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Harvard Pulls Student Offers Over Online Comments (go.com)
Reader joshtops shares a report: Harvard University's student newspaper says the school has revoked admission offers to at least 10 prospective freshmen over offensive online messages. The Harvard Crimson says the students posted images and comments in a private Facebook group mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust and racial minorities. The newspaper reported that several group members said at least 10 people were told by Harvard in April that their acceptances had been withdrawn.
It is a private institution [...] SOOO... they get to decide entirely and arbitrarily who they are willing to teach and what moral characteristics they expect that person to have.
Just wanted to point out that this isn't true. There are still anti-discrimination laws private institutions must follow, so for example a whites only or blacks only college is illegal under federal law. Also, Harvard receives federal funding which, despite being a private college, makes them subject to a slew of other laws controlling what criteria they can use to admit students.
If you can provide a specific example then we will evaluate it and reply to you.
Just so we're on the same page here, bear in mind that the history of the region within the last couple-hundred years is rather complicated, so you might not like the result.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
As a private institution, Harvard does indeed have the right to pull the plug on admissions on anyone. However, it is a (and excuse using what often is a logical fallacy ), a slippery slope. With all of the illogical attacks and rampant emotionalism happening on campus these days, I often say to my sig-other, that I would never attend college these days. In fact, as a alumni of one of the most liberal colleges, I don't support the alumni association with donations, instead I give my dough to thefire.org. If you haven't been keeping track, here are a few examples: Yale 2.0 at Evergreen State College, When the left eats its own, Harvard president defends free speech in commencement speech; Harvard still actively suppresses student rights, and the list just goes on and on. The trend away from using logic, peer-review, toward speech-crimes and railing against traditional western liberal free thought and debate is just intellectually mind numbing.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences
Um, yes, that's exactly what it means. That is, in fact, the definition.
No. It means that you are free from governmental consequences. Private entities are still free to tell you to fuck off.
From the article:
There was no need for access to the private group if the entry requirement was to post something like the memes described in the official Class of '21 facebook group set up by Harvard employees.
They *are* religious beliefs.
Signed,
islam.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Sounds like you would barred from universities for that.
Oh yeah? Define 'asshole'. I dare you.
Okay, how about "a private Facebook group mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust and racial minorities".
Seems like an ideal example of "assholes" to me.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
The part that not enough people are discussing is why a private Facebook group became public knowledge enough for Harvard to make this decision. This should be a discussion of privacy and how to not trust anyone, but instead it's all bickering and arguing about who's a bigger asshole.
Read TFA. (Also the source article it links to). Harvard created an official group for the Class of 2021. TFA says: "students were required to post provocative memes in the bigger group before being allowed into the smaller one". So of course this was visible to Harvard, which is how the Harvard Admissions Office reached out to the posters of offensive memes asking for an explanation. I have to assume that at least one of the people they contacted, went on to tell them about the private group and showed them messages.