Yet another black woman in a position of authority at Harvard has been accused of plagiarism, and, according to journalist Chris Rufo, the details are “much more damning” than originally reported.
As BizPac Review stated, “Shirley Greene, an HES administrator who handles Title IX compliance, was accused of 42 instances of plagiarism in her 2008 dissertation.”
The allegation made her “the third black woman at Harvard to be accused of academic fraud,” Rufo reported Thursday on X.
“Harvard’s plagiarism crisis is spinning out of control,” he stated.
I’ve obtained documents alleging that Harvard DEI administrator Shirley Greene plagiarized more than 40 passages in her PhD thesis, making her the third black woman at Harvard to be accused of academic fraud.
Harvard’s plagiarism crisis is spinning out of control.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024
According to Rufo, “Greene is a Title IX coordinator affiliated with the Office for Gender Equity. She has worked to advance ‘Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging,’ and hosted a panel on ‘The Past, Present, and Future of Juneteenth’ with the DEI department.”
(Video: YouTube)
“The Harvard Crimson previously downplayed the allegations against Greene,” Rufo wrote, “but I have obtained the full plagiarism complaint that paints a much more damning indictment of Greene’s scholarship than the student newspaper had let on.”
Greene “copied words, phrases, and nearly entire paragraphs verbatim” from Janelle Lee Woo’s 2004 dissertation, “Chinese American Female Identity” without “proper attribution or quotation.”
In what “appears to be a flagrant violation of Harvard’s plagiarism policy,” she also “lifted an entire table on ‘Racial/Ethnic Identity Development Models,’ a foundational concept in the paper, without proper attribution to Woo,” Rufo reports.
In addition, Greene lifted an entire table on “Racial/Ethnic Identity Development Models,” a foundational concept in the paper, without proper attribution to Woo. This appears to be a flagrant violation of Harvard’s plagiarism policy. pic.twitter.com/NqLuKg9Ax2
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024
“In total, the complaint identifies dozens of such passages in Greene’s dissertation, ranging from minor infringements to what appears to be outright theft of concepts and language,” he wrote.
“Harvard’s policy is quite clear,” according to Rufo: “If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing verbatim.”
Harvard’s policy is quite clear: “If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing verbatim.” pic.twitter.com/wkTRbmDRts
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024
“Stop trying to hold [Harvard] to Harvard’s own standards,” quipped one user on X. “It is grossly inappropriate and unfair.”
Stop trying to hold @Harvard to Harvard’s own standards. It is grossly inappropriate and unfair.
— Marcus Johnson (@oceanic_lost) February 22, 2024
In an update to the thread, which has already garnered 1 million views on X, Rufo revealed, “The anonymous source who discovered Greene’s alleged plagiarism tells me that Harvard’s Director of Research Integrity, Stacey Springs, has confirmed receipt of the complaint.”
“Harvard must take action,” Rufo stated, “or watch its reputation continue to crumble.”
UPDATE: The anonymous source who discovered Greene’s alleged plagiarism tells me that Harvard’s Director of Research Integrity, Stacey Springs, has confirmed receipt of the complaint. Harvard must take action—or watch its reputation continue to crumble. https://t.co/RGGeg4rDgU
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 22, 2024
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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