Text | "China Science Daily" reporter Li Chenyang intern Zhou Peiying
Edit | He Tao
Recently, Columbia University in the United States revoked the 2022 graduate admission qualification of a Chinese student. The notification email circulating on the Internet showed that the reason was that the student made violent threats about the New York subway shooting on WeChat.
Gabrielle Gannon, director of graduate admissions office at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, signed the decision. The school will also refund the tuition fees paid in advance by the students.
Previously, some self-media said that after receiving an offer from Columbia University, the student made quite fierce remarks against Americans in the WeChat circle of friends.
In this regard, China Science News learned from a number of insiders that there are untruths in the information transmitted on the Internet.
On April 12, at least 29 people were injured in a shooting at a brooklyn subway station in New York, many of them Chinese passengers and Chinese students.
In response to this incident, the student did not "mouth hi" in the circle of friends, but made remarks in the freshman group of Chinese students. The specific language is also different from the online transmission, and the violent rhetoric is mainly aimed at people who "discriminate against Asians".
Subsequently, the remarks were directly reported to the school by the group members.
Interview with Admissions Office Director Gannon in the China Science Daily contact notice. Robert Hornsby, director of Columbia's Office of Media Relations, on behalf of the school, declined to comment on the matter.
"This is very common abroad." Guo Yingjian, a professor at the School of Foreign Chinese at Chinese Min University, said in an interview with China Science News.
At the same time, he pointed out that with the changes in the international situation and the public opinion environment, western societies have been particularly sensitive to historical events, practical issues, international hotspots and other issues in recent years, and the "threshold" for students to be punished for making remarks is also decreasing.
The following are the main interviews:
"China Science News": Foreign universities revoke their admission letters, is this common situation?
Guo Yingjian:
This situation is common abroad.
If you log on to the official website of a foreign university, rescinding admissions will generally be placed in the various policies related to admissions. In other words, this is all a matter of policy.
"Revocation of Admission" statement on the official website of Harvard University
This is both a power possessed by universities and a right reserved by universities to safeguard their own interests. These policies also help close loopholes in the gaokao and graduate application systems.
Explanation on the official website of Columbia University regarding the revocation of admission
As can be seen from Columbia University's "Answers to Student Questions", the university clearly states that the school has the right to withdraw the admission notice in the following situations: the student's grades have dropped significantly or failed to graduate; the student's failure to truthfully state his situation during the application process; and the student's behavior before admission indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity.
The online case is clearly touching on the last of them.
"China Science News": In order to prevent "bamboo baskets from hitting the water empty", students who have already received offers from famous foreign universities, what are the minefields that need special attention?
Guo Yingjian:
In fact, Columbia's answer has pointed out several of the most typical cases in which foreign universities withdraw their admissions.
First, scores decline after early admission. Those who enter prestigious schools are top students, and many of them have been given the opportunity to be admitted early. Some people are admitted early and stop studying seriously, resulting in a decline in grades. This is the most important reason for being disqualified.
Second, academic achievements and other fraud. British and American universities are mainly application-oriented, and if students submit false materials in the declaration and make misleading, incomplete or inaccurate statements academically, they are likely to be withdrawn from their admission notices.
Third, the applicant's character issues. Although the United States advocates freedom of speech and personal freedom, in recent years, all those who have improper words and deeds, once the colleges and universities learn and verify, will not hesitate to withdraw the admission notice. Even if the student has already entered the school, the school has the power to revoke the admission notice or even revoke the degree.
It should be noted that foreign countries are mainly very sensitive to factors such as gender discrimination, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and verbal violence, and adopt a zero-tolerance attitude towards those who use physical violence in reality.
What's more, in recent years, some students have been punished by schools because they have expressed views different from the mainstream on historical events, practical issues, international hot topics and other topics, and on the whole, they have shown a trend of becoming more and more likely to "step on the thunder".
"China Science News": Is there also such a temporary withdrawal of offers in domestic universities? What are the usual reasons?
Guo Yingjian:
This has to be divided into two levels, as far as the college entrance examination admission college students are concerned, there is almost no temporary revocation of the admission notice, but there are at the graduate level.
Because graduate school admissions are public. Publicity is to find problems, correct problems, and leave room for revocation of admission.
On the mainland, there have been many cases of prospective graduate students being revoked from their admission notices. The most common causes are also material fraud, exam cheating, etc.
As for students' improper remarks and improper words and deeds on the self-media, it is a blank for mainland colleges and universities to examine students. Unless the candidate's speech and behavior involve violations of laws and regulations, most of our colleges and universities will not consider such factors.
However, there is a case in China recently: after a female student was admitted to Beijing University of Technology through the examination for graduate school, she made some inappropriate remarks on Weibo and was reported by netizens. It can be seen that in Chinese universities, students' real-life performance will also be more and more valued.
"China Science News": Some people question whether colleges and universities, as the main body of teaching and educating people, directly cancel the qualifications of students to be admitted, whether it is "killing without teaching"?
Guo Yingjian:
One of the purposes of university education is to send qualified people to society. The people in the achievements and materials are the past and the past; the people who speak out in the self-media are the real people who live and appear, so they can better reflect the actual character of this person and should not be taken lightly.
The school has the responsibility for further examination of the students who have been admitted but have not yet entered the school, and the candidates who have misspoken and behaved will be punished in a timely manner by revoking the admission, which will undoubtedly be remembered by the candidates for life.
To say that this is "killing without teaching" is really not to see that such a punishment is one of the ways of education.
"China Science News": There are also people who are worried that a heavy blow to a momentary "mouth hi" on social networks will easily ruin a young person's life.
Guo Yingjian:
As a young person, it is a pity that I said something I should not have said in a moment of anger, so I was revoked from admission and even affected my life. But adults are responsible for their words and deeds, and there's nothing to say about that.
But at the same time, we should also pay special attention to the fact that, in addition to the clear red line of violating national laws and regulations, there should be certain norms to determine which words and deeds are recognized as wrong and unacceptable to universities and society.
What I am most worried about is that in the face of public events or international hot spots, especially some issues that are difficult to conclude in society and even in academia, if a candidate publishes a personal opinion that is inconsistent with the views of others, or is not in line with the mainstream views at that time, will he also be treated incorrectly, and even bear the consequences of being revoked?
In fact, we know that many events do not have a fixed correct view, and even often reverse, but if the candidate is handled at that time, it is difficult to be corrected in the future.
China Science Daily: So, do you have any suggestions for students who are ready to apply for offers or graduate school?
Guo Yingjian:
Be a good person, do a good job of learning, and strive to match words with deeds.