Harvard University has appointed a former graduate student who faced assault charges over an altercation with an Israeli classmate during a pro-Palestine protest as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. Elom Tettey-Tamaklo, 29, has held the position since August, according to his LinkedIn profile, where he advises faculty on curriculum and consults on 'complex subject matter.'
Tettey-Tamaklo, who earned a master's degree in religion, ethics and politics from Harvard Divinity School in May, was filmed alongside fellow student Ibrahim Bharmal confronting a first-year Israeli business school student during a 'die-in' protest outside Harvard Business School in October 2023. The incident occurred days after the Hamas attack.
Both men were charged with two misdemeanours for assault and battery, and an FBI investigation was launched. Tettey-Tamaklo lost his position as a Harvard College proctor over the incident, while Bharmal retained his role at the Harvard Law Review. A judge ordered them to complete 80 hours of community service and attend anger management classes as part of a pretrial diversion programme, and the charges were dismissed in July.
Harvard did not discipline the men, drawing criticism from the Trump administration. The White House had called for Tettey-Tamaklo's expulsion, and the victim, Yoav Segev, urged the university to take action. In May, the Trump administration revoked Harvard's ability to enrol international students, citing an unsafe campus environment due to 'anti-American, pro-terrorists agitators.'
Harvard declined to cooperate with prosecutors, according to The Washington Free Beacon, and has now hired Tettey-Tamaklo as a graduate teaching fellow. It is unclear which school he works in, but his LinkedIn indicates the role is full-time and on-site in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Teaching fellows at Harvard earn between $3,400 and $11,040, as reported by the university's graduate student union.
