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Protest Against the Display of Communist Vietnam Flag on The University of Texas at Austin's Website (Scroll down to read Documentation in English)
Phản Đối Trường Đại Học Texas tại Austin Treo Cờ VC
Gần đây, một thành viên Ban Chấp Hành Cộng Đồng Dallas đă gửi email báo động đến các Cộng Đồng Austin và các Cộng Đồng Thành Viên của Tiểu Bang Texas, cho biết trên trang web của trường Đại Học Texas ở Austin (The University of Texas at Austin) có in lá cờ Việt Cộng. Nội dung nêu ra hai vấn đề: 1- Lớp học Việt Ngữ do The Texas Languague Center của trường UT hiện do một người tên Ngô Hoàng (Hoàng Ngô?), tốt nghiệp Tiến Sĩ Đại Học Hà Nội sang giảng dạy. 2- Trang web liệt kê các lớp học Việt Ngữ có h́nh lá cờ VC ở góc trái. Lớp Việt Ngữ tại trường UT sở dĩ có được là do các vận động đầu tiên từ năm 1994 của vài nhân sĩ trong Cộng Đồng Austin và các em sinh viên, Nhưng trường UT không tuyển giáo sư trong cộng đồng Việt (dù có nhiều vị có đủ bằng cấp và khả năng; so với bằng cấp ở VN trong chế độ CS giá trị rất kém, không đáng tin cậy, do sự tuyển chọn dưa trên lư lịch, tiền bạc hối lộ, v́ Đảng CS cần Hồng hơn Chuyên). Họ mời các giáo sư từ Việt Nam qua dạy, nhưng do số sinh viên ghi danh ít ỏi, nên lúc có lúc không. Sự việc trường UT đưa lá cờ VC lên trang web chính thức cho lớp Việt Ngữ muà Hè 2011 đă gây ra phản ứng bất b́nh trong Cộng Đồng khắp nơi. Cách đây 5 năm, trường UT ở Arlington đă treo lá cờ VC tại Sănh Đường và đă đưa đến cuộc biểu t́nh phản đối của hơn 5000 người ngay trong khuôn viên trường. Kết quả, trường phải gỡ bỏ lá cờ xuống. Trong khi chờ đợi phản ứng của Ban Chấp Hành Cộng Đồng Austin, ông Đỗ Văn Phúc đă gửi ngay thư phản đối đến các vị Viện Trưởng, Phó Viện Trưởng, Giám Đốc Center for Asian Studies và Giám Đốc Texas Language Center. Đồng thời ông cũng soạn một thư Thỉnh nguyện gửi ra các giới đồng bào, các Hội Đoàn để vận động tham gia. Thư Thỉnh nguyện được posted vào ngày 21/3/2011 trên trang GoPetition sau đây:
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/44088.html
Chỉ trong ṿng một tuần, đă có hơn 1050 người vào kư và đóng góp các ư kiến. Con số gia tăng từng phút, từng giờ.
Chúng tôi xin đăng lên đây lá thư phản đối và thư Thỉnh Nguyện . Phản ứng của ông Giám Đốc Language Center là không chịu nhượng bộ. Trong thư, ong Thomas Garza viết rằng (1) lớp học nhấn mạnh những dữ kiện sau 1975!, (2) học sinh sau khi học đă đi về VN du lịch, làm việc, (3) Sinh viên có dịp sinh hoạt ngoài lớp với thầy, trợ giáo để hiểu biết thêm về sinh hoạt VN. Ngoài ra ông ta c̣n nêu lên việc lớp học sẽ bàn đến vấn đề hai lá cờ (do giảng viên VC hướng dẫn!!!???) ... Đó là những điều nguy hiểm ngoài dự kiến của chúng ta. V́ thế, chúng tôi đă gửi ngay thư để giải thích tường tận từng điểm một trong thư của ông Garza.
