At 1:00 p.m. on October 5, 2001, the Convocation to Commemorate the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Founding of Yale University was held at Yale's Cross Campus in New Haven, Connecticut. As a tribute to Yale's liberal spirit of openness and concern for mankind, the organizers of the convocation arranged for a flag procession in which representatives of students from 115 different nations came marching in holding their national flags in hand. Also fluttering in the bright afternoon sunshine were the flags of Yale University and its various schools, departments, and research institutes. It made for an imposing spectacle. And the best part of all was that the ROC was among them, equal in status to all the others!

It was the first time that the ROC flag had ever been on display at an official function of one of America's Ivy League schools since the ROC withdrew from the United Nations in 1971. This deeply significant achievement came as the result of active campaigning by all the students from Taiwan at Yale University.

The success was by no means a foregone conclusion. A similar case at Harvard University, another Ivy League school, did not lead to the same happy result. Harvard had also arranged to have the national flags of all its students put on display at the school's graduation ceremony in May 2001, but because of interference by the People's Republic of China, Harvard decided that the US government's "one China policy" meant that the ROC flag should not be displayed. Students from Taiwan responded by sewing the ROC flag into their graduation robes, which they wore as they ascended the stage to accept their diplomas.

Although some individual departments at Harvard displayed the ROC flag at their separate graduation ceremonies, that could not compare with the official acceptance of our flag by Yale University at its anniversary celebration.

Because of what happened at Harvard, right up until October 5 we were unsure how Yale would handle the situation. We were worried that they might follow Harvard's lead, or perhaps ask us to fly the same "Chinese Taipei" flag that we fly at the Olympics.

Yang Shu-yuan, the president of the Yale Taiwan Student Association (YTSA), held firmly to a policy of "moderate but determined insistence" on displaying the official ROC flag. We decided to contact the university president and remind him that the anniversary event was going to be a celebration of Yale University's traditions of academic independence and liberalism. YTSA members Yen Shou-chih and Li Hui-yi contacted the Yale Office of International Students and Scholars (Yale OISS), which was in charge of the international flag procession. Appealing to OISS director Ann Kuhlman, they stated that Yale students from the ROC deserve completely equal status with students from other countries. They further stressed Yale University's status as an independent academic institution; since the school's anniversary celebrations did not constitute a political or diplomatic event, its activities need not be affected by policies of the US government or the United Nations.

Yale OISS put the request on the agenda for its meeting on September 26. Late that evening they sent an e-mail to inform us that a representative of "Taiwan" would be present at the flag procession. A direct response to our query! And it had come much more quickly than we were expecting. We speculated that we must have benefited from the strong support of a certain heavyweight official at Yale. The problem, however, was that the dress rehearsal on October 4 was still some time away. We were concerned that the decision might be overturned in the meantime. We kept on worrying right up until 12:30 p.m. on October 5, when we finally got word just 30 minutes ahead of the ceremony that Yale OISS had received an official ROC flag.

Starting on College Street, the international students marched in double file, flags in hand, past bleachers on Yale Cross Campus. Upon reaching the speakers' platform outside Sterling Library, the two rows of flag bearers turned one to the left and one to the right, and arrayed the flags on either side of Cross Campus.

As the national representatives filed in and the ROC flag came into view, a white-haired American professor thrilled us all by calling out in Mandarin: "Hello, ROC!" Many Yale professors and students told us they were happy that the university had invited us to take part with our national flag, and said that Yale University, by according equal treatment to all international students, had fully lived up to its motto: Lux et Veritas (light and truth).

Later we found out that Yale's president, Professor Richard C. Levin, had played a key role in ensuring that Yale maintained its independence and impartiality as an academic institution. Right up to October 4, many students from mainland China were lodging furious protests with Dr. Levin. They said he was "pushing a two China policy." But Levin stated that since the school had invited all the international students to take part together in the anniversary celebration, the event should naturally include "all" the international students, and all should be treated as equals. That is how we managed to take our own flag to the ceremony.

Interestingly, a lot of American students started wondering why the United States and mainland China needed to have a "one China" policy at all, since there is no such thing as a "one Japan" policy or a "one Canada" policy. They agreed with the view of students from Taiwan, who pointed out that the very existence of a one China policy only highlights the reality of a (52-year) co-existence of two separate Chinas. And the ROC flag gave quiet, clear proof that the ROC was an official participant at the Yale anniversary celebration.

The event was also attended by Harvard University president Lawrence H. Summers and Princeton University president Shirley M. Tilghman. We hope that the precedent set at Yale on October 5, 2001, will serve as a guidepost for other academic organizations, for it would make it easier for our students and scholars to take part actively in international activities. It would also increase the likelihood that the international community may develop a proper understanding of our country, and give us equal treatment.

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Flag bearers from more than 100 countries assemble on College Street, preparing to march across the Yale campus. Before the ceremony, ROC flag bearer Yen Shou-chih poses here with the flag bearer for Singapore. (photo by Yeh Chen-chen)

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The ROC flag takes its place among the flags of the world on Yale Cross Campus at the school's 300th anniversary celebration. Yale President Richard C. Levin is shown here addressing the audience. (photo by Hsu Li-yu)