Letter to Dean of Student Affairs

24 April 2002

Dean Ko,

Because of a documented history of legal violations at National Cheng Kung
University, I
feel it necessary to sum up the legal issues that should govern your
investigation into my
grievance against Ms. Lily Chen.

My grievance is NOT against Ms. Lily Chen. Ms. Lily Chen's person is none
of my
business. And any opinion I may have, favorable or not, of Ms. Chen would
fall under the
category of gossip or hearsay.

My grievance is asking you to investigate Ms. Chen's letter. This is
different. This is a fact.

Did Ms. Chen submit this letter?
Did it contain a documented fact?
Was its substance malicious?
Did it conceal material facts (like taking other courses from me and
receving high passes)?
Was its dating suspicious, dated just after departmental dismissal action
against me?
Did it use proper channels at the proper time?
Was the letter secret?

Since the letter is the substance of my grievance against Ms. Chen, that is
the extent of your
investigation into the matter. Any other investigation is unwarranted, and,
indeed,
unsanctioned by lawful inquiry.

No professor anywhere in the world should be required to defend himself
against vague
accusations and opinions, much less those that go back more than ten years.

First, every single teacher who has ever lived has students who admire them
and those who
do not think so highly. You would be shocked to hear what my colleagues
think about some of
your colleagues, some of whom you admire.

But that's only our opinions. We don't pretend our opinions should be
"investigated."

When I ask for an investigation, I ask for an investigation into documented
facts. Ms. Chen's
letter is a documented fact. That's the extent and limit of your
investigation. My personal
opinion (and that of my colleagues) is not a documented fact; it's only an
opinion, even if it's
a shared opinion. A shared opinion does not add up to a fact,, just to many
opinions.

Try to focus on your legal duties in this investigation. And let's all of
us try to improve
democratic process at our university.

Sincerely,

Professor Richard de Canio
(06) 237 8626