By ryan May 2, 2001
Had everything gone by the original plans, Lee Teng-hui ’68 Ph.D. would have arrived today at the Tompkins County Regional Airport to begin a three-day visit to Cornell. Lee, an honored Cornell alumnus and the former president of the Republic of China on Taiwan, postponed his trip until May 29 due to health concerns following a coronary medical procedure that he undertook last week in Osaka, Japan. Lee applied for a U.S. visa — and received an invitation that is good for five years — to attend a ceremony for the Lee Teng-hui Institute, which will be located in Duffield Hall. In arranging the visit with University officials, he also emphasized the importance of meeting with his granddaughter while on campus. Despite Lee’s best attempts to keep his plans to return to the U.S. low-key, the media in East Asia and the U.S. have swarmed to cover the story. More than 200 reporters were on hand last week for Lee’s brief journey to Japan. Meanwhile, Lee’s granddaughter, whose name is not even known to the public, has succeeded in maintaining a low profile. A Chinese news agency printed her name two weeks ago as rumors that Lee would apply for a visa were heating up. The name, however, was one she goes by in Taiwan — but it could not identify her at Cornell. This secrecy that Lee’s granddaughter has kept has thrown the media in Taiwan. In recent weeks, according to Linda Grace-Kobas, director of the Cornell News Service, several media organizations in Taiwan have requested information about and interviews with the presidential descendant, but none have succeeded. Last week, with the assistance of the Cornell News Service, The Sun contacted Lee’s granddaughter and was granted an interview under the condition that she is not identified by The Sun. From her responses, Lee’s granddaughter — whoever she is — exhibited the image of an ordinary young woman from a family that is anything but ordinary. She refused to jump into the fray surrounding Lee’s eminent involvement in foreign relations and has shown a deft ability to separate the personal and political aspects that encompass her life. Q: What was your opinion of Cornell before you came to the University? A: It was a good school with a great vet [veterinary] program. Q: Did Mr. Lee encourage you to come to Cornell? A: No. Q: Do any of your friends or classmates know that you are Mr. Lee’s granddaughter? A: Some do. Q: Why don’t you want to reveal your name to the media? A: The reason I don’t want people to know who I am is because 1) I’m here to study, not to talk about my family relations; 2) I don’t want people to have a biased opinion about me because of my relationship with Mr. Lee, and especially if they have never talked to me before. Q: What is it like being part of such a well-known family in Asia? Would you consider your experience comparable to being a Clinton (like Chelsea Clinton) or a Bush or a Kennedy in the United States? A: No, I’m definitely not that well known. Q: Do you plan to live in the United States or in Taiwan once you graduate? A: That would all depend. Q: Did you go to school in Taiwan before coming to Cornell? A: Yes. Q: What have your experiences been in Asia? A: I love Taiwan, and I think I’ve grown to appreciate it more after I left it (especially the warm weather). Q: How long have you been planning to see Mr. Lee at Cornell? How frequently do you speak with him? A: I speak to him whenever I go home. Q: What was it like for you having a grandfather who was president of a country, and how has that changed since Mr. Lee left office last year? A: Well, I guess the best way to answer this would be to ask, “What’s it like to have a grandfather?” And I think you all know the answer to that one. The presidency was his job, but it’s irrelevant to him being a grandfather. Q: How do people think of Mr. Lee in Taiwan today? A: Well, I can’t really speak for everyone in Taiwan, especially since I haven’t really lived there for a while. Mr. Lee is my grandfather, he’s always going to be grandfather first. Being president was his job. Q: What do you think about Taiwan’s independence? A: You’ll have to get back to me on this one. Q: Would you consider a career in politics yourself? A: No politics for me. Following the interview, Lee’s granddaughter confirmed that she will be on campus during her grandfather’s visit this summer.Archived article by Matthew Hirsch
By ryan May 2, 2001
Tensions escalated between members of The Cornell Review and supporters of Africana studies and other minority programs Monday morning as Ujamaa residents awakened to find inflammatory chalkings in their entranceway. According to Ujamaa resident advisor, Milton Macias ’02, members of The Cornell Review, the University’s conservative newspaper, were seen chalking the sidewalk with “Abandon Africana,” “End Segregation; Tear down Ujamaa,” and “End Racism; Stop affirmative action.” Macias noted, however, that “since the incident much of the chalkings have mysteriously been blurred or erased.” Residents of Ujamaa are deeply concerned about the harsh messages in the chalkings. “We take the words ‘[tear] down Ujamaa’ very seriously as a threat on all our lives,” said Macias. “If anything happens now [to Ujamaa], we will hold the people who did this accountable.” Macias believes that the rally last Wednesday in support of increased funding and recognition of Africana studies could have had a role in precipitating the chalkings. “The chalkings were most likely in response to the rally,” said Macias. The public condemnation of programs like Africana is not a first for The Review, according Marc Rivera ’02, president of Black Students United (BSU). “The Review has a history of antagonizing minorities on this campus,” Rivera said. The Review is taking responsibility for the chalkings, according to editor-in-chief, Samuel Merksamer ’02. “The Review wanted to get their opinion out about these issues,” Merksamer said. “Ujamaa is a symbol of racism and segregation on campus. It should not exist.” Mike Kalogiannis ’01, senior editor at The Review, was among those who wrote on the sidewalk of Ujamaa. He explained the rationale for using chalkings as a medium of expression. “We already expressed our opinion on these issues in our paper and we thought chalkings would be another good venue to express our opinion.” According to Rivera, there emerges no clear solution as to what can be done in the future to help quell the mounting tensions between The Review and some minority groups. “I don’t think that there is a way to address what The Review has done,” Rivera said. “In my three years at Cornell, I have yet to see The Review produce a competent conservative argument. They engage in name-calling and that is not something BSU, or the entire progressive community, should extend energy on.” The bad blood between The Review and minority students has not gone unnoticed by the administration. Susan H. Murphy ’73, Vice President for Student and Academic Services, voiced her dismay at the recent chalkings. “While The Cornell Review has a right to do this, we disagree with what is being stated and the administration is behind Ujamaa,” said Murphy, adding, “I would much rather The Review express their opinion in a place where there could be open dialogue.” Murphy also criticized the chalkings’ erroneous accusations of segregation. “The Ujamaa housing is not only for African American students, and it certainly is open to all students.” Finally Murphy emphasized the University’s commitment Ujamaa. “We are very pleased to have Ujamaa in our community. We have plans for its improvement using considerable funds. The students, faculty, and staff are all working to make it as good as can be.” Archived article by Leigh McMullan