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Alleged bias incident against Korean students prompts widespread reaction

Published: Friday, April 10, 2009

Updated: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 01:04

biasincident

Aalok Kanani

Students at a meeting held yesterday at the Asian American Center listen to Korean Students Association Social Chair Don Kim, a sophomore.


A late-night scuffle in a downhill dorm has led to allegations of racism and an orchestrated response on the part of dozens of members of culture houses and student groups on campus.

Members of the Korean Students Association (KSA) alleged that a drunken freshman started a fight with and shouted racial slurs at members of the KSA around 2 a.m. Thursday morning as the group practiced in Lewis Hall's main lounge for an upcoming culture show. The freshman said that the KSA members started the fight.

The administration has opened a judicial investigation into the incident. The Daily is withholding the freshman's name because the administration has not taken any action against him.

Over 50 students gathered at the Asian American Center Thursday afternoon to discuss a response to the incident. Meanwhile, the freshman and a friend of his who helped break up the fight said the freshman had been outnumbered by a group of KSA members who showed aggression toward him, punching and choking him.

Beginning early Friday morning, members of the KSA and students involved with different culture houses and student groups on campus helped to distribute an e-mail message from KSA members detailing the incident and alleging bias.

KSA members at the scene, some of whom were involved in the fight, told the Daily that the freshman refused to leave the 13 members of the group alone as five of them rehearsed a dance for Saturday's KSA Culture Show. A short scuffle ensued between the freshman and the dancers. KSA members said all five dancers were involved; the freshman said that those involved in the fight numbered six or seven.

Both the freshman and a KSA member sustained injuries.

The KSA members said the freshman started the fight, but the freshman said in a statement given to the Daily by two of his friends that one of the dancers first grabbed him. He said he shouted obscenities after the fight but did not mention uttering any racial slurs.

An emotional meeting at the Asian American Center convened Thursday afternoon to discuss the incident and figure out ways to move forward. Dozens of people packed into an overflowing room at the center, exchanging ideas about ways to inform the larger Tufts community about bias incidents that many said occur unsettlingly too often.

The incident occurred in the early-morning hours on Thursday when the freshman approached the KSA members and asked them to teach him the dance five of them were rehearsing. The students said the freshman was visibly drunk and distracting them; the group was running late and told him no.

The freshman proceeded to remain in the back of the room for a few minutes, watching them practice their dance. KSA Vice President Jennifer Kim, a sophomore who was at the scene, said that he mockingly imitated the dancers.

Tensions quickly rose. KSA members said that ongoing verbal exchanges between the freshman and those practicing came to a head after a couple minutes. The threats, KSA members said, bothered them.

"I heard him say, 'Oh, this dance is the gayest s--t ever,'" said freshman Doug Kim, one of the students -- all of whom were male -- rehearsing the dance.

One of the dancers approached the freshman and asked him to leave. At that point, according to the e-mail sent by members of the KSA, the freshman said, "F--k you. F--k you, I could take all of you. I'll kill you all." According to the e-mail, "He then threatened to get his fraternity brothers to help him retaliate."

The freshman said in his statement that the dancer who approached him grabbed him first; KSA members at the scene say the freshman pushed the dancer first.

Then, violence broke out.

The dancers and the freshman immediately started fighting. The freshman said that he tried to move toward the exit, but that a member of the group punched him in the face. KSA members attempted to pin the freshman to the floor, they said, putting him in a headlock.

The fight ended quickly when the freshman indicated to them that he was having trouble breathing.

"At a loss for air, I repeatedly pleaded to them, informing them that I was having trouble breathing," he said in the statement. "I was nearing asphyxiation and scared for my life."

The dancers immediately let go, KSA members said in the e-mail.

But at this point, the KSA members said, as the freshman's friend brought him away from the scene, the freshman began using racial slurs.

"'Go back to China. You guys are a bunch of chinks; you don't even belong here,'" Kim said the freshman shouted at the group. KSA Co-President Tom Moon, a senior who was in the lounge at the time, said that the freshman said, "'[F--king] chinks, go back to your country; you don't belong here.'"

The group members also allege that the freshman spat at them a number of times.

In his statement, the freshman said he shouted obscenities in the heat of the moment.

