The picture shows Guy, the former president of Harvard University. (Visual China)
The picture shows Harvard University.
Our special correspondent in the United States Xiao Dazhenxiang and Chen Kang
On the 2nd local time, Claudina Gay, the president of Harvard University in the United States, who was deeply involved in anti-Semitic controversy and accusations of plagiarism, announced her resignation. Later that day, Harvard University announced that she would accept He resigned and an interim principal was appointed. About a month ago, Gay and the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attended a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on "Anti-Semitism in Colleges and Universities." The three presidents refused to directly answer questions about whether they would punish anti-Semitic speeches. The issue of "speech students" has been strongly criticized by conservatives. Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, announced his resignation only four days after the hearing. Although Gay received the support of more than 700 academic authorities and Harvard faculty, conservatives later asked Harvard to remove Gay from his paper on the grounds that his paper was suspected of plagiarism. Dismissal. In response, the Associated Press commented that so-called "plagiarism" accusations have become "a weapon used by conservatives to attack university freedom." As the first African-American president and the second female president in the nearly 400-year history of Harvard University, Gay resigned sadly after only half a year as president, becoming the shortest-term president in Harvard history. Although she resigned, the controversy caused by the incident is far from subsided, which further highlights the serious divisions in current American society.
"Moment of Special Challenges"
CNN stated on the 3rd that the background of Gay's resignation was the two major public opinion storms she is currently facing. First, when she and two other American university presidents attended a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives early last month, she refused to characterize anti-Semitic remarks as campus bullying. Critics believed that she was condoning anti-Semitism; second, someone recently exposed her academic behavior in her early years. There are several places in the paper where the source is not indicated, which is suspected of plagiarism.
According to the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper of Harvard University, Guy said in an email on the 2nd: "It is obvious that it is in Harvard's best interest for me to resign so that our community can survive this special challenge. Moment." She said the decision (to resign) was "indescribable" and "it hurts that two of my fundamental values - my commitment to anti-hate and academic rigor - have been questioned."
As for some people forcing Guy to resign on the grounds of suspected "plagiarism", the New York Times stated that it was precisely because of Guy's controversial statements at a congressional hearing that the so-called accusation of "plagiarism" in the paper was triggered. According to the report, Harvard University has determined after evaluation that the source of the paper was not indicated in several places, which is "regrettable" but does not meet the threshold of academic misconduct. The Associated Press stated that the so-called "plagiarism" accusations have become "a weapon used by conservatives to attack university freedoms" because these accusations do not come from academic peers but from Gay's political opponents.
Conservatives set up "hunting fund"
Gay is the second Ivy League president to resign due to the "anti-Semitic" scandal. After the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalated on October 7 last year, a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations broke out on American campuses. On December 5, the House of Representatives held a cross-party hearing on "Anti-Semitism in Colleges and Universities" to question the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which are said to be "at the center of anti-Semitic protests." As for whether anti-Semitic remarks violate the school's code of conduct or should be punished, the three principals refused to give a clear yes or no response, emphasizing that it depends on the specific situation. "If the remarks are turned into actions, they may be considered harassment." . In particular, Guy responded twice by saying, “Our school abides by its commitment to freedom of speech,” which particularly dissatisfied the lawmakers.
After the hearing, more than 70 cross-party congressmen jointly demanded that Harvard, Penn and MIT fire their presidents. Penn President Magill resigned days later. This time after Guy resigned, Congressman Stefanik, who is also a Harvard alumnus, posted a post on the social platform x to "celebrate victory" on the 2nd. Stefanik said that she will continue to promote congressional investigations of universities, "I think the investigation will find more things..."
In addition to political pressure, many Jewish billionaire donors announced that they will stop donating to Harvard University .Bergeron, a former senior official in the U.S. Department of Education, said that after the incident, all sources of income at Harvard University are under pressure. Not only is the university's own fundraising under pressure, but even its application for federal funds may be at risk.
The Associated Press stated that after Guy resigned, conservative activist Rufo wrote the word "scalping" on the social platform x. According to reports, the word means viewing Guy's resignation as a trophy, recalling the horrific practices used by white colonists when they tried to exterminate Indians. "Tomorrow, we will start the fight again," Rufo said, describing a "playbook" for attacking educational institutions that conservatives deem too liberal. He also announced the establishment of a "hunting fund" and "we must not stop until we dismantle pluralist ideology from every institution in America."
"Freedom of Speech" vs. "Political Correctness"
When Speech and Academic Freedom Meet What will be the result of "political correctness"? "This is a terrible moment," Khalil, a professor of history, race and public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, told the New York Times. "This is a declaration of war on the independence of the university." 700 people previously signed a petition to support Gay. Multiple academic authorities and Harvard faculty also warned in the letter that bowing to political pressure to fire Guy would "contradict Harvard's commitment to academic freedom" and urged the Board of Regents to "defend Harvard's independence."
The American "Daily Beast" stated that conservatives forced Guy to resign in order to label people who support left-wing views such as "Black Lives Matter" and "academic decolonization" as "political pariahs." The article stated that in fact, conservatives are doing this to engage in a "cultural ambush war" against the left. Ackerman, a Harvard Jewish alumnus and billionaire who has been calling for Guy's dismissal, recently complained that "when Harvard University considers candidates for president, it only cares about the standards of diversity, equality and inclusion and ignores other standards."
The serious divisions in American society also have a negative impact on the society. Politics has a huge impact. This year is a presidential election year in the United States, and the Palestinian-Israeli issue is an unavoidable foreign policy issue. As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues and the number of civilian casualties in Gaza continues to rise, US President Joe Biden has been supporting Israel, which has led to dissatisfaction among young voters. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 22-year-old college student Boskin said that she originally planned to support Biden. But after taking courses on Middle Eastern politics in college, interacting with Palestinian classmates in her class, and the facts disclosed on social media, she now became increasingly dissatisfied with the relationship between the United States and Israel.
The latest poll released by USA Today on January 1 shows that Biden’s approval rating has continued to be lower than that of former President Trump in recent months. According to reports, this is because African-American, Hispanic and young voters have abandoned Biden, which means that the voter base that Biden relied on to win the last presidential election is disintegrating. ▲
