Renowned political scientist Carol Swain joins the long list of people calling on Harvard President Claudine Gay to step down. Swain’s call for Gay’s resignation started after an investigation found “instances of inadequate citation” in Gay’s academic writings.
Consequently, Swain accused Gay of plagiarism and criticized Harvard’s decision to stand by her. In addition, she stated that Harvard’s decision harms academia and everyone who has worked hard in their academic pursuits.
Swain accused Gay of lifting other scholars’ works in her 1997 Ph.D. thesis. In addition, Gay allegedly wrote four papers published between 1993 and 2017 that did not have proper attributions.
However, Swain, a former political science professor at Vanderbilt University, spoke out hours after Harvard released a statement. In the report, Harvard agreed that some of Gay’s academic works needed correcting due to the plagiarism claims. However, the University said it would stand by its president.
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“Claudine Gay needs to step down,” demanded Swain. In addition, she suggested that Gay was “getting a free pass” because she was the product of DEI. “Obviously, the Harvard Corporation did not have the courage to fire its first Black president, someone they should have never elevated in the first place.”
Swain’s statement echoes claims made by hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman. According to reports, Gay “paraphrased or quoted nearly 20 authors, including two of her colleagues at Harvard University. However, she did so “without proper attribution.”
The Manhattan Institute’s Christopher Rufo and journalist Christopher Brunet published sections of Gay’s Ph.D. dissertation. They printed parts that “violate Harvard’s stated policies on academic integrity.” Also, Rufo and Brunet said Gay stole sections of Swain’s book “Black Faces, Black Interests” without “citation of any kind.”
Swain added that since Harvard did not fire her, the right thing for a Gay to do is step down. “I hope the pressure doesn’t relent until she does that because she’s harming academia, she’s harming Black people,” insisted Swain. In addition, Swain said Gay’s refusal to step down harms everyone who worked hard in academia.
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Aside from calling for Gay’s resignation, Swain accused Harvard of redefining plagiarism. She objected to the University’s statement supporting Gay, believing that Harvard is attempting to redefine plagiarism to protect her.
“With regard to President Gay’s academic writings, Harvard became aware in late October of allegations regarding three articles,” said Swain. “My blood pressure is rising today because of Harvard University’s decision that what she did doesn’t constitute plagiarism,” lamented Swain.
“My message to Harvard University is you don’t get to redefine plagiarism,” she continued. “Most of us know what plagiarism is.” In addition, Swain said Harvard’s decision was demeaning to every person.
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She said it is affecting racial and ethnic minorities and anyone who has worked hard in school. Swain added that what Harvard University did is “an insult to intelligence.” The revelations of Gay’s alleged plagiarism came as the university leader was already under fire for a disastrous congressional hearing.
Gay failed to denounce Harvard students calling for a “global intifada” on freedom of speech grounds. Consequently, she faced criticism from all spheres, and many called for her resignation.
The controversy sparked a debate about academic integrity and the handling of plagiarism allegations at the university. However, Swain hopes Gay will “step down” from her position like former University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill.
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