Lawrence Summers, the former Harvard president and Treasury secretary, has a lively op-ed in the Crimson on the subject of Harvard, Israel, and how educational institutions should conduct themselves:
In 2012, a Vice Provost of the University was the keynote speaker and "Harvard guest" at the Harvard Arab Alumni Association's conference in Damascus. Conference materials made clear that the conference's patron was The First Lady of Syria, who was described as "an...inspiring and tireless leader...[who] supports President Assad by fostering the emergence of a robust, independent, and self-sustaining society." Since that time the Assad government has killed several hundred thousands of its citizens and been recognized as an exporter of terrorism.
Of course Harvard as an institution and its leadership have no objective of demonizing Israel or supporting terrorists. Nonetheless, the failure to maintain controls sufficient to prevent activists from hijacking the University's name and reputation in support of their objectives is a very serious issue...