A member of Harvard's student Honor Council has called for the resignation of university president Claudine Gay over her ongoing plagiarism scandal, accusing the school's governing body of having a double standard for the embattled administrator and the student body. In an anonymous letter published in the Harvard Crimson on Sunday, the student criticized the lenient treatment Gay has received compared to the strict sanctions imposed on students caught plagiarizing.
The letter highlighted the emotional toll that plagiarism hearings have on students, describing it as the worst day of their college careers or even their lives. The author explained that first-time plagiarism infractions typically result in one term of probation and the loss of "good standing" status, which prevents students from studying abroad or graduating. Repeat offenses can lead to a two-semester withdrawal from the university.
Gay, on the other hand, was accused of plagiarism after numerous instances were found in her journal articles and PhD dissertation, including missing quotation marks, incomplete citations, and sentences copied almost verbatim. The letter emphasized that the allegations against Gay were routine and pervasive, pointing out the discrepancy in consequences between students and the university president.
The Harvard Corporation, the school's governing body, acknowledged that Gay had used "duplicative language without appropriate attribution" in her academic work. However, instead of forcing her to step away from the university as students would face similar offenses, Harvard allowed Gay to correct her mistakes. The student letter argued that this response was unfair to undergraduates who cannot simply submit corrections to avoid penalties.
The letter also criticized the Harvard Corporation's statement in support of Gay, highlighting the disparity in treatment between students and the university president. While students found responsible for multiple instances of inadequate citation are often suspended for an academic year, the Corporation unanimously supported Gay. The student called for the Corporation to demand Gay's resignation to resolve the double standard.
The plagiarism scandal surrounding Gay has divided opinions, with some calling for her resignation and others dismissing the mistakes as unintentional. The Harvard Crimson's editorial board, in an op-ed published on Saturday, argued that although Gay's behavior constituted plagiarism, her errors appeared unintentional and did not warrant her resignation.
However, the student member of the Honor Council dismissed arguments excusing the plagiarism as unintentional, emphasizing the pattern of infractions. The student argued that there is one standard for students and another, much lower standard for the university president, calling for the Corporation to address the double standard by demanding Gay's resignation.
The Harvard Honor Council is responsible for voting on honor code infractions among the student body. The anonymous student member's op-ed in the Harvard Crimson sheds light on the student's personal experience with plagiarism cases and their belief that Gay's violations of academic ethics warrant her resignation. The student's anonymity was maintained to protect them from retaliation and due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the Honor Council's proceedings.
