To the editors:

We write to set the record straight about our department, which was grossly misrepresented in The Crimson (“Ex-Grad Student Alleges Misconduct,” Sept. 29). The e-mail on which the article was based paints a picture that bears no resemblance to the welcoming and open department and dedicated professors that we see on a daily basis.

In particular, we are deeply disappointed by the article’s portrayal of Professor Kenneth Rogoff. We find the slanderous accusations cited in the article completely at odds with the devoted teacher, mentor, and department member that all of us have come to know. It is unfortunate that Harvard’s policies and responsibility to protect its students’ privacy prevented it from discrediting the e-mail’s outrageous claims and led to such a one-sided and false picture of an upstanding member of the Harvard community. The Crimson’s readers deserve better.

Cambridge, Mass.

October 6, 2009

The above letter was signed by 68 current graduate students and recent alumni of the Harvard Economics Department’s PhD programs.