The mere sight of a non-western Asian name apparently was enough to inspire a vandal to rip off name plates on dormitory doors at Columbia University.
The Bwog reports among the dorms hit have been EC and Shapiro, but there have been others as well. Both foreign students and Asian American students have been targeted, however the name plates of Asians with English names were left untouched.
The incidents have been widespread enough to catch the attention of the Associate Dean of Multicultural Affairs Melinda Aquino. She sent out an email to the Asian American Alliance and other Asian identity-based groups to “offer any support needed.”
“By focusing on “foreign names” as a marker of difference, these efforts echo the actions of the Trump administration that target people of color, specifically Black and Brown bodies with non-Western names, as unwelcome,” wrote the Asian Student Alliance on behalf of eight other student affinity groups. “These actions have deeply disturbed the international student communities on campus.”
In her statement, Dean Aquino wrote “As you can imagine, the growing climate of xenophobia furthers the impact of this action and the anxiety felt by many of our students.”
One student was a bit more blunt.
“It’s honestly just so fu**ing disrespectful,” said Joanna Zhang, a sophomore.
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