The rector of the prestigious American university of Harvard, Claudine Gay, presented her resignation this Tuesday, according to what was published by the student magazine of this institution, Harvard Crimson. Gay, who had only been in office for a few months, confirmed this in a letter to the Harvard community.
The resignation comes amid criticism for his comments considered ambiguous on issues related to anti-Semitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism.
In her resignation letter, Gay has addressed mounting allegations of plagiarism - she has been reported to the university for allegedly failing to cite properly on 50 occasions - and the reaction to her testimony during a House hearing on anti-Semitism.
"In the midst of all this, it has been distressing to have my commitments to confront hate and uphold academic rigor, two core values that are fundamental to who I am, called into question," Gay has written.
It will be Harvard's academic director Alan M. Garber who will assume the presidency on an interim basis, as announced by the university corporation.
In early December, New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik asked the chancellors invited to the House Education and Labor Committee—Claudine Gay of Harvard, Sally Kornbluth of MIT, and Liz Magill of UPenn (who also resigned) )- whether "calling for the genocide of the Jews violates the policies on intimidation and harassment" of these universities.
In his response, Gay assured that it may be a violation of the university's code of conduct "depending on the context."
Some words that did not take long to go viral and receive criticism and condemnation from personalities and institutions, such as the case of Rabbi David Wolpe, who immediately announced his resignation as a member of the advisory group on anti-Semitism of said prestigious private university in Cambridge (Massachusetts). ).
"I'm sorry," Gay responded in an interview published in the same publication that announced the resignation, founded in 1873 and directed by Harvard students.
The rector added that "words matter" and that she regretted if hers caused "anguish and pain."
