Dr. Carol M. Swain is actively raising money to file a federal lawsuit against Harvard University to hold the institution “accountable” for its former President Claudine Gay’s alleged plagiarism of multiple academic scholars’ work, including that of Swain’s.
In December 2023, writer and political activist Christopher Rufo accused Gay of plagiarizing “multiple sections” of her Ph.D. thesis from 1997.
Are you a world changer? Here’s your chance to help me hold Harvard legally accountable. Please donate, retweet, and help me reach my goal. https://t.co/eofrg0PBcs #Harvard #ClaudineGay @PeteHegseth @michaelpleahy @BillAckman
— Dr. Carol M. Swain (@carolmswain) May 3, 2024
Gay has been accused of plagiarizing her thesis by pulling material written by scholar Swain, Lawrence Bobo, Franklin Gilliam, Richard Shingles, Susan Howell, Deborah Fagan, and others.
Swain (pictured above), a respected scholar who has served as a tenured professor at Princeton and Vanderbilt, said she has identified two direct instances of verbatim plagiarism by Gay, including from her prize-winning first book, Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress.
Swain also noted that Gay’s entire dissertation and early research was based on her ideas.
Since January, Swain’s attorney has requested answers from Harvard to many questions surrounding its plagiarism policy and its defense of Gay’s work.
Despite multiple attempts, Harvard has refused to accept responsibility for the allegations surrounding its former president.
“Negotiations have failed. When my lawyers demanded an explanation for Gay’s plagiarism, Harvard argued that her theft of my work was fair use. Harvard seemingly believes its wealth can shrug off wrongdoing and silence victims,” Swain writes in her GiveSendGo fundraising campaign.
“I refuse to be intimidated by their threats. I care too much about academic integrity to walk away. I am one woman against Leviathan. Therefore, I will need your help to proceed,” Swain added.
Swain’s goal is to raise $100,000 to go towards legal fees in her case against the Ivy League institution.
“Going to trial could top $200,000 for a copyright infringement/intellectual property case. We can win this! Together we can finance a lawsuit to hold Harvard University accountable and prompt a return to its founding purpose of academic integrity and excellence,” Swain said.
The former professor said any excess funds raised will “help establish a classical school in Roanoke, Virginia, for underprivileged children.”
“Let’s be the ones to restore Harvard to its former glory: a crown jewel of American education and excellence, or help heal its hubris,” Swain added.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Carol Swain” by Carol Swain.
