Dalai Lama Campus Visit Stirs Controversy

At midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 12, hundreds of students, packed in libraries, common rooms and dorms across campus eagerly clicked through pages of Middlebury’s online box-office, hoping to score tickets to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s lecture.

Since its announcement last spring, the Dalai Lama’s visit, which will feature a talk of peace and hope, has been much anticipated by most of the community. But for many others, the matter is more complicated.

The Dalai Lama’s visit is unsettling for some Chinese students, whose home government portrays him as a divisive political enemy.

The Dalai Lama’s pending visit disturbs Yanwei Wang ’16, who is originally from central China. He viewed the free ticket as an overly confrontational method of spreading a biased, anti-Chinese perspective across campus.

“I am worried he might say things to his advantage rather than the truth,” Wang said.

“I think if the intention of the administration is to give people more knowledge, then they could arrange meetings with him ... but not invite him to the campus because [in doing so] the school assumes everyone will be happy and supportive,” he continued.

Others who remain concerned about the Dalai Lama’s visit see the event as a unique opportunity to hear a renowned, if somewhat controversial, voice who could offer a counterargument to their home country’s accepted views.

Alec Mackenzie ’15, who lived in China for 16 years before coming to Middlebury, expressed an overall enthusiasm for the Dalai Lama’s approaching visit.

“I’m really excited to see the Dalai Lama, but I also want to know what he thinks about [China],” said Mackenzie. “[In] coming from China, I never read any news about the Dalai Lama.”

Roy Wang ’16, from Xinjiang Province, China, was surprised and frightened by the upcoming visit; however, he still plans to attend the Dalai Lama’s lecture.

“It will be a good experience for me to listen to a voice other than the Chinese government,” says Wang. “Even if I cannot stand to hear what the Dalai Lama says about my county... I will stay. I will definitely want to hear what he says.”

Ye Tian ‘16, a first-year student from China, explains that while he is worried about the Dalai Lama insulting his nation, he also feels the event is intended to foster dialogue on more enduring issues than territorial bickering.

“I think [the subject of the Dalai Lama’s talk] is somehow far away from politics. I think those things are something more general, more religious or more spiritual to teach everybody,” said Tian.

The administration has said that the event is not aimed at addressing political issues, but broader spiritual matters that are easily relatable to all students. College Chaplain Laurie Jordan, who helped organize the event, claims the school takes no particular side on the question of Tibetan independence.

Though the potential concern for Chinese students was well known from the start, Jordan believes the College, as an educational institution, has the responsibility of broadening people’s horizons, which can sometimes lead to discomfort.

Jordan addressed initiatives taken to calm certain students’ worries, such as creating a list of useful advisers to talk to and a plan to speak with First-Year Councilors who may have Chinese students living in their halls.

“What we wanted to do is to have him as a high level guest ... to come and speak at the College about his wisdom or experience in a way that related to the issues of religious traditions and spirituality,” said Jordan.

Jordan also mentioned that controversial speakers have come to the College in the past, citing Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Chief Justice John Roberts and President George W. Bush’s press secretary Ari Fleischer.

According to Jordan, none of these speakers were invited to speak as a sign of support for that individual but rather as an attempt to expose students to a wide range of perspectives.

“Our motivation [in bringing the Dalai Lama] had nothing to do with politics. Our main aim was to create an event that would get a conversation going about the place of ancient wisdom in modern times,” said Jordan.