Dissent: The Editorial Board Oversteps Its Mandate

The Crimson isn’t limited to campus affairs — but we need not go global.

Today, our colleagues entreat Cambridge to divest its pension funds from a slew of companies with ties to Israel. What’s more, they back divestment as an effective strategy when deployed nationally.

We are of many minds on the merits of Cambridge’s potential divestment. But regardless of the nuances, we think it’s where the Board goes a step further that it falls flat.

To be clear, Israel is committing horrific atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank. But making broad prescriptions on issues far from home is not our place.

The Board is entitled to opine on a local government issue, but today’s piece reaches outside Cambridge’s borders to make assertions about American foreign policy. Wading so far beyond our purview is an irresponsible and imprudent use of our editorial pages. Therefore, we dissent.

We don’t always see eye-to-eye on geopolitical debates. We have our differences on the particulars of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Some of us think divestment is a pragmatic or symbolic imperative, while others see it as ineffective or misguided.

Such disagreement is healthy and is exactly what makes the Editorial Board a space for productive dialogue. It is why we love this community, and it is one of the reasons The Crimson is an intellectual home for many of us. Given the complexities of this issue, we are particularly disappointed by the far-reaching scope of today’s editorial.

Moral conviction is admirable. But it is not a blank check for editorial jurisdiction.

Victoria L. Dolan ’28, an Associate Editorial Editor, is an English concentrator in Kirkland House. Heidi S. Enger ’27, a Crimson Editorial Chair, is a Social Studies Concentrator in Eliot House. Henry F. Haidar ’28, an Associate Editorial Editor, is an Applied Math concentrator in Lowell House. L.A. Karnes ’28, an Associate Editorial Editor, is a double concentrator in the Comparative Study of Religion and Government in Mather House. Rohan Nambiar ’27, an Associate Editorial Editor, is a double concentrator in Mathematics and Economics in Leverett House. Catherine E.F. Previn ’27, an Associate Editorial Editor, is a Government concentrator in Lowell House.

Dissenting Opinions: Occasionally, The Crimson Editorial Board is divided about the opinion we express in a staff editorial. In these cases, dissenting board members have the opportunity to express their opposition to staff opinion.