It would be naive to think outside parties had no "say".
by FaytlND (2024-01-04 13:15:39)

In reply to: I assume outside parties had no say in Prof. Gay's  posted by Barrister

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Sure, they don't make the decisions. But they can certainly continue to beat the drum and stir up negative publicity to the point where she gets asked to resign (but isn't fired).

I think academia should take the position that people can be investigated and punished, but that the corrective action should not be based on whether the public perception of said correction is "sufficient".

She was caught plagiarizing work on multiple occasions.
by krudler  (2024-01-04 16:23:12)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

She and her ilk set a double standard up on campus regarding speech, favoring certain groups over others. Anyone who is objective sees the double standard regarding speech on campus (what speech is considered "violence", heckler's veto for conservative speakers without any punishments), and she embarrassed her university by allowing and enabling this rot. This was all exposed and she subsequently resigned. You're probably right in that she was nudged to that position by people both inside and outside the university, but she certainly could have demanded a more formal process that may or may not have let her keep a high six-figure position. You don't like the politics behind one of the people who helped expose her plagiarism, ok. But that kind of stuff happens all the time, in the numerous examples above, not to mention politics invading our legal system as people search out grievances to sue over in order to make a political point (gay wedding cakes etc.).

Harvard is the most prestigious and well-known university in the country, I have no doubt there are plenty of qualified candidates out there who haven't plagiarized to the level she did and who would likely be more proactive in cracking down on obvious double standards for speech on campus.

So are you pleased she got canned because
by FaytlND  (2024-01-04 17:13:41)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

she was plagiarizing, or because of (your assessment) of behavior with regard to speech on campus? And is it because of her specific actions/policies, or because you're just lumping in with "her ilk".

Your post is demonstrating my problem with the whole situation. Disagreeing with her politics, and then searching for a pretense to fire her is problematic. If you think she should be removed because of her policies related to campus speech, then make a case for that. As in Gay's case with plagiarism, "But that kind of stuff happens all the time" is rationalization, not justification.