The Harvard Salient - Headquarters Fund | UPDATE: Thanks to your generosity, we have reached our goal!

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The lease to the new office has been signed. We look forward to updating you about the new Salient Headquarters in the coming weeks! Thank you again.

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Solidify Harvard Salient’s permanent presence on campus. 

Rent is $6,500 per month not including utilities.

Givebutter has a 3% transaction cost. If you would like to send us a check, our address is 8 Eliot St, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA, 02138. If you would like wire details, please contact [email protected]. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q: Why do you need your own building if campus already has space? 

While Harvard allows students to book rooms, it is public as opposed to private space, and extensive regulations make it difficult to host large events and gatherings at Harvard. All events must be approved by Harvard’s administration, which has historically been hostile to conservative speakers, and they can cancel any event without notice. There are also logistical difficulties: hard time cut-offs, trouble securing necessary equipment, and restrictions on partnering with outside organizations. We cannot store anything in the Harvard rooms, and the administration gives little support for our activities—it is often outright antagonistic toward us. We cannot rely on Harvard for our operations without dealing with administrative and security concerns that close a lot of doors. 

Q: Why do you need more space if you already have an upper floor office? 

The current office has been wonderful, but we are outgrowing our 30-person capacity. For example, we hosted a dinner for the panelists of the Conservative and Republican Conference, but we had to exclude members of our own masthead because of our limited space. When speakers visit, students are forced to cram into the small space, and there is often overflow to the room next door. Having a larger office will allow us to expand our events. It will also help us support the rapidly growing movement. 

Q: Is this sustainable? 

We are actively seeking non-profit grants and recurring donations to help cover monthly rent. We envision cementing our presence at Harvard by eventually purchasing a building, in addition to financial planning such as launching an endowment plan over the next few years as the organization grows. 

Q: How does this contribute to the mission?

The office is crucial to the Salient’s goal of restoring the tradition of intellectual rigor and free inquiry at Harvard. ​To fulfill that mission requires visible signs to both friends and foes that Salient is a permanent institution at Harvard. Nothing is more powerful than a physical space, which is separate but highly conspicuous to the campus community.

This past year the upper space served as a test case. With it, we were able to host a reception for admitted students, host many speaker events, meet with donors, dinner for the inaugural Conservative Conference, in addition to having storage space for our growing number of issues, regular team meetings with an expanded team, and regular social events.

At its heart, our office is a venue for platforming alternative viewpoints—particularly those that challenge campus orthodoxy. At Harvard, the pursuit of truth now requires a space that is not subject to the ideological constraints of a hostile administration to flourish. Lasting publications at Harvard—the Crimson, the Lampoon—all began to build their legacy by having their own space. A Salient Headquarters allows for recruiting events on an entirely different scale and posture, which is the lifeline of any organization. By hosting events, organizing, inviting speakers, and expanding the production and distribution of our paper, we actively foster an environment of free inquiry and diverse thought at Harvard. 

Q: What would you use the extra space for?

We plan on creating a large event space to host speakers, faculty dinners, receptions, and debates. The benefit of the extra space is that there is a main room that is uninterrupted—our current office space, while substantive, does not have one uninterrupted main room but many small rooms which are inappropriate for large events. We would also like a working newsroom, expanded storage for equipment and issues, and a headquarters that can support wider distribution of our physical copies. We want a prominent display of viewpoint diversity in the heart of Harvard Square so that people know we are here to stay.