A prominent African-American scholar who has accused outgoing Harvard president Claudine Gay of ripping off her work is demanding the prestigious university’s board explain exactly what they consider plagiarism – after they stood by the academic’s work.
Lawyers representing Carol Swain, a former professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, sent a letter to the Harvard Corporation, the school’s highest governing body, asking to know what “solutions” the Ivy League institution wants to make to the unauthorized use of her work.
“Through its actions, omissions, and public statements regarding the use of Dr. Swain’s work, the Harvard Corporation is now invested in this matter and its subsequent outcomes,” attorney Robert Kleinman wrote on Swain’s behalf.
The strongly worded letter, dated January 3, also asked for clarification on what is meant by “duplicate language” and when the line crosses into plagiarism.
“How many examples of duplicate language in a scholarly work would constitute plagiarism?” the letter asked.
“Are five examples of duplicate language plagiarism? Is it 50?”
Lawyers representing Swain, a former professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, sent a letter to the Harvard Corporation asking to know what “remedies” they would take for the unauthorized use of his work. AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Gay has been accused of lifting passages from Woodrow Wilson’s prize-winning work “Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress” for use in his 1997 doctoral thesis.
“Have a conversation with the people who have been harmed by Gay’s plagiarism and the system that protects it,” Swain posted last month on X, calling for Gay’s firing “immediately.”
“Stop listening to apologists for plagiarism,” he also wrote in a lengthy post titled, “Some free, unsolicited advice for Harvard University.”
“Stop listening to white and black racist gangs who cry racism while being among the worst offenders.”
Gay has been accused of lifting passages from Woodrow Wilson’s prize-winning work “Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress” for use in his doctoral thesis in 1997. David McGlynn
Meanwhile, the Harvard Corporation said that an independent review had found three instances of “inadequate citation” on Gay’s part, but no misconduct.
“Harvard cannot condemn Ms. Gay because she is a product of an elite system that holds high-born minorities to a lower standard,” Swain responded in response.
“This hurts academia as a whole, and it demeans Americans, of all races, who have to work for everything they earn.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
