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Bhattacharjee discusses the "gold standard"

04/24/2009

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Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles that will feature several of the contributing writers of the upcoming book, Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives. To pre-order a copy of the book, visit www.mubookstore.muohio.edu.

J. K. Bhattacharjee’s deep connection to Miami is one of the reasons Curtis W. Ellison, the editor of the upcoming book, Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives, asked him to contribute to the publication.
Bhattacharjee, professor emeritus of microbiology, could have written about the introduction of doctoral programs at Miami, his outreach to regional science teachers or a number of other subjects, but he wanted to discuss an incident that happened 20 years ago because he believed it represented Miami at its best.

“I could have written about anything on the university, but his [President Pearson’s] dealings with the Chinese students was a gold standard,” Bhattacharjee said.

On the morning of Tuesday, June 6, 1989, Bhattacharjee recalls watching the news unfold on television that showed armored vehicles trying to roll through Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China. One Chinese student stood in front of the tanks and refused to move. This caused the Chinese army to shoot into the crowd blocking the road and kill hundreds of citizens during what began as a peaceful mass protest.

The picture of the lone student was so vivid in Bhattacharjee’s mind that he called the Chinese student president at Miami. With his approval Bhattacharjee called then-President Pearson to ensure plans where being made for the Chinese students’ welfare and mental peace.

Since Bhattacharjee was a mentor for minority students and was deeply concerned, President Pearson asked him to organize a meeting with the Chinese students on campus.
During the gathering President Pearson and administrators shocked the students by giving them more than simply moral support. The university extended the time they could stay at Miami to finish their doctorate projects, helped renew visas, and they even paid for long-distance telephone calls to China.

Bhattacharjee was so proud of Miami’s response that he called it the “gold standard” for how a university should react during an emergency.
He added that he believed Miami met all these qualifications for a “perfect” response when they assisted Chinese students in the days following the Tiananmen Square massacre.

“When responding it has to be immediate, thoughtful and from the heart,” Bhattacharjee said.