FAS Dean Hoekstra Says Harvard Protest Guidance Lends ‘Clarity,’ Not Censorship

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra denied charges from student organizers that Harvard was looking to repress pro-Palestine protest during an interview Wednesday, her first of the spring semester.

Hoekstra was among several top administrators to sign a Jan. 19 email reminding affiliates that protests were not permitted in Harvard classrooms or libraries, a move that suggested Harvard would take a firmer stance against disruptive protests.

Some student organizers accused Harvard of seeking to repress activist efforts following a fall semester marked by sustained pro-Palestine protest, including classroom walkouts, a “study-in” at Widener Library, and a daylong occupation of University Hall.

But Hoekstra denied the charges, saying that “the statement is not an attempt to repress protests but to provide guidelines about time, manner, and place of those protests.”

“That wasn’t clear in the fall term,” she added.

The new guidance, Hoekstra said, was issued partly in response to requests from students who sought “more clarity” on the University’s protest policies.

On Wednesday, Hoekstra appointed professors Maya R. Jasanoff ’96 and David I. Laibson ’88 lead an FAS committee on classroom norms, which is designed to create guidelines for classroom interaction.

She said she considers the classroom “a sacred space where teaching and learning happen. That’s key to the mission of the university,” she said. “That’s not an appropriate place for protest and dissent.”

“When that line is crossed, there are disciplinary consequences,” she added.

Several students who participated in the University Hall occupation and a pro-Palestine “Week of Action” in November faced disciplinary proceedings in front of the Harvard College Administrative Board, The Crimson reported last semester.

During the interview, Hoekstra also addressed the leadership crisis that has engulfed Harvard since the fall, declining to comment on whether former University President Claudine Gay was right to resign.

“One sentiment that I’m hearing over and over is the sense of loss — the loss of opportunity for all her presidency held, all the promise of what she was going to accomplish,” Hoekstra said. “And we’ll leave it at that.”

She expressed firm support for interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76, suggesting his strong track record would allow the Corporation to embark on a lengthier search for Harvard’s next permanent president.

“He knows Harvard from his experience as the provost all the way dating back to his time as an undergraduate, so I think that has removed some of the urgency that one may feel and will allow the Corporation to really do the full, thoughtful process that they’ve done in the past,” Hoekstra said.

The University’s last presidential search was the shortest such process in approximately 70 years, landing on Claudine Gay in just five months. But Hoekstra predicted the second presidential search since 2022 would be a more drawn-out affair.

“This is not something that’s going to happen quickly nor should it, because it’s such an important appointment as we all know,” Hoekstra said.

“And I would expect the appointment of a provost to be first,” she quipped.

Officially, Garber currently serves as both president and provost. He told The Crimson earlier this month he would not return to the position after Gay’s permanent successor was announced.

Harvard has yet to announce any details on Garber’s replacement as provost or a search committee for the next president.

Hoekstra was noncommittal but firm when asked if she felt Garber would be the right choice to permanently succeed Gay after the interim: “I have the utmost confidence in President Garber’s leadership.”

“We’ll see what the Corporation, with lots of input and guidance from faculty and students and staff, ultimately decide to do,” she said.

—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at tilly.robinson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @tillyrobin.

—Staff writer Neil H. Shah can be reached at neil.shah@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @neilhshah15.