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More than 300 Syracuse University faculty and staff signed a statement in support of Chinese students Monday after a professor used derogatory language in a course syllabus last week.

SU placed a professor on administrative leave Aug. 25 after social media posts circulated of a course syllabus appearing to belong to chemistry professor Jon Zubieta that refers to the coronavirus as “Wuhan Flu” and “Chinese Communist Party Virus.” The 276 faculty and staff who had signed the statement as of 10:20 p.m. Monday night said the language does not reflect the views and attitudes of most SU faculty.

“We are deeply disturbed that a faculty colleague has engaged in such hateful statements that feed into the recent wave of Sinophobia,” the statement reads. “We strongly condemn any speech that aims to marginalize and demean the Chinese community on and off campus.”

The Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services received a complaint against the professor, which the office is investigating according to university procedures, said Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and John Liu, interim vice chancellor and provost, in a statement Aug. 25.

The professor’s language is damaging to the learning environment of SU students and offensive to Chinese, international and Asian Americans, Ruhlandt and Liu said in their statement.

The professor has been removed from the classroom while the investigation continues. The university can’t comment on whether Zubieta remains paid while on leave, said Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, in a Monday statement to The D.O.

Published on August 31, 2020 at 10:29 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3