The Atlantic wrote that Harvard students will ‘laugh, openly or secretly, at the corruption and double standards’ of the school

By Gabriel Hays – Published December 23, 2023 – Fox news

Far left outlet The Atlantic ripped Harvard University for not doing enough to hold its president Claudine Gay responsible for her recent scandals, particularly her plagiarism scandal.

The Atlantic’s contributing writer Eliot Cohen, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard and was a former administrator there, blasted the school’s board in a Friday article, claiming that it should be in a “tougher spot” for not holding Gay accountable for plagiarism.

He declared that Gay’s alleged behavior, which he argued was “indisputable,” is “disqualifying” for her leadership role and that she needs to leave her office. 

Harvard President Claudine Gay, who recently made headlines for refusing to say if genocide of Jews was against Harvard policy during a U.S. congressional hearing, has been accused of multiple accounts of plagiarism in recent weeks. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Harvard has been grappling with an avalanche of accusations that Gay plagiarized multiple past academic works, including her own Ph.D. dissertations at the university. The school president had already been under fire after dodging questions on antisemitism on college campuses during a House hearing on the issue by the Education and Workforce Committee.

In the piece, Cohen noted how when he was hired as an assistant professor Harvard, after he was a Ph.D. student, “Harvard then took plagiarism seriously – and in one way still does, disciplining dozens of students every year for this gravest of academic sins.”

He described how students found guilty of the transgression – “those who had lifted someone else’s language without quotation marks or citation – were bounced from the college for a year, during which time they were required to work at a nonacademic job.”

“They would be readmitted after submitting a statement that examined their original misdeed and reflected on it,” he added. He noted how students who committed lesser violations, dubbed “misuse of sources,” could expect to receive “a year’s probation and suspension from participation in extracurricular activities.”

Cohen went on to describe Harvard’s method for dealing with plagiarists as a “very good system,” which “rested on the notion that even a disciplinary process should be educational.”

Then came his condemnation for Gay and the school by extension, noting that the president’s plagiarism and her faculty not holding her accountable has destroyed the credibility the school once had. 

Harvard President Claudine Gay attends a menorah lighting ceremony on the seventh night of Hanukkah with the University’s Jewish community on December 13, 2023, in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Harvard trustees voted to keep President Gay after she responded to a congressional hearing with an answer to a question about hate speech on campus.  (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Alluding to her scandals, he began, “A leader must begin with a deeply rooted sense of responsibility; from there one moves to accountability, the ability to own one’s organization’s failings. For example, if Jewish students are being harassed and threatened on the university campus where one is president, it means saying, ‘I own this. I will fix it,’ in simple and unqualified terms.”

He then zeroed in on her plagiarism, writing, “It is undisputed that Claudine Gay used other scholars’ language, often with the slightest modification or none, and occasionally without even a footnote acknowledgment.” 

Cohen added, “I have looked at the evidence presented in various places, none of which has been controverted, and it is clear to me that this is plagiarism.”

Arguing for her to be booted from her job, he declared, “Even if, in the most tolerant and sympathetic of readings, this and similar copying merely constitute ‘misuse of sources,’ it is disqualifying for a position of leadership at any university. Her failure to accept responsibility in stark and unqualified terms makes matters worse.”

Cohen then mentioned how hypocritical the school looks in this situation, saying, “I have no idea how as a teacher at Harvard today I could look an undergraduate in the eye and hold forth about why plagiarism is a violation of the values inherent in the academic enterprise. They would laugh, openly or secretly, at the corruption and double standards.”

The author concluded, “President Gay is in a tough spot. The Harvard Corporation deserves to be in a much tougher spot, because it has betrayed the values that the university once cherished and that it still proclaims.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Readers’ comments:

CaptainChillax

The issue with Harvard President Claudine Gay’s alleged plagiarism is deeply troubling, particularly for an institution that prides itself on academic integrity and leadership. As a conservative, I believe in holding individuals, especially those in positions of significant influence, accountable for their actions. Plagiarism undermines the very essence of scholarship and integrity that educational institutions are built upon. If the allegations are true, it sets a dangerous precedent for students and faculty alike, suggesting that not everyone is held to the same standards of honesty and ethical conduct. Leadership requires responsibility, and stepping down may be the honorable course if the allegations prove substantial. Upholding moral and ethical standards is essential, no matter the institution or individual involved. Merry Christmas from Texas, where we continue to value integrity and accountability in all areas of life.

gs32767

She isn’t stepping down, and they can’t fire her because Harvard is committed to DEI and Gay was a DEI hire. The way Harvard sees it, firing her would mean caving into the political right, never mind the fact that left wing journalists are now calling her to be fired, and they would then have to replace her with another African American woman, which would draw attention to their use of race and gender in their DEI hiring policies. Its as simple as that.

metoo_crapola

If fired she would be immediately picked up by MSNBC as a commentator.

spazoidmn

If she wasn’t black and gay, she would have been dropped after the congressional hearing

Edwards619

Here’s the problem. She shouldn’t have to resign. She should have been let go by the school as soon as this news broke. Or the people financially supporting this should have pulled all funding. Several other possibilities. If anyone would have supported terrorism in the old days they would not be in charge by sundown.

SailOnSailor

What else she gon’ do. She gots no skills.

jokinjor2020

Your absolutely correct. Only problem, she is part of the entitled class.

carlyrose

She sees the right thing to do and just can’t get there in her mind. That example will be her legacy, for all who chose to NOT cheat. The rub is that it’s either too much pride or none at all.

medievalprism

How many of you doubt she even wrote the papers herself in the first place? All credibility for these “elite” schools and DEI hiring is legitimately in question.

drinkingmom

Given the exact same set of circumstances? If the Harvard President was Claude Gay, a middle aged White man? His resignation would have been called for by the Harvard Board of Trustees weeks ago. And every clear thinking person knows this to be true.

Notasheep22

Exactly

rockhead

Not sure Gay isn’t a man.