Harvard honor council student says Claudine Gay should resign for 'serious violations of academic ethics'

A Harvard undergraduate who is a member of the institution's Honor Council recently published an op-ed claiming that the school's president was let off easy following allegations of plagiarism.

This comes as Harvard president Claudine Gay has been accused of plagiarism and anti-Semitism, but the university's board continues to support her as president.

The Harvard Crimson decided to publish the op-ed anonymously, so as to prevent the student from receiving retaliation.

"In my time on the Council, I heard dozens of cases," the student wrote. "When students — my classmates, peers, and friends — appear before the council, they are distraught. For most, it is the worst day of their college careers. For some, it is the worst day of their lives. They often cry."

"It is because I have seen first-hand how heart-wrenching these decisions can be, and still think them necessary, that I call on University President Claudine Gay to resign for her numerous and serious violations of academic ethics."

"When my peers are found responsible for multiple instances of inadequate citation, they are often suspended for an academic year," the student continued. "When the president of their university is found responsible for the same types of infractions, the fellows of the Corporation ‘unanimously stand in support of’ her."

The student went on to lay out that Gay's habit of plagiarism was "routine and pervasive," noting that 43% of all Honor Council investigation concerned plagiarism during the 2021-2022 school year — the last year for which the data is available.

The three watermarks of plagiarism are omitting quotation marks, not citing sources, or citing sources incompletely.

"In my experience, when students omit quotation marks and citations, as President Gay did, the sanction is usually one term of probation — a permanent mark on a student’s record," the student wrote.

"A student on probation is no longer considered in good standing, disqualifying them from opportunities like fellowships and study-abroad programs. Good standing is also required to receive a degree."

The Harvard Council was established in 2015, and "roughly 16 percent of students" who have appeared before the Council have been required to withdraw from the school. The op-ed conceded that a single instance of plagiarism could be a simple lapse in judgement, but it appears Gay made a habit of plagiarism in its different forms.

The student concluded the piece by saying, "There is one standard for me and my peers and another, much lower standard for our University’s president. The Corporation should resolve the double standard by demanding her resignation."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!