In light of recent sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the administration at Harvard Law School announced Monday in an email to students that the judge will no longer be invited to teach at the university in January 2019.
Up until this point, Kavanaugh had taught at Harvard Law for about 10 years and was slated to teach a course in the spring, titled “The Supreme Court Since 2005.”
Harvard Law student Yemi Adewuyi, 24, said he believes Kavanaugh’s affiliation with the university was terminated due to strong student reactions that opposed him continuing to teach.
“I would say that it is partially just because of the overwhelming responses from the current students, and also alumni,” Adewuyi said. “I think that, as an institution, Harvard Law has both the responsibility and the incentive to respond to what its community is telling it.”
Many Harvard students and alumni voiced their disapproval of Kavanaugh. As a means of expressing these beliefs, several Harvard Law alumni sent a letter to law school Dean John F. Manning, petitioning for Kavanaugh’s position as a lecturer to be rescinded.
“Now more than ever, HLS must send a clear message that it takes sexual violence seriously,” the letter stated. “Too often throughout history, sexual assault and violence against women and girls have been dismissed.”
The letter went on to state the alumni’s stance on Kavanaugh’s relationship with the institution. The alumni wrote that they believe the accusations against Kavanaugh by one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, were “credible and grave.”
“They seriously call into question his character and morality, and should disqualify him from a lifetime appointment as a Supreme Court Justice,” the letter stated. “They likewise should disqualify him from any position of esteem, including lectureships at HLS.”
The letter gained more than 1,000 signatures from Harvard Law alumni who felt strongly that the university must sever any ties with the accused judge.
Watertown resident Lauren Madden, 26, said she was upset by the university’s lack of action taken against Kavanaugh.
“I think they should have been more responsible,” she said. “Even without him being a professor, they should have spoken on it first before someone else. You should put something out first instead of letting someone else speak for your institution.”
Madden said she thinks Harvard officials have the responsibility of launching their own investigation into Kavanaugh, considering the effect he could have had on students.
“I believe so,” she said, “because that impacts any student that walks into this room. So, you have no idea until you ask the students.”
Brookline resident Alex Pallassino shared similar sentiments about Harvard’s reactions to the recent allegations made against Kavanaugh, saying that she thought the university should have spoken out sooner.
“I definitely think they should have looked into it more,” the 24 year old said. “I mean it obviously is something that affects college students too, so for them to not talk about it at all is kind of not right in my opinion.”
Richard Daynard, a professor of law and president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University, wrote in an email that he thinks Kavanaugh made the right decision by stepping down.
“Whatever anyone else thinks of Kavanaugh, a large number of Harvard students made clear he wouldn’t be welcome,” Daynard wrote. “By voluntarily withdrawing he avoids an unpleasant scene and the possibility that his teaching invitation might have been withdrawn.”
Despite the cancellation of Kavanaugh’s class, some students like Adewuyi were disappointed with how the university handled the situation.
“It feels a bit anticlimactic because I think there was a lot of very strong response from students, and I think the email that we received didn’t really have details,” he said. “I don’t doubt that the administration has thought through the decision extensively and thoughtfully, but I think not necessarily knowing the details leaves us to wonder a lot.”
