(Cody O'Loughlin | The New York Times) An entry to a building on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. on Aug. 23, 2019. Bret Stephens, a New York Times opinion columnist writes "in August, Abbot and a co-writer published an op-ed in Newsweek making the case that diversity, equity and inclusion policies violate 'the ethical and legal principle of equal treatment.' " This led to MIT cancelling a scheduled speech by Abbot.