"Severely physically hurt, highly emotionally charged, scared for my life, I yelled obscenities at the group," he said. He said that the group tried to "attack" him again, but his friend stepped in to prevent violence from breaking out; KSA members said that the freshman's girlfriend also witnessed the incident.

At least one KSA member's shirt was ripped in the fight, and one member's face was cut. The freshman said in his statement that he received "bodily injuries."

The freshman then left the scene, and the KSA members reported the incident to a residential assistant (RA), who interviewed a number of students involved and submitted a report. The KSA members did not call the police, and the Tufts University Police Department on Thursday said that it was not aware of the incident.

"A lot of the KSA members ... who were part of this ... did not know how to react," Kim said during the gathering at the Asian American Center. Many KSA members were crying and in shock, she said. "I read about this all the time, and it's never been so personal."

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174 comments Log in to Comment

WOW
Tue Nov 16 2010 17:48
WOW! FOR THE PPL WHO ARE DOUBTING WHO STARTED THE FIGHT. WOW. BECAUSE DRUNK PEOPLE ARE PEACEFUL AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS IN LIFE. DRUNK PEOPLE DONT KILL OTHERS WHILE DRIVING. DRUNK PEOPLE ARE NOT FAMOUS FOR HAVING BRAWLS. DRINKING DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR BRAIN.

DRINKING OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS. I MEAN HONESTLY... IM DRUNK WHEN IM WRITING THIS. FRESHMEN FOR GRAPE JUICE.

freshman
Tue Oct 19 2010 22:43
I understand that this has happened a long time ago--but to those of you who read this article--didnt it seem a little biased also? So a biased article about a biased incident? Seriously?

I want to know why what the KSA said are "alleged" and "said to" while the freshman is said to have said "in a statement." Does this not seem to put down the KSA and raise up the freshman? Maybe I am being too sensitive toward this bc I am an Asian myself but honestly is my argument not valid?

Did the Tufts Daily request a statement from the KSA?
i feel that the KSA would be willing to respond to this and would have happily sent a statement.
If not why not?

And about the statement--who was the one who was drunk? So his friends confirm the incident--but doesnt the fact that freshman was drunk hint that the friends were drunk as well? And we are to believe their statements? And if the freshman was attacked by the KSA first and threatened for his life then why did he not report them? I rack my brain and cannot think about any reason except--he was too drunk. Then if HE WAS TOO DRUNK HOW IS IT THAT HIS STATEMENT IS EVEN CONSIDERED TO BE FACTUAL?

And didnt the KSA report the incident? Usually, isnt it the innocent party who report the incident? So, if the KSA were the group of violent people who attacked the poor freshman first then why did they report the incident to the RA?

But to look on the other side, it was the KSA who reported therefore they probably did not mention all the bad things that they replied in response to the freshman. Perhaps they said something like:
"We cant go back to China, we would miss your women too much--we see them all the time working the streetcorners."
"The white hick and the Asian monk are similar--they live in solitude. However, the monk looks for connection with peace. The hick looks for connection with his niece."

Anonymous
Wed May 12 2010 23:58
Well, this is fcking America. It's so ironic how America is supposed to stand for freedom and equality, but you have idiots saying "go back to your country". If he had half a brain, he'd know that America wasn't white man's land. That's europe genius.

People are so damn ignorant. They don't know how to respect one another, and only get defensive when they realize their ass is going to get kicked. How the hell are minorities supposed to be proud to be american, when idiots like this guy tells them they don't belong here, that theyre "chinks and should go back to China".

Jonathan
Thu Mar 11 2010 18:14
I am Korean and I have to admit that, in general, we have a problem. From the time I was born I kept hearing about the 'superiority' of all things Korea from my parents and the rest of the Korean community in my city in Socal. In high school I joined the Korean Pride club and was really into it.

I have realized that it is SO easy to be suckered into thinking that your people are better than any other group. I mean there are statistics to proove anything. A frequent topic in Korean circles is the financial and academic success of Korean Americans. If you just hear a few things about how Koreans are worth "twice as much" as the average white or "four times as much" as the average black, you can easily come to false conclusions. We don't think to take into account that immigration to the US has been highly selective, leading to the percieved successes of Asian groups like Chinese, Indians, Koreans.

