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Conformity Among the Academic Elite

Conformity Among the Academic Elite
A view of the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on July 8, 2020. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
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Commentary
Last month, President Lawrence Bacow of Harvard University sent out a brief letter to the university community addressing a “disturbing rise in anti-Semitism” that had surfaced in the preceding days. Jews had been harassed on the streets and the Harvard Hillel house had been vandalized. The letter was only three paragraphs long, and here are the last two:
“I have had too many occasions during my time here and at Tufts to condemn acts of hatred and bigotry in our nation. Each time, I have thought about my mother and father. They came to this country as refugees to escape religious persecution in Europe. They were embraced and afforded the freedom and safety to pursue their lives peacefully and productively. Everyone deserves the same opportunity my parents found here.
Mark Bauerlein
Mark Bauerlein
Author
Mark Bauerlein is an emeritus professor of English at Emory University. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, the TLS, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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