SALIENT harvard
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crimson
By Samuel A. Church and Cam N. Srivastava, Crimson Staff Writers
October 29, 2025
*Updated October 28, 2025,
Harvard Salient editor-in-chief Richard Y. Rodgers ’28 announced on Tuesday that the conservative student magazine would remain active despite a Sunday statement from its board of directors suspending its operations pending a conduct investigation.
Rodgers wrote in an email to the Salient’s mailing list that the board’s decision to temporarily halt its operations was “an unauthorized usurpation of power by a small number of individuals acting outside the bounds of their authority.”
“This action was taken without notice to or consent from the duly appointed leadership of the organization and in direct violation of the bylaws governing The Harvard Salient,” Rodgers wrote. “The Harvard Salient continues to operate under its legitimate editorial leadership until further notice.”
Rodger’s message came two days after the Salient’s 10-member board of directors announced the suspension, citing material published in the magazine that the board found “reprehensible, abusive, and demeaning” as well as “deeply disturbing and credible complaints about the broader culture of the organization.”
The board’s statement did not detail the complaints, nor did it specify the published material at issue. It was unclear which pieces in the publication — which prides itself on standing against “liberal orthodoxy” and has not shied away from publishing material that some students find offensive or hateful — led the board to take the extraordinary step of ceasing the Salient’s operations entirely.
But an article in the magazine’s September edition drew controversy over language echoing a line from a speech Adolf Hitler gave in 1939. Rodgers defended the piece and wrote that the article’s author and editors did not intentionally quote Hitler.
A different Salient story, published online following the early September killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, described the left as “our enemies.”
The Salient’s bylaws, as they appear on Harvard’s internal student organization directory, describe its student leadership structure but do not contain any mention of the board of directors.
Rodgers, in the Tuesday email, wrote that “any future communication purporting to speak on behalf of The Harvard Salient but not issued by its authorized leadership should be disregarded as illegitimate.”
In a Tuesday afternoon statement to The Crimson, Rodgers called on board members to “consider resigning their posts in order to allow the organization a chance to rebuild in good faith.”
He wrote that “roughly sixty to seventy percent of The Salient’s active members and fellows have withdrawn from official channels of communication, citing a loss of confidence in the board members whose names appear on the disputed declaration.”
Rodgers alleged that the board did not follow its procedures for convening a meeting, which require 10 days’ notice before a meeting is convened and a meeting agenda set two days in advance, rendering the suspension illegitimate. Rodgers wrote in a separate email that he was not immediately able to provide a copy of a document containing the provisions he cited, which are not listed in the bylaws registered with the College.
Naomi Schaefer Riley, a conservative commentator and member of the board of directors, wrote in an emailed statement that the board is the Salient’s governing body and that Rodgers “is mistaken to accuse the Board, by pausing operations of the magazine, of usurping power.”
“The Board of Directors is investigating recent events as quickly and as responsibly as possible,” she wrote, but declined to comment further.
The current board members are chair Alexander Acosta ’90, treasurer Christopher Krug, Riley, William F. Long ’18, Alfredo Ortiz, and Sarah L. Steele ’18-’26, a former Salient president. The four ex-officio members are government professors Eric M. Nelson and Harvey C. Mansfield ’53; Ruth Wisse, a professor emerita in comparative literature; and Jacob A. Cremers ’24, a former Salient president.
Salient president Julia G. Grinstead ’27, who oversees the publication’s administration and finances and is considered the editor-in-chief’s equal under its bylaws, also did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.
—Staff writer Cam N. Srivastava can be reached at cam.srivastava@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @camsrivastava.
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AI Overview
Harvard's campus conservative magazine,
The Harvard Salient, recently faced significant controversy and suspension after publishing an article that used phrases echoing Nazi rhetoric.
The problematic article, which argued for values rooted in “blood, soil, language, and love of one’s own,” utilized phrases like "blood and soil"—a well-known nationalist slogan used extensively by the Nazis. It also featured a line similar to one from a 1939 Adolf Hitler speech: “France to the French, England to the English, America to the Americans, and Germany to the Germans".
