Harvard University is considered by many to be the best university in the United States, but that doesn’t make it the most advanced. That was on full display last week when Harvard became the epicenter for a high profile racism case. Chanequa Campbell, an African American student, was kicked out of her dorm and told she was not allowed to graduate. On May 18th a visitor to Campbell’s building was shot and killed during a confrontation with another visitor. One week later, Campbell who wasn’t even in the dorm at the time and has no connection with the victim and a vague connection with the suspect, was thrown out of her dorm. The only explanation for her eviction is the color of her skin.

Sadly, this is one of many racist/racial profiling incidents to occur at Harvard over the past few years.

In a report last month, a panel convened to look into whether campus police unfairly stopped black people because of their race and said more work needed to be done to create a welcoming environment at the school, where only 11 percent of students are black.

In 2004, police stopped and questioned a prominent black Harvard professor who apparently matched the description of a robbery suspect. Then, in 2007, police responding to noise complaints asked leaders of black student groups holding a field day on campus to show their Harvard IDs.

Last year, a black campus worker who lost his bicycle lock key said an officer drew a gun on him after he tried to cut the lock off.

Campbell’s lawyer told reporters that she was notified of her eviction with no warning and was only allowed to gather some personal belongings before being removed from the building. “There is no citation to the student code, no citation to any law, no citation to any facts,” he said. Campbell was at work and sitting for an exam on the day of the shooting. Her dorm room is on the other side of the building from where the shooting took place. According to reports, the suspect gained access to the building from a key card given to him by a another student, not Chanequa Campbell. Campbell told the Boston Globe on Tuesday that she believed she was being singled out because of her skin color. “The honest answer to that is that I’m black and I’m poor and I’m from New York and I walk a certain way and I keep my clothes a certain way,” she said.

Campbell is due to graduate on June 4th and her lawyer is doing everything he can to get his client to walk down the aisle. Ms. Campbell has worked extremely hard over the past four years to earn her degree in one of the most competitive universities in the country and to have that degree taken from her based on her skin color is a disgrace.

Harvard stupidly provided the press with more ammunition by refusing to comment on the situation. If they had a reason for evicting Ms. Campbell that was not blatant racism then why did they choose not to reveal it? Campbell’s lawyer told reporters that his client might ultimately sue Harvard.

If I were her, I would. Ms. Campbell deserves to graduate and denying her that right just because she is African American will damage the university for years to come.