In the wake of the resignation of Claudine Gay as the president of Harvard, leftists have found themselves in an embarrassing frenzy of rage-addled excuse-making for the prolific plagiarist and attacks against those who called her out.
Chris Rufo was one of Gay's biggest critics and also of DEI and other progressive ideologies infiltrating American academia.
Graduates of the illustrious David Hogg University, also known as 'Havard', wasted no time making a mockery of their alma mater in an attempt to belittle Rufo.
Christoper Rufo claims his master's is from Harvard U. It's actually from Harvard *Extension.* Harvard U. doesn't even accept credits from Extension.
— Kali Holloway (@kalihollowayftw) January 4, 2024
I'm sure this isn't related to his barely contained rage toward Harvard U. grad and prez Claudine Gay.https://t.co/0aplUaL5LH
It started with an article from The New Republic that claimed Rufo was falsely passing himself off as a Harvard grad even though he went to the Harvard Extension School … a school of Harvard University.
It quickly became clear that attendees of the extension school are regarded as second-class citizens by 'real' (their words) Harvard degree holders.
This should come as no surprise given that one of the primary reasons for attending such a school is to allow these people to pretend they're better than the rest of us.
I read that whole thing and nowhere did it explain how Ex-President Gay didn’t break ethical standards and codes of conduct that everyone else at Harvard is bound by. Did I miss a paragraph?
— ThorChiggins PHD (@ThorChiggins) January 5, 2024
Yep. You'll find none of that in there because it's just a hit piece because they're still seething over Gay being forced to the off-ramp. Buh-bye.
Rufo responded to the article:
This is simply false. In fact, the photo that accompanies this article is from an event during which I discussed my experience at Harvard Extension School at length. The idea that I was somehow hiding it is laughable—debunked by your own photo selection.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) January 5, 2024
There were plenty of folks who thought this was a real smoking gun. They were generally progressives who would have preferred to ignore Gay's plagiarism.
Doesn’t matter because the people supporting him do not have a standard of ethics and are unashamed of hypocrisy. https://t.co/ZmwEF9U03M
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 4, 2024
'Standard of ethics', she said.
Well, they got what they wanted from their well-executed plan. https://t.co/SsdhSYYnEk
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 2, 2024
What happened to that standard of ethics?
Look, we understand why Harvard degree holders are proud of purchasing such an expensive status symbol. There have, after all, been many brilliant and well-known individuals who have studied at the school over the years:
- Antonin Scalia - King of the Supreme Court.
- Matt Damon - went on to pretend to be a really smart person.
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas - Randy Taylor and Simba.
- Helen Keller - Bidenomics coordinator.
- Ted Kennedy - expert swimmer.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson - star of memes.
- Theodore Roosevelt - considered by many to be a highly successful president.
- Barack Obama - considered by many to be a president.
- Al Gore - inventor of the Internet.
- Ted Kaczynski - explosives expert.
- Isoroku Yamamoto - air travel agent for Pearl Harbor.
- Robert Oppenheimer - see Isoroku Yamamoto.
Of course, no list of esteemed Harvard grads would be complete without A.J. Delgado, known for … posting on Twitter/X. She probably could have learned how to do that at a local community college, to be honest.
Hi, Harvard real-degree here. You're spot on. The "extension school" is a source of laughter and annoyance for students and alumni. (I think Columbia has one, too -- same thing there.) It's basically an "anyone can enroll, so long as you pay", no more stringent than a community…
— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) January 4, 2024
There's that attitude we've come to expect from our Ivy League betters.
In case it's not clear, most of us out here in real-America aren't nearly as impressed with degrees from Pompous U. as the holders of the degrees are.
Miss 'Harvard real-degree' Delgado is boasting on Twitter/X while Rufo is getting real work done. We can understand why she's so salty.
Apparently in regular Harvard they didn’t teach you that ad hominem arguments are fallacious
— (((Aaron Walker))) (@AaronWorthing) January 6, 2024
I don’t care if @realchrisrufo got his degree from the back of a box of Wheaties. It doesn’t make him wrong about Gay’s plagiarism https://t.co/9rzVsst9ok
A little bit of ad hominem, a pinch of appeal to authority, and there you have it - a recipe for 'so what if the president of my super prestigious university is a cheat, I'm better than you!'
As you might expect, the people of Twitter/X had zero room for such pretentiousness.
I taught at the Extension School for five years, when I was an Assistant/Associate Prof at Harvard, and it was a privilege to do so. The students there, mostly adult, years or even decades older than the regular Harvard undergrad were exceptionally committed, diligent and… https://t.co/FIgasxZ6Ei
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) January 6, 2024
Just to be clear, there are people who graduated or worked at Harvard who aren't stuck-up snobs. The elitist ones just really like to tell everyone.
