Harvard Rescinds Admission for Social Media Violations; Brown Says They Don’t "Actively" Monitor

Harvard Rescinds Admission for Social Media Violations; Brown Says They Don’t "Actively" Monitor

The Harvard Crimson reported that ten incoming Harvard students had their admissions rescinded for social media chat posts that were vulgar or racist. 

Brown University refused to say if there were specific similar cases. Brown told GoLocal they do not actively monitor accounts, but there are certain standards that incoming students must abide by.

Brown Policy

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“While we don’t actively monitor incoming students’ social media accounts, we’re certainly aware of what’s posted via Brown’s channels, including those for incoming students. In the event we became aware of online behavior that conflicts with our university standards, we’d consider that information in the same way we’d consider behavior that did not involve social media,” said Brian Clark of Brown University. 

“We reserve the right to rescind offers of admission — yet by ensuring a well-informed decision and considering other options (delaying admission, for example), we take that action only in rare instances where the circumstances are serious enough to require,” added Clark.

The episode at Harvard reportedly took place in a social media chatroom with as many as 100 incoming students. “After discovering the existence and contents of the chat, Harvard administrators revoked admissions offers to at least ten participants in mid-April, according to several members of the group. University officials have previously said that Harvard’s decision to rescind a student’s offer is final,” wrote the Crimson.

At Brown, Clark made it clear that all students are admitted to Brown “contingent on the expectation that they maintain the academic performance that contributed to their admission and uphold standards of conduct consistent with those outlined in the Principles of the Brown University Community. This is communicated to admitted students immediately upon notification of admission.”