Harvard has reportedly blocked at least 12 seniors from graduating at its upcoming commencement celebration.
The university has taken action against dozens of students who were involved in a 20-day anti-Israel protest and encampment, according to The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper. At least 60 students received notices to appear in front of the Harvard College Administrative Board in connection with the demonstration that lasted nearly three weeks in Harvard Yard.
On Friday, the university suspended five students and placed 20 more on academic probation.
“Harvard is not allowing me to graduate this semester for my participation in the encampment,” Suhaas Bhat, a senior and Rhodes Scholar, told students at the start of the Class of 2024 Senior Talent Show.
“I think it’s a good time to think about what it means to go to this University and what it means to have freedom of speech and what our moral obligations are,” Bhat said, presumably referring to Israel’s war on Hamas while referencing civilian deaths.
The number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip is notoriously difficult to track, and the most prevalent estimates are based on unreliable information from Hamas. Earlier this month, the United Nations reduced its estimate for the number of women and children killed in the conflict, a rough proxy for the number of civilians killed, significantly. U.N. officials reportedly switched its primary resource for death data from the Hamas-run Government Media Office to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Last week, Harvard reinstated at least 22 students who were placed on involuntary leave as the board pursued its investigation into the Harvard Yard encampment. It is unclear how many student cases associated with the encampment are still outstanding.
Harvard University is “committed to applying all policies in a content-neutral manner and per existing regulations as outlined in college and university guidelines,” spokesman Jonathan Palumbo said in a statement, according to the Crimson.
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Harvard is one of numerous universities that have been rocked by anti-Israel protests since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. The protests and demonstrations have been especially prevalent in recent weeks as universities readied for spring commencement ceremonies.
Harvard’s last president, Claudine Gay, left the role after a turbulent and short tenure marred by allegations of being soft on anti-Semitism. She apologized in December after she refused to say that calling for genocide against Jews violated Harvard’s rules. Gay resigned from her role after scrutiny revealed her academic accomplishments, which included numerous instances of alleged plagiarism.
