In the wake of allegations of plagiarism, Carol Swain, a political scientist and retired Vanderbilt University professor, has called for the resignation of Harvard University President Claudine Gay.
Swain's call comes amid a controversy surrounding Gay, who is accused of plagiarizing multiple papers, including her dissertation.
In an interview with Fox News, Swain stated, "Claudine Gay needs to step down. Obviously, the Harvard Corporation did not have the courage to fire its first Black president, someone who should never have been elevated in the first place." Swain is among approximately 20 authors whose work was either paraphrased or quoted without proper attribution in four of Gay's papers.
Despite the allegations, Harvard's highest governing body has chosen to stand by Gay. Following an investigation, the university found "instances of inadequate citation" in Gay's academic writings but concluded that these instances did not violate their standards for "research misconduct."
Swain, however, disagrees with the university's decision, stating, "Given the fact that they did not fire her, the right thing for her to do is to step down." She further expressed her hope that the pressure on Gay would not relent until she steps down, arguing that Gay's alleged plagiarism is harmful to academia, Black people, and anyone who has worked hard to earn their place in academia.
Swain also accused the university of attempting to "redefine what plagiarism is" to protect its president. She expressed her frustration with Harvard's decision, stating, "My blood pressure is rising today because of Harvard University's decision that what she did doesn't constitute plagiarism, and it doesn't rise to the level of her removal."
In a conversation with Christopher Rufo for the City Journal, Swain further elaborated on her concerns about the plagiarism accusations against Gay. She stated, "What is bothering me is not just that theres passages she didnt put in quotation marks. When I look at her work, I feel like her whole research agenda, her whole career, was based on my work."
Swain also suggested that there seems to be a pattern in Gay's alleged plagiarism, stating, "At best, it was sloppiness, but it would be considered plagiarism if you lift sections of other peoples work and you pass it off as your own."
Despite the controversy, the Harvard Corporation reaffirmed its support for Gay in a statement released on Tuesday. The statement read, "We today reaffirm our support for President Gay's continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing."
The statement was released following a congressional hearing in which Gay and other university heads were questioned about how their campuses were addressing antisemitism. During the hearing, Gay and others refused to condemn calls for genocide against Jewish students on their campuses. The Harvard Corporation acknowledged in their statement that their initial response "should have been an immediate, direct, and unequivocal condemnation" of the violence instigated by Hamas, an Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist organization.
The statement concluded, "Calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University's fight against antisemitism."
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