Claudine Gay shat the bed in the Congressional hearing, that's for sure. But Harvard was still backing her after that appearance.
So what happened next? The pro-Israeli fanatics engaged in the equivalent of academic doxing, scrutinizing every single sentence in every single paper/book she has published in he…
Claudine Gay shat the bed in the Congressional hearing, that's for sure. But Harvard was still backing her after that appearance.
So what happened next? The pro-Israeli fanatics engaged in the equivalent of academic doxing, scrutinizing every single sentence in every single paper/book she has published in her academic career. She was so confident in her academic bona fides that she actually welcomed the independent review.
The result? Accusations of plagiarism which are just absurd. For the VAST MAJORITY of allegedly plagiarized content, we're talking ONE SENTENCE that isn't even exact, but follows a similar framing structure.
Here are two examples indicative of the absurdity of the allegations:
1) She was accused of lifting a sentence authored by Professor Canon of the University of Wisconsin (again not a verbatim copy of the sentence). Canon himself has publicly stated that the conduct doesn't even come close to plagiarism. Ms. Gay was merely reciting the definition of a widely used technical academic term, so it's obvious there would be some overlap in the exact phrases used to define the technical term.
To illustrate the point, let's take the mathematical concept of Pi. What is Pi? It's the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. It's the most straightforward way to define Pi. Can I say it in other ways if I were forced to? Sure. Would it really be surprising for many mathematicians who have never met each other or read each other's work to coincidentally use exact same verbatim definition of PI in their papers? The same sentence structure with minor modifications? Of course, it would be weird if there were NOT minor variations.
What happened here is an ACTUAL example of cancel culture, but as always it's getting perpetrated by right-wing operatives. It was only after extremist American pro-Israelis took offence to Ms. Gay's official response to the Gaza terrorist attack that they started scrutinizing every sentence of her academic work.
You're probably thinking that Ms. Gay's response (along with much of the Harvard upper administration) on October 9, 2023 was just crazy and unprofessional. It was not:
We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now under way.
The violence hits all too close to home for many at Harvard. Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have been unable to reach loved ones. And, even for people at Harvard who have not been affected directly by the fighting, there are feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and more that create a heavy burden. We have heard from many students, faculty, and staff about the emotional toll that these events are taking.
Across Harvard, we will continue providing as much support to our students and colleagues as possible. Our Schools either have shared or will soon share messages regarding available resources.
We have also heard an interest from many in understanding more clearly what has been happening in Israel and Gaza. Even as we attend immediately to the needs of our community members, we can take steps as an academic community to deepen our knowledge of the unfolding events and their broader implications for the region and the world. We expect there will be many such opportunities in the coming days and weeks.
We have no illusion that Harvard alone can readily bridge the widely different views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we are hopeful that, as a community devoted to learning, we can take steps that will draw on our common humanity and shared values in order to modulate rather than amplify the deep-seated divisions and animosities so distressingly evident in the wider world. Especially at such a time, we want to emphasize our commitment to fostering an environment of dialogue and empathy, appealing to one another’s thoughtfulness and goodwill in a time of unimaginable loss and sorrow.
As many colleagues, classmates, and friends deal with pain and deep concern about the events in Israel and Gaza, we must all remember that we are one Harvard community, drawn together by a shared passion for learning, discovery, and the pursuit of truth in all its complexity, and held together by a commitment to mutual respect and support. At this moment of challenge, let us embody the care and compassion the world needs now.
Sincerely,
Claudine Gay
President, Harvard University"
. . . . .
That statement apparently pissed off Israeli apologist too much, so Ms. Gray sent out a follow-up statement the very next day:
"A Statement from President Claudine Gay
October 10, 2023
As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.
Let me also state, on this matter as on others, that while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.
We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame. And I appeal to all of us in this community of learning to keep this in mind as our conversations continue.
Claudine Gay
President, Harvard University"
. . . . .
Funny how the first black President of Harvard got immediately thrown under the bus by Harvard leadership (let's not be naïve about her sudden resignation, she was pushed out).
She was a lightweight. How did she ever get the gig? If you are going by Harvard alumni, even if it was predestined to be someone non-white and non-male, you could do much better.
