Harvard University is set to take a step back from issuing political statements based on new policy recommendations from a university working group, “Institutional Voice” due to controversy over its response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Interim Harvard President, Alan Garber, on Tuesday, confirmed the school will follow a report from the group that advised not to put out official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function.
The “Institution Voice” group was formed in April 2024, following ongoing controversies the school faced over its reaction to the Israel-Hamas war.
The school initially released a statement two days after the deadly Oct. 7 attack that offered condolences for the death and destruction recorded.
Harvard was then forced to release an additional statement after over two dozen student groups signed a joint statement blaming Israel for the attacks.
“There will be close cases where reasonable people disagree about whether a given issue is or is not directly related to the core function of the university,” the report by the group stated.
“The university’s policy in those situations should be to err on the side of avoiding official statements.”
The group, however, stressed that students and individuals are free to make public statements on issues, but the school must stress that they do not represent Harvard’s position as a whole.
“Individuals within the university, exercising their academic freedom, sometimes make statements that occasion strong disagreement.
“When this happens, the university should clarify that they do not speak for the university and that no one is authorised to speak on behalf of the university except the university’s leadership.”
The group also stated that the school should be free to take positions on issues that directly involve the university.
