Some college professors have offered their support to students who took part in the overnight protest at the Legislative Yuan over the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement by saying that they are more than willing to teach extra classes to make up for time that the students miss to participate in the event.
National Taiwan University assistant professor Chen Po-chan (陳伯楨) said 10 students were missing from his class yesterday, but added that he would not mark them as absent if they were participating in the protest.
Chen said he would rather encourage students to join social events because it presented good learning opportunities, adding that he would be glad to provide make-up classes for those that were absent due to the event.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Shih Hsin University Department of Graphic Communications and Digital Publishing associate professor Chen Shuei-sheng (陳學聖) also said he would be glad to provide extra classes.
Chen Hsueh-sheng made special mention of how the Wild Lilies student movement (野百合學運) of the 1990s had made significant changes to the then-National Assembly.
Using a wild lily as a symbol, the movement drew tens of thousands of people — mostly college students — to call for changes, including the dismissal of the National Assembly, abolishing the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion (動員戡亂時期臨時條款), holding a high-level national policy conference and drawing up a reform timetable.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA) instructor Chien Tzu-chieh (簡子傑) announced yesterday morning that any students in his class who “checked in” on Facebook from the Legislative Yuan would be marked as on leave for official business.
Later yesterday afternoon, NTUA officials said on the school’s Web site that Chien’s post on Facebook was his personal opinion and was not the department’s.
Chien was not authorized to grant “leave on official business,” the Web site said.
Separately yesterday, 300 students from Providence University gathered at a plaza on the school’s campus chanting: “I am a student of Providence University, I am against the service trade agreement.”
“We oppose under-the-table deals, we are the bulwark for democracy” in support of the protesters who were still at the Legislative Yuan,” the students said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS