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Students Petition to Ban Trump Officials from Harvard
Some Harvard University students started a petition to ban Trump officials from Harvard grounds. They want to ban Trump administration alumni from teaching, attending, or speaking there. The petition did not sit well with other students.
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Students of the Kennedy School of Government and the Business School do not approve. Carter Estes, who attends the Kennedy School, shared his views. He said: “A few other conservative students and I made the point we can’t just target Republicans.” He added “that isn’t what the Kennedy School stands for. ”
Ban Trump Officials from Harvard
The petition originated from students at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The organizers designed it as a progressive attempt to punish Trump associates. Harvard must “create and share with students transparent guidelines” whenever Trump alumni visits.
Initially, the petition gained momentum among the liberal arts schools. Students overwhelmingly gave the petition the thumbs up. However, once it reached the Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, it began encountering resistance,
Goals of Free Speech
Estes, a Republican student group, was less than amused with the petition. “Harvard has hosted a number of controversial guests over the years like a fellow from the Palestine Liberation Organization, so we should make broadly applicable guidelines that apply to every speaker, not single out Trump appointees,” he said.
Last year, Harvard got in hot water by requiring a “neutral” moderator. This applies when the school invites controversial speakers. Moderators have the power to impose a “two-strike” rule on interruptions. In addition, they require speakers to register with the Dean of Students a month in advance. Student organ The Harvard Crimson editorial took exception to the policy. It called the rules “paternalistic, ineffective, and contrary to the College’s stated goals of free speech.”
Progressive roots
Fox Business thinks that the petition resulted from the progressive movement. For example, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for keeping tabs on Trump alumni. “Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future?” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “I foresee a decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future.”
Emily Adams and Michael Simon replied by sharing the “Trump Accountability Project.” This project aims to bar Trump associates from profiting off of their time working for Trump. Adams was a former aide to Pete Buttigieg, while Simon was an Obama campaign staff member in 2008. The TAP website contains a message that specifically targets Republicans. It said: “We should welcome in our fellow Americans with whom we differ politically. But those who took a paycheck from the Trump administration should not profit from their efforts to tear our democracy apart.”
Change in wording
Realizing that their petition was going nowhere, organizers later changed their wording. Instead of banning Trump's aides outright, they demanded that they “be held accountable.” Only after will they allow them to set foot in Harvard. The change aims to soften the blow of the petition. However, it still singles out members of the previous administration.
Both Harvard Medical School and Divinity School students reportedly approved the new version. Meanwhile, the University remains “aware of this student petition. Beyond that, we have no comment.” To get approval, the petition must get approval from the various student councils. Then, it goes before school administrators up to Harvard University president Lawrence Bacow. Afterward, the president will decide if it becomes policy.
Alarming Trend
Alan Dershowitz, a Felix Frankfurter professor of law, emeritus, at Harvard, said that the petition is part of an alarming trend. He feared that school administrators often give in to student demands easily. He said he “will challenge any ban that may be enacted by asking to speak at the school. I will not kowtow to this new McCarthyism.” Also, if this becomes policy, he offered his services pro bono. This applies to any Trump official who would visit Harvard.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she hoped for the petition's rejection. McEnany is a Harvard Law graduate. She noted that “academic communities should be bastions of free speech.” If this changes, she said she would “happily walk back on campus and challenge this.”
Watch this as Just the News interviews lawyer Alan Dershowitz on the idea of Harvard students banning Trump officials from their school:
Do you agree with the petition to ban Trump officials from Harvard grounds? Or, do you find the measure a bit too much? Let us know what you think about student petitions by commenting below.
17 Comments
Totally absurd that they can even try to do this
No one should be bared from speaking!! What happened to free speech? That’s the reason my ancestors came to this country!!!
This is a pathetic immature move by left-wing cry babies who are way too butt hurt that Trump won the 2016 election. This petition will go nowhere and deemed inappropriate and discrimination against those that affiliate with our beloved President.
If this prevails it is just the start of banning free speech.When either side can limit and control the discussion any issue it does not like, we have lost our freedom. Retribution to the opposing party is the end our American freedoms.
Who cares
Wouldn’t waste my time teaching those not interested in learning
These are college students at a top rated college of law did they forget about the freedom of speech
Great new to Ban Trump
So agree with you All too
Does the term totalitarian or oppressive come to mind?
Education and intelligence aren’t necessarily correlated.
Who the fk would want to school with communist anyway ? include scum bag llawyer’s and crooked bankers!
The time for trying to reason with the sub-human garbage on the left has long since passed.
The only thing they comprehend is a swift kick in the teeth. Time to start butchering leftists in the streets like the rabid animals they are.
Since when did they become all-knowing perfectionists! The name Harvard on the degree doesn’t mean that the person is smart in reality. Because there are people who don’t agree with the extreme radical tendencies doesn’t make it wrong. A true college learning experience develops the person to learn to think independently based on the evaluation of all facts. Harvard has disintegrated into an elitist cliche instead of being a place to develop leaders
What I wonder is why would any Trump supporter want to waste valuable time at a Socialist Center like Harvard?
Socialist children need to stop their claims of everything is only good if it is socialist correct.
These are future democrats nothing else. If I was interviewing one of these and he admitted to signing that paper, the interview would be terminated immediately.
Since when dues Harvard University has the right to say how can or cannot come and visit seeing that the President Trump hadn’t been removed for branding any university rules laws. But seeing Harvard is the university with the highest livil of suicides and yes I do know what I’m talking about my cousin went the and unfortunately she found her roommate that had Hung her self do to the pressure of her class and her professors. So Harvard before I started saying that’s like the President Trump can’t come to your university I would look at you self
They should all go to jail. blm is a terrorist group. We can’t let them win