Harvard University President Claudine Gay has resigned amidst backlash over allegations of ‘anti-Jewish speech.’ Gay had been accused of “antisemitism” for interpreting support for Palestine and protests against Israel on campus as falling within the scope of freedom of thought.
“College campuses in our country must remain places where students can learn, share and grow together, not spaces where proxy battles and political grandstanding take root. Universities must remain independent venues where courage and reason unite to advance truth, no matter what forces set against them.”
Harvard University President Claudine Gay has resigned from her position amidst backlash accusing her of ‘anti-Semitic speech’ and plagiarism.
Gay had been under intense pressure to step down in recent weeks, and in her resignation letter, she expressed that leaving her role would be in the best interest of the university.
“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries” she wrote in her resignation letter.
She also wrote that she has been exposed to “personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus”: “Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”
What happened?
Harvard was among several universities in the United States accused of failing to protect Jewish students since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Jewish organizations contend that there has been a troubling increase in anti-Jewish incidents in the U.S. since the beginning of the war.
Claudine Gay had been accused of “antisemitism” for interpreting support for Palestine and protests against Israel on campus as falling within the scope of freedom of thought. As a professor of African and African-American studies at Harvard, Gay faced allegations of antisemitism, leading to her testimony before the U.S. Congress alongside University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth in this context.
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik strongly criticized the former Harvard President during a congressional session, accusing Gay and other university leaders of permitting “antisemitic actions” on campus.
The university presidents, emphasizing their commitment to “freedom of thought,” responded to questions from members of the U.S. House of Representatives by stating their answers were “context-dependent.” In response, at least 70 U.S. representatives deemed these responses “unacceptable” and called for the dismissal of these university presidents. However, 700 faculty members wrote a letter supporting the presidents, asserting that they should remain in their positions despite the controversies.
Gay: “I’ve been called the N-word more times than I care to count”
Claudine Gay published an article titled “What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me” in The New York Times on January 4.
In the article, Gay mentioned that she had been subjected to death threats and racial slurs.
“My character and intelligence have been impugned. My commitment to fighting antisemitism has been questioned. My inbox has been flooded with invective, including death threats. I’ve been called the N-word more times than I care to count.”
In her article, Claudine Gay conveyed that the campaign against her is merely one facet of a “war” designed to erode trust in fundamental aspects of American society, spanning from education to public health institutions and news organizations.
Gay underscored that the removal of one individual from their position wouldn’t be sufficient to pacify opportunists, issuing a caution that this matter would persist.
The former Harvard President articulated it as follows:
“As I depart, I must offer a few words of warning. The campaign against me was about more than one university and one leader. This was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society. Campaigns of this kind often start with attacks on education and expertise, because these are the tools that best equip communities to see through propaganda. But such campaigns don’t end there. Trusted institutions of all types — from public health agencies to news organizations — will continue to fall victim to coordinated attempts to undermine their legitimacy and ruin their leaders’ credibility. For the opportunists driving cynicism about our institutions, no single victory or toppled leader exhausts their zeal.”
In her opinion piece, Gay expressed her disappointment regarding the allegations of ‘plagiarism,’ stating the following:
“Never did I imagine needing to defend decades-old and broadly respected research, but the past several weeks have laid waste to truth. Those who had relentlessly campaigned to oust me since the fall often trafficked in lies and ad hominem insults, not reasoned argument. They recycled tired racial stereotypes about Black talent and temperament. They pushed a false narrative of indifference and incompetence.”
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay concluded her article with the following warnings:
“College campuses in our country must remain places where students can learn, share and grow together, not spaces where proxy battles and political grandstanding take root. Universities must remain independent venues where courage and reason unite to advance truth, no matter what forces set against them.”
Resignation of the Second President
Claudine Gay’s academic background faced scrutiny over alleged plagiarism, as reported by the U.S. media. The university conducted an investigation last month, identifying the need for additional citations in two publications. Despite this, the university concluded that Gay did not breach research rules.
The 11-member Harvard Corporation Board affirmed that Gay would retain her faculty responsibilities post-resignation. Gay had previously made history as the first Black and second female president among Ivy League universities.
In the aftermath of the session on December 5, where the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) participated and subsequently resigned, Gay became the second president to step down.
Former University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill had also resigned amid similar controversies.
Sources: BBC, Euronews