Spring Break
A Chinese Perspective
Why We Support the Administration's Existing Flag Policy
Shaohui Chen (RC), Tao Chen (OB), Tong Chen (OD), Yiwen Jin (RC), Zhong Li (EC), Wilson Lu (OF), Ech
Issue date: 1/20/09 Section: News
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Two questions are implicated in the current controversy surrounding the display of national flags in HBS classrooms: (1) should the HBS administration regulate flag displays in classrooms, and (2) if so, what should be the appropriate policy on the display of national flags, particularly with respect to the so-called ROC flag.
To answer the first question, we must ask ourselves why national flags are displayed in HBS classrooms in the first place. For many years, the school administration has allowed and encouraged RC students to display national flags in their section classrooms in order to showcase and celebrate the diversity of the school's student body. Over time, the display of national flags has become a hallmark of HBS classrooms and an integral part of the HBS experience. However, the significance of the flag displays does not change the undisputed fact that HBS classrooms remain to be the property of Harvard University and the administration has the legal right to regulate what can be displayed in these classrooms.
Experiences in the past have repeatedly demonstrated that regulating what can be displayed in HBS classrooms is in fact essential for safeguarding the sacred "HBS experience." Students with a wide range of political opinions and national identities sought to use the flag displays for purposes completely unrelated to the original intent of this noble tradition. Regulation has become absolutely necessary because the school administration cannot allow individuals to create a politically hostile environment for other students sharing the same classrooms. Moreover, MBA students must be cognizant of the fact that HBS classrooms are also used by many attendees of executive education programs, case protagonists, guest speakers and potential employers. As HBS expands its influence internationally, a large number of these aforementioned visitors today are foreign nationals, many of whom are even government officials. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to the integrity of the school's reputation for us to ensure that classrooms on this campus are places where international norms are respected and followed.
Having concluded that the school must regulate the display of national flags inside classrooms, we then ask ourselves what policy should be the appropriate policy, particularly with respect to the so-called ROC flag, which a number of students from Taiwan have insisted on displaying in their section classrooms.
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