Harvard Law Grad Arrested for Arson at NYC 9/11 Memorial Chapel

An unfortunate and "contemptible" incident from every angle.

A temporary structure housing the remains of 9/11 victims was set on fire on Saturday in an act of arson. Brian Schroeder, a recent Harvard Law grad and co-president of the school's gay group, was arrested.

NYT: "None of the remains themselves were damaged, but candles and mementos left by victims’ family members at the chapel behind the chief medical examiner’s office, known as Memorial Park, were either stolen or burned, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a statement.' Anyone who would set fire to the inviolable Memorial Park chapel is craven and contemptible,' Mr. Bloomberg said. Brian Schroeder, 26, turned himself into the police and was arrested Saturday evening, the department said. Charges were still pending, but a police spokesman said Mr. Schroeder was likely to be charged with arson."

The Harvard Law Record reports: "Schroeder, 26, is originally from Texas and received his undergraduate degree from Duke, where he majored in theatre studies. He was co-president of HLS Lambda and served on a task force to assess how to limit the impact of military recruiting on the campus gay community. He also edited the Harvard Latino Law Review and acted in the Parody, a satirical comedy stage show about life at the school. After graduation, Schroeder moved to New York, where he had a start date with a law firm. He had spent the summer of 2008 as a summer associate for the firm Sidley Austin. He turned himself in to the police on November 1st, and despite allegations of a drunken dare, his motives remain unclear...Charges for arson are currently pending. "

The NY Daily News reports: "Defense lawyer Gary Lesser said Schroeder was boozed up - and believes someone may have 'put something in his drink.' Schroeder also had no idea what he was lighting on fire. 'He voluntarily went to the precinct the next day after he realized the gravity of what had happened,' Lesser said...Schroeder, 26, a native Texan who just look a job at a Manhattan law firm, told cops he wasn't thinking - he was just dumb and drunk - when he lit the blaze early Friday morning...Schroeder's family and friends were shocked.'It's out of character and there's nothing that would lead me to believe it's politically motivated,' said brother Jared Schroeder, 28. 'Brian's not that kind of guy.'"

(image ny daily news)

Prominent Black Harvard Professor Gates Jailed in Bizarre Incident

One of the nation's most preeminent scholars on African-American history, Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts last week in a bizarre incident which bears many of the hallmarks of racial profiling.

The NYT reports: "Professor Gates, who has taught at Harvard for nearly two decades, arrived home on Thursday from a trip to China to find his front door jammed, said Charles J. Ogletree, a law professor at Harvard who is representing him. He forced the door open with the help of his cab driver, Professor Ogletree said, and had been inside for a few minutes when Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department appeared at his door and asked him to step outside. Professor Gates, 58, refused to do so, Professor Ogletree said. From that point, the account of the professor and the police began to differ."

The incident ultimately led to Gates being handcuffed and detained at the police station for four hours. Harvard Law School's statement offering an account of the incident, AFTER THE JUMP...

Harvard to Endow First-Ever LGBT Studies Chair at U.S. College

While Gay and LGBT Studies programs have been part of the curriculum at some American colleges and universities for a while now, Harvard plans to endow a visiting professorship, and according to the NYT is the first such college to do so:

"The visiting professorship, which the university is planning to announce formally as part of commencement exercises on Thursday, was made possible by a gift of $1.5 million from the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus. With the gift, Harvard said it would regularly invite 'eminent scholars studying issues related to sexuality or sexual minorities' to teach on campus for one semester, according to a draft of a university press release. The chair is being named for F.O. Matthiessen, a Harvard scholar and literary critic who 'stands out as an unusual example of a gay man who lived his sexuality as an ‘open secret’ in the mid-20th century,' according to the release. Professor Matthiessen, the release added, 'leapt to his death from the window of a Boston hotel room' in 1950, despondent, at least in part, over the death several years earlier of his partner, the artist Russell Cheney."

Harvard video announcement and endowment page.

Conservative Harvard Student Goes After Barney Frank on Economy

After a speech at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on Monday, a conservative student inspired a heated exchange after making accusations at congressman Barney Frank over the financial crisis.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Harvard Hasty Pudding Club Guy is Dorm Room Dance Artist

Some of you remarked on the easy-on-the-eyes Michael Phelps stand-in who was part of the Harvard Hasty Pudding Club's roast of James Franco over the weekend.

His name is Petros. He's gay, and he wrote us over the weekend to say thanks for the exposure, and to let us know about himself: "I thought I'd send you my music video. It's certainly gay and certainly newsworthy. Okay, maybe it's just gay. I write, produce, record my music and edit my music videos in my dorm room. What am I going to do after college?!"

Petros' video "Predator", AFTER THE JUMP...

James Franco Milks Gay Cow at Harvard Hasty Pudding Roast

James Franco was honored as Hasty Pudding Man of the Year last night by Harvard's Hasty Pudding club in an annual roast saluting entertainers that traditionally includes plenty of sight gags and drag. Last night's event, which included a spoof bar mitzvah, took on Franco's more recent performances (in Milk and Pineapple Express) as well as some older ones:

"During the roast, the actor was also confronted by the traditional Hasty drag queens, a scythe-wielding character representing the death of his career and a gay cow whose udder he was asked to milk. (The Hasties snuck a comedic bar mitzvah in as well, with Twaalfhoven declaring 'You're a man now.') He received his golden pudding pot wearing an eye patch, blonde wig, purple heels and a gold-spangled pineapple-shaped bra, representing his movie, 'Pineapple Express.' 'I've made it,' he said. After the ceremony, the actor said the bar mitzvah was 'actually really touching. I'm Jewish, my mother's Jewish, but I wasn't raised Jewish. I guess I wasn't a man until tonight.' He said parts of the roast surprised him and were not actually accurate. 'I was never in 'The X-Files,' he said, referring to a joke about him playing X-Files guard number two. He also confessed that he joined his high school drama club to get revenge on his girlfriend at the time, who did a play with another boy. 'And I was really jealous,' he admitted. So when he was cast as the lead in his first play - and he got to murder his wife in the production - he felt validated. 'I learned how cathartic acting could be.' Franco ended his post-roast press conference by kissing his pudding pot ('Kiss the pot?' he asked. 'Is that a tradition?') But he admitted it was not his most functional award. 'I won a stoner of the year award from High Times magazine,' he said, of being honored for his role in 'Pineapple Express.' He sent it to his parents for safe-keeping. 'Unfortunately it cracked in the mail, so they haven't been able to use it.'"

Watch video, AFTER THE JUMP...

The award has been given since 1967. The club's first honoree was Bob Hope.

Spidey foe meets his match in Harvard's Hasty Pudding crew [boston globe]
Franco gets bar mitzvah at Hasty Pudding roast [ap]