Re: Resignation of Claudine Gay
Claudine Gay shat the bed in the Congressional hearing, that's for sure. But Harvard was still backing her after that appearance.
So what happened next? The pro-Israeli fanatics engaged in the equivalent of academic doxing, scrutinizing every single sentence in every single paper/book she has published in her academic career. She was so confident in her academic bona fides that she actually welcomed the independent review.
The result? Accusations of plagiarism which are just absurd. For the VAST MAJORITY of allegedly plagiarized content, we're talking ONE SENTENCE that isn't even exact, but follows a similar framing structure.
Here are two examples indicative of the absurdity of the allegations:
1) She was accused of lifting a sentence authored by Professor Canon of the University of Wisconsin (again not a verbatim copy of the sentence). Canon himself has publicly stated that the conduct doesn't even come close to plagiarism. Ms. Gay was merely reciting the definition of a widely used technical academic term, so it's obvious there would be some overlap in the exact phrases used to define the technical term.
To illustrate the point, let's take the mathematical concept of Pi. What is Pi? It's the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. It's the most straightforward way to define Pi. Can I say it in other ways if I were forced to? Sure. Would it really be surprising for many mathematicians who have never met each other or read each other's work to coincidentally use exact same verbatim definition of PI in their papers? The same sentence structure with minor modifications? Of course, it would be weird if there were NOT minor variations.
What happened here is an ACTUAL example of cancel culture, but as always it's getting perpetrated by right-wing operatives. It was only after extremist American pro-Israelis took offence to Ms. Gay's official response to the Gaza terrorist attack that they started scrutinizing every sentence of her academic work.
You're probably thinking that Ms. Gay's response (along with much of the Harvard upper administration) on October 9, 2023 was just crazy and unprofessional. It was not:
https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2023/war-in-the-middle-east/
"A Statement from Harvard University Leadership
October, 9, 2023
Dear Members of the Harvard Community,
We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now under way.
The violence hits all too close to home for many at Harvard. Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have been unable to reach loved ones. And, even for people at Harvard who have not been affected directly by the fighting, there are feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and more that create a heavy burden. We have heard from many students, faculty, and staff about the emotional toll that these events are taking.
Across Harvard, we will continue providing as much support to our students and colleagues as possible. Our Schools either have shared or will soon share messages regarding available resources.
We have also heard an interest from many in understanding more clearly what has been happening in Israel and Gaza. Even as we attend immediately to the needs of our community members, we can take steps as an academic community to deepen our knowledge of the unfolding events and their broader implications for the region and the world. We expect there will be many such opportunities in the coming days and weeks.
We have no illusion that Harvard alone can readily bridge the widely different views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we are hopeful that, as a community devoted to learning, we can take steps that will draw on our common humanity and shared values in order to modulate rather than amplify the deep-seated divisions and animosities so distressingly evident in the wider world. Especially at such a time, we want to emphasize our commitment to fostering an environment of dialogue and empathy, appealing to one another’s thoughtfulness and goodwill in a time of unimaginable loss and sorrow.
As many colleagues, classmates, and friends deal with pain and deep concern about the events in Israel and Gaza, we must all remember that we are one Harvard community, drawn together by a shared passion for learning, discovery, and the pursuit of truth in all its complexity, and held together by a commitment to mutual respect and support. At this moment of challenge, let us embody the care and compassion the world needs now.
Sincerely,
Claudine Gay
President, Harvard University"
. . . . .
That statement apparently pissed off Israeli apologist too much, so Ms. Gray sent out a follow-up statement the very next day:
"A Statement from President Claudine Gay
October 10, 2023
As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.
Let me also state, on this matter as on others, that while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.
We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame. And I appeal to all of us in this community of learning to keep this in mind as our conversations continue.
Claudine Gay
President, Harvard University"
. . . . .
Funny how the first black President of Harvard got immediately thrown under the bus by Harvard leadership (let's not be naïve about her sudden resignation, she was pushed out).
She was a lightweight. How did she ever get the gig? If you are going by Harvard alumni, even if it was predestined to be someone non-white and non-male, you could do much better.