An Icy Amenity

Photograph by Stu Rosner Dean of the Law School Elena Kagan testified that she decided on the spur of a frozen moment in January...

Photograph by Stu Rosner

Dean of the Law School Elena Kagan testified that she decided on the spur of a frozen moment in January to flood the field by Harkness Commons to form a skating rink. Almost at once, it was done, and incipient lawyers and other Harvardians took to the ice, some to practice hockey moves, others to go around in circles sedately, others to twirl and crash. The rink is lighted for use into the night, and tinny, canned music is occasionally provided. Kagan reportedly got her idea from a 1950s photograph showing the field as a rink, with frolickers. The modern rink will remain open, says the dean, "until it melts."

     

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two bare-knuckle boxers fight in a ring, surrounded by onlookers in 19th-century attire.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment. 

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy

Man in a suit holding a pen, smiling, seated at a desk with a soft background.

A Congenial Voice in Japanese-American Relations

Takashi Komatsu spent his life building bridges.