美国ASA学院文理系主任的公开信

长岛华裔美国人协会，

你们也许已经知道，由于前院长的某些行为所引起的法律纠纷，ASA学院被某些媒体描述为前途未卜的学校。直接地说，ASA学院前院长由于工作场所性骚扰指控而被本校董事会调查。 此调查所发生的大背景是，我们和公众都希望我们的工作场所更加安全，更少的女姓受到不公正的待遇。我现在可以毫无保留地告诉你们，ASA学院具有并且坚决支持性别平等政策。我也可以直接告诉你们，我们前院长已经主动决定辞职和退休。我们坚信，我们学院对培养学生的执着追求，会使有资格进入学院的学生，无论他们来自何种文化背景，无论男女，都将享有最好的机会，而成为他们社区里的专业人士和领军人物。

ASA学院宗旨之一，便是创造一个积极向上为人服务的教学环境，帮助女性改善她们的经济能力。数十年来的教学与帮助学生寻找工作机会的历史充分验证了这一宗旨。

·         2018年被选为最佳学生获奖者有六人，其中五位是女学生。这些学生年龄不同，来自不同的文化与家庭背景，但他们都得到了最高分数，获得了优异评价。这绝不是偶然的。

·         在美国国会，不到百分之十八的议员为女性，到目前为止尚未有女性被选为总统，女性只得到相同工作的男性的百分之八十工资。在这样的国家里，ASA学院有一位女性代任院长，而且领导层中一半是女性。

·         我们学院的学术政策、灵活的课程安排和课外辅导时间都是为了使非传统学生有更多的机会接受教育并且得以毕业。我们学院的学生百分之六十三是女生。

·         同时，我们相信，在为所有的男人和女人建设一个更美好的、更平等世界努力中，高等学校发挥着重要的作用。

学院董事会在充分考虑了学院的宗旨、教职员工以及所有学生之后，对有关学院前院长的指控进行了调查，并与前院长达成一致意见，即无论结果如何，更换领导层将对学院更加有益。

·         我们前院长主动辞去职务并退休，以保证我们学院继续为学生保持一个积极向上的有益环境。

·         现时没有任何执法机关、或者政府机构、或者证书授权机构对我们学院进行调查。任何与此不符的报道都是毫无根据和完全错误的。

·         在证书授权机构的眼里，我们学院处于良好状态。即使在媒体报道我们学院的事情之后，他们刚刚审批了我们于2018 八月上报的建立另一个校区的请求。ASA学院的领导层已经表明，他们将遵守最高标准，为学生保持一个最好的学习环境。

ASA学院有明确的宗旨，那就是为不同背景的具有一定资格的学生提供教育机会，为他们创造最好的环境，使他们成为具有责任心的专业人士，成为社区的顶梁人才。

·         我们接受了无数的不被其他公校或私校所授受的所谓的非传统学生。我们帮助他们重新站立起来，并走上了通往专业人才的道路。

·         众所周知，像我们这样的私立学校需要经过更严格的审查，这使得我们学院经过努力通过了多重政府审查，包括我们向学生所做的承诺及其政府资助款项。

·         我们必须要指出的是，在有关前院长的事情发生之后，我们从未更改我们的政府资助政策，也从未因此被罚款过。

·         而且，我们有很多学生转学至数十个其它两年制或四年制学校，从CUNY到歌伦比亚大学都接受我们的学分。还有很多学生凭着ASA学院的学位而找到很好的工作。

不幸的是，最近在长岛华裔美国人协会之中有传闻说，我们学院的崇高宗旨被最近的对前院长的内部调查而玷污了。这完全是不实之词。

·         事实上，我们的学生与教授很少与前院长有过接触，而且他对我们的日常教学工作没有明显影响。他的离开对学校的宗旨没有任何影响。

·         从学院招生状况来看，我们学院近几年一直都有很好的招生人数。我们每年任何时候都提供完整的课程体系。

·         我们的教学及学期情况也与CUNY和其它本地学院一样。它们在夏季也都有四天工作日制度。当学生回到校园开始秋季学期的时候，学校的一切设施都崭亮一新，而且配备最好的教授。

