Additional Allegations of Plagiarism Emerge Against Harvard President Claudine Gay

Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University, during a House Education and the Workforce
Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty
Paul Bois

Additional allegations of plagiarism have emerged against Harvard President Claudine Gay on top of those previously made.

The complaint submitted to Harvard’s research integrity officer by a professor from another university, who wished to remain anonymous, outlines at least 40 allegations of plagiarism against Claudine Gay, including some of the charges that various publications, including Breitbart News, have covered over the past few weeks. The new allegations range “from missing quotation marks around a few phrases or sentences to entire paragraphs lifted verbatim,” according to the Washington Free Beacon. Other allegations include Gay paraphrasing authors without proper attribution.

“The full list of examples spans seven of Gay’s publications—two more than previously reported—which comprise almost half of her scholarly output,” noted the outlet.

Up until now, the Harvard Corporation has stood by Gay after an independent review of her work, saying earlier this month that it found “no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct.”

The Beacon noted that the probe focused on just three of her papers. The complaint asserted that investigators have not reviewed the entirety of Gay’s work.

“[I]t is impossible that your office has already reviewed the entirety of these materials, as many … have not been previously reported or submitted,” the complaint said.

A school official guilty of plagiarism can face “suspension,” “rank reduction,” and “termination of employment.” The appropriate sanction will be considered if the misconduct is determined to be “an isolated event or part of a pattern.” Harvard has already taken heat for being noticeably lax on faculty plagiarism versus that committed by students. Per the Beacon:

In 2005, for example, Harvard declined to sanction one of its star law professors, Larry Tribe, after he plagiarized just one author. The Harvard Crimson‘s editorial board lambasted the “glaring double standard” and demanded Tribe be punished.

“Students caught plagiarizing are routinely suspended for semesters or even entire academic years,” the paper wrote. “For professors who plagiarize, however, not even a modicum of punishment seems to be in play.”

The complaint noted that the complainant fears retaliation.

“Any reasonable person would see confrontation by a university-paid defamation lawyer as ‘apparent retaliation’ against the complainant,” the complaint said. “Any Harvard personnel involved in this decision should be investigated for potential violation of the policy against retaliation in these proceedings.”

As Breitbart News reported, the National Association of Scholars (NAS) has called for the removal of Claudine Gay over allegations of plagiarism. In an open letter released last week, NAS said that Claudine Gay’s botched testimony before Congress on December 5, wherein she refused to say that calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s policy on harassment, made her unworthy of her administrative position.

“The National Association of Scholars (NAS) calls on the Harvard Corporation to remove Claudine Gay from Harvard College’s presidency,” the group said, continuing:

President Gay is at the center of the controversy that followed her December 5 testimony to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, in which she found herself unable to give a clear answer to questions about what Harvard could or would do in response to calls for genocide against Jews.

“Her answers on that occasion were far from satisfactory, but they are not the only reason why she should be removed from the presidency,” it added. “Her performance on December 5 should be — to borrow a word she used repeatedly on that occasion — put into context.”

The letter then cited her “shoddy professional work” and her “record of plagiarism.” It also cited her promotion of racial policies.

While testifying before Congress on December 5, Gay refused to say if advocating for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s policy on bullying and harassment.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.

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