Chiều ngày 29 thảng 3, 2011, Trường UT đă hủy bỏ lá cờ Việt Cộng và thay vào đó Bản Đồ Nước Việt Nam. Quư vị có thể kiểm chứng bằng cách click vào trang web sau. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/tlc/SLI/Vietnamese-Language-Program.php ________________________________________________________________________________________
Thư Phản Đối gửi các Giới Chức của Trường UT/Austin
March 19, 2011
To: The President of The University of Texas at Austin Center for Asian Studies The Texas Language Center
Subject: Vietnamese Language Class
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Michael Do, a UT Graduate with B.S. in Electrical Engineering. I am a Vietnamese American Community activist and writer. In about 1996, I had a chance to officially meet with Mr. Vice President of UT regarding the Vietnamese Studies Program at UT since the number of Vietnamese American students had been grown critically. I am very glad that today, there are some Vietnamese Language Classes at UT campus. Of more than 20000 Vietnamese Americans who are living in Austin and its vicinity, the great majority of us are refugees who oppose the Communist regime in Vietnam. Thus, we always expect that the Vietnamese classes be taught by teachers who come from our community. There are many of us who are qualified to teach Vietnamese language. We have people with high education, background, and experience in this field. We are very sad to learn that UT invited a teacher from Communist Vietnam to handle the Vietnamese Classes. Recently, we saw on a UT official website the schedule of his classes and on top of the webpage, somebody displays the red flag with yellow star of Communist Vietnam. http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/tlc/SLI/Vietnamese-Language-Program.php Looking at this flag make us very upset. For more than 35 years since the Vietnamese refugees came to this country, we have unceasingly tried to prove our identity as Vietnamese patriots against the existing Communist regime in Vietnam. Our Yellow background with three red stripes flag has gained the recognition from many States, Counties and Cities over the nation. We are requesting the UT to offer the teaching job in Vietnamese Studies/Language to the qualified people from our community. We are very disappointed to see our children to be taught by our political opposing instructors who might carry our communist propaganda to poison our children..
Please, take this matter in serious consideration as we always have trust in the University of Texas.
Yours, Respectfully
________________________________________________________________________________________
Thư đăng trên Petition Online
From: Concerned Vietnamese American Citizens
To: The President of University of Texas at Austin The Director of Center for Asian Studies at UT/Austin The Director of The Texas Language Center
Subject: Vietnamese Language Course and Instructors
Dear Sir/Madam,
We, undersigned, are Vietnamese American citizens living in the United States.
1. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, millions of Vietnamese have fled the country because they don’t accept the Communist regime. 2. As refugees, we always embrace our wishes to restore the democracy and freedom to our fellow people in Vietnam. 3. We have tried so hard to keep our identity as Vietnamese against the Communism. Our heritage flag (the Yellow Background and three Red stripes) was recognized by Texas State, Travis County and City of Austin in 2004. It was also recognized by scores of States, counties, and cities all over the nation. 4. There are thousands of Vietnamese American students at the University of Texas, whose parents are refugees from Communist Vietnam. We expect that they will be taught Vietnamese language by instructors from our community. 5.- The facts that Mr. Hoang Ngo – from Communist Vietnam with different political background and perspective - has been teaching our children; and the Communist flag displayed on the official website of UT/Austin, we consider these are an offense and challenge to our community
Therefore
1. We are expressing our disagreement to the fact that our children are taught by our politically opposing side. This instructor may carry out some communist propaganda to distort the Vietnamese history and culture, in line with Communist ideology. 2. We are respectfully requesting the University of Texas to replace any Vietnamese instructors by Vietnamese Americans who are best qualified to the job, that we believe there are many in Austin. 3. We are respectfully requesting the University of Texas to promptly remove the Communist Vietnam flag on the UT website. A friendly reminder: the display of a Communist Vietnam Flag at UT Arlington sparked a protest by 5000 Vietnamese American right at the campus on May 30, 2006.
We are very thankful to your concern and fair resolution in this sensitive matter.
Respectfully yours, ________________________________________________________________________________________
Thư của ông Thomas Garza Giám Đốc Texas Language Center
March 24, 2011 Dear Mr. Michael Do,
First, it is important that I put the Vietnamese course in the context of our larger Institute. This year, the Texas Language Center is piloting a summer program to teach languages in an intensive, semi--censored-‐immersion, in--censored-‐residence format. That is, students will not only take the regular course of instruction during the day, they will also live in language corridors in the Dobie Residence Hall, together with a resident Teaching Assistant, who will have meals with the students, coordinate language activities in the evening, and tutor the students. In this semi--censored-‐immersion format, successful student will be able to fulfill the language requirement in only one summer.
In such an intensive environment, it is important that we immerse and surround the students with the current, contemporary, authentic linguistic, cultural, and social artifacts of the relevant countries being studied. Thus, for the student of Vietnamese language and culture, it is critical that students be made aware of current variant of the language that is spoken in Vietnam, as recognized by the United States since 1995, and represented by the US Department of State through embassies in both of our countries.
