Advice | Plagiarism accusations against Claudine Gay
To the editor:
On ‘Why Claudine Gay Should Go’, by John McWhorter (column, nytimes.com, December 21):
Mr. McWhorter argues that Harvard President Claudine Gay should be held to the same academic standards as the institution’s students. If only that were true!
When I graduated there in the late 1990s, I was warned by a senior professor not to investigate a case of plagiarism because it could lead to a lawsuit. The university, he confided, had recently lost a costly lawsuit filed by the parents of a student accused of plagiarism.
Plagiarists are rarely held accountable, especially in academia, where plagiarism is often treated as a minor crime. How should I know that? I have been plagiarized by at least two other academics, including a visiting professor at Harvard during my first year in graduate school. Neither she nor the other perpetrator ever faced any consequences.
Andrew I. Port
Detroit
The writer is a professor of history at Wayne State University.
To the editor
Re “Harvard finds more ‘double language’ from president” (news article, December 22):
I find it rather strange that The Times consistently leads its coverage of Claudine Gay’s academic work with an exaggerated emphasis on the fact that “conservative” voices have driven the plagiarism.
It is not about the political background of the whistleblowers, but about the actual accusations. I (barely a conservative if it matters) wrote articles, a master’s thesis, a PhD. thesis and a book, and I can guarantee that in each case I knew what I was writing and what I was getting from other sources (primary and secondary).
Nothing bothered my mentor and friend, the late historian Stan Kutler, more than plagiarists who, after being caught, claimed that their stealing was a mistake, a small mistake, a minor error, a problem in checking the content. No, they just got caught.
Dr. Gay would certainly support the expulsion of a graduate student for plagiarism. Her turn.
Joseph L Davis
Madison, Wis.
To the editor:
The New York Times has paid a surprising amount of attention to solving the issue of Claudine Gay’s plagiarism. Before spending more on it, might I suggest that the paper’s reporters might want to examine the publications of all the Harvard presidents who came before it? And maybe some of the most famous professors too.
The computer technology that exists today could allow critics to examine her writings far more closely than the work of any scholar was examined when such technological capabilities did not exist.
Let’s consider to what extent she is an outlier in her community – or not – before we condemn her so outright.
Janna Malamud Smith
Milton, Mass.
The writer graduated from Harvard in 1973.
The Bronx Defenders and the Consequences of the War
To the editor:
Re “Feud over War puts the future of the legal group in jeopardy; Claims of Anti-Semitism at Bronx Defenders” (front page, December 15):
I am an attorney and former priest at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in the South Bronx.
The Bronx Defenders are among the best lawyers in the city. It is an attorney’s duty to represent a client “diligently,” and the Bronx Defenders represent their clients with passion. I always felt confident when they represented a parishioner or someone I knew from the community.
Apparently, they bring the same passion to advocating for Palestinians, as they see the hardships they face as similar to those of their South Bronx clients.
I urgently hope that they can see that throughout history the Jewish people have suffered prejudices similar to the prejudices their clients have experienced, and that, for the sake of their clients, they can save the Bronx Defenders.
(Rev.) Martha in general
New York
To the editor:
Your article about the Bronx Defenders embodies my deepest fears about the consequences of the Israel-Hamas war for the United States.
Longtime progressive American allies in the campaigns for free speech, civil rights, marriage equality, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ protections, educational and legal reform, health care for all, affordable housing, academic freedom, animal and environmental protection – and more – fight against each other. others about support for Israel versus support for Palestine as if no compromise was possible and this one point of conflict outweighed years of cooperation, personal friendships and even family ties.
Marches, waving flags and shouting ill-informed slogans, especially on college campuses, will have little effect on the war, but they could alienate enough normally Democratic voters to allow Donald Trump to win a close election. That would do more damage to the country far into the future than we can imagine.
Judy Olinick
Middlebury, Vt.
Overturning Roe: ‘An Embarrassing Saga’
To the editor:
About “Behind the Scenes of Roe’s Dismantling” (front page, December 17):
This brilliant account of the overturning of Roe v. Wade exposes a shameful story of partisan judgments by justices committed to ending women’s constitutional right to abortion while misleading the Senate about their respect for an all long-standing precedent.
Appointed by then-President Donald Trump with the mandate to overturn Roe, the three newest justices joined the reactionary core of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to shape a decision that will live in infamy, which only rivaled in infamy by the cases of Citizens United and Dred Scott.
The story of how the conservative majority manipulated the agenda and handling of the case, and their activism in going beyond the limited relief Mississippi initially sought, will further erode public confidence in the court’s integrity and undermine its legitimacy as undermining a once respected institution. .
Gerald Harris
New York
The writer is a retired New York City criminal court judge.
Buy cashmere without environmental costs
To the editor:
On “Cashmere Demand Hurts the Environment,” by Ginger Allington (guest essay, December 17):
While we should of course do everything we can to preserve the incredibly fragile world we live in, we can own cashmere — buy it second hand!
Dr.’s lively essay Allington teaches us to avoid the dust that comes from the destructive practices used in Mongolian goat herding. But, as she says, “think vintage cashmere.” We can go to our nearest consignment store or other pre-owned clothing seller in these alarming times and find cashmere treasures for our loved ones.
To so much heat!
Deborah Fried
New Haven, Conn.
To the editor:
Thank you for Ginger Allington’s guest essay on cheap cashmere fibers. It is up to each of us to make a difference by choosing sustainable options.
I had the luxury of buying a number of real cashmere sweaters in the 1970s. I still wear them! And I just inherited a batch from my mother’s cupboard, all of which are still perfectly wearable because of the quality. The cheap cashmere that is produced is doubly egregious because it does not last one season.
At what price fast fashion? Is it the chicken or the egg? Should buyers stop buying, or should manufacturers stop producing?
Susan Stock
Toronto