The Point: Exclusive Inclusivity at Harvard

So let’s exclude some for the sake of inclusivity? In 2016, Harvard University launched a new policy whose aim was to encourage diversity and inclusivity. According to the policy, members of single-gender social organizations, such as fraternities and sororities, were to be excluded from leadership positions in other campus groups and even sports teams. One Harvard professor attempted to explain, “[T]he freedom of association enjoyed by some … comes at the cost of excluding the majority … from those associations.” The policy hasn’t gone over well. National sororities and fraternities are suing Harvard, on the obvious basis that the policy is discriminatory against certain students based on sex stereotypes. Whatever the outcome of the lawsuit, Harvard can’t win. How can any institution be more diverse and inclusive by excluding an entire group of people? Not to mention, attempts on other campuses to prevent religious groups from insisting that their leaders hold their religious beliefs have been defeated in the courts. You don’t need an Ivy League education to figure that out, and Harvard is next.

01/3/19