand, gambling could merely be a benign form of entertainment, a source of exhilaration and social joy. On the other hand, it harbors the potential to spiral into a gripping addiction with far-reaching consequences.
Sports Spotlight: Chisom Okpara
Chisom “Chiz” Okpara ’26 began his athletic journey when his family moved back to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2010. Born with a passion for sports, his first love was soccer. His father, who recognized Okpara’s height and build, encouraged him to explore basketball as well.
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on Beanpot
In the realm of college hockey, the Men’s Beanpot isn’t just a tournament—it’s a high-stakes battleground where Northeastern University, Boston University (BU), Boston College (BC), and Harvard University vie for glory, and savvy bettors look for the edge that could turn the odds in their favor. This year, as the Beanpot fever takes over, Harvard students aren’t just rooting for their team. They’re placing their bets, crunching numbers, and analyzing stats in pursuit of that elusive jackpot.
Harvard’s Quest for Fulfillment | Harvard Independent
The purpose of a Harvard education is supposedly the joy of discovery, the thrill of intellectual curiosity, and the personal satisfaction of mastering a challenging concept. However, the prevailing vision of many Harvard students is that college is simply a pathway to a universally desired outcome—a prestigious, high-salary career. This vision is hard to escape.
Indy Sportsbook: The Game Edition
We launched Indy Sportsbook last January to bring you the foremost gambling content of any student publication at Harvard. In the ensuing months, we have covered everything from the NFL and Women’s World Cup to professional cycling and competitive darts. There are picks we look back on with pride and others that we try hard to forget. Yet despite encouraging you to risk your money on nearly everything imaginable, there is one gaping hole in our resume—Harvard sports.
Indy Sportsbook: Do Not Bet Scared
A couple weeks after the international break that saw a bunch of top-tier international teams qualify for the 2024 Euros, Indy Sportsbook returns with some Premier League locks. We are almost a third of the way through a Premier League season that has already seen many upsets, such as Man City losing in back-to-back weeks and Liverpool dropping points against Brighton and Tottenham.
Point/Counterpoint: Should Harvard Keep the Language Requirement?
Luke: The language requirement is essential to Harvard. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the importance of effective communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries cannot be overstated. As the global landscape continues to evolve, the ability to understand, speak, and interact in multiple languages is a powerful asset. By requiring students to take a language, Harvard is steering the future leaders of the world in the right direction.
Harvard’s Poisoned Heart
During our time serving as archivists for the Independent, we have had the opportunity to read and reflect on many past pieces. The Indy continues to serve as a place where counterculture opinions are not only accepted, but encouraged. While there are no longer half-page advertisements, entire sections of jokes, or numerous local news stories, the spirit of Indy articles have been largely preserved.
Indy Sportsbook: Betting on Soccer | Harvard Independent
It is that time of year when soccer has swung into full effect. Soccer fans like myself have started to become treated with Champions League and Europa League matches during the week and league matches on the weekends. Being a Liverpool fan, I generally only focus on the European tournaments as well as the Premier League, but I do not doubt there is money to be made in soccer leagues all around the world.
9.21.23: The Distractions Issue
Sports gambling is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. 21 states have legalized sports betting since the beginning of 2020, and more have legislature in place to do so. This creates an influx of new sports bettors that flock both to in-person sportsbooks, but also sports gambling websites such as FanDuel, DraftKings, […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should Russian and Belarusian players be allowed to show their flag?
Jonah: For the second straight year at the US Open Tennis Championships, neither Russian nor Belarusian players were permitted to play under their flags. Instead of the typical tiny flag pictured next to players’ names on the screen, competitors from the two countries were given a blank gray box. Both finals featured Russian or Belarusian players—Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the men’s championship and Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s—unable to represent their countries.
Indy On Repeat: Summer 2023
This summer, we heard hyped releases from industry giants and excellent new songs from up-and-comers. In case you haven’t had time to catch up on all the fresh music during your internship or off-the-cuff Eurotrip, the Indy has compiled an authoritative list of this summer’s best songs for you. Put this playlist on as you move in, frantically unpack, and heavily reconsider taking a 9am class.
08.30.23: Welcome Back
We have all seen the lists of college dorm room must-haves littering the web, but what do you actually need in order to thrive in your eight by eleven square foot luxury hotel room of a dorm? In all honesty, I have no idea, but here I present you with a few of our well-reasoned […]
Don’t Go Here, Go Here…
EATING & WORKING: Don’t Go To Blackbird Doughnuts, Go To Flour Bakery + Cafe Before people get upset, we’re not saying that the Smith Center is not a good place to get some work done. We love the Smith Center. However, we think that Blackbird Doughnuts is forgettable and should be replaced. Blackbird Doughnuts has one of the most limited menus anywhere on campus. The doughnuts are sugar-coated, candied, and filled with artificial flavors that leave you in search of the bathroom.
Point/Counterpoint: Should Prostitution Be Legalized?
Skip to content BY: JONAH KARAFIOL ’26 AND LUKE WAGNER ’26 Jonah Karafiol ’26: Prostitution is a practice built upon exploitation, impossible to guarantee safety for its workers. It is vital that the United States ban prostitution to protect those at risk. Luke Wagner ’26: Of course, the practice has undeniable flaws. But we cannot solve these issues by simply banning it. The legalization of prostitution will allow people to more safely engage in the practice.
Fear and Loathing in Philadelphia
We were somewhere around New Haven on the edge of the ocean when the drugs began to take hold. And by drugs, I mean sleep deprivation and caffeine. The road trip from Boston to Philadelphia to watch Harvard defend their title at Women’s Squash Nationals had only been underway for 3 hours, but we were already irrational.
Service and Subversion in the Court of the King: An Analysis of Resistance and Accomodation to Foreign Imperial Rule in Daniel 2
Abstract Many scholars and laypersons alike turn to the book of Daniel because of its political message. Yet, there exist a number of mutually exclusive interpretations of the stories in Daniel, particularly in regard to how these stories interact with and depict foreign imperial rule.
#MotoringMayhem: Reincarnating the Defender
Going for a spin on Ballito's back-roads I discovered the new Defender could easily leave the old model in a cloud of dust. The demise of the Old Defender left a gaping wound in the sides of many South Africans. We have been eagerly awaiting the replacement – for years! Some have been excited for the new modern model. Others, like myself, have been dreading the move from the rugged utensil to the fancy handbag accessory.
#MotoringMayhem: Are annual road worthy tests the solution?
Just having come through a few days of rain, I am thankful to have survived it in one piece. Durbanites have this amazing ability to disengage the brain gear when water falls from the sky.
#MotoringMayhem: The converting challenge
Removing the catalytic converter is one of the worst things you can do for the environment over and above actually driving the car itself. As we seem to be slowly suffocating the Earth, I cannot help but think that hanging onto your old car is not enough. We need to be more careful and thoughtful when choosing our next cars. How often do we see a sparkling new Land Cruiser V8 waddling down the road in Ballito like an over-inflated ego, with only one passenger and no sign of having gone off road?
Keep the old girl going
If the midwife could make it in time with the Reliant Robin, it would probably get you to work and back too. Where we once used a plastic straw, we now use a reusable straw as even the paper “single-use” straw is now taboo. This all makes sense as we multiply like roaches while strangling the Earth. The less we use and the less made is all better for the Earth and our environment.
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