Harvard's Latest Enfeeblement of Liberal Education

Real Clear Politics ^ | May 25, 2019 | Peter Berkowitz

[billorites]

Harvard University’s maladroit defenestration of Ronald Sullivan and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, struck a blow against liberal education. Many of Harvard’s own left-liberal luminaries are up in arms. But the university’s disgraceful act can come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention for the last few decades to higher education in general and to Harvard in particular.

On May 11, the Harvard Crimson reported that Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana informed Winthrop House residents by email that morning that he would not renew Sullivan and Robinson — both of whom teach at Harvard Law School and will keep their positions there — as Winthrop faculty deans. The first African Americans to head one of Harvard’s 12 residential houses, Sullivan and Robinson had served in that position for 10 years.

The trouble began in January when Professor Sullivan — faculty director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute and the Harvard Trial Advocacy Workshop — announced that he would serve on the legal team representing film producer Harvey Weinstein, who faces criminal charges of rape and other sexual misconduct who faces criminal charges of rape and other sexual misconduct (Sullivan left Weinstein’s defense team on Friday, May 10, the day before Dean Khurana made public his decision). Students protested angrily. They claimed that Sullivan caused them to feel unsafe by taking Weinstein as a client. They alleged that Sullivan’s decision was “trauma-inducing.” They demanded his ouster on the grounds that he had rendered himself unfit to lead Winthrop House.

Sullivan emailed Winthrop House students to explain that it was the duty of defense lawyers in the American criminal justice system to represent those accused of crimes, including those who are unpopular. “It is particularly important for this category of unpopular defendant to receive the same process as everyone

[Calvin Locke]

Didn’t a young Watergate-ite Hillary Rodham want to deny RMN constitutional protections?

[Honorary Serb]

John Adams (Harvard College 1755) was the DEFENSE attorney for the Redcoats accused of perpetrating the Boston Massacre!!!!

https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/john-adams-boston-massacre

EVERY defendant—no matter their scurrilous reputation—deserves a fair trial and competent representation!! That might even mean defense counsel affiliated with Harvard!!!!

Harvard students who refuse to accept that may even not deserve to be at Harvard! PHOOEY to them!!!!

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#3:"Harvard students who refuse to accept that may even not deserve to be at Harvard!"

Amen to that. Any high school student should know this.

It's interesting to note how the Liberal Pecking Order of Liberal Privilege plays out here.

Clearly Black professors distinguished in their chosen profession do not rank as high as young, white, tramps "movie starlets" who were propositioned by rich Hollywood moguls.
 

[KingofZion]

Yup, they all see themselves as the next Natalie Portman (Harvard grad)

[ronnie raygun]

Yale Harvard a far you have fallen, on a scale with the Nobel peace prize, the prize in a cracker jack box is more appealing

[billorites]

"John Adams (Harvard College 1755) was the DEFENSE attorney for the Redcoats accused of perpetrating the Boston Massacre!!!!"

Contemporary students have only read Howard Zinn and are ignorant of their past.

[Honorary Serb]

I don’t know if they even read Zinn! (I haven’t!)

But some have majored in History. Nearly all have been exposed to the bits of Harvard history that are regularly featured in Harvard publications, especially around Commencement-time. Some may have even reesearched and written these materials.

But I suppose that the radical elements at Harvard and other universities ignore all these materials, and end up as ignorant as the uneducated rabble that infest our cities. Such rabble are unfit to vote, etc.!!!!