DLV@CUNYVMS1.BITNET (Dimitri Vulis) (02/11/90)
Hey, I have nothing against students from the Republic of China (Taiwan) or Hong Kong. They are no different from any other foreign students we've had (from Europe or Latin America); in fact, they work harder than most. What I object to are Communist Chinese students, aka continental Chinese, aka PRC students. We've had something like 6 in the Math PhD program (not sure how many are left by now) and all of them fit the following profile; if you've had better experience with PRC students, congratulations; we haven't been so lucky. For starters, the decisions about admitting a foreign student into the program and giving him/her financial aid is based on their undergraduate (or masters') grades and their recommendation letters (foreign students often don't have GRE's). These PRC students all had terrific grades in their math courses and impeccable letters. They used to be invariably admitted and given financial aid; and because the amount of $$$ is finite, amcits did not get financial aid. And then they would come and it would turn out that they knew no math, never learned the stuff they were supposed to have had such great grades for; sometimes it took longer to figure this out because they knew little or no English, but this turned out to be so in *all* cases with no exceptions. And they also turned out to be the kids of big shot Communist officials. You see, in spite of all the America-bashing that goes on this list, coming to the US is viewed by many as a great privilege. These guys *forged* their way into the U.S. of A., so that they can later go home and be sons of important Communist officials with foreign education. Except, staying forever in the US is an even greater privilege; many people wait their turn for many years to come here legally, or pay exorbitant sums of money and risk their lives to come here illegally. Many (of not most) foreign students (i.e., people with student visas) would like to stay here forever, but can't. For years these PRC students (who do not really deserve to be here) have been badmouthing the US and extalling the virtues of the Chinese way to Communism. When their government butchered some 3,000 students (whose family background did not qualigy them for foreign education), they cheered and supported their government. Now all of a sudden they're offered a chance to stay forever in this here land of milk and honey if they say a few bad words about their parents' government and ask for political asylum, which is granted automatically. Do you know what is the probability of getting p.a. for a Russian or a Pole? Do you know how many years a Philippino professional must wait to immigrate legally to the US? Since they lied their way here, and have been voiciferously supporting their murderous government for all these years, I really don't think it would be fair to believe these people and allow them to remain here. There are more deserving people out there who have a lot better reasons to fear persecution and need a place to stay (to name a few: Vietnamese boat people, Hong Kong residents, Soviet Jews and Armenians...) If these so called students fear persecution (and I don't believe they have any reason to fear, since their parents are high-ranking communist officials), let them go to Taiwan. They just don't deserve to stay here. DV
DFP10@ALBNYVM1.BITNET (Don Parsons) (02/12/90)
On Sun, 11 Feb 90 00:16:00 EDT Dimitri Vulis said: >Hey, I have nothing against students from the Republic of China (Taiwan) or >Hong Kong. They are no different from any other foreign students we've had >(from Europe or Latin America); in fact, they work harder than most. > >What I object to are Communist Chinese students, aka continental Chinese, aka >PRC students. We've had something like 6 in the Math PhD program (not sure how Here in SUNYA I think less than 10% are here due to Party connections. Most one scholarships where there was a high emphasis on the English test. The two times (3 and 4 y. ago ) I stayed with in China I spent each time, 3 weeks liking in a Beijing appartment with a family where there were two children and the eldest, a boy, was super bright in math and computers. He was close to the top in the Beijing English test and now has a scholarship at Yale on cybernetics. Both parents were brutally trated in the cultural revolution and the mother never hid her bitterness. As a result both parents were refused faculty appointments. I just bring this up to acknowledge that the scholarship system does filter out bright students (but NOT, as I found out, bright students from peasant families). At the same time I found that influence of veteran Party members was very strong and the major complaint of students was their refusal to acknowledge young talent. Don
LABBEY@GTRI01.BITNET (Leonard Abbey) (02/12/90)
Is this Dimitry talking? ************************************************************************* Leonard Abbey * /^ : * Georgia Tech * Hey, Hey, Hey...K K K! /O O : * Research Institute * / :* labbey@gtri01.gatech.edu * --------* *************************************************************************