VICTOR JOECKS: Save America. Defund DEI universities.

On Monday night, the Harvard University board unanimously affirmed its support for school President Claudine Gay. She’s faced scrutiny since testifying at a congressional hearing last week. Rep. Elise Stefanisk, R-N.Y., asked Gay if calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s anti-harassment policies. “It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded.

This comment would be concerning enough coming from a free speech absolutist. Harvard, however, routinely engages in censorship when the speech comes from those with conservative views. Last year, the school disinvited a feminist philosopher because she was critical of transgender ideology, even though her speech wasn’t on that topic.

So saying “men are not women” can get you banned from Harvard, but calling for the genocide of Jews requires looking at “context.” That’s sick.

Her testimony and obvious hypocrisy shocked many people, including major donors. Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square, wrote a letter demanding Gay’s resignation. “I am personally aware of more than a billion dollars of terminated donations from a small group of Harvard’s most generous Jewish and non-Jewish alumni,” he said.

Writers Christopher Rufo and Christopher Brunet then found evidence that Gay was a serial plagiarist. The Washington Free Beacon found more examples of such transgressions. If she had been a student, she almost certainly would have been kicked out of Harvard.

On the merits, Gay should have been fired. But most elite universities stopped caring about merit long ago. Instead, they’ve embraced critical race theory, an offshoot of Marxist ideology that divides people into groups base on skin color. Blacks are the victims. Whites are the oppressors. White people are successful only because of unearned privilege. Further, under this worldview, whites have created systems of power to maintain their advantage.

The goal of society and by extension academia, CRT adherents believe, shouldn’t be the pursuit of truth, but using political power to tear down existing institutions. Intersectionality extends this viewpoint to religion and sexual orientation.

This is why universities have been loathe to condemn antisemitism. Those indoctrinated in CRT see Jews as oppressors and Palestinians as the oppressed.

Offices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provide the bureaucratic structure to rigidly enforce this perverse outlook. For example, many institutions now hire professors based on diversity statements, not academic merit. There’s no free market to rein in these excesses. Universities receive hundreds of billions annually in government money.

This perspective is incompatible with the American ideals that “all men are created equal” and should be judged on their character rather than their skin color. This is why universities devoted to CRT shouldn’t receive government funding.

You can act, too. Stop donating to any college with a DEI office. Steer your children or grandchildren to alternatives such as my alma mater, Hillsdale College, or trade schools. Hire smart high school graduates who want to skip college.

Blinded by CRT, Harvard and many other top universities are hotbeds of antisemitism. Respond accordingly.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.