Even in counter-boycotting, Harvard makes things socially awkward

by Michael Morisy | August 15, 2007 at 11:03 am

I got yer petition right here, Lee!Earlier this month, hundreds of universities rallied behind their Israeli counterparts and signed a petition in opposition to a proposed UK boycott of that nation's academics. The presidents of Dartmouth, Cornell, and Princeton all signed on to the statement that Columbia President Lee Bollinger drafted. Heck, even Penn President Amy Gutmann, of faux suicide bomber photo op fame, signed on. Sure, it's mostly just a feel-good resolution that might actually make things worse, but these kinds of things are the bread and butter of academia. Religion masquerading as science? Sign a petition. ROTC knocking at your campus' doorstep? Sign a petition. A rape and/or use of racial epithets may or may not have occurred at a lacrosse team and/or private gathering? Sign a petition.

Except Harvard President Drew Faust does not roll that way, especially not in a way that would have her name printed a good 4 pts. smaller than this riff-raff Bollinger. You can almost feel the frigidity:

Finally, while I am most comfortable expressing my views on such matters directly in my own words as opposed to signing group statements or petitions, I obviously join many colleagues throughout the international academic community in denouncing unequivocally an action that would serve no purpose and would fundamentally violate the academic freedoms we must defend at all costs.

In other words, Faust may agree with what you say, but will defend to the death her right to say it separately. And indeed, a good 15 minutes of intense Google searching could not find a single, lone petition or joint letter that Faust has signed.

Of course, all that is still a bit more admirable than what's been insinuated as Yale's reason for not signing on: Fear of alienating big donors. Come on, Yale, you've got your racially-charged stereotypes all backwards!

[Via 02138]

--MICHAEL MORISY

EDIT: Thanks, G.T.

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13 Responses to “Even in counter-boycotting, Harvard makes things socially awkward”

  1. huh Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

    What a cock.

  2. McDonald's of higher education Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 12:34 pm

    It would seem as if Harvard™ never ceases to worry about its brand. Whether or not you agree with the petition, that Harvard™ should refuse to sign it, and yet express “separate” support for it, is clearly a hypocritical big-corporation move meant to protect the exclusivity of a brand name. It’s pathetic, really.

  3. Burger King of higher education Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 12:39 pm

    Oh, and the same goes for Yale™.

  4. hey mike Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

    maybe you forgot to close the italics tag

  5. Group statements are dangerous Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 2:44 pm

    “Finally, while I am most comfortable expressing my views on such matters directly in my own words as opposed to signing group statements or petitions”

    John Hancock (Harvard 1754) is rolling in his grave.

  6. grammar totalitarian Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 4:16 pm

    …a bit more admirable THAN* what’s been insinuated as Yale’s reason…

  7. h94 Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 4:53 pm

    Signing a petition is just a way to make yourself feel that you have contributed to a cause without actually doing anything. And, by the way, the Declaration of Independence was hardly a petition.

    Finally, on a lighter note, it’s worth noting that the cute little kid in the above photo doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the Ivy League. This is a well-known (in Boston) photo of a young fan at Fenway Park expressing his feelings for the Yankees. Go Sox!

  8. Carl Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 5:09 pm

    The Harvard “brand” is in the toilet. A person walking down the street with a Harvard shirt on looks about as dumb as ignorant Barack Obama supporters.

  9. Sasha Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 5:14 pm

    IvyGate, what the heck’s up with this comment approval feature?!

  10. d07 Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    “Signing a petition is just a way to make yourself feel that you have contributed to a cause without actually doing anything. And, by the way, the Declaration of Independence was hardly a petition.”

    Making a “separate” statement in conjunction with a petition is just a way of actually quite obviously doing nothing.

  11. cu09 Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 6:55 pm

    to h94, the picture is probably better known in rotterdam. if you looked at the kid’s shirt it clearly says “feyenoord, rotterdam” on the logo which is the soccer team there. the photo you’re refering to is a poorly photoshopped version that replaces logos with sox stuff. you’re right though, the kid probably doesn’t give a shit about the ivy league, who cares?

  12. h94 Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 10:57 pm

    cu09, I stand corrected. I should have taken a closer look.
    http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/2006/06/middle-finger-kid-exposed.html

  13. Y07 Says:
    August 16th, 2007 at 11:08 am

    The Feyenoord kid is my computer background.