Harvard College rescinded admissions offers to at least ten prospective members of the Class of 2021 after the students traded sexually explicit memes and messages that sometimes targeted minority groups in a private Facebook group chat.
A handful of admitted students formed the messaging group—titled, at one point, “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens”—on Facebook in late December, according to two incoming freshmen.
In the group, students sent each other memes and other images mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust, and the deaths of children, according to screenshots of the chat obtained by The Crimson. Some of the messages joked that abusing children was sexually arousing, while others had punchlines directed at specific ethnic or racial groups. One called the hypothetical hanging of a Mexican child “piñata time.”
Sue? Better check the terms of admission (i.e., the contract) before going out on that limb. I think the answer to Tom’s question is (or should be) 0, but there are probably some well-off, entitled sorts in the bunch who will be inclined to waste their money.
I doubt Harvard is different from any other selective university when it comes to rescinding admittees who are immature enough to post offensive Facebook posts on a forum designed for admittees.
Not the 1st time for the offensive posts from the admitted either (class of 2020 had the same issue)… speaks volume of the quality of “Holistic” admission criteria of Harvard. Ha!
^ I don’t think we can really blame Harvard Admissions for that. The admissions officers can’t access the private thoughts of applicants, but only what they chose to include on their application, and I’m sure all these kids only chose to mention their stellar grades, ECs and recommendations.
Recommenders don’t know every aspect of a student’s life. Heck, teens pull the wool over their own parents’ eyes often. There are many “Eddie Haskells” out there. I don’t think you can fault the recommenders.
Yes but these posts are so outrageous that it’s hard to believe the recommenders wouldn’t have some inkling of these kids’ true characters. And if they didn’t, then they couldn’t have known them well enough to write the type of recommendation I would expect a school like Harvard to be looking for.
We always told our kids that nothing you post on the internet or social media or send in an email or text is actually private, even if you think it is, so don’t ever post anything you wouldn’t want everyone you will ever know to see.
Costly mistake for these kids. More unfortunate is whatever led them to believe that this stuff they posted was somehow funny.
Interesting that this is an issue for Harvard admits. All the Harvard admits and alumnis I’ve ever known have had stellar character. I know that character is a key criteria for H. Very sad that these kids slipped through the cracks, but hopefully this will send a message to all future college applicants that they need to be careful about their online persona.
Personally, I don’t think their admissions should have been rescinded. It sounds like the memes were privately (I am taking “sent” as in sent to someone else in private) sent (yes maybe to a large group), but Harvard has no right to go through private messages. Even if they were posted publicly, there is a sense of “rules of engagement” in that memes are meant to be obscene, especially in the “dark meme group” that was mentioned. Its like getting upset at racist language at a KKK meeting, its going to happen as its in the dang rules.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think this type of humor should get one kicked out of college, and I think if someone has the ability they should get in to the best place. In my mind, it does not matter where you come from or what you believe, and contrary to leftist thought I truly extend that to even KKK members and evil people if they are smart enough. Some have very dark humor (and to go along with it a very dark past) but as long as nothing criminal has occurred (specific targeting, violence enticing language toward a SPECIFIC group or person) then I don’t think they should get their admissions rescinded.
@sushiritto I did, and that is dark humor. Very dark, mind you, but still humor. I still stand by my stance. However you are right I never said what they did was smart.