VCU-University of Havana agree to partnership…but how far?
Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s visit to Cuba is historic.
Not only is the governor trying to forge new economic opportunity for Virginians and, presumably, Cubans. But there is also an opportunity for cultural exchange and cooperation. And, hopefully, one would presume, an end to the oppression Cubans have been subjected to for nearly seventy years.
That’s why yesterday’s announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Havana is significant. But it is also why Del.-elect Jason Miyares, who is of Cuban descent, has great reservations about McAuliffe’s rapid rapprochement.
According to the governor’s statement, “this MOU opens the door to the pursuit of joint initiatives in areas such as health, economics, business, the arts and the humanities. Strengthening academic and research collaboration is a significant step in building stronger economic and cultural ties between Virginia and Cuba, and will allow both partners to benefit from the unique assets these two institutions possess.”
In order to achieve such lofty objectives, there will be exchanges of students and faculty, and collaborative work on research projects.
This begs some serious questions from Miyares in part based on VCU’s Mission Statement and Core Values:
“Freedom – striving for intellectual truth with responsibility and civility, respecting the dignity of all individuals
Diversity – ensuring a climate of trust, honesty and integrity where all people are valued and differences are recognized as an asset
Integrity – adhering to the highest standards of honesty, respect and professional and scholarly ethics.”
When the Castro Regime came to power in 1959, they shut down all student lead organizations at the University. According to Miyares, there are no student-led political meetings allowed unless approved by the Communist Government.
“Is this what VCU means by ‘respecting the dignity of all individuals’ or showing that ‘all people are valued and differences recognized as an asset’? Is that the ‘highest standards of honesty’ that VCU is adhering to?” he asks.
Miyares goes on to wonder if in the MOU there is a commitment from the Cuban Government that any student studying in VCU, if they choose to defect, has the freedom to do so, and that their family won’t face reprisal from the Cuban government. Or if VCU received a commitment from the University of Havana that our own American students will have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom to assemble and freedom criticize the Cuban government that they are free to exercise in Richmond but that the average Cuban student at the University of Havana does not?
John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, was interviewed by The Washington Post regarding McAuliffe’s visit and made the following observation:
“…you’re an elected official, you’re a very visible official, you’ve got that tie to the Clintons,” he said. “So maybe you should say, ‘I’m here trying to get business as a state official, but as a human being, as a father, as a husband, I think it’s important that anyone who comes to a country not gloss over issues just because they’re inconvenient.’?”
One would presume so. But based on this MOU, it would appear McAuliffe ignored the hard, inconvenient questions being asked by Miyares. Could it have anything to do with a signature policy of a former secretary of state?
“Although President Barack Obama is taking the credit for Wednesday’s historic deal to reverse decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, she was the main architect of the new policy and pushed far harder for a deal than the Obama White House”
Read more about McAuliffe-Miyares from John McGlothlin
