Claudine Gay was the first Black president in Harvard University’s history, and, as such, stewarded the work of the world’s most prestigious university over a six-month tenure. I’ve read dozens of opinions and no one has any illusions about the nature of working for a university like Harvard. Creating a space where intellect and fierce debate flourish while keeping funders, academics, and policymakers happy is no small feat, even less so when the leader embraces her Black heritage.
High-level jobs of this nature already look difficult without layering international conflicts, fascism, and growing social stratification across the board, but here we are.
So when Rep. Elise Stefanik interrogated three college presidents about the role of antisemitism on college campuses, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. In speaking to current Harvard students and reading posts from current Harvard students, many of them didn’t feel like Gay did enough to protect students who support Palestinian rights from doxxing, harassment, and other forms of ostracization for exercising the right to protest a mass genocide. Other students didn’t feel like she could have done more to quell the protests and the anti-Jewish provocations that spiked post-October 7th. Then, Congress compelled Claudine Gay and two other college presidents to testify about a stormy situation on campus that no one’s gotten pitch perfect.
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