According to international media reports, those 13 students will not get this degree for at least one year even though they have graduated from one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. There is only one reason behind this – they were involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Harvard Corporation, the top governing body of Harvard University, did not award their degrees at the graduation ceremony held on May 23 because of their involvement in three weeks of pro-Palestinian protests.
“Awaiting a decision on my application,” said Safi, 23, an international student in the university’s Department of Social Studies and Ethnicity, Migration and Rights.
Safi also said, ‘I am a Rhodes Scholar. I am trying to confirm whether I can matriculate in Oxford University or not. Because my degree at Harvard has been put on hold for a year. I have met all the academic requirements for my program and also my degree requirements.’
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Shraddha Joshi is another student who did not get the degree. This student, who is studying in the same program as Safi, said, ‘After applying, we are waiting for communication from the university. Students and faculty members are also quite confused about the ambiguity of the entire process and the time frame for appeals is also unclear. We are suffering from instability.
Shraddha has long considered pursuing a Masters in Sociology in the UK. But now he is suffering from uncertainty about the future. Shraddha said, ‘I had planned to go to the University of Cambridge under the Harvard-UK Fellowship. But all is hazy now as the bachelor’s degree is stuck. Lack of transparency and communication from the administration has also made it difficult to predict what the next step will be.”
Harvard University, like other universities in the United States, has been embroiled in controversy over academic freedom and protests against Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza. Students were involved in the protest.
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