Parkland activist says Harvard revoked his offer of admission

A survivor of the shooting at a Parkland, Fla., school says Harvard University has rescinded an admission offer after the emergence of offensive comments he made when he was 16. A survivor of the shooting at a Parkland, Fla., school says Harvard University has rescinded an admission offer after the emergence of offensive comments he made when he was 16. Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Michael Fein Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Michael Fein Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Parkland activist says Harvard revoked his offer of admission 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

A student who became a well-known activist after the mass shooting at his Florida high school says Harvard University rescinded its offer of admission because of comments he made when he was 16.

Kyle Kashuv, who survived the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, quickly became known as an advocate for school security. While many of his classmates marched for gun control, he presented a more politically conservative response to the attack. Kashuv met with President Donald Trump and senators in the weeks after the February 2018 shooting, in which 17 people were killed.

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Taking the time on one of the busiest days of the administration to sit down with some just high school kid to discuss how to fix the real problems. pic.twitter.com/xNCkFEu66b — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 14, 2019

Kashuv wrote on social media Monday morning that nearly two years ago, when he was 16, he and some classmates used "abhorrent racial slurs" in an effort to be shocking and extremist, and that images of those private conversations had recently resurfaced. He wrote a public apology, but said former peers and political opponents contacted Harvard and urged the university to rescind its offer of admission. Kashuv then described the questions and the responses he gave to school official, and wrote that he was told this month Harvard rescinded its offer.

He had turned down scholarship offers from other schools, he wrote, and the deadline for accepting other offers has passed.

In a direct message Monday, he said Harvard had been his first choice. "To be honest, the past weeks have been pretty bad," he wrote.

Rachael Dane, a spokeswoman for Harvard, said the school does not comment publicly on the admission status of individual applicants.

Harvard reserves the right to rescind offers under certain circumstances, such as if students fail to graduate from high school, misrepresented information on their applications or engaged in behavior that raises questions about their moral character.

In 2017, at least 10 prospective students had their admissions offers rescinded and the Harvard Crimson reported that those students had traded explicit and racially offensive messages in a private Facebook group.

That decision sparked criticism from some that Harvard was censoring speech and being too politically correct and praise from others who maintained admission to the elite school is a privilege that can and should be revoked if it appears not to be deserved.

Kashuv's announcement prompted similar debates on social media.

Asked if he thought his political views had any bearing on Harvard's decision, Kashuv responded, "Many people have speculated that."

He gave his account in tweets:

1/ THREAD: Harvard rescinded my acceptance.



Three months after being admitted to Harvard Class of 2023, Harvard has decided to rescind my admission over texts and comments made nearly two years ago, months prior to the shooting.



I have some thoughts. Here’s what happened. — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

2/ A few weeks ago, I was made aware of egregious and callous comments classmates and I made privately years ago - when I was 16 years old, months before the shooting - in an attempt to be as extreme and shocking as possible.



I immediately apologized.



Here is my apology: pic.twitter.com/eI38ziiQE8 — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

3/ After I issued this apology, speculative articles were written, my peers used the opportunity to attack me, and my life was once again reduced to a headline.



It sent me into one of the darkest spirals of my life. — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

4/ After the story broke, former peers & political opponents began contacting Harvard urging them to rescind me. Harvard then sent this letter stating that Harvard "reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission" and requested a written explanation within 72 hours. pic.twitter.com/RfEQCvjgDX — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

5/ I responded to the letter with a full explanation, apology, and requested documents. pic.twitter.com/yWd6FeKWOJ — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

6/ I also sent an email to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to seek guidance on how to right this wrong and work with them once I was on campus. pic.twitter.com/3M1UEXXeQm — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

7/ Harvard decided to rescind my admission with the following letter. pic.twitter.com/P3bLkF3hHn — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

8/ Somewhat ironically, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion sent me this response regarding my apology:



“Thank you for your email. We appreciate your thoughtful reflections and look forward to connecting with you upon your matriculation in the fall of 2020..." pic.twitter.com/YUX67QW3KE — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

9/ After receiving Harvard’s letter revoking my acceptance, I responded by asking for the opportunity to have an in-person meeting to make my case face to face and work towards any possible path of reconciliation.



Harvard responded by declining my meeting request. pic.twitter.com/rdsGU7BhjD — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

Kashuv wrote on Twitter, "Harvard deciding that someone can't grow, especially after a life-altering event like the shooting, is deeply concerning. If any institution should understand growth, it's Harvard, which is looked to as the pinnacle of higher education despite its checkered past.

"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.

"I believe that institutions and people can grow. I've said that repeatedly. In the end, this isn't about me, it's about whether we live in a society in which forgiveness is possible or mistakes brand you as irredeemable, as Harvard has decided for me.

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"So what now?" he wrote. "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."