In Korea itself, it is even worse. Since there are so few other types of people, it is easy to come to the conclusion that Koreans are superior. In Korean Media it is always mentioned that we are the most "wired" country and all other positive stats. Some of this may be true, but it is not like Korea has done more great things than any other country. I mean, we don't have a tradition of success in the physical sciences like the Germans, Russians or Americans. We didn't invent mathematics or religions like the Indians. We copied Confucionism and writing from the Chinese. We have our successes and out failures like anyone else. Clearly one of the big failures is that our culture is relatively mypoic. This is why we get so hyped about even the small success of our scientists like that lying scoundrel Hwang.

At the same time other cultures have also been mypoic at times, such as the Germans during the 1st half of the last century. Clearly this is a problem that can and should be overcome. Koreans must realize that this sort of thinking reflects negatiely on all Koreans. I was visiting some Buddhist sites in India on pilgrimage and I noticed how poorly Korean pilgrims in general treat the natives, especially the beggars. I can easily imagine that Indians in that area have a horrible notion of what Koreans are like. Clearly racism begets racism. When India becomes more successful I can imagine that some Koreans will want to move there for commercial interests. How will they be treated?

If Koreans want to be treated as equals along with the other peoples of the world, we have not only to be succesful but to reat others as equals. In America it is true that some racism exists. However the general perception is that you should treat all people as individuals and not as members of a race or religion. This is why Koreans are able to succeed in America, just like other minorities.

Jim
Thu Mar 11 2010 18:00
"The plain truth is that Koreans - and here I don't mean "gyopos" but actual Koreans living in Korea - are some of the most xenophobic and chauvinistic people on the face of the Earth,"

Which often correlates to being more ready than most to see racism in others. I remember an article a few years ago that cited an interview where a young man who had immigrated from Korea recently said bitterly that all this land of opportunity and equality business in America was all bunk; he could see that there was simply no way he was ever going to sit in any of the Fortune 500 boardrooms, and it was all due to racism.

Non-Korean
Thu Mar 11 2010 10:08
Come to study at a Korean university if you'd like to experience true racism. Of course, only if you're non-Korean.
Why doesn't anyone write about that?
Anonymous
Thu Mar 11 2010 10:05
Tufts is one university but guaranteed that the majority of foreigners at most Korean universities experience high levels of racism.
And that's not overstating it one slight bit.
Anonymous
Thu Mar 11 2010 09:46
Racism has two sides.
I suspect the Koran students exhibited racist behavior as well.
But why should we listen to what the freshman has to say?
This seems too one sided.
Hmmmm
Think about it!
Anonymous
Thu Mar 11 2010 09:42
Make sure you fix racism at Korean universities, where it tends to be really widespread, before you have a bunch of Korean students screaming racism in other parts of the world.
There is so much animosity and negativity expressed toward foreign university students in South Korea that I'm not surprised this negative attitude is carried with the Korean students when they study abroad. This is innate behavior.
Chances are the Korean dance group must have been rude and racist toward the lone so called aggressor in order to provoke him. Come on 7 on one and you call the one the instigator.
It sounds to me like self-defense. Remember, there are two sides to every story...
This sounds very fishy to me....
Anonymous
Thu Mar 11 2010 09:18
Yes, Racism...
I live in Korea and there is an excessive amount of racism toward both international students and faculty at nearly 'all' Korean universities. This is widely known. Just google it. I think the Koreans at Tufts university were fishing for a racist excuse when it didn't even seem to be racism. It's just a matter of two groups of people not agreeing. I am sure the Koreans poured fuel on the fire...
Yes, stop racism.... but do it in Korea as well as it is pretty ugly here...
Your name
Sun May 24 2009 00:46
"Treat the disease and the symptoms will go away."

Deep stuff. What do you suggest?

