USA TODAY International Edition
Parkland survivor loses chance at Harvard
Admission pulled over racial slurs in high school
A survivor of last year’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida, wrote on Twitter that Harvard rescinded his admission in connection to racist comments he made in high school.
In the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead, Kyle Kashuv was an outspoken defender of the Second Amendment.
In recent weeks, it came to light that Kashuv had made racist comments while a student.
In a letter Kashuv posted to Twitter, Harvard’s dean of admissions asserted the university’s right to withdraw its offer of admission. The dean, William Fitzsimmons, wrote that the university had become aware of “media reports discussing offensive statements allegedly authored by you” and requested a record of the statements Kashuv made.
Kashuv complied with the request. He sent a letter to Harvard’s diversity office, saying he regretted making “abhorrent racial slurs.”
Kashuv posted a subsequent letter from Fitzsimmons, saying his admission had been withdrawn. “As you know, the (admissions) Committee takes seriously the qualities of maturity and moral character. After careful consideration the Committee voted to rescind your admission to Harvard College,” Fitzsimmons said in the letter.
Harvard does not comment on the admissions status of individual applicants, spokeswoman Rachel Dane said.
In his tweets, Kashuv apologized for the comments he made, saying he had grown since making the racist remarks. He criticized the university’s decision.
“Harvard deciding that someone can’t grow, especially after a life-altering event like the shooting, is deeply concerning. If any institution should understand growth, it’s Harvard, which is looked to as the pinnacle of higher education despite its checkered past,” Kashuv tweeted. “Throughout its history, Harvard’s faculty has included slave owners, segregationists, bigots and antisemites.” Kashuv wrote that he tried to appeal the university’s decision but made no headway.
It’s not uncommon for universities to take disciplinary action against students who engage in racist behavior. In 2017, Harvard rescinded the admission of 10 students who posted racist messages in a Facebook group.
Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.