11/2/2013: When the Dalai Lama came to speak at UO this spring, I was told by several Chinese undergraduates that they were afraid to go, because they believed that the Chinese government had informers among the students, who would report them. One said he would go anyway, but only because he was one of the few with a green card. In the US, a green card is a permit allowing a foreign national to live and work permanently in the US. Did you know that under United States immigration law, foreign nationals can obtain a family-based Green Card if they are related to a US citizen or permanent resident (Green Card holder)? Consequently, Form i-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) is a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form that is used to prove a valid family relationship exists between a foreign national intending to immigrate to the United States and a US citizen or permanent resident. For more information about form I-130, check out the Nova Credit website. So, what does this mean for university students? ODE reporter Sami Edge had a story on the issue. Here’s a report from The Nation on another way the Chinese government attempts to influence control over US universities – through its Confucius Institutes. The webpage for UO’s CI is here.
Is this true for UO, too? Can UO sign a non-public contract or does UO have to publicize the agreement?
“The two parties to the agreement will regard this agreement as a secret document, and without written approval from the other party, no party shall ever publicize, reveal, or make public, or allow other persons to publicize, reveal, or make public materials or information obtained or learned concerning the other party, except if publicizing, revealing, or making it public is necessary for one party to the agreement to carry out its duties under the agreement.”
Btw, working with such entities puts UO admin’s perspective on academic freedom and freedom of speech into a new light. Brave new world…
Phil Knight: 200 million?
Gabon: 20 million?
Department of Defense grants: xx millions
Title VI: 1 million?
Confucius Institute: 500K?
Truth in numbers: Who has control? Where do secrets lie?
“Where do secrets lie?”
The best ones are in the open.
The Nation article is very interesting; I second the recommendation to check it out!
I agree. Read the Nation article. Why are we embracing this kind of thing?