Author and legal scholar Carol Swain has condemned Harvard University in a scathing op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday. In her piece, Swain denounced the prestigious Ivy League school for its handling of the recent plagiarism controversy surrounding its first-ever black president, Claudine Gay.
Swain accused Gay of plagiarizing her work in her dissertation, as well as the work of other scholars, and criticized Harvard for standing by Gay despite the evidence brought to light by researchers Christopher Rufo and Christopher Brunet. Swain, whose 1993 book “Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress” is among the works allegedly copied by Gay, stated that the Harvard president’s failure to cite her and other researchers’ work damages both their academic reputation and the credibility of academia as a whole.
She further argued that Gay’s alleged plagiarism is aggravated by the fact that her early work was in the same area as Swain’s, making her scholarship reliant on the groundwork Swain had already laid. Swain also expressed disappointment that other scholars Gay is accused of plagiarizing were not as outraged as she was, attributing it to the privileges afforded to elite individuals.
Dr. Carol Swain, who was plagiarized by Claudine Gay, is now calling for the Harvard president to resign. https://t.co/N7aqRc3Fq0
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 15, 2023
Swain went on to criticize Harvard for supporting Gay despite the plagiarism scandal, which she believes is a result of the university’s protection of elite minorities. She argued that this harms academic standards and undermines the hard work of individuals who have earned their achievements rather than being promoted for diversity and inclusion reasons.
The controversy has sparked further debates about plagiarism, with many questioning whether Harvard’s standards are purposely lenient for the sake of diversity. Swain believes this sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the integrity of the institution.
Swain also addressed the plagiarism scandal and its implications on a special segment of The Daily Wire’s “Morning Wire” podcast over the weekend. In the interview, she called Gay’s actions a “low point for American higher education” and criticized Harvard for attempting to redefine plagiarism in order to defend its first-ever black president.
Retired Professor Dr. Carol Swain @CarolMSwain w/Dan Ball on Real America Discussing Antisemitism on College Campuses
If you ever miss an episode of #realamericawithdanball on @OANN Just download the #oan app and watch it #ondemand 🇺🇸👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/Jgtlz1SJ5H— One America News (@OANN) December 13, 2023
In light of the accusations, Harvard has stood by Gay and maintained that her actions did not violate the university’s standards. They have stated that an independent review found only a few instances of inadequate citation in Gay’s work.
However, with the plagiarism scandal and Gay’s recent controversial comments on anti-Semitism, Swain believes that Harvard’s support for Gay reflects a larger problem within American higher education. She believes that the focus on diversity and inclusion over merit and hard work undermines the integrity of academic institutions and the achievements of individuals from all backgrounds.