Yale grad students file bias complaint

Yale responded Tuesday to a class action grievance by promising funding to a graduate student who charged that Yale was taking away her funding because of her nationality.

The grievance was filed last week with the Yale University Dean of the Graduate School on behalf of the Graduate Employees and Students Organization (GESO), a student group that sought for years to be officially recognized by Yale.

Chinese students are "heavily recruited by Yale to work in labs and teach undergraduates, face discrimination and double standards from administrators, often resulting in loss of jobs, student status, and visas," the statement said.

The grievance was filed after Han Xuemei, an ecology and evolutionary biology graduate student, said she had been asked to leave the university because she was in poor academic standing. She added that she had completed all required work and passed all required exams.

"As the only one Chinese student in EEB, I feel that the real reason why I am being pushed out by my department and graduate school is because of my nationality," Han wrote in a statement released Oct. 20. "[A]s one of the professor said, it takes more time to advise me, because I am an international student and doesn't speak English well enough, thus working with me means the advisor has to proofread my manuscripts and proposals while the faculty do not have the time."

On Thursday, Yale administrators "guaranteed a place in the Forestry School and promised she would continue to receive her funding," Han said in a second statement.

Several Yale administrators could not be reached or declined to comment.

Yale's chapter of GESO said the grievance provides "documented evidence of improper behaviors on the part of administrators, including intimidation, erroneous reporting of academic performance, and explicit acts of discriminatory treatment."

The grievance asks for "a permanent system of third party dispute resolution for Chinese scholars."

Support for the situation has extended through Yale's graduate student population, with 317 students signing the grievance and a demonstration being held. It has also won some professors' attention.

"Yale's research and teaching is being done by these migrant scholars, but Yale, despite its rhetoric of globalization, has yet to recognize their rights and grievances," Michael Denning, professor of American Studies at Yale wrote in statement. "An independent grievance procedure that includes representatives of the international students is a necessary step in the right direction."

Graduate students at Princeton have not taken similar action, but some said they sympathize with their colleagues.

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"I support the reaction of Yale students," Weining Man, former president of the Princeton Council for International Graduate Students, said in an email. "School administrators of all schools should pay enough attention to make sure students are treated fairly and to open more effective channels to deal with conflict between students and faculty or the graduate schools."

Though the University has not experienced a similar situation, Tian Xia GS, representative for the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, said Princeton needs to be aware of these issues.

"I think it's important that we continually reevaluate whether we are adequately addressing students' needs," she said. "Princeton University, especially the Graduate School and Graduate Student Government, are trying every effort to support and prevent discriminating international students in terms of financial aid, admission opportunity, and research work."

In her second statement, Han said, "I am very happy that Yale did the right thing by resolving my case. Now, I hope that Yale continues on the right path and agrees to the other demands in the complaint we filed establishing a fair and impartial grievance procedure, and holding a full investigation and open hearing on this pattern of discrimination."