When you think of getting into a great college, many people think “Harvard University,” first and foremost. Imagine the moment you open an acceptance letter to Harvard – one of the best Ivy League Universities in the nation. Imagine how happy your parents are. Imagine how jealous your friends are. Imagine the look on your face when you realize you’re going to Harvard.
Now – imagine you had all of that taken away from you because you posted something stupid on the Internet.
You would feel like a total piece of sh*t – right?
Ten students who were accepted to Harvard University as freshman in the class of 2021 have now had their acceptance letters revoked and thrown away due to their activity online that the college is calling “offensive.”
In a Facebook group that came to the University’s attention, the students posted “disgusting memes” that spoke about rape, sexual assault against dead children, the Holocaust, hanging minority group children and other offensive things. After seeing the group and the horrific memes, Harvard University has decided this is not the kind of student body they wish to have represent them. They have retracted all ten of the students’ acceptances.
According to the Harvard Crimson:
A handful of admitted students formed the messaging group—titled, at one point, “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens”—on Facebook in late December, according to two incoming freshmen.
In the group, students sent each other memes and other images mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust, and the deaths of children, according to screenshots of the chat obtained by The Crimson. Some of the messages joked that abusing children was sexually arousing, while others had punchlines directed at specific ethnic or racial groups. One called the hypothetical hanging of a Mexican child “piñata time.”
Some people are angry that Harvard University punish students, who have worked so hard. Others, however, are happy the University is finally standing up for something right. The administration claims that the school policy states firmly that Harvard reserves the right to withdraw its offers of acceptance if an “admitted student engages in behavior that brings into question his or her honesty, maturity, or moral character.”
It just goes to show you that all actions on the Internet may have consequences for you in the future – so it’s important to be mindful to watch what you post.