Fellow graduate students kept Wang Dan, a top organizer of the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests and Harvard graduate student, from entering a recent event with the president of Peking University because of his political views.

President Chen Jia'er was at Harvard on October 29 and 30 for a conference with a number of other university presidents designed to promote communication between American and Chinese schools.

At an event sponsored by the Harvard Chinese Students and Scholars Association (HCSSA), Wang tried to enter a gathering with Chen at the Inn at Harvard, but was turned away by fellow Harvard graduate student Ying Shang, vice-president of HCSSA.

In a recent press conference, Chinese government officials labeled Wang a criminal.

"The government regards me as a dissident and they have no confidence to argue with a dissident," Wang wrote in an e-mail message. "In fact, I had no intention of arguing with them.

Chinese officials are used to acting in this way, even in America."

According to Shang, an assistant to the Peking University president telephoned her before the event and asked her to keep Wang Dan from attending.

Wang said he had no political intentions in going to the event with Chen. Rather, he went out of respect for the alma mater of both of his parents.