The following is a statement from the 91探花 in response to allegations U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made during a speech at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020:
This is the latest false statement and shameful deflection from an administration whose State Department and Department of Education took no effective action on behalf of Vera Zhou in response to the University鈥檚 requests, and now wishes to shift attention from that failure. That the Secretary of State would think a university has more power in this situation than the United States government is bizarre. That he would single out a staff member by name is unbecoming of the office and his statement is flatly wrong. While several 91探花offices have been in contact with Vera throughout her experience, no staff in the 91探花Office of Federal Relations has had direct contact with Vera or her family.
The 91探花 has been deeply concerned for Vera鈥檚 safety and well-being throughout her ordeal, and was relieved to hear of her safe return. We cannot even begin to imagine the turmoil this has caused in the lives of Vera, her mother and other loved ones.
However, the notion that the 91探花did not act on Vera鈥檚 behalf is completely untrue and the insinuation that the University allowed financial interests of any kind to interfere with its handling of this situation is outrageous. We have no record of contact from any State Department official to the 91探花President鈥檚 Office (or elsewhere in our Administration) that indicates anything regarding a negotiation with a Chinese institution, nor would we balance a student鈥檚 well-being against any financial concern. We have no idea what 鈥渕ultimillion-dollar deal鈥� is being referenced.
The issues at hand rest directly with the federal government, not the UW, though we endeavored to provide Vera support regardless of the circumstances. The 91探花consulted directly with the U.S. State Department on opportunities for federal intervention, which they reported were extremely limited due to her status as a Chinese citizen. We understand the Department of Education鈥檚 billing servicer was unwilling to make changes to Vera鈥檚 loan, despite being provided information about her extraordinary circumstances. The 91探花was in regular communication with Vera in the Fall of 2019 to advise her on additional options to try for resolution.
91探花staff in the offices of Global Affairs, Student Life and Student Fiscal Services have connected with Vera and her mother on several occasions to proactively express how happy we were to hear she was home, answer questions and provide her with guidance regarding her concerns, and to help provide as smooth a transition whenever and wherever she decided to continue her education. Since Vera鈥檚 return to the U.S. and the state of Washington, our staff have been in regular contact during her enrollment at a community college, advising her on financial aid options still available to her.
And, we can confirm that as of this quarter, Vera is again enrolled at the UW.
# # #