Harvard’s reputation suffered a significant blow last week when an exposé on President Claudine Gay’s plagiarism‚ co-authored by Chris Rufo and me‚ garnered over 100 million views on X. The Washington Free Beacon and the New York Post subsequently published their own reporting‚ and now Gay faces dozens of accusations of plagiarism in five of her academic papers‚ with several professors whose work she appropriated coming forward to express their outrage and dismay. The Harvard Crimson‚ conducting an independent investigation‚ concluded that some of the instances “appear to violate Harvard's current policies concerning plagiarism and academic integrity.” Next‚ a group of four Harvard undergraduates‚ writing anonymously for fear of retribution‚ declared: “We are confident that we would be suspended by the university if we were to follow similar practices in our own work.” A member of the Harvard Alumni Association Board of Directors resigned in protest. Meanwhile‚ Congress has gotten involved. The House of Representatives passed a resolution‚ 303-126‚ calling on Gay to resign. Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) introduced the College Endowment Accountability Act‚ aimed at raising the tax rate on Harvard’s nearly $51 billion endowment from 1.4% to 35%. By leveraging meme magic‚ conservative voices have successfully circumvented traditional media gatekeepers to amplify this scandal’s impact. As a result of Gay’s botched leadership‚ Harvard is now facing a crisis of confidence. The internet is already littered with memes of her goofy face‚ which laymen now instantly associate with fraud and corruption — her buzz cut and effete‚ oversized glasses are the perfect caricature of diversity‚ incompetence‚ and liberal elitism. After 387 years spent meticulously building up its reputation for excellence‚ it took less than a single semester for an affirmative-action president to turn Harvard into a punch line. Mainstream satirists on the left and the right have embraced the Claudine Gay meme. “Saturday Night Live” poked fun at her striking resemblance to Steven Urkel from the TV show “Family Matters‚” while the Babylon Bee published multiple sarcastic articles about her plagiarism. — (@) — (@) A recent “Dilbert” comic strip reflects an undeniable truth: The value of a Harvard degree isn't what it used to be‚ even compared to just a few months ago. — (@) By leveraging meme magic‚ conservative voices have successfully circumvented traditional media gatekeepers to amplify this scandal's impact. Control of the narrative‚ in this instance‚ belongs once again to the people‚ and the people can plainly see that the emperor has no clothes. Academia‚ the prized stronghold of the left‚ has been laid bare for all to see‚ with its crown jewel in shambles. This sentiment is gaining traction among students‚ as we see with the news that early applications to Harvard are down 17% this year compared with 2022. Just as MAGA memes propelled Donald Trump into the presidency in 2016‚ and just as Bud Light memes led to a generational shift in the U.S. beer market — the beer brand’s sales are down 30% year over year — Harvard is now doomed to be the ‘‘Bud Light of academia.” The university’s reputation has been tarnished for years to come. Just as was the case with Bud Light‚ though‚ Harvard's current predicament is more than just a reputational crisis. The consequences are tangible and financial. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has revealed that Gay's brief leadership has already led to the withdrawal of more than $1 billion in donations. Harvard would lose billions more should its endowment ever be taxed. Harvard should be a cautionary tale for other universities striving to preserve their prestige and donor support. Claudine Gay ought to be a case study in failed leadership that is sure to be taught in business schools. The key takeaway is the imperative of maintaining leadership integrity‚ competence‚ and accountability‚ lest you be turned into a meme. Lest you become the next Bud Light. Lest you become the next Harvard. Nobody wants to be the next Harvard. The best part is no matter what Harvard does next‚ it has already lost. Should the Harvard Corporation fire Claudine Gay‚ its trustees will have acknowledged that she is a serial plagiarist and a fraud with a mediocre mind who never should have been hired in the first place. Keeping her on the job allows her meme status to flourish‚ potentially leading to unpredictable and possibly more damaging consequences. Who knows how far this meme will spread? Harvard is stuck in a classic no-win scenario. But for conservatives — or really anyone sane — it’s a big win for meritocracy.

A SWAT team raided the wrong home in South Bend‚ Indiana‚ causing over $16‚000 worth of damages‚ according to a lawsuit filed Friday.The Institute for Justice filed a lawsuit on behalf of South Bend resident Amy Hadley against local law enforcement after authorities mistakenly raided her home‚ shattering windows and ransacking her family’s belongings‚ the complaint stated.In June 2022‚ a SWAT team with the South Bend Police Department and the St. Joseph County Police Department surrounded Hadley’s home‚ misidentifying it as the location where a fugitive was hiding.Hadley’s then-15-year-old son‚ Noah‚ was the only person home during the raid.“I look outside and I see everybody pointing their guns at me‚” Noah explained in a video released by the Institute for Justice. As the boy exited the home with his hands up‚ one officer stated‚ “That’s not him. That’s a kid‚” according to police bodycam footage. Even though Noah was not the individual authorities were searching for‚ he was handcuffed and transported to the police station anyway‚ according to the lawsuit.For approximately the next hour‚ the SWAT team yelled outside the home for the fugitive to come out. Authorities “launched dozens of tear gas grenades into the house‚ destroyed the security cameras‚ shattered windows‚ punched holes in walls‚ ransacked furniture and closets‚ tore down a panel and fan in a bathroom‚” Hadley’s complaint read.Family photos‚ electronics‚ and furniture were allegedly destroyed. Police bodycam footage shared by the Institute for Justice showed Hadley’s home in ruins. While the home was being ransacked‚ Hadley and her daughter‚ Kayla‚ watched the commotion from down the street and attempted to plead with authorities that they had the wrong residence.After they were allowed to return to their home‚ Hadley stated that the residual fumes from the tear gas caused coughing and vomiting.“We had to sleep in the car. We slept in the car in our driveway. It took about three days to actually go into the house‚” Hadley claimed.The Institute for Justice stated‚ “When the dust settled‚ the house was uninhabitable for days. Tear gas saturated everything‚ glass filled the beds‚ windows and walls were shattered and mangled.”The police believed then-30-year-old John Parnell Thomas was inside the residence after they tracked his Facebook usage and determined the fugitive was using the home’s internet connection. Thomas was wanted on multiple warrants.Hadley insisted that neither she nor her family had any connection to the fugitive‚ and he never entered their residence.Thomas was arrested days later on the other side of town.Hadley’s requests for compensation have gone unanswered‚ and her insurance did not cover all the damage. The lawsuit seeks to cover the estimated $16‚000 in damages caused by the raid.“That’s both unfair and unconstitutional‚” the Institute for Justice said. “The local governments in this case determined that the public benefit of trying to apprehend a fugitive outweighed the costs of damaging Amy’s property in the process. That was their decision to make‚ but they must pay for it.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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