Exodus of Asian-American faculty worries some

JOHN YI/YH Mary-Li Hsu left Yale for Manhattan Community College.

The controversy over faculty diversity may have temporarily died down, but Yale's Asian-American community is experiencing a quiet exodus from the University. Eight departures of Asian professors and administrators over the past year has left Yale's Asian-American students looking for guidance and questioning Yale's commitment to an increased diversity of senior faculty. The departures have translated into losses in various aspects of life for most Asian-American students at Yale. The exodus of professors leaves a tremendous gaping hole in Yale's Asian-American Studies curriculum, while the absence of the cultural dean of Asian-Americans and of Asian-American administrators and professors in other departments drastically depletes available sources of guidance and cultural representation for studentson Yale's faculty .

Over the summer, Mary-Li Hsu, SY '80, assistant dean and director of the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC), left her position at Yale to become the Dean of Students at Manhattan Community College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Hsu is only one of a significant number of Asian-Americans, many of whom were also AACC board members, who have left Yale just this past year. Four professors have vacated their positions and accepted offers at other universities—psychology professors Woo Kyoung Ahn and Marvin Chun; physics professor Steve Shu; and Asian-American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration professor Brian Hayashi. Two administrators have also left— Leslie Hatamiya of the General Counsel office and former associate Provost Arline McCord. Ronald Sakai, GRD '65, whom Yale appointed for one year, has left to teach at Darmouth this year.

Hsu stresses her commitment to public education and desire to be closer to her husband, rather than any dissatisfaction with Yale, as her reason for leaving. "I have long had a commitment to public education, in part, because I have been the beneficiary of it. I was having a good time at Yale, and didn't want to leave unless a cool opportunity came up. And here it is," she said. Christopher Pan, DC '98, advisory committee member and this summer's resident director of the Yale-China program, will serve as the acting director of the AACC. The search for a permanent dean and AACC director will begin in October.

Although Hsu stated that her resignation was due only to the CUNY job offer, and others that left have not spoken out, some Yale students and faculty believe that the departures are more than just coincidences. Lee Wang, BK '00, head of the Tenure Action Coalition and Student Coalition for Diversity (SCD) believes that "Yale has had some trouble keeping its ethnic deans. [Dean Hsu's] position was conflictive. You may want things to change, but you're still an employee of the University. Things moved slower here than she would have liked. One glaring example was the Asian-American studies program." Wang also drew attention to the academic losses that students will suffer with the loss of professors with expertise in Asian studies such as Hayashi. She explained that Ronald Sakai's classes had accounted for "90 percent of our Asian-American studies offerings."

Jack Hasegawa, former General Secretary of Dwight Hall and AASA adviser, is currently the AACC advisory board chair and the project manager for school desegregation at the Connecticut State Department of Education. He believes Yale has not made a comprehensive effort to expand the Asian-American studies program. "At Yale, the junior faculty almost always leave, so it's not surprising that many Asian-American faculty have resigned. However, even when there are opportunities for appointments in Asian-American studies, why are we still lacking the professors?" Pan added, "It would please me to see more minority representation among the faculty, administration and staff, so they reflect the student body."

Hayashi left Yale for Kyoto University in Japan last year. To replace him, the American Studies and History departments decided to hire two junior Asian-American studies professors using a senior professor appointment. When Dartmouth heard of Sakai's intention to serve as a visiting professor this year, they offered him a tenure track position that Yale was unable to match.

Bryan Wolf, DIV '71, GRD '77, director of undergraduate studies of the American Studies department, sees the lack of minority faculty as one of the department's major concerns. "The University is deeply committed to employing faculty of color, but that is very different from whether or not the necessary structures are in place to hire and permanently keep these professors. If they find that Yale doesn't provide the right kind of environment for their issues, then they will leave," he said.

Hsu's resignation and the loss of other Asian administrators and professors from many departments come at a significant juncture in the progress of the cultural presence of Yale's Asian-American population . This year is the 30-year anniversary of AASA. Yale will host this year's East Coast Asian Student Union (ECASU) conference, which will gather thousands of Asian-American students from the eastern seaboard. "[Dean Hsu] was our most vocal supporter in the Administration. She was always rooting for us. If we ever had any problems, she was our strongest supporter. We're going to miss her activism and wisdom," ECASU chair Frank Lau, BR '02, said.

Joanne Rim GRD '00, former assistant director of the AACC under Hsu, feels that Asian Americans voices at Yale are not always heard. "[Hsu's decision] was sudden; it's a terrible loss. I don't think Yale will be able to find anyone as conscientious or knowledgeable about Asian-American issues." Rim added, "I don't think the Administration's view of Asian-Americans was particularly positive. They didn't think we had real issues. But I wouldn't say that was the sole reason [Hsu] left."

Hsu's departure, though amicable, is undoubtedly a high-profile loss for Yale's Asian-American community. When cumulatively added to the numerous additional departures this past year, her position is indicative of what appears to be a troubling set of circumstances for Asian-Americans at Yale. "It's definitely going to affect us," said Dustin Khiem, SM '01, president of the Korean American Students of Yale (KASY). "It was great having someone who was always at the [AASA] meetings, someone who knows a lot about the Asian American community."

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