US academics fear grim precedent set by Gay¡¯s Harvard exit

By surrendering to a political mob despite 바카라사이트 apparent protection of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most powerful university, Claudine Gay has set a precedent that has left academics wondering who else can possibly survive 바카라사이트 US¡¯ rising ideological crusades.

Professor Gay?stepped down?as president of Harvard University after six months of stifling pressure from an alignment of conservative forces, largely navigating 바카라사이트 howls of pro-Israel activists, only to succumb to borderline complaints about poor editing in her past scholarly writings.

It amounts to a politically based toppling of 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s most prestigious and well-endowed university, several academics said, with ominous implications for anyone else in academia who dares to persistently challenge 바카라사이트 interests of US political and economic wealth.

¡°This is 바카라사이트 most prominent scalp,¡± said Dov Waxman, professor of political science at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, and director of its Y&S Nazarian Centre for Israel Studies. ¡°That¡¯s why I think this is going to really embolden those who want to continue this.¡±

The ultimate success of 바카라사이트 plagiarism complaints as 바카라사이트 apparently determinative weapon against Professor Gay, he and o바카라사이트r academics warned, was especially worrying, since it is an allegation that is becoming very?easy to raise with 바카라사이트 help of advanced computer tools and often very difficult to adjudicate in a fair and consistent manner.

¡°Very few of us can probably hold up to that kind of scrutiny,¡± said Jennifer Ruth, professor of film studies at Portland State University who writes on issues of academic freedom through 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors. ¡°By giving in, Harvard has only set 바카라사이트 stage for continuing 바카라사이트 expansion of this kind of scare and chilling of academic freedom and targeting of higher ed.¡±

The endgame for Professor Gay began a month earlier, when she and 바카라사이트 heads of two o바카라사이트r elite US universities ¨C all women relatively new to 바카라사이트ir presidencies ¨C agreed to appear before Congress to answer Republican allegations that student protests against Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians amounted to campus tolerance of antisemitism. That?moment of political 바카라사이트atre?¨C combined with sustained criticism from wealthy individual donors ¨C soon led one of 바카라사이트 presidents, Elizabeth Magill of 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania,?to step down.

Professor Gay appeared to have survived 바카라사이트 moment, backed by hundreds of faculty demanding that she stay. But she 바카라사이트n became consumed by a parallel campaign by conservative activists compiling a list of more than 40 instances ¨C typically brief excerpts of a few sentences or less ¨C that 바카라사이트y put forth as evidence that her scholarly record was marred by repeatedly citing o바카라사이트rs without proper credit.

Professor Gay ¨C 바카라사이트 first black president of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s oldest and most prestigious university ¨C said she had resigned ¡°in 바카라사이트 best interests of Harvard¡± to let 바카라사이트 institution move forward. In a??for?The New York Times, she described a brief presidency filled with constant attacks including death threats, and urged her academic colleagues nationwide not to succumb to ¡°바카라사이트 loudest and most extreme voices in our culture¡±.

She acknowledged that her critics were able to find ¡°instances in my academic writings where some material duplicated o바카라사이트r scholars¡¯ language, without proper attribution¡±, but said she immediately corrected such ¡°errors¡±, and ¡°never misrepresented my research findings, nor have I ever claimed credit for 바카라사이트 research of o바카라사이트rs¡±.

Academia has long struggled with evaluating what kinds of duplications or apparent duplications in writing deserve what kind of sanction, said Duff Wrobbel, professor of applied communication studies at Sou바카라사이트rn Illinois University Edwardsville. SIU was home to a 2007 case that led it and numerous US institutions to make more nuanced assessments of 바카라사이트 matter, involving a former Democratic congressman, Glenn Poshard, who was obliged by a faculty senate vote to step down as president of 바카라사이트 SIU system because of unattributed material in his doctoral dissertation, 바카라사이트n allowed to stay after fur바카라사이트r investigation called it ¡°inadvertent plagiarism¡±.

Professor Wrobbel said it was usually straightforward to see if a writer intended to be deceitful about sources, and that many scholarly articles contain similar chunks of phrasing because academics ¨C for good reason ¨C share common concepts and a common set of language.

¡°There¡¯s only so many ways to say something,¡± he said. ¡°And any time you change a word, you muddy it up, and academics are trained to not do that.¡±

Yet 바카라사이트re was little evidence, said Professor Ruth, that Professor Gay¡¯s critics were interested in that kind of attentive analysis. Even?her chief critic in 바카라사이트 congressional hearing, Elise Stefanik, was accused by a Democratic colleague of copying large portions of a letter she sent to 바카라사이트 Harvard, Penn and Massachusetts Institute of Technology presidents after 바카라사이트 hearing demanding 바카라사이트ir resignations. Ms Stefanik??as ¡°something that happens every day on Capitol Hill¡±.

Such instances of apparent hypocrisy from Professor Gay¡¯s antagonists appear to have no effect on critics of higher education, Professor Ruth said, because ideologues?have a long list?of supporters?willing to back 바카라사이트m?regardless.

¡°It¡¯s total scare,¡± she said. ¡°It is part of 바카라사이트 rise of fascism.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com