The Harvard admission offer to a Parkland shooting survivor and pro-gun advocate was rescinded earlier this month following outcry against the student over racist comments he made in a private chat before the massacre.
According to the student Kyle Kashuv’s Twitter thread, Kashuv was contacted by Harvard admissions in late May asking for an explanation of screenshots that had surfaced online that showed him using the n-word and other “idiotic comments.” Kashuv, who has become a darling of the National Rifle Association over his calls for arming school teachers and met with President Trump, said he responded with an explanation for his remarks, suggesting he was an immature teen who made the comments “for their shock value.”
“My intent was never to hurt anyone, and to do so would have magnified the harm immensely,” he said. “I also feel I am no longer the same person, especially in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting and all that transpired since.”
Kashuv has emerged as a conservative activist since the Valentines Day mass shooting, pushing a conservative alternative to ending school shootings. He gave a speech at the NRA’s 2019 leadership forum, pushing to arm teachers and get rid of gun-free zones, pro-Second Amendment platforms embraced by President Trump.
5/ I responded to the letter with a full explanation, apology, and requested documents. pic.twitter.com/yWd6FeKWOJ
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019
Kashuv also said he reached out to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for guidance, but Harvard notified him that it had rescinded his admission. Kashuv said he asked for an in-person meeting to discuss the decision, but his request was denied.
A Harvard spokeswoman would not confirm whether Kashuv had gotten the boot and would not comment on Kashuv’s Twitter thread.
“We do not comment publicly on the admissions status of individual applicants,” spokeswoman Rachael Dane told TPM.
“More broadly to our admissions policies, Harvard College reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under the following conditions, which are clearly expressed to students upon their admission,” she said, pointing specifically to policy that shows Harvard can revoke admission “if an admitted student engages or has engaged in behavior that brings into question their honesty, maturity or moral character.”
It’s not the first time Harvard has revoked admission to an incoming student when racist remarks surfaced online.
Kashuv called it “deeply concerning” that the school believes “someone can’t grow, especially after a life-altering event like the shooting,” he said.
11/ Throughout its history, Harvard’s faculty has included slave owners, segregationists, bigots and antisemites. If Harvard is suggesting that growth isn't possible and that our past defines our future, then Harvard is an inherently racist institution.
But I don't believe that.
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019
13/ So what now? I’m figuring it out.
I had given up huge scholarships in order to go to Harvard, and the deadline for accepting other college offers has ended.
I’m exploring all options at the moment.
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019
