Harvard University’s student newspaper cautiously supported embattled President Claudine Gay, arguing that while she may have plagiarized, that does not justify her resignation.
The Harvard Crimson editorial board admitted in an op-ed Saturday that some of the allegations against Gay “are actually plagiarism,” but concluded that it appears she lacked the “intent” of stealing the work of others.
“To be clear, such an oversight is not typical of a Harvard president,” states the article, which represents the “majority opinion” of the editorial board.
“A reasonable evaluation of the plagiarism charges indicates that Gay’s behavior constitutes plagiarism, but because the errors do not appear intentional, they do not justify his resignation,” he said.
Board members were divided over the editorial, with two of them writing a vigorous dissent, arguing that Gay should resign.
The student newspaper’s defense of Gay supported, at least in part, concerns that the vast amount of negative press about the Ivy League school’s president was “fabricated by conservative activists intended to discredit higher education.”
The Harvard Crimson editorial board said that “we continue to be duly impressed with President Gay’s academic achievements.” David McGlynn
The board drew attention to how plagiarism allegations arose after Gay ran into controversy with his Dec. 5 testimony before the House Education and Workforce Committee about the institution’s policies to combat anti-Semitism in The Campus.
“It would be journalistic negligence to comment on the allegations without pointing out that they have only generated such a fierce stir because bad faith actors already wanted Gay’s head,” the board wrote.
“The fact that many of Gay’s harshest critics are driven by ulterior motives does not diminish concerns about his academic integrity,” he continued, arguing that he was having an “honest, fair and intellectually serious” discussion about the allegations.
There have been more than two dozen documented cases of alleged plagiarism, including two peer-reviewed journal articles and Gay’s doctoral thesis.
Claudine Gay became embroiled in national controversy after her testimony before a Congressional panel earlier this month. David McGlynn
The Harvard Corporation, the school’s governing body, found that Gay’s work contained “duplicate language without proper attribution,” and has since taken steps to make corrections to the journal’s articles.
As the Crimson editorial board noted, some of the cases in question involved attribution mishaps, missing quotation marks, and lifted sentences almost word for word.
The Post contacted the university in October for comment on some of the plagiarism accusations, and the school’s lawyers responded with a scathing letter threatening the Post with legal action, arguing that the accusations were “demonstrably false” and that the work of Gay was “subpoenaed.” and duly accredited.”
Harvard University is generally considered one of the highest-ranked post-secondary institutions in the country. David McGlynn
The student newspaper took note of the threats.
In their dissenting editorial, two board members criticized Gay’s conduct and argued that she tarnished Harvard’s “widely revered international brand.”
They pointed out the lukewarmness of donors regarding Gay’s permanence at the head of the prestigious school and stressed that the controversy surrounding her expands beyond the plagiarism scandal.
“Our doubts began following the Hamas attacks on October 7. Without a doubt, Gay failed in his public response to the crisis,” they argued.
Claudine Gay has survived calls to resign before the plagiarism scandal broke. AP
“We are tired of reading about Harvard’s failures every time we check the news. “We are tired of journalists bothering us for interviews at the Yard,” they continued.
“President Gay may be a good person. He may even be a praiseworthy scholar, despite the accusations. But that is not enough to remain president.”
Gay is Harvard’s 30th president and has held that position since July. She is the first black woman president of Harvard.
The Post has contacted Harvard for comment.
“I stand behind the integrity of my scholarship. Throughout my career, I have worked to ensure that my scholarship meets the highest academic standards,” Gay previously told The Boston Globe.
The House Education Committee is now examining allegations of plagiarism against Gay and of anti-Semitism at the institution.
Gay previously faced calls for her resignation following her congressional testimony that ultimately led to the downfall of Pennsylvania Speaker Liz Magill, who appeared alongside her before the Education Committee earlier this month.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn