Harvard Parents Central

Congratulations on the accomplishments of your son or daughter thus far. Undoubtedly, this is an exciting time for you and your family. The mission of Harvard Athletics is to be an integral component to the educational process of the College. Our goal is to educate through athletics. We are sure you are excited to watch your child continue to succeed in the classroom and in his or her sport, and are certain that your children will help carry forth our proud traditions of academic and athletic excellence!

Please use the following menu items to further your familiarity with our community. 

• Academic Calendar
• Area Dining and Catering Options
• Area Hotel Accommodations
• Away Games  
• Complimentary Admissions
• Friends’ Groups
• Game Day Parking
• Health Insurance
• Incoming Freshmen- Sickle Cell Testing Waiver
• Merchandise
• Parent’s Guide to NCAA Rules
• Support Athletics
• Social Media
• Staff Directory
• Streaming
• Tailgating

Academic Calendar
Please click on the following link to find the Harvard College five-year academic calendar: 

Area Dining and Catering Options

Stone Hearth Pizza
182 Western Ave.
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 903-4680
www.stonehearthpizza.com

Redbones Barbeque
55 Chester St.
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 628 - 2200
www.redbones.com

T. Anthony’s
1016 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 732 - 7708
www.tanthonypizzeria.com

Harvard Dining Services
12 Quincy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495 - 3238
www.dining.harvard.edu  

Grill 41
11 Homer Rd.
Hanover, MA 02339
(781) 223 - 2137
www.grill41.com

JP Licks
1312 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 492 - 1001
www.jplicks.com

Crimson Catering
12 Quincy St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 496 - 6000
www.dining.harvard.edu

Tommy Doyle’s
96 Winthrop St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 864-0655
www.tommydoyles.com

Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant
21 Brattle St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 864-4748
www.bertuccis.com

Area Hotel Accommodations

Hotel Veritas
1 Remington St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 520-5000

LeMeridien Cambridge
20 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 577-0200

Boston Cambridge Marriott
Two Cambridge Center, 50 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 494-6600

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton
Boston
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02134
(617) 783-0090

Courtyard by Marriott
Brookline
40 Webster St., Coolidge Corner
Brookline, MA 02466
(617) 734-1393

Holiday Inn Express 
Cambridge
250 Monsignor O’Brien Hwy
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 577-7600

Away Games
Brown Athletics Visitor’s Guide
Columbia Athletics Visitor’s Guide
Cornell Athletics Visitor’s Guide
Dartmouth Athletics Visitor’s Guide 
Penn Athletics Visitor’s Guide
Princeton Athletics Visitor’s Guide
Yale Athletics Visitor’s Guide

Complimentary Admissions
Harvard University may provide student-athletes with up to four complimentary admissions per regular season home and away contests in the sport in which the individual participates, regardless of whether the student-athlete is competing in the contest. Although NCAA regulations allow students up to four complimentary admissions at away contests, the number which the student receives may be fewer depending on the complimentary allotment given to Harvard by the other institution.

Student-athletes may not receive “hard” tickets, as complimentary admissions may be provided only through a pass list for individuals designated by the student-athlete.  Student-athletes may assign complimentary admissions to family members, relatives, and friends. No guest may receive more than one admission per game, and must present an ID at Will Call. Individuals whose first and last names are not listed will be required to purchase a ticket. Neither the student-athlete nor the individual designated to receive the ticket may exchange the ticket for money or any item of value. Doing so would be a violation NCAA rules.

Harvard University’s home ticketed sports are Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Football, Men’s Ice Hockey, Women’s Ice Hockey and Men’s Lacrosse. Click here for Harvard's Ticket Office Homepage

Friends Groups
A great way to stay connected to your child’s team is through a friend’s group. Friends groups play an important role in sustaining a quality intercollegiate athletics program by providing funding for out of region travel, recruiting, and a variety of needs specific to each team. Friends groups host events throughout the year that enable members to connect with alumni and current student-athletes. For more information on Harvard Friends Groups, please click here.

Game Day Parking

Health Insurance

Harvard University Student Health Insurance Plan
As you sort through the informational materials from the College, we wish to highlight one important decision that you’ll be asked to make each year. There will be a decision about whether or not to waive the HUSHP Student Health Insurance Plan if you maintain alternative health coverage for your child. Before you consider waiving, carefully evaluate whether your existing health plan will provide adequate, comprehensive coverage in the Boston area. In many cases, coverage is limited when out-of-state, with only emergency or urgent care coverage available.

Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP)
Massachusetts law requires that students enrolled in an institution of higher learning in Massachusetts participate in a student health insurance program or in a health benefit plan with comparable coverage. All Harvard students are automatically enrolled in HUSHP and the cost of the plan is applied to their term bill. HUSHP is a comprehensive health program comprised of two parts:

• Student Health Fee: All students are charged this health fee as part of enrollment. The Student Health Fee includes coverage at Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) for services including primary care, medical and surgical specialties, Stillman Infirmary, radiology, physical therapy, and mental health counseling. Urgent care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at HUHS in the Holyoke Center.
• Student Health Insurance Plan: This insurance plan, which includes Blue Cross Blue Shield hospital/specialty and Medco prescription drug coverage, complements the Student Health Fee by providing coverage for medically necessary hospitalization, emergency and specialty care, as well as prescription drugs at the HUHS Pharmacy and other pharmacies. Students enrolled in a comparable health insurance plan may be eligible to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan. Waivers must be completed by the appropriate deadline or the charges will remain on the student’s term bill.

