Identity of Speakers
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Bence P. Ölveczky
Faculty/Staff
OtherProfessor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
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Mansi Srivastava
Faculty/Staff
OtherProfessor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In August 2025, Harvard University ordered the removal of a “Black Lives Matter” sign displayed in the office windows of Professors Bence P. Ölveczky and Mansi Srivastava. The sign, composed of large block letters, was installed in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. Dean of Science Jeffrey W. Lichtman informed the professors that the sign violated campus use rules introduced in August 2024, which prohibit self-mounted displays without prior approval. The professors argue that the sign falls under permitted signage in private work areas and question the timing of the removal request, given the sign’s five-year presence.
The dispute centers on whether the sign qualifies as a “signage/banner/posting” or an “exhibit/display,” as defined by the campus use rules. The rules require prior approval for both categories, but the professors argue that their sign, posted before the rules were enacted, should be exempt. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has not explicitly approved the sign, but FAS guidance suggests that such signage is permissible in private work areas. The adoption of the campus use rules last August was itself marred by concern that they posed a threat to University affiliates’ free speech, especially as Harvard faced demands to crack down on pro-Palestine demonstrators. The Trump administration is attempting to withhold federal research funding from Harvard over allegations that the university did not sufficiently prevent or address claims of political bias on campus.
