1 of 1 Claudine Gay on May 25, 2023 Photo: Brian Snyder/Portal Claudine Gay on May 25, 2023 Photo: Brian Snyder/Portal
Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University, one of the most traditional in the United States, resigned this Tuesday (2).
She was under pressure to resign after testifying before the U.S. Congress about antiSemitism on college campuses. Since then, allegations have surfaced that she had published scientific articles with plagiarized excerpts from other studies.
Gay had been in the position since July.
The controversy began after proPalestinian demonstrations by students at US universities. Gay men and other US university presidents were subpoenaed to testify before Congress.
During her testimony, Gay was asked whether demonstrations by Harvard students calling for genocide against the Jewish people would constitute a violation of the university's harassment rules. Gay then said this: “That could be the case depending on the context.”. For Gay's opponents, the sentence was evasive and not concise enough.
She later apologized for the verdict.
Accusations of plagiarism first surfaced after her testimony before Congress.
First, three of their scientific articles were analyzed. It was concluded that it did not violate research standards, but rather that these were erroneous citations. The President said she would ask for corrections.
In the second moment, two further allegations emerged that problems had arisen with the citation of the president's doctoral thesis from 1997.
On Monday (1st) new allegations emerged. She then resigned.
In his resignation letter, Gay states, “It is clear that what is best for Harvard University is for me to step down and for our community to navigate these challenging times with a focus on the institution rather than an individual.”
She also said it was distressing that people were questioning her commitment to fighting hate and adhering to academic rigor, which are “two values that are fundamental to me, and it is frightening to be the subject of personal attacks and threats.” to be who are motivated by them.” Racial prejudice.”