In a recent letter (March 6), the writer, Eamonn Dundon, raised concerns over the University of Southern Maine’s Confucius Institute. As a USM student who has had a tremendous amount of direct experience with the Confucius Institute, I believe this criticism is misguided.

The Confucius Institute offers incredible opportunities for USM and its students. It has given me my best learning experience at USM.

I am a senior majoring in political science and international relations. With help from the Confucius Institute, I have become conversational in Mandarin in less than a year. I have gone to China twice and traveled to many parts of the country. I am grateful for these experiences and the opportunities they have opened up as I move into my career.

As a person who values free speech and academic freedom very highly, I want to be clear that my numerous interactions with the Confucius Institute have been devoid of anything objectionable. Instead, I have found an open and intellectually stimulating academic environment that is unrelated to politics.

I am not alone in my experience with the Confucius Institute. Many USM students have found great personal benefit in an academic environment whose openness has not been an issue of concern, as last week’s letter suggests.

The Confucius Institute fosters understanding and connection between people from different cultures – a healthy counterbalance to the fear and divisiveness that define much of today’s political discourse.

James McCatherin

Falmouth

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