I always imagined that the end of my time at Yale would be marked by graduation. Now I fear that it will be deportation instead.
I came to the School of Management from Shanghai with a lot of dreams and ambition. But the culture shock overwhelmed me, and I got depressed. While I struggled to adjust, my family back home was in crisis. When I told the administration about my struggle, they didn’t offer any help. Eventually my depression became so severe that I was hospitalized for six days. My plans to embrace Yale’s academic challenges were crippled by my unexpected illness.
Last March I got an email saying I was expelled for missing the academic requirement by one-half credit. I wasn’t offered academic support or mental health services; I was simply told that my health insurance was terminated and I had 15 days to leave the country.
I submitted appeals with medical records detailing the way my depression had interfered with my work, but they were denied and ignored.
As a business student, I recognize that bureaucracies can be impersonal, callous and unforgiving. I hoped this might not be the case at Yale, but it has sadly proven true for me.
I feel like I’m fighting for my dignity. International students and students facing mental illness shouldn’t need to fight for Yale to respect us, but I am fighting nonetheless. And I’m grateful that my colleagues have stood with me. We organized a petition with our campus unions, UNITE HERE Local 35, Local 34 and GESO. Over 1,000 students and staff signed, including 250 from China. My story has made national news in China and the United States. But it has been two months since we delivered our petition with no response.
The administration’s lack of compassion has been frustrating, confusing and painful. If Yale continues to ignore me, my visa will not let me stay here. I never imagined pleading with the administration to take my mental illness seriously and keep me from being subject to deportation, but now that is what I’m forced to do.
I am coming forward because I want to stay and finish my education. I want dignity. I do not want this to happen to anyone else.
President Salovey has said that Yale takes mental health and racial equity seriously. I’m asking him to live up to that commitment.
Grant Mao is a former student at the Yale School of Management. Contact him at grant3827@gmail.com.
从抑郁症到驱逐出境
我一直想象着自己在耶鲁大学最后的时光应该是圆满毕业。而现在，我最害怕的事情却是驱逐出境。
2014年8月，我怀揣着梦想来到耶鲁大学管理学院念MBA。但来到学校以后，由于语言的困难和文化的冲击，我开始患上了抑郁症。在学期中间，家庭的危机又让我的病情雪上加霜。而当我向耶鲁管理学院寻求帮助时，他们却对我置之不理。之后，我的疾病急剧恶化，最终我不得不在医院里治疗六天。这个不期而来的病情阻碍了我在耶鲁的学习计划。
去年三月，学校就给我发了一封邮件。通知我说：因为我的成绩差了半个学分，管理学院必须开除我。之后，我被通知开除决定立即生效，我的医疗保险也当天失效，并且通知我在十五内离开美国。但是在此之前，管理学院从来没有给予我任何学习或心理辅导和帮助。
出院以后，我与管理学院联系，请求他们重新考虑关于开除学籍的决定。医生们的诊断证明详细的写了：“抑郁症影响了我的学习成绩”。而我提交的请求被学校断然拒绝了。
作为一位商学院的学生，我明白大公司的这种不负责任的官僚作风。但我没有想到耶鲁大学，这个与中国有着一百七十年历史的高等教育机构也是相同的作风。
现在，我觉得我必须争取自己的尊严。耶鲁大学本应该给予有心理疾病的学生和国际学生更多的支持和尊重。让我深感欣慰的是学校里很多的学生和老师一直在鼓励和支持我。我和校园里的公会，包括UNITE HERE Local 35, Local 34，和 GESO，一起集体请愿，要求耶鲁恢复我的学籍。已经有超过一千名的师生与我联名请愿，其中有二百五十位是中国学生。在过去的两个月里，我在耶鲁的遭遇也成了中国和美国媒体的头版新闻。但是，尽管如此，耶鲁大学校方还是保持沉默。
对于耶鲁大学这种不负责任的处理方式，我感觉非常痛苦和伤心。而且，如果他们继续忽略的我们的请愿，我的签证就会失效，面临着被迫离开美国。我从来没有想象过自己要请求耶鲁认真对待我的心理疾病，以至于我不会被驱逐出境。但是现在，我被迫继续请愿。
我把我的故事分享给大家，目的是为了能够回来完成我的学业。也是要要回我的尊严。但更重要的是，我希望我的故事能够警醒耶鲁大学；希望我的遭遇不会发生在任何一个其他学生上。
Peter Salovey校长也承诺过，耶鲁大学会认真对待心理疾病和种族平等的问题。我请求他能够信守这个诺言