Garber Says Student Protesters Will Face Consequences if They Violate Harvard Policies

Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 opened the fall semester on Thursday by warning students that they should be “prepared to be held accountable” if they engage in protests that violate University policies — firing a warning shot after a year of campus turmoil that featured a 20-day encampment in Harvard Yard.

Garber, in one of his first messages since his appointment as the University’s 31st president early this month, said in an email that Harvard will continue to face challenges even as he seeks to heal campus divisions and forge a path forward for the University.

While Harvard presidents typically send an uplifting message to students ahead of a new academic year, Garber struck a different tone this year as the University seeks to turn a new page after the resignation of his predecessor, former Harvard President Claudine Gay, punctuated a year that featured intense controversy, political scrutiny, and large-scale campus protests.

“We anticipate demonstrations and protests, as well as disagreement and argument,” Garber wrote. “We expect tension among individuals who hold opposing positions.”

“We will surely be tested again this term,” he added.

The warning to student activists in Garber’s messages also signals the University’s concern that intensified campus protests amid the ongoing war in Gaza and the U.S. presidential election in November may plunge Harvard back into controversy.

The University has already announced updated policies that effectively prohibit indoor protests and ban activities like outdoor camping and the use of unapproved signage.

Harvard has been heavily criticized by members of Congress for reversing suspensions and probations for students who participated in the pro-Palestine encampment that violated many of rules that were clarified months later.

While Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine — the group responsible for the encampment — has not announced scheduled protest actions for the fall, a “liberation orientation” is currently being hosted by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions caucus of the Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers.

A schedule of the “liberation orientation” revealed few details about the group’s activities, but a training on “security culture” is on the agenda.

HOOP has also been clear that they intend to continue to organize protests this fall.

After the University updated its list of campus policies in July, HOOP posted a short response on Instagram: “Not reading that, Free Palestine.”

One major test for Garber could come as early as next week during the University’s Convocation for freshmen students. In past years, pro-Palestine student groups have staged protests during the ceremony.

“We will continue to meet and manage difficult moments informed by our rights and responsibilities, and guided by widely communicated processes and policies,” Garber wrote.

“The challenges we faced in the last academic year have not abated,” he added.

In his email, Garber also urged students to think about their “commitments to one another” and to listen to opposing viewpoints without rushing to judgment.

“Our future will be shaped by the concern and compassion we show—by our willingness to regard one another as fellow human beings, diverse in our views, ambitious in our interests, and committed not only to asserting what we believe but also to seeing the world through eyes other than our own,” he wrote.

It is a familiar message from Garber, who has emphasized the importance of promoting civil discourse as a cornerstone of his presidency. He announced the creation of an “Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue” working group in April, which has not yet published its findings.

“I enter this semester with an undiminished sense of purpose and an optimistic outlook grounded in realism,” Garber wrote. “Each of us has much to gain from being part of our extraordinary community.”

“I hope that we will choose to be stronger together than we could ever be apart,” he added.

—Staff writer Emma H. Haidar can be reached at emma.haidar@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @HaidarEmma.

—Staff writer Cam E. Kettles can be reached at cam.kettles@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @cam_kettles or on Threads @camkettles.