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Peipei Liu watched from afar last semester as the coronavirus devastated her home city of Wuhan, China. So when she saw that a Syracuse University professor referred to the virus as the “Wuhan Flu” in his course syllabus, she felt shocked and angered. 

SU placed chemistry professor Jon Zubieta on administrative leave Aug. 25 after images circulated online of his course syllabus, in which he calls COVID-19 the “Wuhan Flu” and “Chinese Communist Party Virus.” The university said the language was “derogatory” and “offensive to Chinese, international and Asian-Americans.”

“So many people died, and some people are still suffering in this battle against coronavirus,” said Liu, a sophomore television, radio and film major. “The professor didn’t realize how much it would hurt Chinese students. He is ignorant and disrespectful.”

Chinese international students at SU told The Daily Orange that Zubieta’s actions left them feeling disturbed, bewildered and disrespected, and they were pleased with the way SU administrators and faculty responded to the professor’s syllabus.

Zubieta said he wouldn’t comment at this time.

Though his syllabus disappointed her, Liu was not surprised to see the racist language after she witnessed racist incidents at SU last academic year that targeted Asian students. At least 10 hate incidents targeting Asian people were reported on or near Main Campus beginning in November.

Discrimination against Chinese international students has only grown since the start of the pandemic, she said.

“Sometimes when people ask me where I’m from, I’m afraid to say I’m from Wuhan because I don’t know what the person who asked me this question will think of my hometown,” she said.

Liu remembers Wuhan for its beauty, but many people only know the city as the source of the pandemic. When Zubieta referred to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan Flu,” she felt he was blaming the city and its residents for the virus.

Ze Zeng, a sophomore international student majoring in finance and supply chain management, found it “disturbing” and “shocking” that a professor would use language that discriminates against the Asian community.

Zeng has seen similar language on the internet, but it’s more harmful coming from a professor, he said. A faculty member using racist language in a syllabus normalizes it, Zeng said.

Chinese international students Ruohan Xu and Aorui Pi both thought SU faculty would take greater care to avoid using racist language after last academic year’s string of racist incidents directed toward Asian students. Xu was especially shocked because SU faculty members and students are generally open-minded and supportive toward international students.

“I don’t know if the professor wanted to be rude to Chinese students or be rude to China,” said Xu, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. “I don’t know why he used this. So I’m upset and also curious why these things happen.”

Xu and Zeng are two of the organizers behind A Hand for Wuhan, a fundraiser they helped launch last academic year to pay for medical supplies for Chinese cities hard-hit in the early days of the pandemic. Since then, they have used the money they raised to provide medical supplies not only to China but also to Onondaga County and SU.

The increase of anti-Asian racism in light of the pandemic has placed greater stress on Chinese international students, said Yingyi Ma, director of the SU’s Asian/Asian American studies program.

The World Health Organization officially named the disease COVID-19 because naming an infectious disease for its place of origin can result in discrimination toward people who live there. SU faculty members should understand the consequences of associating a disease with a country or group of people, Ma said.

“Our country is very polarized at this point,” said Ma, who is the author of “Ambitious and Anxious,” a book focusing on the experiences of Chinese international students in America. “So I think any effort in driving or potentially creating that kind of hateful sentiment and creating fear is something that we should avoid as faculty.”

Ma was one of over 300 SU faculty and staff to sign a statement expressing support for Chinese students and condemning Zubieta’s language on his syllabus. SU should work to create an environment where international students don’t feel the need to hide their culture, she said. 

Zilin Chen, a senior international student in the School of Information Studies, said his professors and classmates have fostered a welcoming environment for him during his time at SU. He didn’t think a professor would insult Chinese international students in front of an entire class as Zubieta did.

Zubieta’s language further alienates Chinese international students and allows other students to dismiss their role in the virus’s spread in the United States, Chen said.

“The thing is, people keep blaming China for the virus’s spread but don’t do anything about it,” he said. “People are still going to parties and not wearing masks.”

Above all, Liu wants Zubieta to apologize to Chinese international students at SU.

“When we speak about Wuhan, I don’t want the only thing everyone knows to be the virus,” Liu said. “That makes me very sad.”

Published on September 7, 2020 at 10:54 pm

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21