In addition, we have found that a significant number of our students who have completed instruction in Vietnamese at UT in the past have either travelled to Vietnam, or even sought employment there. For such students, accurate knowledge of post--censored-‐1975 Vietnam is essential Our instructors are all fully aware of the requirements of teaching an intensive course, and come to us recommended through their respective departments and all have extensive --censored-‐--censored-‐ and successful --censored-‐--censored-‐ teaching experience.. They are native or near--censored-‐native speakers of the languages and are fully trained in pedagogy, as well as in the language and culture of instruction.
The Texas Language Center stands behind the decisions of our separate language departments to select the most qualified professors to provide quality instruction to our students.
The flags we use on our Center’s website for promotion of the Summer Language Institute are taken directly from the official State Department web pages for each country represented in our program. They are displayed to identify the countries in which the languages we offer are spoken as a native language.
I personally deeply regret any ill feelings that the Vietnamese flag might provoke. I, myself, studied Russian at a time when several of my émigré instructors were offended by the use of the Soviet flag in our textbooks; however, even they admitted that the flag displaying the hammer and sickle was the official flag of the Soviet Union.
I can, however, assure you that in the course of the Vietnamese program offered in the Summer Language Institute, the subject of the Vietnamese--censored-‐American heritage population – including its own flag officially recognized in Texas – will be addressed in the class.
I agree with you that addressing the history of Vietnam and its people is an important part of understanding the current society and country. As the Texas House Resolution 258 regarding the status of the Vietnam Freedom and Heritage Flag, our country is a “welcoming haven of liberty and tolerance,” I stand committed that our summer courses be tolerant of all perspectives when teaching language and culture.
I hope that you might now better understand the very focused pedagogical goals of our Summer Language Institute, and the importance of focusing our instruction on the acquisition of the most current linguistic and cultural realia of each of the five languages we will teach.
Given that Vietnamese was nearly eliminated from our curriculum this past year, I hope that you will see how important it is to all of us that the language is again being taught in our Institute. We have every intention of maintaining the highest pedagogical and practical standards this summer to insure that our students receives the highest caliber of instruction and are able to attain impressive levels of functional proficiency in the language.
Respectfully yours,
__________________________________________________________________________________
Thư Trả Lời ông Garza
March 27, 2011
To: Mr. Thomas Garza Director of Texas Language Center.
Subject: Vietnamese Language Class
Dear Mr. Garza,
Thank you for your letter explaining the situation of Vietnamese Language Class. I am responding to several critical points in your reply from top down.
1.- As mentioned in your letter,” the students will also live in language corridors in the Dobie Residence Hall, together with a resident Teaching Assistant, who will have meals with the students, coordinate language activities in the evening, and tutor the students…” We agree that this is a good opportunity for them to practice and improve their skill and knowledge in Vietnamese culture. But we are very discomfort if the teacher or TA is from Communist Vietnam. Not only in political viewpoint, but in every aspect of life – including culture- the Communists have opposite perspective to ours. No sooner than they had taken the power, the Communists uprooted our social bonds, traditional morality, religion beliefs, to enforce their doctrine which proved a “sad and bizarre chapter of humankind history” (as said by Late President Ronald Reagan) 2.- We all know that the United States is having diplomatic relationship with Vietnam. The fact that American citizens visit, work, and invest in Vietnam is normal and legal. But as refugees victimized by the Communism, we discourage our fellow Vietnamese Americans to do anything to help our enemy. We are very sad and disappointed to know that students – upon completion the class – “travelled to Vietnam, or even sought employment there”. 3.- In your letter, you mention “ accurate knowledge of post--censored-‐1975 Vietnam is essential”. The history and culture of Vietnam have spanned thousands of years. Thirty five years under Communism will certainly give students the false impression on our people and culture. Even during and long after the Vietnam War, mass media and textbooks in the United States have reflected misunderstanding on Vietnam situation that we are trying to correct. 4.- Regarding the flag issue, you wrote: “… the subject of the Vietnamese--censored-‐American heritage population – including its own flag officially recognized in Texas – will be addressed in the class.” Sir, how can we be comfortable to have a teacher from Communist Vietnam to address this issue?
I am one of the people who requested to open this class sixteen years ago. But as long as the instructor is from Vietnam, I would rather not have it than let it be taught by our political opponent.
Respectfully yours,
Michael Do
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