Claudine Gay resigned as President of Harvard on January 2, having been found guilty of at least 40 instances of plagiarism, a practice which appeared first in her doctoral dissertation and continued through nearly all of her thin list of ten papers. Some of those examples of plagiarism were paragraphs long. Gay at first tried to brazen it out, claiming simple “confusion” had led to a handful of “unattributed” quotes, but ultimately the evidence of her serial plagiarism was too great, and the pressure on her to resign became too strong. Besides, she was made an astonishing offer: if she resigned without making a fuss, she would continue to be paid her presidential salary of $900,000 a year. Black students at Harvard appear to have convinced themselves that Gay was forced to resign not because of her serial plagiarism, but because of “racism.” More on their refusal to recognize her plagiarism as the reason for her resignation can be found here: “One Month Later, Black Harvard Affiliates Reflect on Gay’s Resignation,” by Summer Z. Sun and Samantha D. Wu, Harvard Crimson, February 1, 2024:
Nearly one month after the resignation of former President Claudine Gay, Black Harvard affiliates said they were disappointed but not surprised at her decision to step down on Jan. 2.
Gay, who was the first person of color to lead Harvard, departed [sic] the University’s top post amid fierce criticism of her response to antisemitism on campus and allegations of plagiarism in her academic work.
It was not Gay’s comments on antisemitism before a Congressional committee, in which she refused to forthrightly condemn antisemitic remarks as violating Harvard’s code of conduct, that did her in, but rather, her many acts of plagiarism that, had a student committed even a handful of them, would have led to that student’s prompt dismissal.
In her resignation letter, Gay wrote that she was “subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus” by critics during her last three months in office. She elaborated on the attacks and threats in a New York Times op-ed one day later, writing that she had been “called the N-word more times than I care to count.”
The last refuge of a scoundrel is no longer patriotism, but claims of “racism.” Gay claimed that she was forced out by people “fueled by racial animus” instead of being appalled by her extensive record of plagiarism. She would prefer that we not know that the very first person to call for her to be removed from her presidential office was Professor Carol Swain, a celebrated African-American professor of political science, from whom Gay had extensively plagiarized. Swain on social media called for “Gay to be fired posthaste.” Gay also had a history, when serving as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, of conducting a “witch hunt” against several African-American professors, including the economist Roland Fryer and law professor Ronald Sullivan.
What about her scholarly achievements? Over more than 20 years, Ms. Gay wrote 10 short papers — roughly, one short paper every two years — and no books. This is less than half the average rate for professors even at middling universities. At least one book is considered necessary for tenure. By way of comparison, Amy Gutmann, a political science professor like Gay, who until 2023 served as President of the University of Pennsylvania, has published more than a dozen books and more than 100 articles.
Gay not only published very little, but the little that she did publish was mediocre. Max Eden at the Heritage Foundation has read her articles, and his scathing summary can be found here:
Some academics make their name by developing one profound insight into an important question. Others make their reputation by offering consistently interesting insights on a range of questions. Gay has done neither. She has authored only a handful of articles offering uninteresting insights on the narrow question of African-American political opinion and representation.
In her last article, published six years ago, titled “A Room for One’s Own?,” Gay found that Democratic governors direct federal housing subsidies to supportive constituencies when they have the discretion to do so. Amazing!
In “Knowledge Matters,” Gay found that political ignorance is a key reason why African Americans support Democrats despite policy disagreements. Who knew?
In “Seeing Difference,” Gay found that African Americans resent economically successful Hispanic neighbors. Wow!
How did Gay rise so far despite such a mediocre academic record? You already know how, or at least part of how. Gay is a woman of color, and within the liberal ivory tower of Harvard, it’s impermissible for a white professor to accuse a woman of color of being intellectually mediocre. Only a black professor could possibly do that.
Claudine Gay was forced to resign because she was a serial plagiarist, and not because she was black. She lacks the decency to state that forthrightly, and to apologize to the administration, faculty, and students at Harvard. Instead she continues to insist she was the victim of anti-black animus, and far too many of the black students at Harvard are prepared to believe that she was indeed the victim of “racism.”
אלכס פוס says
It did. Racism against Jews.
Wellington says
There was definitely a time when, to put it mildly, white America failed black America but now black America is failing itself and all of America. There are of course many individual exceptions but speaking in the aggregate black America is presently an enormous disappointment and demonstrating that it is just as “capable” as white America was in embracing and perpetuating stupidity, ignorance and prejudice.
libertyORdeath says
I disagree to a point. The narrative about black Americans pre-civil right act is mostly anti-American and anti-White propaganda rather than history.
It is not “white America” that let black Americans down. You could say it was PARTIALLY the federal government via the importation of TONS of cocaine into black communities, the welfare system, and a small number of policies in a small number of states, but the real answer is that it is black Americans who have created the situation that black Americans find themselves in today.
In fact, black Americans had a higher standard of living, more fathers in the home, and MUCH less criminality BEFORE the Civil Rights Act and the destruction of our Constitutional RIGHTS to free speech, expression, and especially the right to FREE association.
