Harvard is introducing changes in its admissions, courses and directions, as well as other aspects of campus life, as suggested by two internal task forces’ reports on discrimination and harassment released Tuesday. The aim is to support civil discourse and address concerns raised by both task forces, which were convened more than a year ago to review the university’s anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias.
The university also plans to launch a research project on anti-Semitism and support “Harvard’s comprehensive historical analysis of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians.” Harvard will also invest in Jewish studies and organize activities by experts in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. According to the task force, the dean will work with teachers to ensure that students are treated fairly regardless of political and religious beliefs and to prevent professors from taking political positions in the classroom, creating a sense of exclusion.
A review of discipline policies and procedures was also planned.
The news comes as the country’s wealthiest university stalemates with the Trump administration’s approach to how officials handled the protests on pro-Palestinian campuses last spring, prompting the federal government to freeze billions of research funding from Harvard and lead the university to fire the lawsuit. Now, in the withered federal review and ongoing Chapter Six investigation, Harvard has released more than 500 pages detailing the latest concerns and recommended improvements from Jewish, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students.
Among the two task forces, one focuses on fighting anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, while the other is anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. The task forces, formed in January 2024, were asked to examine Harvard’s recent history, identify the root causes of bias, evaluate evidence on the frequency of such behaviors, and recommend measures to combat bias.
The work is now done. The end result found Harvard lacked, but aims to improve.
Harvard President Alan Garber noted that the report “reveals every aspect of the alleged period in our recent history” that needs to be addressed. The university has made various changes since he became president in January last year, but he noted that the work is far from complete.
He also expressed concern about these findings.
“What is particularly disturbing is that some students are willing to dismiss over compassion and desire criticism and exclusion, especially when social media provides anonymity and distance. Some students report that their peers are pushed toward campus life by those around the campus because of who they are or who they believe in, they undermine our shared understanding in the process, and in the remarks on Tuesday, they will be written down.”
Discover
A campus was divided after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, prompted a brutal counterattack in Gaza and the death of thousands of civilians, including children, according to the Dual Working Group report. The Anti-Semitism Task Force report clearly states that tensions have been building on campus since the mid-2010s as the Israel-Palestinian conflict becomes more divided. The report found that after October 7, “our Harvard community collapsed.”
The authors of the report noted that since the 2010s, pro-Israeli events and guests have been targeted, and some Jewish students with pro-Israeli views find themselves excluded by society. They also found that Jewish students and others on campus face situations of bullying, intimidation and harassment and were dismissed for expressing pro-Israeli or moderate views. Students also claim that university programming is biased towards the Palestinian view. But after October 7, some Jewish students noticed changes in campus climate.
One student wrote to the task force, “My experience was different before and after October 7.” Becoming Jewish was largely irrelevant before October 7. I am proud to be Jewish. When it appears, it is positive. After October 7, I went through the following sequence: first it was stress, then chaos, then hostility, then hostility, then in certain spaces, if you are here, you will be in certain spaces, if you can’t enjoy it in certain spaces. This has to do with the enforcement rules. ”
Jewish students also expressed concerns and shouted loudly.
“Although I am not an Israeli, I sympathize with the survivors of October 7 and participated in the Holocaust survivors. I face many social consequences.
The task force exploring anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias has produced similar findings, with students and staff reporting threats and concerns related to their identities.
“For Palestinians, it’s not important to feel over and over that their lives aren’t important,” one student said. “Sometimes it’s clear. It’s really hard when your family is less important.”
Others expressed the issue of freedom of speech.
“It’s almost impossible to express sympathy for Harvard,” said a Harvard faculty member. “The idea of ’anti-Semitism’ has been expanded so much that Harvard bans concerning the disasters facing Palestinians. I’m not an Arab/Muslim and have no race or religious beliefs with Palestinians except for people who are connected to humans.”
Both reports also indicate safety concerns about Doxxing trucks and related online sports and the roles played by roles outside the Harvard community in the amplified campus department.
Respondents to the task force survey also believed that Harvard had no accomplice to resolve the problem.
“I have a positive interaction with the government. They just don’t know what to do,” one graduate student wrote in a response. “They didn’t expect this kind of anti-Zionism. [My school] Unexpectedly, we must draw a clear line between freedom of speech and harassment. Anti-Zionism is considered an intellectual activity, not discrimination against some in the government. ”
Next step
In the statement, Gaber pointed out that the university has “made necessary changes and fundamental advances in many ways”, including campus protest rules and various other areas.
But there are more changes due to the task force’s recommendations. In admissions, Harvard University is committed to reviewing its procedures to emphasize “candidates who engage constructively with different perspectives, demonstrate empathy and participate in civil discourse.”
The university will also provide community conductors with other office training on anti-Semitism and hire a staff member to monitor all anti-Semitism and shared complaints. Mental health professionals at Harvard University have been trained in cultural competence on anti-Muslim bias and anti-Semitism, giving them a better understanding of student needs.
Harvard is also committed to working with Israeli universities.
In addition, the Dean will “define shared expectations for teaching excellence” with the faculty, a process designed to ensure “appropriate focus on the subject of the curriculum” and ensure that “is fair to students regardless of their identity or political/religious beliefs.” The effort also aims to promote “a dialogue of intellectual openness and respect among students” and urges faculty to “disagree or promote political stance in ways that may cause students to feel stressed to show loyalty”. The stated purpose of the relevant course review is to maintain “strict standards of academic excellence and intellectual excellence.”
The university will also host a series of events on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Harvard University is investing further in Jewish studies, including hiring other personnel. The university will make similar investments in Arabic and culture as well as Islamic and Palestinian studies.
Harvard University is also exploring the creation of a major initiative to promote diversity of perspectives. ”
