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Harvard Withdraw Degrees?
The Harvard Corporation (the governing body for Harvard College) is withholding degrees from thirteen individuals who committed illegal acts in conjunction with protests concerning Palestine and Israel.
Hundreds of Harvard students made a public spectacle of protesting at what was supposed to be their graduation ceremony, chanting as they protested both the discipling of the thirteen individuals and Harvard’s policies.
Since the students who made the public protest spectacle at the graduation ceremony are clearly offended by what Harvard does, does it not make sense that:
The students would not want to be associated with an organization they consider as corrupt and evil as they say Harvard is.
Having a Harvard degree will be an embarrassing association for them going forward.
So, the logical response is for the Harvard Corporation to withdraw any and all degrees from student participants in the public spectacle protest at the graduation ceremony.
There are probably a host of complicated legal considerations, given that the students [presumably] completed the course work. But, also given that the students rejected the concept of graduating, withdrawing their degree still seems logical.
Of course, it seems almost automatic that the faculty that participated in the public disruption of the ceremony should be fired for extreme disrespect of the institution.
Published in Education
Works for me!
If the students who disrupted graduation don’t want to have a Harvard degree, no one should force it on them.
What is the standard for Harvard to withdraw degrees in the past? If this has not been done I can see some issues with a new standard. Especially since I can see the left doing it against all non Left in the future.
Sounds like a good idea, but it all depends upon the bylaws, etc., doesn’t it?
The esteemed horse racing writer Andrew Beyer said that he blew off final exams at Harvard because the great Kaui King (1966 Kentucky Derby & Preakness winner and the only Maryland-bred to win the Derby) was entered in what could be his final race and he did not want to miss it. He thus lost (a then) $40,000 Harvard degree but won $568.50 in bets “thus cutting my losses to $39,431.50 on the day.”
As reckless as that was, Beyer did go on to a great career as a sports writer and his speed ratings system is still in use. If you are going to blow off a Harvard education, hitting a couple of exactas and a winning ticket on a legendary horse beats the hell out of pointlessly disrupting things in support of a Middle Eastern terrorist movement.
LOLing out loud.
I wonder if a note could be attached to the transcript of each student who protests by walking out or otherwise disrupting graduation ceremonies. For a few this might be a useful badge of honor. For most it might be a blemish to disguise for years to come.
Naturally the institution should alert graduates, and others, of this policy in advance of the ceremony.
I always thought it would be salutary for those who graduate with marginal performance and attitude problems to have their official graduating status as cum grano salis.
Maybe one part of the “solution” here is that if Harvard – or whoever – decides to withdraw or revoke a degree, to help prevent it from being something they easily wield against conservative alumnae, they also have to refund the money.
Just conservative women?
Ha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! This would mean that these students would have to take responsibility for their actions. That my friend is never going to happen.
Except 5 minutes from now when their woke outlook is no longer woke enough and they must take responsibility and be canceled. They are a herd of Rubashovs and Trotskys ready to be surprised that what they unleashed wants to destroy them.
To clarify, my proposal is based on the students’ actions (setting up illegal encampments, interfering with University and student activities, disrupting the graduation ceremony), not on the views, opinions, or statements of the students (unless perhaps some of them explicitly said they reject their Harvard experience).
My son wanted to skip his college graduation ceremony when the slime bag Senator Chuck Schumer was added at the last minute to the list of speakers. He considered the prior day’s ceremony in which he received his commission as an officer in the United States Air Force much more important. But quietly skipping a ceremony is entirely different from making a public spectacle and disrupting the ceremony for all the other people in attendance. [Our son did attend the graduation ceremony for the sake of his grandparents and uncle who were in attendance.]
My contempt for Harvard as an institution is second to none. Having said that, I think my preference would be that Harvard treat those students who illegally protested (e.g., who occupied university grounds in defiance of university instruction to leave, etc.) in support of Palestine and Hamas exactly as they would those who committed any similar criminal transgression for a reason unrelated to Israel’s war with Hamas.
In other words, I don’t want the university deciding that students who hold certain opinions should not be allowed to graduate, while others who behave similarly but who hold less objectionable opinions are allowed to do so. If Harvard has an established practice of refusing a diploma to those who trespass and refuse to leave, fine. If not, let these people graduate.
Of course I understand that Harvard might be embarrassed to put their trademark on these particular graduates, but Harvard itself was complicit in inculcating their moral incompetence, and it seems fair that Harvard should have to share in the shame for their actions.
Bill Gates, (and later Mark Zuckerberg), both dropped out of Harvard to pursue some long shot dreams, and came to even bigger success than Mr Beyer.