The magazine's editor, Richard Y. Rodgers, stated that the similarity to the Hitler line was not intentional, and that the phrase long predates the Third Reich.
In response to the content, The Harvard Salient's independent alumni board called the material "reprehensible, abusive and demeaning" and voted to suspend the publication, describing the situation as effectively bringing the magazine to an end. The university itself declined to comment on the matter, referring the issue to the magazine's board, as part of a policy of institutional neutrality on political and social matters.
The controversy has reignited debates over free speech and antisemitism on college campuses, with some arguing that while the content was offensive, the university should not censor student publications.
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ggl 10 25
Alex Acosta is the board chair of The Harvard Salient, a satirical magazine at Harvard University. He is also known for serving as the U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Donald Trump.
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ARCHIVE HL 11 25
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Update from the Board of Directors
We would like to update readers and supporters of the Salient regarding our decision last week to shut down the operations of the organization. We have…
Nov 3 • The Harvard Salient
October 2025
Statement from the Board of Directors
The Harvard Salient has recently published articles containing reprehensible, abusive, and demeaning material—material that is, in addition, wholly…
Oct 26 • The Harvard Salient
2
Harvard Dean Used Official Emails to Promote Sexual, Political, and Ideological Messages
By Richard Y. Rodgers
Oct 23 • The Harvard Salient
11
6
"I Apologize for This Disruption"—And Nothing Else
By Christopher J. O'Meara
Oct 22 • The Harvard Salient
18
3
The Crimson’s Campaign Against Dissent
Over the past couple of weeks, The Harvard Crimson has turned its pages into a case study in institutional prejudice.
Oct 22 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
13
15
Harvard Dean’s Past Posts Show Hostility Toward Conservatives, Whites, and Police
By Christopher J. O’Meara
Oct 21 • The Harvard Salient
9
4
The Harvard Bach Society Orchestra Opens Its Season with Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Haydn
By John M. Kipp
Oct 20 • The Harvard Salient
2
1
Martyrs Without a Cause: Students Mourned the Dead but Can Not Say What They Died For
By Charlotte T. Nakhla
Oct 20 • The Harvard Salient
2
1
Ideas Take a Back Seat at Harvard’s Global LGBTQ+ Forum
By Nathan A. Kahana
Oct 20 • The Harvard Salient
2
2
St. Paul’s Parish Marks 150 Years of Faith
On the morning of Sunday, October 5th, I walked into St.
Oct 7 • The Harvard Salient and Declan Ignatius Merrigan Deady
13
3
Michael Knowles Warns Against Rising Left-Wing Political Violence at Harvard Event
On Thursday evening, over 200 people crowded into a lecture hall in Harvard Law School’s Austin Hall to hear political commentator Michael Knowles…
Oct 4 • The Harvard Salient and Declan Ignatius Merrigan Deady
13
6
Harvard Hires Illustrious Academic
In its unending quest to prove that it remains the unrivaled beacon of Western civilization, Harvard University has announced the appointment of Dr.
Oct 3 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
17
12
September 2025
Friedrich List Revisited
Why Economic Nationalism Speaks to Our Age
Sep 30 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
1
1
Reviving Public Culture
An Interview with Dr. Ian Marcus Corbin
Sep 29 • The Harvard Salient
2
2
No. 12 - Dr. Ian Marcus Corbin: The Public Culture Project
Listen now | Dr. Ian Marcus Corbin is a philosopher on faculty in Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, where he…
Sep 29 • The Harvard Salient
6
3
38:35
From Radcliffe to Ruin
Mixed Education and the Unmaking of Harvard
Sep 27 • The Harvard Salient
5
11
William F. Buckley, Jr.: Conservative or Libertarian?
