Harvard Demonstrates That Respectful Campus Debate Remains Achievable

In the spring of 2024, during our junior year, just hours after student activists established a pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard, the editorial board of Harvard’s student newspaper gathered to deliberate on the unfolding events nearby.

That evening, as board co-chairs, we found ourselves navigating exceptional circumstances. Our group was among the few on campus actively facilitating dialogue among students holding sharply opposing perspectives on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Some members were strongly pro-Israel Jews, while others were fervently pro-Palestinian, including individuals with family ties to the region. One member, Jacob, led Harvard Hillel, the university’s primary Jewish student organization. Several participants joined the meeting remotely—some from the tents of the encampment, others from home observing Passover.

While the day’s events were extraordinary, such civil discourse was not unprecedented for our editorial board. Our large, diverse team convened to discuss the issues respectfully and collectively agreed on opposing police intervention against peaceful protesters, despite individual differences. This outcome reflected groundwork laid months earlier, when we reinforced existing guidelines and introduced new measures to foster professional, courteous conversations—even under intense and unusual circumstances.

These successful reforms challenge the notion that vibrant, respectful debate is no longer attainable at institutions like Harvard.

The collaborative spirit that defined our board meetings that spring stood in stark contrast to the atmosphere a few years prior. When we joined as freshmen, the editorial board was perceived as left-leaning and often unwelcoming to moderate viewpoints. Though most meetings avoided highly contentious topics and remained polite, debates on divisive issues could become confrontational.

A 2023 meeting focused on the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action admissions policies illustrated this tension. Despite a Pew Research Center poll that year showing half of American adults opposed considering race or ethnicity in college admissions—a viewpoint far from fringe—contrarian remarks during the meeting were met with dismissive reactions and rebuttals from other members. (The editorial board maintains confidentiality about meeting details; this summary reflects a general characterization.)