Harvard sued over lack of action against antisemitism, alumni say furor devalues their diplomas
A group of 10 Harvard alumni are suing their alma mater for allegedly devaluing their diplomas due to reports of rampant antisemitism on campus — claiming that the Ivy League college has “made a mockery” of its graduates.
The alumni — living in Oregon, California, Florida and Israel — filed the civil complaint in Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday, arguing the “unrestrained antisemitism on the campus, the school’s support for Hamas terrorism and its persistent pattern of shocking Israel bashing has led to a grave devaluing of their diplomas.”
A degree from the Ivy League is no longer as valuable “in the eyes of potential employers and companies which no longer respect the once-illustrious Harvard name and have said they will no longer hire alumni,” lawyers representing the graduates said in a statement.
One of the plaintiffs, Dr. Alan Bauer, explained that the point of the lawsuit is “to get the university pointed back in the direction of being the leader in education, and not the national disgrace it is today.”
Attorney Robert Tolchin added: “The darkness of antisemitism and the dishonesty, hate and discrimination have cast a pall over Harvard so embarrassing that people do not wish to be associated with Harvard.”
The university has been inundated with reports of antisemitism ever since Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel and killed 1,200 people and took another 240 captive on Oct. 7.
Just one day later, more than 30 student organizations signed onto a letter holding Israel “entirely responsible.”
As news of the letter spread, Pershing Square Capital CEO Bill Ackman asked Harvard to release the names of the students involved in each organization and called on his fellow business owners to refuse to hire Harvard graduates.
Several heeded the call, including Jonathan Newman, CEO of salad chain Sweetgreen, and David Duel, CEO of health care services firm EasyHealth.
But, the lawsuit claims “even those students and Harvard graduates who did not sign onto the letter are bound to face obstacles in the job market” as reports of antisemitism on campus continued.
Shortly after the letter went viral, video posted online showed a Jewish student being mobbed by pro-Palestinian protesters as he walked on campus.
Matters only grew worse when former President Claudine Gay claimed chants calling for the genocide of the Jewish people does not violate university policy.
By refusing to condemn the antisemitism on campus, the lawsuit argues, “Harvard breached and continues to breach its contractual obligation” to the alumni and has “directly caused the value and prestige of Plaintiff’s Harvard degrees to be diminished.”
It also claims the university has “made a mockery out of Harvard graduates in the employment world and beyond,” citing cartoons it said “summarize the current sentiments against Harvard in the professional world.”
A “Dilbert” strip from December showed a man refusing to include his degree from the university on his application, while another comic featured a hiring manager asking an applicant whether there’s anything “reprehensible” in his background “like substance abuse, domestic violence or a Harvard diploma.”
The alumni are now asking a federal judge to grant them an injunction requiring Harvard to take “concrete and affirmative steps to end antisemitism on campus” and to “hold accountable those who allowed antisemitism to fester.”
They are also seeking punitive damages, the cost of attorneys fees and even compensation for attending the Ivy League — where tuition cost more than $54,000 for the 2023-4 school year, according to its website.
“The lawsuit by these Harvard alumni reveals the growing outrage and contempt that graduates all across the US are feeling over the wild antisemitism and hate speech being encouraged and explained away on the American campuses,” attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said in a statement.
“This dangerous weaponization of higher education by radical faculty and students, as well as the impotent administration response, all justified under the guise of academic freedom, has turned the colleges into hate centers which has greatly devalued their reputation and diplomas.”
She went on to warn that graduates from other universities may also soon start filing their own lawsuits.
The Post has reached out to Harvard for comment.
