A Crimson Reminder: The dramatic removal of Harvard president Claudine Gay reveals dangers of politics in education

A heated congressional interrogation gone viral. Politicians blowing up social media. A flood of articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

No, this isn’t the recipe for a B-tier crime drama or soap opera. It’s simply recent events surrounding one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

The highly-publicized resignation of former Harvard president Claudine Gay serves as an urgent reminder for all of education: schools must withstand political schemes to discredit academia and remain neutral to preserve student respect.

Conservative congresswoman Elise Stefanik aggressively questioned Gay alongside MIT and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents about freedom of speech in December following student protests about Palestine on their campuses. After Gay continued to serve despite calls for her removal, political activist Christopher Rufo began investigating Gay’s history, digging up accounts of plagiarism in her 2001 and 2017 academic papers.

Yes, Gay deserved to be removed for academic dishonesty. But the way she was removed — a calculated political investigation, sparked by opponents of her own political beliefs — sets a dangerous precedent creating a whole new level of concern.

Seeing the president of a top university become a political target shows that elected officials aren’t afraid to attack anyone in the educational system that they disagree with. For education to remain credible, we can’t simply target educators that don’t fit political trends.

Issues like this draw attention away from the true purpose of school — to teach students — and dramatize the education system in general. We want to respect our top universities, administrations and teachers instead of watching them be publicly humiliated on political whims, tabloid-style.

As politics affect schools, students lose trust and question if administrations have their best interest in mind. 

Students, not politicians, should be holding administrations accountable. Students should bring issues directly to administration, then to politicians and the media if change isn’t made.

Yet politics from both sides continue to bleed into academia, with or without student input. Donations from political supporters have effects on universities, like increasing or decreasing programs in diversity, equity and inclusion. Lawmakers clashed with universities on their policies during the pandemic. Some professors face outside backlash for their political beliefs.

Public statements from schools can also cross the political line. Harvard and other Ivy League schools have released arguably-liberal statements about current events like the war in Ukraine.

It becomes a slippery slope when schools take a political stance through statements about current events. Once an administration comments about one war, there is a precedent set for statements on all wars. We begin to wonder where the line of support is drawn, and students are bound to be upset.

Like at Harvard, where students have already complained about the administration’s statement about the Israel Palestine conflict. 

It’s not like politics have no place in the classroom. Informed and respectful discourse between students over political beliefs is something to be valued. 

But there’s a difference between a healthy debate about income tax and the economy during AP Government and political candidates on C-SPAN claiming that higher education is indoctrinating the next generation.

Ideally, politicians would keep out of the classroom themselves and leave students to explore politics on their own terms. But there’s no sign of that happening anytime soon.

Politicians like political activist Christopher Rufo have already said that “the symbolic fight over Harvard’s presidency must evolve into a deeper institutional fight.” Representative Elise Stefanik posted “TWO DOWN” on X in response to Gay and the president of UPenn’s removals.

So it’s up to students to tune out political nonsense surrounding education, and to administrations to withstand political pressure to take sides. Academia isn’t a political pawn to be ridiculed — it’s the foundation of an informed and successful society.

For the sake of younger generations, and with all politics aside, let’s keep respecting education.