Crimson staffers win fellowship

Four Harvard College sophomores will investigate the status of women at the University through fellowships awarded by the Christopher J. Georges Fellowship Fund. The four recipients, all members of The Harvard Crimson staff, are Lauren Dorgan, Anne Kofol, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Catherine Shoichet.

“Though many women’s issues have been investigated (at Harvard),” they said in their scholarship proposal, “these examinations only scratch the surface of a pervasive problem at Harvard, and in the academe at large.”

The project, to be published in The Crimson upon its completion, will look into four major areas: women undergraduate life, female faculty, Radcliffe, and women’s studies.

“There were several excellent proposals, and we are thrilled to award a fellowship to this most worthy project,” said Gigi Georges, chair of the fellowship fund’s board. “We hope and anticipate that when this project is completed, it will both be a significant work of journalism and an important source of discussion about the future status of women at Harvard.”

The fellowship covers a $1,000 award to each student and the printing costs to publish the project in The Crimson.

The Christopher J. Georges Fellowship Fund was established at Harvard and is awarded annually to enable young journalists to engage in research and writing that exemplifies Chris Georges’ commitment to in-depth reporting on issues of enduring social value in which stories document the human impact of public policy. Georges was executive editor of The Harvard Crimson and an honors graduate of Harvard College. Following graduation he joined the Wall Street Journal as a reporter. He worked in the Journal’s Washington Bureau, covering politics, economics, and budget issues. His stories on the welfare system in 1997 were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He died in 1998 at age 33 from complications related to lupus.

This year’s scholarship winners

Lauren D. Dorgan (Quincy House) is an American history concentrator from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She has been a reporter and editor for The Crimson for the past two years, most recently covering Cambridge city government and politics. Anne K. Kofol (Mather House) is a history and literature concentrator from New York City. As a reporter and editor for The Crimson, she has covered religion and student social life. She is also a member of the Harvard Model Congress. Kathryn L. Rakoczy (Lowell House), a social studies concentrator from Staten Island, N.Y., was a part of The Crimson team that covered the Harvard presidential search and produced the scoop that Lawrence Summers was selected. She is currently covering the faculty. Catherine E. Shoichet (Winthrop House), a history and literature concentrator from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was the other half of the reporting team that covered the Harvard presidential search. Shoichet now covers the Harvard University administration and is a violist for the Harvard Bach Society Orchestra.