Longer comment tomorrow, if I have time; and maybe also on the debate over the essay “The Case of Colonialism”. But in the interim, a quick thought on Harvard not admitting a promising student.
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Considering that Harvard is in extremely dire financial circumstances, and that none of its faculty have the protection of tenure, I can well understand the fear of what Fox News, an outlet well-respected and beloved of professors and educated people everywhere, might say. Courage to do the right thing is a luxury when you’re really up against those kinds of very difficult constraints. Now if I had tenure and was working for the wealthiest university on the planet and none of my colleagues gave a fig what Fox News thinks and I worked on African-American history and specifically extolled the courage of abolitionists, well then, I might think differently! But let’s be fair.
A physician, I was fired by a hospital for suffering an assault by an adult patient. And then the real assault ensued when the mother of the adult patient brought complaint against me to the state medical commission. The latter adheres to a record forever, with or without exoneration, and none of the due process Ms jones received.
My son, an honors history major, social justice advocate, active in prisoners rights and outreach, and every bit superior academically to Ms. Jones, was denied admission to graduate programs at NYU and Ivy League schools despite being waitlisted for months as a qualified alternate for admission. At least the web links to this story better explain the steep qualifications of the competition he faced; explanations most promising candidates never receive with a rejection letter.
Certain things shouldn’t be forgotten.
Important things belong in your résumé.