I’m not picking on you Wellington. I live your comments. Just wanted to correct that little bit. The “blame white people” thing just feeds into the leftist and globalist idea that the West deserves punishment and retribution for the events of the past.
libertyORdeath says
Correction. Love your comments.
Wellington says
Thanks for your reply, libertyORdeath. I do think such phenomena as Jim Crow was indicative of white America being in the wrong, letting black America down. And it wasn’t just American government that was culpable here—a ton load of whites outside of government were culpable as well.
But one group dominating another group if it can, be it a racial, gender, ethnic, tribal, etc. domination is endemic to mankind from eons onwards. What I object to in our time is that it seems that only whites are guilty here when in fact all have been guilty here. And it is the Western world (which, let’s face it, is the white world) which has done more to correct its wrongs than any other portion of mankind. This should be noted regularly but it isn’t.
As for black Americans before the civil rights movement, I completely agree with you that family structure and overall civility was far better then and yet another testimony to the destructiveness of government many times. One example is this: In 1960 at the beginning of the civil rights movement some 70-80% of black babies were born legitimate into a two-person family, father and mother. Now it is essentially the exact opposite of this. The breakdown of the family along with the demise of conventional Christianity among black Americans are two chief tragedies here and the federal government, affluence taken for granted (freedom too), and a bevy of race hustlers, never mind stupid white guilt, are all factors in this sad demise.
Thanks for you input. Much appreciated.
libertyORdeath says
The more time we spend arguing over issues with OBVIOUS answers, the further we devolve into authoritarianism and the closer we get to the crash of the West.
We’re 34 TRILLION in debt, have dozens of TERRORIST groups attacking us and our allies, WASTED over 150 BILLION in Ukraine, ABANDONED over 50 BILLION in weapons and equipment in Afghanistan, witnessed vote rigging and voter fraud like we’ve NEVER seen, have a historic crime and immigration problems, and have completely sabotaged pur own energy sector.
But what are we debating?
Systemic racism? White Supremacy? What the word WOMAN means? Whether a boy can become a girl? Whether we should appease and REWARD terrorism? Whether it’s right or wrong to OPENLY use racist policies against white Americans?
This stuff makes me SICK.
Trump for SANITY 2024!
Wellington says
Seconded.
Ray Graf says
With her extensive experience in plagiarism, I would suggest that she hit up a program for a degree in plagiarism
I feel certain Did a superficial search at Harvard there would be many qualified instructors
Certainly obtaining one’s advanced degree in this field would require little training, foresight or aptitude, merely debility to cut and paste
She is certainly the standard of achievement by performing such a task, and who knows how many University President positions could be filled?
We could add a whole list of unqualified, basically unintelligent people to academia
James Lincoln says
Charges of racism should be used only when objectively provable – otherwise, it loses all meaning.
Claudine Gay’s resignation DOES NOT meet that standard.
Wellington says
Absolutely, James. Accurately stated.
carpediadem says
The really interesting thing about all this, seldom mentioned by the indignant RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACISM wailers is that Claudine Gay plagiarised her “work” from an academic BLACK woman.
So much for solidarity.
Wellington says
Yes, from Carol Swain, who is a most impressive human being and stands head and shoulders above Claudine Gay, though because Swain is conservative this will never be noted by the forever biased and deficient MSM.
somehistory says
It was. The thief…it is theft….believed that since she is black, she could steal another person’s work and get away with it.
she believed that no one would call her out on the theft of another’s written work due to the fact that she is black and everyone would be afraid of being called racist.
And she believed that if someone did notice and call her a thief, she could just remind them that she is black and deserves to get by with having stolen another person’s work.
And she believed that other blacks had her thieving back. Many do….but some do not.
deze MN bee says
Claudine Gay resigned because of a war in the Middle East.
Before 7 October 2023 no one asked her to resign.
There used to be something called “peer review”. But for some in protected academic tenure it takes something as cataclysmic as a war to show up their fraud.
Rick Olsha says
AM ISRAEL CHAI !!!!!!!
Ben says
LMAO. For them it’s always about ‘racism’ isn’t it. The biggest racists are in fact blacks who love to constantly whine about being the ‘victims’ of ‘racism.’
They can do everyone a favor by moving back to Africa. Nobody is going to miss them.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
Essentially, they are correct, for without affirmative action which bases its hiring practices primarily on melanin levels and not merit, Claudine Gay would be working at a third rate community college, if she were lucky. Ergo, if this racist hiring practice never existed, she would never have had the opportunity to be fired.
RIP MLK.
RIP Harvard.
OLD GUY says
What a step down for GAY she still has a high paid job, probably doing vary little compared to the working class of all other Americans who when they get let go get NOTHING.
Bruce D Watt says
deze mn bee, Gay resigned because she felt her lack of knowledge on an actual minority jews, not just a religion, allowed her to appear before an investigative committee about her lack of insight on her campus anti Jewish Muslim protests. Islam is not a race. the Koran tells them to hate the race and all other nonbelievers.