Note: If you make the decision to keep your child enrolled in both the Student Health Insurance Plan and your family health plan, the plans will be subjected to coordination of benefit (COB) rules when claims are paid. In most cases, the student plan will cover claims after your family plan has paid what it will cover.  A $50 fee will be imposed for students who complete waivers and then rescind without a qualifying event (i.e. loss of other health insurance coverage) will apply.

A common scenario that we have seen in sports medicine is a knee injury of an athlete who has waived the Student Health Insurance Plan. If our sports medicine team decides that the athlete needs an MRI, it is common that the student would need to go home and use the hospital or radiology department that is covered by his/her insurance company. Also, if elective surgery were needed, the student would again have to return to the hospital and surgeon that is covered by his/her insurance plan. As most students are not from the greater Boston area, this can present a logistical challenge to coordinate their healthcare and to continue their studies.

If you do make the decision to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan, neither the Athletics Department nor Harvard University Health Services is a "secondary" insurer. That is, they do not cover expenses that are not covered by the student-athlete's primary health insurance, even if the injury is suffered during a practice or competition.  Please note: there is a small penalty fee ($50) for students who complete waivers and then rescind waivers without a qualifying event (i.e.,  loss of other health insurance coverage). 

For more information on HUSHP benefits, rates, and deadlines, visit http://hushp.harvard.edu/

Incoming Freshmen - Sickle Cell Testing Waiver
All NCAA Division I student-athletes must show proof of a sickle cell solubility test (SST), be tested for sickle cell trait, or sign a waiver declining to be tested prior to participating in any practice, competition, or conditioning at Harvard. The recommendation is that every student-athlete be tested or show proof of prior testing for sickle cell trait. If your son/daughter has not had the test and wishes to be tested, you should arrange to be tested prior to arriving on campus. Testing will also be available on campus. Testing is not mandatory. For more information regarding the sickle cell trait, please read below.

Incoming Freshmen: Prior to arriving on campus, please click here to download and print the Sickle Cell waiver. The waiver should be printed, completed, signed, and sent to:

Brant Berkstresser
Harvard University
Department of Athletics
65 N. Harvard Street
Boston, MA 02163

NOTE: NCAA rules do not permit student-athletes to practice with their team until the results of the test have come in. Please also be aware that if you come to Harvard and wish to be tested, you will not be cleared to practice/participate until the test results are available. This will delay your participation in your sport.

Sickle Cell Trait:
Sickle cell trait is the inheritance of an abnormal gene which can cause deformation (“sickling”) of the red blood cell, along with a normal gene for hemoglobin. Approximately one in every 12 African-Americans has sickle cell trait, (compared to ~ one in 2,000 to 12,000 white Americans). The gene for sickle cell trait is also present in individuals of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, Caribbean and South / Central American ancestry. All newborns in the U.S. are required to be screened for sickle cell.

Sickle cell trait has been associated with rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, as well as death, and complicating factors include extreme exertion, increased heat, altitude, & dehydration. Over a nine year span, seven athletes participating in NCAA sports died as a complication of sickle cell trait. It is because of this that the NCAA has now mandated testing or proof of testing prior to any practice, competition or conditioning.

Effective beginning the 2010-2011 academic year, all NCAA Division I student-athletes, as part of their required medical examination or evaluation, must be tested for sickle cell trait, provide the institution with proof of a prior test, or sign a waiver declining to be tested.

Why get tested? The sickle cell trait test (SST) is relatively easy to perform, and can provide educational information that can be helpful to you both on and off the field. It is helpful to know your sickle cell status and can allow health care professionals to take better care of you. If you were born in the U.S., your testing results may be available in your medical record.

What happens if I test positive? Athletes that are sickle cell trait positive are able to participate in sports, often with no modifications whatsoever. Individuals that test positive for sickle cell trait will have a confirmatory test performed, and if positive, will be counseled on what can be done to avoid complications.

Who will know that I test positive? The medical staff needs to be aware of your sickle cell status in order to provide optimal care of you during practice, competition and conditioning. Outside of this, you will be asked if and who this information can be released to.

Is it mandatory that I have the sickle cell trait test? The recommendation is that every student-athlete be tested or show proof of prior testing for sickle cell trait. If you have not had the test and wish to be tested, you should arrange to be tested prior to arriving on campus. Testing will also be available on campus. Testing is not mandatory.

If you would like to schedule a time to have the Sickle Cell Trait test taken at Harvard, please call University Health Services (UHS) at 617/495-2001. Please indicate that you are a student-athlete when you call.

Merchandise
Harvard Athletics merchandise is available for purchase at our official Team Shop.