Does Harvard care for his students?

A Palestinian freshman at Harvard refused entry to the United States ten days before his first semester arrived on campus, just in time for his first day of classes.

Ismail Ajjawi, 17, from Tire, Lebanon, was arrested at Logan International Airport in Boston and interrogated for more than eight hours, according to the Harvard Student Newspaper. The Crimson. Customs and border protection officials did not explain why, but after searching Ajjawi's phone and laptop, they asked why he had added people to social media that was posting anti-spam messages. -américains. comments. The officer also reportedly questioned Ajjawi about his religious practices in Lebanon.

The visa refused by Ajjawi provoked the indignation of his future peers and superiors. The students organized a petition that collected more than 7,000 signatures Monday night, and Harvard officials asked federal immigration officials for an explanation and fought for his return. And according Crimson, it worked.

Today, Ajjawi started classes alongside other Harvard freshmen. Good for him, and good for Harvard. There appears to be no legitimate reason for the deportation of Ajjawi. A spokesman for CBP said that border authorities had "judged [him] inadmissible ", but did not specify why he had been expelled at the start. At present, Ajjawi's past relations and residency are responsible for CBP's decision. But a teenager is not to blame for the behavior of his friends, nor should he be punished for residing in a part of the world generally hostile to the United States.

If there is evidence of actual wrongdoing, the CBP should present them.

In fighting for Ajjawi, Harvard gave an important example to the rest of higher education. Colleges and universities must take care of their students and fight for them. Harvard is responsible for the growth and education of its young adults, along with all other academic institutions. Teenagers like Ajjawi are easy to model, naïve and probably a little ridiculous, and they will definitely make mistakes. A good school will recognize and defend them.

Harvard rose for Ajjawi. Unfortunately, this did not have the same effect for Kyle Kashuv, an 18-year-old parkland survivor and self-declared conservative who was targeted by racist remarks he had made in high school. Harvard canceled Kashuv's admission after the publication of the comments, which of course was the responsibility of the school. But in doing so, the school revealed its willingness to fight for some students, but not for others. The political affiliation of Kashuv may have something to do with it. Or maybe his disturbing comments were the only author. Be that as it may, Harvard decided he was irretrievable, no good student worth the time and energy of the school. It's a lousy philosophy that undermines the very purpose of education: growth, change, maturation.

Perhaps the Harvard war for Ajjawi is an attempt to redeem himself for this past failure. But I can not help but wonder if Harvard would have gone for a student whose residence had been in Israel instead of Palestine. What about peers Ajjawi? Would they have asked for his return to the United States if he had been an Israeli? I hope so. But I will not hold my breath. In fact, the Harvard campus culture suggests that the school and those who walk in its corridors would have had the opposite reaction.

I only wish the best for Ajjawi, although I would have liked him to choose a better school. Harvard's progressive spiral towards cultural awareness and political correctness proves that the school is not interested in his students at all. At least, not in the way that matters. Optics is what matters to Harvard, not his character or his training. Ajjawi may be able to help change that.