Recently, Berkeley revealed that "in the beginning of the 80's it was harder for people of Asian descent to be admitted than for Caucasians." Led by Nobel Prize winning chemistry professor Yuan T. Lee and Asian Studies professor Wang Ling-chih, students and faculty of Asian descent immediately set out to get to the bottom of things.
The school formed an investigative committee, but Asian students and faculty rejected its findings. The affair is not yet closed, but already the university chancellor has apologized several times to the Asian community. Most non-Asian students also support fair treatment for the Asian applicants. Overall, Asian power at the school cannot be ignored.
According to university statistics, every year the rate of acceptance for minorities exceeds that for Caucasians. Among minorities, over half are Asians. Of those, most are of Chinese ancestry.
When Chinese students get to Berkeley, "you feel like you've entered a familiar place," says Hsing You-tien, a grad in urban planning, "because there are so many Orien tal faces." For the past several years, in many departments of the School of Engineering, there have been a considerable number of Chinese students. Wang Yu-chun, who graduated four years ago, recalls that of the grad students of mechanical engineering in her year, exactly half the students were from Taiwan and the other half from mainland China. Students from other nations called this department "China Town." What made Wang really feel at home was that every October 10 (National day in the ROC), "Plum Flower" and other Chinese songs would be broadcast from the school bell tower.
There are many organizations for overseas Chinese students, including religious or political groups, one for already married students, and so on; more than ten in all. New students don't fear that 'there will be no one to look after me.' It is easy to find a group on campus to help solve problems of food, clothing, housing, and transportation all at once.
There is a price to pay, however. For example, mechanical engineering grads customarily treat to pizza after passing their orals. The guests can number over 100, which is painful to the purse. And when classmates are all Chinese, one's English conversation and listening ability can fall behind.
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If you get away from the crowds, the campus can be a quiet place with trickling stream and falling leaves.
Successful Ph.D. candidates who pass their orals treat for pizza.
The graduate department of Mechanical Engineering has been jocularly termed "Chinatown."
The graduate department of Mechanical Engineering has been jocularly termed "Chinatown.".
Successful Ph.D. candidates who pass their orals treat for pizza.
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