Shoddy Scholarship

HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION: A student is assigned a paper on Machiavelli's indirect government. The student turns in a paper with the following thesis: "Machiavelli's indirect government laid the groundwork for a current system of patronizing rule." However, as the professor reads past the thesis, he discovers that this student provides no evidence to support his claim. Instead he says: "Machiavelli's indirect government laid the groundwork for a current system of patronizing rule because I believe that is the truth."

Any professor who believed in the integrity of the subject he or she taught would fail this student. Students are taught and expected to support all of their arguments with clear evidence. Why should we hold professors at Harvard to different standards?

As a board member of the Black Students Association, I was naturally shocked and appalled by the accusation that Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. '53 made two weeks ago in the Boston Globe. To blame grade inflation at Harvard on the "influx of black students" is simply preposterous.

Sadly, I am in no way surprised by the declaration. The Harvard Community heard the same sort of rhetoric directed towards Blacks in 1996 when Mansfield blasted President Neil L. Rudenstine's report on diversity. In an opinion piece in The Crimson, he stated in reference to Blacks that "in the past, diversity was sought for the sake of academic excellence; now it is sought at the expense of excellence." However, the fact that Mansfield played the race card yet again to bring attention to another of his pet peeves is not the utmost of my concerns.

My issue with Mansfield is his poor scholarship. Lost in the controversy over this insidious claim is the fact that Mansfield has no objective proof that grade inflation was caused by the influx of black students in the 1970s. He even stated publicly to the Boston Globe that he has no concrete evidence other than that of his own "personal knowledge." Are we therefore supposed to take his word for it? Given Mansfield's nickname of "C-minus Mansfield," I am sure that any student in his class who tried the same trick would be failed immediately.

There are many other theories that attempt to explain the cause of grade inflation. I wonder why Mansfield--if he is really a scholar in search of the "truth"--has not researched these theories and acknowledged that they could be the main culprits behind grade inflation at Harvard. In picking one theory and calling it an absolute truth, he has refused to pay attention to the counterarguments. Yet students are expected to refute, if not at least acknowledge, such opposition. Should we not expect the same from a tenured professor at Harvard?

At Harvard, and at many other institutions, the idea of academic freedom prevails. Institutions that uphold this freedom must protect the right of scholars to pursue research, to teach and to publish without control or restraint. Thus, Mansfield most certainly has the right to state his opinions--no matter how mean-spirited they might be.

However, is academic freedom not also about advancing knowledge? It is impossible to contribute to the advancement of knowledge without proving what you claim to be truth. Putting forth unsubstantiated opinions cannot further knowledge. The actions of this tenured professor have served only to tarnish Harvard's academic reputation.

Perhaps Mansfield is hiding behind the academic freedom Harvard granted him when they gave him tenure. Perhaps Mansfield feels that because he is a tenured professor at Harvard he no longer needs to practice what the vast majority of teachers and professors around the world demand of their students. Perhaps Mansfield believes he has some sort of scholarly mandate that excuses him from the need for objective justification. Whatever his reasoning, it must be deemed unacceptable--especially in a scholarly environment such as the one at Harvard.

Whether or not Mansfield is a racist can be debated until the end of time. Everyone has and is entitled to their opinion with respect to such a label. However, what cannot be debated is the fact that his credibility as a scholar is very much in question.

While I respect Mansfield's right to his subjective opinion, I have no respect for the fact that he lacks objective proof to support it. Thus, allow me to give Professor Mansfield two grades. His "paper" on blacks as the cause of grade inflation at Harvard gets an F, since his claim has no supporting evidence other than his subjective experiences. However, I am willing to inflate the grade to a D, since he did acknowledge that fact.

Brandon A. Gayle '03 is an economics concentrator in Adams House. He is treasurer of the Black Students Association.