Parkland shooting survivor Kyle Kashuv is “exploring all options” after Harvard rescinded his admission to the prestigious university. The decision came after old racist comments, in which the gun advocate used the N-word, were unearthed, according to Daily Mail.
Kashuv addressed his Harvard admission decision being overturned on Twitter, revealing that he was accepted three months prior. The high school senior showed off letters from the Ivy League school, revealing that he was denied an opportunity to meet in-person with admissions officers to discuss ways to move forward without disallowing him to attend Harvard in the fall.
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4/ After the story broke, former peers & political opponents began contacting Harvard urging them to rescind me. Harvard then sent this letter stating that Harvard “reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission” and requested a written explanation within 72 hours. pic.twitter.com/RfEQCvjgDX
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019
He noted in a series of tweets that Harvard itself had a “checkered past,” which included slave owners allegedly working as professors. Kashuv said that if he was to be defined by his past, the school should be as well and was therefore inherently racist.
“Throughout its history, Harvard’s faculty has included slave owners, segregationists, bigots and antisemites. If Harvard is suggesting that growth isn’t possible and that our past defines our future, then Harvard is an inherently racist institution,” he tweeted. “But I don’t believe that.”
Kashuv continued, “I believe that institutions and people can grow. I’ve said that repeatedly. In the end, this isn’t about me, it’s about whether we live in a society in which forgiveness is possible or mistakes brand you as irredeemable, as Harvard has decided for me.”
The shooting survivor concluded his Twitter thread by saying he was in the process of deciding what to do next. He shared with followers that he made a lot of sacrifices to attend Harvard, and was looking into all possible avenues.
13/ So what now? I’m figuring it out.
I had given up huge scholarships in order to go to Harvard, and the deadline for accepting other college offers has ended.
I’m exploring all options at the moment.
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019
Daily Mail reported that screenshots of Kashuv’s racist comments began making their rounds on the Internet in May. He apologized shortly after, and announced plans to step down as director of high school outreach for the national conservative student organization Turning Points USA.
The comments were made public by another attendee of Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School. The high school student posted a screenshot of a class Google Doc created in December 2017 — two months before the deadly shooting that claimed the life of 17 students and faculty members.
Per the student, Kashuv repeatedly typed the N-word throughout the document. He then added: “like im really good at typing n—– ok like practice uhhhhhh makes perfect.”
He also apparently wrote that he would “f—ing make a CSOG map of Douglas and practice.”
The acronym “CSOG” reportedly stands for the shooting game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” Daily Mail said. The document was a midterm study guide classmates shared in preparation for an Advanced Placement U.S. history exam.
Kashuv was also accused of making racist remarks in a text message exchange discussing another student. According to the student who shared it, he said the girl he was talking about “goes for n—– jocks.” In a follow up message, he wrote: “pasty jew
He addressed the controversy on May 23, admitting to using the offensive language. Kashuv claimed he did so “long before the shooting” and was “embarrassed.”
“We were 16-year-olds making idiotic comments, using callous and inflammatory language in an effort to be as extreme and shocking as possible. I’m embarrassed by it, but I want to be clear that the comments I made are not indicative of who I am or who I’ve become in the years since,” he said.
