Community on Campus

We aim to build an FAS community where every employee can feel at home–embracing our individual differences, connecting with like-minded colleagues, and even daring to stretch beyond the familiar.  As an FAS employee, you have virtually unlimited opportunities to follow your passions and to learn, grow, and connect with others.

Harvard Employee Resource Groups

The Harvard University Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) strive to promote equal opportunity, awareness, and understanding of Harvard’s rich and diverse community, centering on the experiences of staff and faculty from historically-marginalized groups. These groups include:

• The Association of Black Faculty, Administrators and Fellows (ABFAF) supports and advocates for the University's Black community.  It provides a means of communication, interaction and counseling for members of the Harvard Black community through seminars, discussion groups, and social gatherings.  ABFAF is open to all faculty, administrators, fellows and staff.
• The Harvard Asian Pacific Islander Desi Association of Faculty and Staff (HAPIDA) was established to provide opportunities for networking, career development, awareness, and support for Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander faculty and staff. It also serves as a resource for the larger Asian and Asian American community at Harvard. All staff and faculty are welcome to participate in HAPIDA events and activities. 
• The Association of Harvard Latinx Faculty and Staff is dedicated to articulating, supporting, and promoting the needs and goals of the Latinx community at Harvard University.  Membership is open to all faculty, administrators, fellows, and staff employed by Harvard University and its affiliates who support the mission of this Association.  Becoming a member of the Association is free of charge.
• The mission of the LGBTQ Staff and Faculty Employee Resource Group (QERG) of Harvard University is to ensure that Harvard is a welcoming and inclusive workplace for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and queer employees. All Harvard staff and faculty are also welcome to join the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus.
• The Committee on the Concerns of Women (CCW) is a university-wide group open to all female staff, administrators, faculty, students, and affiliates. The group serves as a network for women throughout the University and as a forum for women's issues and concerns. CCW generally sponsors bi-monthly luncheon programs during the academic year, with the goal of reflecting the interests of women at Harvard.
• The Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) also serves as an ERG for the Native American community, bringing together students, faculty, and staff from all parts of the University, as well as friends and community members from peer schools and the surrounding Cambridge/Boston area. HUNAP offers a series of events throughout the year, including informal social gatherings, community dinners, an annual spring Powwow, and a colloquia series.

Common Interest Groups

There are many opportunities available to Harvard staff who want to connect with colleagues with similar interests.

• The ABCD Committee is an informal association of IT managers, programmers, researchers, students and faculty at Harvard and affiliated institutions. This committee meets monthly.
• The Crimson Toastmasters Club part of an international organization devoted to developing communication and leadership skills.
• Harvard Neighbors helps both newcomers and more established members of the University community become acquainted with one another, through a wide variety of activities including knitting and book groups, non-English language discussion groups, and outings to museums and recreational sites.
• The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus brings together staff, students, and members of the Greater Boston Community.  Auditions are held in September, with limited openings every January.  Rehearsals are weekly, with two concerts of major choral-orchestral works at the end of each semester.
• Looking for a playgroup for your child? Both Harvard Students’ Spouses and Partners Association (HSSPA) and Harvard Neighbors sponsor weekly playgroups.
• Harvard Students’ Spouses and Partners Association (HSSPA) is open to the spouses and partners of all Harvard students, post-docs, faculty, and staff. Since 1896, HSSPA has provided a way to make friends and enjoy a sense of belonging within the Harvard community. HSSPA sponsors outings, social events, and playgroups.
• The Harvard Chaplains nurture the spiritual and ethical lives of students, faculty and staff, and help them learn to listen to those who believe differently.
• The Harvard Veterans Alumni Organization is open to all faculty, staff, alumni, and students of Harvard University who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The Harvard Veterans Organization is the on-campus chapter of HVAO, and is for Harvard students who are veterans or on active duty. Learn more about Military and Veteran support at Harvard.
• Several Harvard-affiliated and other volunteer opportunities are available in the Harvard area.

Your Harvard employment is your ticket to endless opportunities for fun and healthy activities. In addition to the many events going on around and near campus, you can pursue activities on your own schedule, through these resources and groups listed below.

