Apology/Not Apology

 
"A Duke University professor who warned 
Chinese students against communicating 
in their native language and urged them 
to speak English instead has stepped down 
as the head of a master's program and 
apologized after her emails sparked outrage 
on campus and on social media. . . .
In her message sent to students on Sunday, 
Megan Neely wrote: "I deeply regret the hurt 
my email has caused. It was not my intention. 
Moving forward, it is my sincerest wish 
that every student in the Master of 
Biostatistics program is successful 
in all of their endeavors." 
~ CNN, 29 January 2019
 
 
 
You are good 
at nanoparticle 
physics, you are 
good at institute
        of technology.

You learn to skillfully
lift pipettes of potential 
biohazards to your lips and 
at the very last moment
        let go. 

Enter your findings
in our ledgers: left
to right, top to bottom,
while the egg timers tick
        quietly on formica.

You are a rapid fire
calculator evolved from
abacus pre-software so now 
let us teach you how
        to properly roll

your Rs. Sorry not 
sorry. You might feel bad, 
but understand I am good-
intentioned and you 
        so lucky 

to be second author 
on nearly a dozen 
papers now! The break 
room has a microwave 
        cover to keep 

complex oils 
of lunches from drifting 
into the lab atmosphere,
and a potted plant 
for absorbing quiet
        conversation.

These are the articles 
a and the; insert them
to clarify such a beautiful
polymer of universal 
        language. Comma,

comma, semicolon, colon.
At home you can speak, but
here this is how you land
the big grant. The grade.
This is
         about the job.