- Harvard alumni are slashing their donations amid reports of on-campus semitism, per Bloomberg.
- The university has found itself in the spotlight over its response to the Israel-Hamas war.
- One alumna told Bloomberg that she won’t encourage her classmates to donate this year.
It looks like Bill Ackman isn’t the only one who’s mad at Harvard. Furious Harvard alumni and volunteers are paring down their donations over the university’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, per Bloomberg.
Longtime volunteer Tally Zingher, 46, told Bloomberg she only plans to donate $1 for her coming college reunion.
“I will not be calling any of my classmates to try to encourage them to donate to Harvard,” said Zingher, who earned degrees in economics, law, and public administration from Harvard.
“There are plenty of better places that I feel my classmates can use their philanthropy and influence,” she told Bloomberg.
The publication also cited an unnamed alumnus, who told Bloomberg he intends to remove the university from his will.
“The university has been in conversation with alumni and supporters, and will continue to engage closely with them. They are a vital part of our community,” Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton told Bloomberg via email.
The university has found itself in the spotlight amid reports of on-campus antisemitism.
On October 8, a group of Harvard student organizations signed a pro-Hamas letter blaming Israel for the Islamist militant group’s terrorist attacks on Israel the previous day.
The letter was slammed by alumnus and fund manager, Bill Ackman, who asked Harvard to out the students who signed the letter.
Former university president Larry Summers also expressed his disappointment at Harvard’s current president, Claudine Gay’s initial silence toward the letter.
“I am sickened. I cannot fathom the Administration’s failure to disassociate the University and condemn this statement,” Summers wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on October 9.
Gay eventually condemned Hamas’ attack on October 10, noting in her statement that the controversial pro-Hamas letter did not represent the university or its leadership.
Gay is set to testify to Congress on Tuesday about Harvard’s on-campus antisemitism following the Israel-Hamas war.
Representatives for Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