Disappointed
Sun May 10 2009 00:47
Wow. No one comments about the anti-gay comments he made, but you expect me to feel sorry for one minority when you ignore the bashing of another? Either back all minority rights or none. Its self centered to only back your own race.
true_basics
Mon May 4 2009 11:31
LOFL, relax everyone, relax.
Your name
Sat May 2 2009 11:04
And so the cycle continues - qualified minorities continue to reject Tufts, the Tufts administration, while excellent overall continues to be behind the curve with their policies, negative incidents keep on ocurring - rinse and repeat. Some of the most telling comments on here have been the ones telling people to shut up because it's bringing negative press to Tufts. No, incidents such as this and the lack of foresight and aftersight by the administration in dealing with these issues is what's causing the negative attention. Treat the disease and the symptoms will go away.
Your name
Wed Apr 29 2009 23:40
I don't go to Tufts, but I've dealt with my fair share of racism in the South as an Asian-American. To have this happen MULTIPLE times at a 'top-tier' university that's suppose to be a haven for diversity and global education is just appalling to me. I am about to graduate this year at a different school, and I count my blessings for not having enrolled in Tufts after being accepted. I am also glad that my brother, who was applying to colleges this year, will not be going to Tufts.

I don't mean to rag on the school, but there are plenty other places that are more accepting. I am sure that article (or the comments) are not necessarily representative of its students' ideals, but allowing the Tuft's administration to not do anything about the incident is simply preposterous. Having a 'Bias Council' and a poster image of being a diverse school is not going to cut it. The truth needs to be heard, and there should be repercussions for the student that was guilty. I am sure that if this had happened to the black student organization and was given this much attention, this would have been a media frenzy.

The victims of KSO deserve the same amount of attention and justice. Whether this is carried out or not, future applicants will eventually discover the truth. My bet is that they (especially minorities) will realize that Tufts isn't the place it claims to be and avoid it like wildfire if these incidents keep occuring. By then, your poster-image of being a school that promotes diversity isn't even going to matter.

Get your act together, Tufts Admin. Do what is right.

Jack Sun
Mon Apr 27 2009 12:03
"Jiminy Christmas - only twenty years ago? As in 1989? It sounds like 1889. For being a so-called melting pot, the US is surprisingly backwards in places you wouldn't suspect. They might treat minorities like aliens in bumble USA from the exoticness, but at least they usually mean well and will treat people kindly, if somewhat ignorantly. 1989 Boston?! "

You have to remember that Tufts is in Medford, not Bos/Camb. Medford in the 70's/80's was known to be a racially intolerant city. Local high school students (rejected by the school) also had a grudge against Tufts students, esp foreign students. Most Tufts students were from suburban US areas where there isn't much minority representation. Things might've changed somewhat today but you have to believe that Tufts is behind other Bos colleges in terms of racial tolerance. No joke about that.

I do

Your name
Mon Apr 27 2009 02:13
Unfortunately, it seems that Tufts' administrators and some of those who have posted their comments below have not treated this issue with appropriate gravity, even rhetoric. I recognize the difficulty in assessing this incident as one rooted in SYSTEMIC social issues as opposed to INDIVIDUAL matters, but I believe the evidence to this end lies in more visible grounds that many are willing to admit- myself included.

We need to expand our conceptions of "race" and "racism" beyond their old vestiges of interpersonal aggression, bigotry. This incident, morbidly, affects the fundamentals our socio-cultural existence as "one nation" and we will continue to eat each other alive should we not critically consider how Racism 2.0 (forgive me) is universally detrimental.

Your name
Sat Apr 25 2009 22:19
"I'm Asian and went to Tufts almost 20 years ago. I haven't had this kind of exp but I know Tufts is not a "minority-friendly" college like BU, NU, MIT, UMassB.......you name it. I remember a now-retired Polit Sci professor who wanted to kick me out of the class just b/c I was her token Asian student, and another who wouldn't pay attention to me whenever I raised my hand. The way it is. But there were many who were friendly and curious about me too. I guess things haven't changed even to this day and age."

Jiminy Christmas - only twenty years ago? As in 1989? It sounds like 1889. For being a so-called melting pot, the US is surprisingly backwards in places you wouldn't suspect. They might treat minorities like aliens in bumble USA from the exoticness, but at least they usually mean well and will treat people kindly, if somewhat ignorantly. 1989 Boston?!

RAGE
Fri Apr 24 2009 13:29
I was a member of the KSA 10+ years ago. Seen it all before. These boys need to get over the f-ing gansta act; it's weak. Violence is not the answer. The freshman's alleged racist comments are absolutely inexcusable. He needs to be educated not scorned.
kim
Fri Apr 24 2009 13:27
again?

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