Despite the rising number of documented coronavirus cases, the risk of an outbreak on American campuses remains low. But another phenomenon has accompanied the panic over the virus — real and perceived discrimination against Asian American students.
The virus originated in Wuhan, a city in central China, and thousands of cases have been found there, many of them lethal. Only a handful of cases have occurred in the United States so far, but many colleges have disclosed possible cases on their campuses, and canceled official travel to China. Such publicity, fueled by fears of a pandemic, has prompted casual stereotyping and discrimination against those who look Chinese, as evidenced by some social-media posts.
One Snapchat user posted a screenshot with a complaint about being enrolled in a college mathematics class with only Asian students. “I hope I don’t catch coronavirus,” the screenshot’s text said.
The University of California at Berkeley drew a backlash after an infographic posted on its health services’ Instagram page listed xenophobia as a “normal reaction” to coronavirus.
That post is “a prime example of what not to do,” said Jenn Fang, the founder of Reappropriate, a blog dedicated to Asian American feminism, pop culture, and politics. She recently wrote an article for The Washington Post warning against “racializing” the coronavirus.
Instead of fostering xenophobia and racism, communications by college administrators must convey inclusivity, she said, especially in an age when social media are both ubiquitous and filled with discriminatory rhetoric.
Fang said the cultural inclusivity promoted on today’s college campuses should help combat some of the anti-Asian sentiment.
“I’m actually hopeful that with a college-student community, you might actually have a group of people who are more receptive to not falling into the pitfalls of xenophobia compared to folks who don’t have the kind of spaces where you can really foster and foment these kind of conversations,” she said.
Yingyi Ma, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University, recently returned from southern China and has monitored several American and Chinese social-media platforms to gauge signs of possible discrimination.
“There is a real concern among the Chinese community, among the Asian community, about being discriminated [against], being avoided not just on the university campus but in the American mainstream, other public spaces as well,” Ma said.
Chinese students, in particular, face a “conundrum” when deciding whether to wear medical masks, she said. While they are required in China, they are often not recommended by health organizations in the United States. Many Americans assume, Ma said, that people wearing masks are already sick, when they might just be trying to avoid getting sick.
“When Chinese are wearing masks, they’re singled out,” she said.
‘Reactions Against Asians’
In response to the virus, Jason Oliver Chang, director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut, started a collaborative document to track incidents of racism against Asian Americans and the latest news developments.
“While the prospect of potentially having someone with the coronavirus at UConn seems not incredibly likely … what seemed even more likely was reactions against Asians,” Chang said.
Although he has not heard about any incidents of discrimination against Asian or Asian American students, he said, it is important to keep a record of how other colleges and universities are responding.
At Syracuse, the chancellor, Kent Syverud, sent an email encouraging students to extend respect and understanding to their classmates.
Many in the global Asian community are being unjustly exposed to added scrutiny simply because of their national origin.
“Many in the global Asian community are being unjustly exposed to added scrutiny simply because of their national origin,” he wrote. “Regardless of their homeland, they are an integral part of our Orange community, and your extra kindness and effort for them right now are essential.”
Stereotyping people who look Asian reflects larger generalizations Americans often make about the virus’s epicenter, in Wuhan, said Ma.
“A lot of Americans, they don’t really understand. They equate Wuhan with China and then with Asia,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest problem.”