Outings & Innings

Harvard’s own “ticket office,” Outings & Innings, provides easy and convenient access to some of the area's best and most popular events, and typically at a considerable discount savings.  Through Outings and Innings, you can purchase tickets to the movies, museums, theaters, music and dance venues, professional sports and amusement parks.

Walk Events and Programs

Combine fun and fitness by walking with others through one of the many walk events sponsored by CommuterChoice.  

The Harvard Walks Map will help you plan your route and compute how long it will take you to get there and back.

Harvard’s Own Museums and Theaters

Harvard is home to numerous museums—each focusing on different aspects of art, culture, or science—as well as a theater, film archive, arboretum, and observatory.  Your Harvard ID provides free admission to the museums for you and one guest in most cases. Many facilities host exciting programs, lectures, classes and activities for adults and families throughout the year.

• The Harvard Arts Portal is your online doorway to music, dance, art, film, drama, and other events and performances at Harvard’s museums and theaters.
• The Harvard Box Office is a full-service box office for both professional and student events on campus, including performances at Sanders Theater and Agassiz Theater, among others.
• The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is one of the country’s most celebrated theaters and the winner of numerous awards, including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize and Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. Productions developed at the A.R.T received 10 Tony awards in 2012.
• Harvard Film Archive presents films Friday through Monday nights, and often includes presentations by the film-makers.

Harvard Neighbors

Harvard Neighbors helps both newcomers and more established members to become acquainted with one another, through a wide variety of interest groups including: knitting and book groups, non-English language discussion groups, outings to interesting places on campus and beyond, such as Harvard Athletic Facilities, MIT Glass Lab, a mosque, a chocolate factory, and Mt. Auburn Cemetery; and activities such as apple picking, wine tastings, a gingerbread workshop, and visits to art galleries.

Exploring Nature

Step away from your papers, computer screens, and smart phone and enjoy these natural resources:

• Harvard Forest. Explore our nature trails in Petersham, Massachusetts, and visit the on-site Fischer Museum.
• Arnold Arboretum. Occupying 265 acres, the Arboretum is a unique blend of beloved public park and respected research institution in Boston’s Emerald Necklace.
• Harvard College Observatory. During the academic year, "Observatory Nights" on the third Thursday of each month feature a nontechnical lecture and telescopic observing from the observatory roof, if weather permits. Throughout the year there are also specially scheduled Kids Academies, Sci-Fi Movie Nights, and Star Parties.

Nurture Your Spirit

Harvard Chaplains is the umbrella organization of 38 chaplains representing 26 of the world's traditions (religious and non-religious), united in their commitment to serving Harvard's diverse student, faculty, and staff communities.

Volunteer Opportunities

Most people find providing help to others is just as rewarding and enriching as receiving it. There are several volunteer opportunities available for Harvard staff members, including tutoring employees in English as a second language, serving as a docent at one of Harvard's museums or outdoor spaces, working with neighborhood youth, helping at a homeless shelter, or something else.

FAS and Harvard Square offer a wide array of dining options, whether you want to go out or eat at your work site, picnic on campus, or buy fresh produce to bring home.

• Campus cafes offer many affordable, nutritious and delicious selections, including kosher and vegan specialties.
   
• The Harvard Faculty Club is the place to go for elegant service, spectacular fare and an atmosphere conducive to spirited conversation and intellectual exchange.  All staff (not just faculty) are eligible to become members of the Club, at no charge.
   
• Dine-in at your work site.  Many of the campus cafes offer freshly made grab-n-go sandwiches, salads, packaged snacks, and bottled beverages, and some provide online ordering for next day pick-up.  A working lunch with your team?  Contact Crimson Catering to arrange for a spread that accommodates your budget and tastes.
   
• Restaurants around Harvard Square are plentiful and varied, with more than 90 restaurants within walking distance.  Explore the HarvardSquare.com site for a directory and directions.
   
• Farmers' Markets sell fresh produce all summer and fall on Harvard's campus.
   
• Use Crimson Cash to make purchases easier at dining halls and many other food and retail establishments near campus.