The plagiarism scandal pursuant to former Harvard president Claudine Gay appears to have a long tail. Dr. Carol Swain, the appears to be an afterthought in the saga. Swain is from rural Virginia and worked her way up from poverty to become an accomplished professor in the world of academia. The former associate professor of politics and public policy at Princeton, and political science professor at Vanderbilt is one of the alleged victims of Gay’s plagiarism. Dr. Swain recently had her legal team contact Harvard about potential redress.
The letter from Swain’s legal counsel to Harvard’s board said the following:
Through recent media reports investigating the academic credentials of former Harvard Corporation
President Dr. Claudine Gay, Dr. Swain was made aware that Black Faces, Black Interests: The
Representation of African Americans in Congress was the subject of plagiarism, use without citation, and
unlawful copying.
Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress is the product of Dr.
Swain’s original and independent research. Accordingly, Dr. Swain is entitled to certain rights and
remedies arising from the prohibited use of its content. Through its acts, omissions, and public
statements surrounding the use of Dr. Swain’s work, the Harvard Corporation is now invested in this
matter and its subsequent outcome …
Harvard and Gay were expected to face a congressional hearing related to Gay’s plagiarism. However, Harvard was given an extension pursuant to delivering alleged plagiarized material to lawmakers. Gay then resigned rather than being embarrassed in front of congress and the public. Gay will keep her $900,000 per year paycheck as a professor of African American studies at Harvard.
The public assumed the matter was finished. Lost in the back and forth over diversity equity and inclusion (“DEI”), antisemitism on college campuses, and plagiarism are the scholars Gay allegedly stole from. Swain and her legal team appear to be seeking compensation for the scholarship, accolades and acclaim Gay allegedly stole from Swain. In the meantime this could remain a public relations nightmare for Gay and Harvard. Harvard’s reputation has already taken a major hit, and the longer the saga with Swain lasts, the longer this dark cloud hangs over Harvard’s head.
If Harvard continues to ignore Swain, then it could potentially lead to a claim in court. Harvard has a $50 billion endowment, so paying off Swain may not hurt that much. However, it could open up the floodgates for future lawsuits targeted at Harvard or other institutions. This could get interesting.
