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University of Michigan Faculty Seek Help After Asian Students Harassed

ANN ARBOR, Mich.

Several University of Michigan faculty members have asked school President Mary Sue Coleman to take action after two reported cases of ethnic intimidation against Asian students.

In a letter last week, the professors in the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies program said the incidents “unmasked more pervasive ethnic and racial discrimination that remains undocumented,” the Detroit Free Press said.

Coleman responded in a letter to the professors, saying she would “not tolerate actions that target or intimidate members of our community based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity … or other personal characteristics.”

About 13 percent of Michigan students are Asian.

On Sept. 15, two Asian students were walking about 11:15 p.m. when they saw a White man urinating from his apartment balcony onto their arms, said Ann Arbor Police Lt. Chris Heatley. He said the man swore at the students.

On Sept. 16, Cindy Chuang, president of the school’s Taiwanese American Student Association, said she was walking with two female Asian students when two White men confronted them. She said the men told them “you speak good English and you speak with a White accent.”

Associated Press



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