The unspoken truth that everyone who went to Harvard understands—like this insufferable snob—is that once you’re accepted, the hard part is over. The whole thing is a joke and everyone knows it. It’s just classism and does not necessarily denote any real talent or skill. https://t.co/2nI5ciLWZZ
— Chadwick Moore (@Chadwick_Moore) January 6, 2024
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Delgado was steaming in reply to commenters:
What elitism, you fool? I worked my ass off my entire life, first generation to make it to college; sacrificed more than you can imagine; applied through a rigorous process; and then worked my ass off AT Harvard for years in Cambridge inc huge student loans, for some clown to…
— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) January 5, 2024
She continued: ' … for some clown to come and say his online courses nonsense is the same. That’s not elitist- that’s stopping some a**hole from depriving me of what I earned … '
For those of you who do not speak Real-Harvardian, A.J.'s words roughly translate into English as 'REEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!'
Nah, it’s a bunch of cornballs who are in an online program simply bc they want to say they have a “Harvard” (or Columbia) degree. That’s fine to laugh at.
— A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) January 4, 2024
She kept doubling down, simply because she wanted to keep saying she has a 'Harvard' degree. It's okay to laugh. We are.
The entire display was cringe-tacular. Harvard should send better representatives.
Further tarnishing your university’s brand is how you win!
— Lafayette Lee (@Partisan_O) January 6, 2024
Wow, you sound miserable.
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) January 6, 2024
If this is how ‘real’ Harvard teaches you how to communicate as a well educated, mind broadened individual, I’d stick with the extension.
— Adam Brown (@itsadambrown) January 6, 2024
The feedback was not good for Delgado, and there was TONS of it.
Hi - Harvard alumnus here from HES. My degree, believe it or not, is from Harvard. Doesn’t even say HES. HES is one of the 12 degree granting institutions at Harvard. Harvard college is merely 1 of the 12. HES has been around since 1910 as a way for those working full time to…
— Brandon Edwards (@FioreUnited) January 5, 2024
The entire debacle brought up another aspect of Delgado's haughty view of the Harvard Extension School that hurled another layer of mud atop Harvard's reputation.
Why is the university selling 'Harvard' degrees to students if they're not 'real' Harvard degrees?
I mean, is the claim that Harvard is running a scam? That their extension school -- which on it's website says "We are Harvard", is not in fact Harvard? pic.twitter.com/TsjzWA6YkS
— Chris Arnade 🐢🐱🚌 (@Chris_arnade) January 5, 2024
One solution to the Ivy gatekeeping monopoly is for them to expand! Let in more students, open branches.
— Chris Arnade 🐢🐱🚌 (@Chris_arnade) January 5, 2024
But you see, even if that happens, there will always be elite gate-keeping. You went to the "wrong" Harvard
Bingo. Clearly, Harvard has no issue selling its name to would-be students at the other schools of Harvard University or explicitly telling them they will earn a Harvard degree.
It's best to just ignore them. After all, regardless of what they think of Rufo's degree, he's kicking their tails at every turn.
Pretty good for a guy without a 'real' Harvard degree.
This is going to be blown up on a 30 X 40 poster board and shown as an exhibit in the class action fraud suit by graduates of Harvard Extension School for Harvard's representation to the students that they were obtaining a Harvard degree. Remember, she teaches at HES. pic.twitter.com/ata5mZ0SbU
— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) January 6, 2024
The arrogance is pervasive.
On Rufo: what do integrity police say about his claim to have “master’s degree from Harvard,” which is actually from the open-enrollment Extension School? Those students are great - I teach them- but they are not the same as what we normally think of as Harvard graduate students
— Jennifer hochschild (@Jenniferhochsc2) January 5, 2024
Imagine speaking this way about the people who pay your salary.
There are always going to be the A.J. Delgados out there, looking down their noses at the rabble who didn't get the 'real' degree.
Man…everybody dunking on the Harvard Extension School or bragging about their “real” Harvard degrees.
— Sharon Adarlo (@sadarlo1) January 5, 2024
Y’all suck. https://t.co/w5kRkEmYXj
'Y'all suck.' Couldn't have said it better ourselves.
It’s only REAL Harvard if it comes from the Harvard Region of Massachusetts.
— Andrew Lynch (@GentlemanRascal) January 6, 2024
Otherwise it’s just Sparkling Yale.
LOL.
Not to brag but I got my degree from the University of Phoenix Extension School
— Magills (@magills_) January 6, 2024
Well done, King. Enjoy your ivory towers, snobs. Our people are friendlier and much more fun.
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