The House Committee on Education and the Workforce expanded the scope of
its congressional investigation into Harvard to include allegations of
plagiarism against University President Claudine Gay, the committee wrote
in a letter to the Harvard Corporation Wednesday.

The letter, signed by committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia A. Foxx (R-N.C.)
and sent to Penny S. Pritzker �81, senior fellow of the Harvard
Corporation � the University�s highest governing body � alleged the
University applies a lower standard of academic integrity to
administrators than students.

�If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty
accountable for engaging in academically dishonest behavior, it cheapens
its mission and the value of its education,� Foxx wrote in the letter.

University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain declined to comment on the
investigation.

The committee initially opened a probe into antisemitism at Harvard on
Dec. 7 following Gay�s testimony before the committee two days earlier. In
an interview with The Crimson the same day, Gay said the University would
�comply with whatever information is called for.�

Foxx requested Harvard produce �all documents and communications� related
to the plagiarism allegations or related to the review by members of the
Corporation.

The committee also warned that Harvard could lose federal funding if it is
found to not have taken the claims of widespread plagiarism against Gay
seriously.

�As you know, federal funding to Harvard is conditioned upon the school�s
adherence to the standards of a recognized accreditor,� the letter stated.
�The Committee expects an NECHE-accredited institution to �subscribe to
and advocate [for] high ethical standards.�

In the last week, Gay has also faced additional allegations of plagiarism
in her academic work. Gay requested corrections to two articles published
in 2001 and 2017, a University spokesperson announced on Friday.

In a Dec. 12 statement to affiliates supporting Gay�s presidency, the
Harvard Corporation acknowledged that their review found �instances of
inadequate citation� but said they did not rise to the levels of research
misconduct.

Still, the Washington Free Beacon reported additional accusations of
plagiarism against Gay on Tuesday, including instances of allegedly
lifting text from other sources that were unaddressed by her corrections.

�Staff writer Emma H. Haidar can be reached at emma.haidar@thecrimson.com.
Follow her on X @HaidarEmma.

�Staff writer Cam E. Kettles can be reached at cam.kettles@thecrimson.com.
Follow her on X @cam_kettles or on Threads @camkettles.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/12/20/congress-investigates-
harvard-plagiarism/