The director of a graduate studies program at Duke University’s School of Medicine stepped down from her position Saturday after receiving backlash for warning international students of the “unintended consequences” of speaking in Chinese on campus and suggesting that the failure to “improve their English” would put them at risk of unemployment.
Screenshots of the email from Megan Neely, sent to first- and second-year graduate students on Saturday, were quickly posted to social media.
The ensuing fallout was fueled in part by Twitter users calling the email “racist” and an attempt at making international students “feel inadequate and unwelcome” in the country.
Ah, the old “I’m paranoid they may be talking about me and saying rude things about me in their native language, so I’ll claim it’s a community issue” racist bullshit
— Elizabeth May (@_ElizabethMay) January 26, 2019
Reread this, even angrier now. The language is incredibly menacing: “unintended consequences” for simply speaking Chinese during free time indicates there’s no end to the Othering of international students to make them feel inadequate and unwelcome.
— Frankie Huang (@ourobororoboruo) January 26, 2019
In her email, Neely, an assistant professor at the college, claimed she was approached by two unnamed faculty members who wanted to learn the names of students that were reportedly “speaking Chinese (in their words, VERY LOUDLY)” in the campus’s student lounge and study area. “They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English,” Neely’s email underlines in bold, “and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand.”
Neely further implied that speaking in languages other than English would have “unintended consequences” for international students seeking employment, stating that the faculty members who approached her “wanted to write down the names so they could remember them if the students ever interviewed for an internship or asked to work with them for a master’s project.”
Addressing the international students, Neely said she has “no idea how hard it has been and still is for you to come to the US and have to learn in a non-native language” and insisted that she had the “upmost respect for what you are doing.”
Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations at the university, confirmed that the screenshots were real to The Chronicle, the school’s independent news organization. The outlet attempted to contact Neely, but did not receive a response.
A follow-up letter sent to students by the dean of School of Medicine, Mary Klotman, clarified that “there is absolutely no restriction or limitation on the language you use to converse and communicate with each other. Your career opportunities and recommendations will not in any way be influenced by the language you use outside of the classroom.” The email further informed students of Neely’s decision to step down from her post as director.
“We live in an aging and diversifying nation where disparities can limit healthcare access and lead to disproportionately poor outcomes,” the diversity and inclusion page on the school’s website reads. “The Duke University School of Medicine works to attract and retain a diverse cadre of outstanding talent who positively impact how we teach, and learn and serve in an increasingly diverse world.”
The University’s Office of Institutional Equity has launched an investigation into the incident. Duke University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
