Reuters/Ken Cedeno
Harvard University President Claudine Gay issued an apology Thursday, saying she didn’t choose her words carefully enough when she refused to give a yes-or-no answer when asked whether students calling for the “genocide of Jews” would be in violation of the school’s code of conduct.
Gay, who was called on to “resign in disgrace” this week by the school’s billionaire donor Bill Ackman, told the university’s student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, that she regrets how her exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) played out.
“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret,” she said, adding that “words matter.”