Harvard Rescinds Admission Offer For Parkland Survivor Who Used N-Word As Teen

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 26: Kyle Kashuv, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 26, 2019 in Indianapo... INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 26: Kyle Kashuv, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits on April 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The convention, which runs through Sunday, features more than 800 exhibitors and is expected to draw 80,000 guests. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The Harvard admission offer to a Parkland shooting survivor and pro-gun advocate was rescinded earlier this month following outcry against the student over racist comments he made in a private chat before the massacre.

According to the student Kyle Kashuv’s Twitter thread, Kashuv was contacted by Harvard admissions in late May asking for an explanation of screenshots that had surfaced online that showed him using the n-word and other “idiotic comments.” Kashuv, who has become a darling of the National Rifle Association over his calls for arming school teachers and met with President Trump, said he responded with an explanation for his remarks, suggesting he was an immature teen who made the comments “for their shock value.”

“My intent was never to hurt anyone, and to do so would have magnified the harm immensely,” he said. “I also feel I am no longer the same person, especially in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting and all that transpired since.”

Kashuv has emerged as a conservative activist since the Valentines Day mass shooting, pushing a conservative alternative to ending school shootings. He gave a speech at the NRA’s 2019 leadership forum, pushing to arm teachers and get rid of gun-free zones, pro-Second Amendment platforms embraced by President Trump.

Kashuv also said he reached out to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for guidance, but Harvard notified him that it had rescinded his admission. Kashuv said he asked for an in-person meeting to discuss the decision, but his request was denied.

A Harvard spokeswoman would not confirm whether Kashuv had gotten the boot and would not comment on Kashuv’s Twitter thread.

“We do not comment publicly on the admissions status of individual applicants,” spokeswoman Rachael Dane told TPM.

“More broadly to our admissions policies, Harvard College reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under the following conditions, which are clearly expressed to students upon their admission,” she said, pointing specifically to policy that shows Harvard can revoke admission “if an admitted student engages or has engaged in behavior that brings into question their honesty, maturity or moral character.”

It’s not the first time Harvard has revoked admission to an incoming student when racist remarks surfaced online.

Kashuv called it “deeply concerning” that the school believes “someone can’t grow, especially after a life-altering event like the shooting,” he said.

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