Crimson Confusion: Harvard newspaper sends mixed signals on President Gay’s refusal to resign

As Harvard University’s President Claudine Gay faces continued national scrutiny over her response to antisemitism on campus and plagiarism allegations, the school’s newspaper is telegraphing a seemingly confused stance to readers.

On Saturday, the Harvard Crimson published two opposing op-eds, one from the editorial board and another from an anonymous undergraduate member of the Harvard College Honor Council. The former was titled, “President Gay Plagiarized, but She Should Stay. For Now.” and the latter, “I Vote on Plagiarism Cases at Harvard College. Gay’s Getting off Easy.”

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The two pieces were both featured prominently on the publication’s homepage, one above the other.

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After the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, demonstrations in support of their war against Israel popped up at schools across the country, including at prestigious Ivy League institutions such as Harvard.

When several university presidents were called to testify in front of a House committee over the rash of anti-Israel protests, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked Gay if “calling for the genocide of Jews” violated the school’s “rules on bullying and harassment.”

“It can be, depending on the context,” said Gay. She later apologized for her response after backlash from prominent donors.

On top of the scrutiny she is facing over her handling of antisemitism on campus, Gay is also the subject of serious accusations of plagiarism.

According to the op-ed penned by the student on the Harvard College Honor Council, “What is striking about the allegations of plagiarism against President Gay is that the improprieties are routine and pervasive.”

“In my experience, when a student is found responsible for multiple separate Honor Code violations, they are generally required to withdraw — i.e., suspended — from the College for two semesters,” the author wrote.

This, as the author noted, is not the treatment Gay faced. As a result, students are held to a higher standard than the university president.

The Harvard Crimson’s editorial board agrees with the student in its own op-ed. However, they argue that Gay should not be removed.

The editorial board stated that “we still have faith in our president as a scholar,” “regard her plagiarism as limited and unintentional,” and “recognize that a stopgap interim president would bring chaos instead of needed stability.” For these reasons, the board said it opposes removing her.

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The publication’s editorial board also cited a news cycle driven by “outrage manufactured by conservative activists intent on discrediting higher education.”

Gay’s position appears safe at the prestigious institution, as the Harvard Corporation issued a recent statement in which it refused to remove her. “Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,” it said.