By Luis E. Cardenas
Sep 19 • The Harvard Salient
7
1
Harvard Students Mourn Charlie Kirk, Martyr of Free Speech
On Saturday evening, students and faculty gathered on the steps of Widener Library to mourn Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist slain last week…
Sep 14 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
26
25
The End of Illusion: On the Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the Way Forward
By Richard Y. Rodgers and David F.X. Army
Sep 12 • The Harvard Salient
118
39
July 2025
The Faith Harvard Forgot
The Real Reason to Question Her Right to Educate the Future of America
Jul 22 • The Harvard Salient and Declan Ignatius Merrigan Deady
19
8
June 2025
Give Nation-States a Chance
A guest post by Roy Schwartz Tichon
Jun 27 • The Harvard Salient
4
1
The Golden Calf of Process
A guest post by Kimo Gandall
Jun 12 • The Harvard Salient
17
6
If Harvard Is Serious About Combating Racial Discrimination, She Will Immediately Dismantle DEI Programs
A guest post by J. Kennerly Davis, Jr.
Jun 4 • The Harvard Salient
18
2
May 2025
Harvard's 374th Commencement
By Richard Y. Rodgers
May 31 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
19
1
Harvard College Baccalaureate for the Class of 2025
By Richard Y. Rodgers
May 29 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
49
17
The Trump Administration and International Student Enrollment at Harvard
By Richard Y. Rodgers
May 22 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
26
32
Thy Gold Refine
Trump’s Second Inaugural and the Politics of the American Future
May 12 • Alexander Hughes and The Harvard Salient
4
2
Second Annual High School Essay Contest Winners
The winning entry was "Faith, Tradition, and Basketball on Sundays: The Transformation of Christianity in America" by Samuel Lee
May 10 • The Harvard Salient
12
4
To the 10,000 Would-Be Men of Harvard
How can we keep the stock of the Puritans alive?
May 7 • The Harvard Salient and Alexander Hughes
9
8
A Story of Finding God at Harvard
Contributed by Victoria T. Li
May 5 • The Harvard Salient
22
6
April 2025
Modest Turnout at the Widely Promoted ‘Students for Freedom’ Protest
Contributed by David F. X. Army
Apr 30 • The Harvard Salient
11
4
What Elite Universities Miss About Teamwork
In, But Not Of: A column
Apr 26 • The Harvard Salient
4
2
Class, SFFA, and Ideological Diversity at the Harvard Kennedy School
A guest post by David Weidman
Apr 24 • The Harvard Salient
37
33
The Coronation
Contributed by Declan I.M. Deady
Apr 18 • The Harvard Salient
13
The Life of Christ as Told by The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club
Contributed by David F. X. Army
Apr 17 • The Harvard Salient
11
8
The Empty Promise of American Higher Education
On Harvard's Refusal to Comply with the Federal Government
Apr 16 • The Harvard Salient and Alexander Hughes
20
7
Professor Emeritus Harvey Mansfield and Reihan Salam Discuss the “War on Success”
Contributed by Richard Y. Rodgers
Apr 15 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
9
2
Derivative-Thinking Among Harvard's Activist Class
An inspection of the intersectionality, hypocrisy, and solidarity in The Harvard Crimeson
Apr 14 • The Harvard Salient
5
1
The Science of Belief
Rice University Professor James Tour Delivered a Guest Lecture on God's Existence
Apr 11 • The Harvard Salient
12
5
What We Are Not
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Apr 8 • The Harvard Salient
8
1
Harvard Republicans Present Vision for America in Debate Against Democrats
Contributed by Richard Y. Rodgers
Apr 5 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
9
1
Finding Truth at the Extremes
In, But Not Of: A column examining conservatism in the era of the New Right
Apr 2 • The Harvard Salient
8
The Times Gets Religion
A Review of Ross Douthat's Believe
Apr 1 • The Harvard Salient and Alexander Hughes
12
March 2025
Digging Wells: On Christian Engagement with the Modern World
Contributed by Caleb A. Chung
Mar 27 • The Harvard Salient
5
1
A Vocation, Not a Vacation
The Merits of Home Stewardship
Mar 24 • The Harvard Salient
13
4
Spirited Away
In Defense of America's Most Hated Airline
Mar 15 • The Harvard Salient
9
No. 11 - Dr. Christine Rosen: American Enterprise Institute
Dr.
Mar 10 • The Harvard Salient
3
37:38
Toward a Chivalrous Economy
Contributed by Richard Y. Rodgers
Mar 8 • The Harvard Salient and Richard Y. Rodgers
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