Harvard Crimson editorial board SPLITS over embattled president Claudine Gay and two members call for her to quit over anti-semitism denial debacle and plagiarism claims – saying they need a ‘leader who can do better’

The editorial staff of Harvard University's student newspaper is divided over the condition of controversial President Claudine Gay. Two dissenting writers said the university deserves a leader “who can do better.”

The Crimson, founded in 1873, has decided to support Gay despite the swirling accusations of anti-Semitism and plagiarism leveled against her in the past three months.

But two Crimson writers have criticized their colleagues for failing to take Gay's “failures” into account and have spoken out against the board's views.

The op-ed, titled “For Harvard's Sake, It's Time to Let Gay Go,” included the disclaimer: “Occasionally, the Crimson Editorial Board is divided over the opinions we express in an editorial.

“In these cases, dissenting board members have the opportunity to express their opposition to the staff's views.”

The student journalists, Brooks Anderson and Joshua Kaplan, wrote, “Harvard's presidency is not merely an empty honor; it is a very challenging management job with very challenging tasks, not least dealing with national outrage.

“On each of these counts, Gay has failed. The Harvard Corporation needs to find a leader who can do better.”

They added: “Because our colleagues do not want to take into account the seriousness of Gay's failures and dismiss instances of explicit plagiarism as insufficient to justify her dismissal, we respectfully dissent.

“You don't have to look far to see that Harvard is not running smoothly; these scandals are disrupting education and research, Harvard's core missions.”

Anderson and Kaplan are the Crimson student journalists who are divided in their opinions and have called for Gay's resignation

The writers went on to say that students at Harvard are “exhausted” from checking the news every day and seeing the school's failures — and from the constant “noisemakers and megaphones” disrupting their classes.

This is a reference to the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests that have been taking place on campus since October 7.

Joshua Kaplan is a 2026 graduate studying computer science, while Anderson is studying Government and will complete his studies at Harvard in 2025.

This rift in the Crimson board follows news that Harvard is now facing a congressional investigation into its handling of plagiarism allegations against embattled president Claudine Gay — even as new claims emerge to lift the work of others .

Gay has faced accusations of plagiarism and calls for her removal following disastrous congressional testimony in which she refused to denounce anti-Semtism.

She submitted “corrections” to some articles, but Harvard allowed her to remain in her position despite both issues.

Supporters of Palestine gather at Harvard University to express their support for the Palestinians in Gaza during a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced in a letter that it will expand the scope of its investigation into gays, according to a letter written by Rep. Virginia Foxx.

“The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has begun a review of Harvard University's handling of credible allegations of plagiarism by President Claudine Gay over a 24-year period,” Foxx wrote.

“An accusation of plagiarism by a top official at any university would be cause for concern, but Harvard is not just any university. It calls itself one of the best educational institutions in the country,” continues the letter, which was signed by dozens of members of Congress.

The committee had already opened an investigation into anti-Semitism on Harvard's campus following the Gay's Congress testimony, which was heavily criticized.

Top Republicans have already called for withholding billions in federal funding from universities that support anti-Semitism to root out the “rot” in American higher education.

“If a university is willing to look the other way and not hold faculty accountable for academically dishonest behavior, it diminishes its mission and the value of its education,” Foxx added.

Foxx warned that Harvard could lose funding if it is found not to have taken the plagiarism allegations seriously.

The backlash erupted after the presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT failed to unequivocally condemn the genocide of Jews during a hearing on anti-Semitism on Capitol Hill.

Harvard has received more than $3 billion in taxpayer money between 2018 and 2022 and also benefits from tax breaks on its massive endowments. Between those same years, Harvard's endowment totaled more than $50 billion, with $2 billion receiving special tax treatment, according to an OpenTheBooks analysis.

“We must EXPLORE the rot in American higher education,” Republican Party Chairwoman Elise Stefanik told DailyMail.com in a statement.