我可以向你们保证，ASA学院将全力配合公众的调查。我们也将坚决地保卫我们自己，我们有能力创造一个积极向上的、为学生服务的教学环境。

真诚地，

Frank Zhu
(华裔美国教授，ASA学院文理系主任)

To the Long Island Chinese American Association Community,

As you may know, ASA College has been described in the media as being an unstable institution due to legal matters regarding the behavior of the former president. Specifically, the former president of ASA College has been investigated by the college’s own board of trustees with respect to charges of workplace sexual harassment. This investigation took place in the context of our new era of awareness, in which we’re seeking to make workplaces safer and less unfairly gendered towards women. I write now to state unambiguously that ASA College supports gender equality, to share candid information about our former president’s voluntary decision to resign and retire, and to affirm our steadfast belief that our diverse and qualified student population, female and male, will have the best opportunity to become responsible professionals and pillars of their communities as a result of ASA’s lifelong commitment to their flourishing.

One aim of ASA College’s mission – affirmed and reinforced through decades of education and job placement – is to foster an uplifting and supportive community for women seeking to improve their economic stability:

·         Representing the best of our institution, the group of finalists for our 2018 Valedictory award, was a group of students six students, five of whom were female. These students, who had diverse ages, backgrounds, and family situations, all earned perfect grades and built stellar resumes while at ASA.

·         In a country where less than eighteen percent of congress is female, and where women make eighty cents to every dollar a man makes for equivalent work, ASA College has an acting female president and over half of the leadership positions in the College are held by women.

·         Our academic policies, scheduling flexibility, and competitive tuition have all been shaped in part by our desire to make education accessible and fruitful for our non-traditional students, 63% of which are female. 

·         We believe that institutions of higher learning have a role in making the world a better, more equitable place for all people, men and women alike.

With our mission, employees, and students in mind, our board of trustees investigated reports and claims about our former president and then shared with him with the widely held viewpoint that irrespective of the outcomes of any charges leveled against him, it would be more productive to pass the leadership of the College onto the afore mentioned academic leadership team:

·         Our former president voluntarily resigned and retired in order to ensure that our College remained a supportive and uplifting environment for all students.

·         There is no external investigation currently being carried out by law enforcement, government agencies, or accrediting bodies.  Any report to the contrary is evidentially and demonstrably misleading.

·         The College is in good standing with the accrediting agency that just approved the College's additional location in August 2018, after the article in the media.

ASA College has a stated mission of educating our diverse and qualified student population, in order to provide them with the best opportunity to become responsible professionals and pillars of their communities:

·         In enumerable cases, we have accepted non-traditional, so called “last chance u” students – those who have felt lost and unnoticed at larger public and private institutions – and we have helped them regain their footing on their paths to productive professional lives.

·         The fact that private colleges of our designation receive enhanced scrutiny ensures that our College has passed several government audits with respect to what we promise students and the financial aid that they receive.

·         It bears saying that we have never had to change our financial aid policies, and we have never been fined for them.

·         Moreover, our students have transferred their credits to scores of two and four year colleges, from CUNY to Columbia University, and have also found promising careers with their ASA degrees alone.

Unfortunately, it was recently reported to the Long Island Chinese American Association Community that this noble and effective academic mission was imperiled. This is patently false.

·         From a practical standpoint, our students and instructors rarely ever interacted with the former president, and he had no noticeable influence over the day-to-day education that the school provided. His absence has not negatively impacted the mission of the school in any way.

·         From the position of institutional health, it is clear that the College has maintained consistent or improved enrollment for several years while offering a full array of courses at all times of year.

·         Our semester by semester staffing has paralleled CUNY and other local colleges, which all have four-day-weeks during the summer. When students return to campus for the October semester start, they will find renovated classrooms and bathrooms, and the best faculty returning from years past.

I want to assure you that while ASA College will cooperate fully with the inquiries conducted by the public, we also will vigorously defend our ability to create a supportive and uplifting academic community.

Sincerely,

Frank Zhu
Chairperson, Arts and Sciences Division, ASA College