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Harvard law professor blames faculty for university's downfall: ‘We saw it happen, but we did nothing’
“We were scared to speak up. We – we on the faculty – let Harvard become what it is,” professor Mark Ramseyer said
A professor of Harvard University has called out the “intolerant place” and claimed that the faculty collectively “failed,” allowing the alumni to rightfully protest. This comes after the Department of Education opened various investigations into alleged incidents of hate and anti-Semitism on campuses following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Harvard came under investigation, and the university’s president Claudine Gay under fire for failing to condemn the rising anti-Semitism on campus.
Harvard Law Professor Mark Ramseyer's email to a Harvard list has now been shared on X by Carole Hoovem, who mentioned that she “came for my PhD in '99, he came as a prof in '98. We were each publicly attacked for our views in '21.”
‘They are trying to rescue Harvard from what we let it become’
"Harvard is a vastly less tolerant place than it was when I arrived in 1998. The intolerance is a function of an increasingly large fraction of our colleagues. And we – the rest of us on the Harvard faculty – let it happen. The cancelling, the punishments, the DEI bureaucracy, the DEI statements, the endless list that we could all recite – all this happened on our watch. We saw it happen, but we did nothing. We were too busy. We were scared to speak up. We – we on the faculty – let Harvard become what it is. The Harvard that we have is the result of our own collective moral failure,” the post quoted Ramseyer as saying.
“The alumni who are furious are not trying to turn Harvard into something we do not want. They are trying to rescue Harvard from what we let it become,” he added. “We as a faculty failed. That is why the alumni are speaking up. That is why we formed the Council on Academic Freedom in the first place.”
‘Kudos to Harvard Law Professor Mark Ramseyer for his bravery’
Bill Ackman hailed Ramseyer for speaking up. “Finally, the @Harvard faculty are speaking up. Tenure was supposed to protect faculty so they could speak the truth. Unfortunately, cancelling, shaming, and the inevitable accusation of being a racist have prevented faculty from speaking the truth,” Ackman wrote on X.
“Kudos to Harvard Law Professor Mark Ramseyer for his bravery. Perhaps he will inspire others,” he added.
Harvard embroiled in a controversy
Harvard became embroiled in a controversy after some students wrote a pro-Palestinian letter blaming Israel for violence that erupted after the Hamas attack. A coalition of as many as 34 Harvard students organisations said they "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence" after years of occupation. They added that "the apartheid regime is the only one to blame." Those who signed the letter included Muslim and Palestinian support groups. The statement was condemned by prominent alumni of the university.
Gay and senior leadership including 15 deans later issued a statement saying they were "heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend." However, the authorities did not directly address the students’ letter.
Meanwhile, at a Capitol Hill hearing, presidents of various universities were asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” is against the universities’ respective codes of conduct. Gay simply responded to the question, saying, “When speech crosses into conduct, we take action.” She was heavily criticised for her “silence” on the issue despite getting a massive platform to voice her opinions.
