Harvard’s Claudine Gay uses ‘free speech’ as a defense after a history of squelching it
New York PostDec 12, 2023
Harvard Board Says President Won't Lose Job Over Congress Appearance
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The Facts
Harvard University's 13-member school board has announced its continued support for President Claudine Gay following comments made during a congressional appearance last week that focused on allegations of recent and rising antisemitism on college campuses.
The Harvard Corporation claimed that Gay remained the "right leader to help our community heal," claiming that the university president had "apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony" and was "committed to redoubling" efforts against antisemitism.
The Spin
Narrative A
Harvard's defense of Gay's disgraceful comments is hypocritical considering the university's struggles with allowing free speech that it disagrees with on campus. While it's possible that Gay does wish to push back on antisemitism now that the issue has been raised, it seems more likely that any promises of protecting its Jewish community are a cynical move that doesn't address the oppressive ideologies that are pervasive in American college campuses. Harvard has deep work to do to protect the Jewish community and reject the knee-jerk cancelation of free speech alike.
Narrative B
While antisemitism, like many other forms of hate, is a problem within Harvard and America that must be solved, it's disingenuous for Congress to reshape the reality of campus life at the university. Gay's comments were a specific response in relation to Harvard's codified policies concerning harassment and bullying. Harvard's diverse academics — including scholars of religion and the Middle East — backed this move. The University is dedicated to being a safe space for its entire community.
Nerd narrative
There is a 51% chance that Harvard's endowment will be larger in 2119 than in 2019, according to the Metaculus prediction community.