Statements of Support

Purdue University Graduate School

Dear Purdue Graduate Students,

On 3/16/2021, I was dismayed to learn of yet another shameful act of violence in this country. In Georgia, an individual was arrested for shootings that took place in Atlanta that took the life of eight individuals, six of whom were of Asian descent. I condemn this violence, and I stand with the Asian community and pledge my support to Purdue graduate students of Asian descent.

Many Asians are justifiably traumatized by this incident. Over the past year, there have been increasing incidents of harassment and violence against Asians, resulting in yet another minority group living in fear and questioning its place on this campus and in this country.

I want to reiterate to you now, as I did last summer, my commitment to social justice. As Dean of the Graduate School, I continue to use my position to make a difference in the lives of graduate students, and I am committed to advocating, supporting, diversifying, and changing graduate education for the better. I am committed to dismantling social injustice and to eliminating systemic racism in the academy. I remain committed to hearing your concerns and suggestions for ways that positive change can be enacted locally at Purdue.

Our mission at the Graduate School is to forge a safe, diverse, and inclusive community for all of our students. We understand that we are better together, and we strive to advance diversity in every facet of graduate education at Purdue. We believe that the global problems we face can only be solved through the collaboration and partnership of heterogeneous groups across myriad dimensions. As a result, we value the opportunity to engage with people of diverse backgrounds and ardently stand against discrimination.

If you have questions, concerns, need to make a report of discrimination, or are in need of counseling, there are many offices to offer support and guidance to you:

Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives (OGDI): The OGDI is committed to enhancing the experience of all students from diverse backgrounds with programs and initiatives aimed to ensure that Purdue is a welcoming campus where our graduate students can excel academically and personally.
Office of Graduate Assistance (OGA): The OGA meets with graduate students to assist in addressing a variety of issues. The OGA provides impartial, independent, and informal assistance with reference to concerns based on knowledge of University policy, practice and personnel.
Office of Institutional Equity If you believe you are the victim of discrimination, please contact the Office of Institutional Equity at equity@purdue.edu or (765) 494-7255. Or file an incident report.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): CAPS is a team of multiculturally sensitive professionals delivering comprehensive psychological services to Purdue students. CAPS has a strong commitment to meeting the needs of diverse people. (765) 494-6995
Asian American and Asian Resource Cultural Center (AAARCC) The AAARCC brings Asian and Asian American experiences to life through programming, networking, and advocacy efforts that are focused on enriching the Purdue experience for all members of our campus community.

Other resources:

In the Purdue Graduate School, we embrace all students regardless of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, socioeconomic group, political beliefs, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

We strongly condemn the rising tide of hate, violence, and rhetoric against the Asian community. It does not belong in our society.

If you need help, even just a listening ear, please reach out to me or one of the above resources. As the mother of two Asian daughters, this is very personal, and actions such as these do not represent the country or the Purdue community I live in and represent. I will continue my work to assure a safe and welcoming community for all.

Linda J. Mason
Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Entomology
She/her/hers

Young Hall 170, West Lafayette, IN 47907
lmason@purdue.edu
765-494-2604
Dean’s Adm. Asst. Casey Hollingsworth chollingsworth@purdue.edu

Also view this statement here.

Purdue Department of Anthropology

To the Department of Anthropology- Faculty, Staff, and Students:

The Purdue anthropology BIPOC students join in mourning the victims of horrific killings in Atlanta, GA on March 16. Eight people, including six Asian women, lost their lives tragically: Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, and the victims yet to be named. These attacks come amid rising nationwide violence, discrimination, bigotry, and xenophobia directed against the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate has compiled 3,795 hate incidents targeting Asian peoples across the country from March 19, 2020, to February 28, 2020. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism reported that hate crimes towards these groups increased by 150%. Additionally, the rise in violence against elders like Vicha Ratanpakdee and countless others reminds us that words and actions matter.

Anti-Asian violence did not start with Covid-19. We must condemn the most recent and visible manifestations of white terrorism against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islander communities and explicitly call-out to the more pervasive discrimination and stereotyping (e.g., model minority myth) that are harmful, silencing, and dehumanizing. The recent transition in leadership in the United States has not changed the underlying structural violence that permeates the everyday experience of minoritized communities. This is the time to reaffirm our commitment to fighting systemic racism, white supremacy, colonialism, and anti-Blackness.

We ask that you take a moment and think about how you are supporting your Asians, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students at Purdue University, where we have seen a significant rise in xenophobia, hate, violence, and discrimination towards them #stopasianhate, #stopasianhatecrimes.

As we saw last year with the Black Lives Matter protest globally, we all have an obligation to stand up against racism, whenever and wherever we find it. The BIPOC students stand in solidarity with the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities.

“White terrorism is not due to a bad day, but hundreds of years of history legitimatizing white men’s inalienable right to violence.” - Dr. Corey J. Miles

Again, we have witnessed the deafening silence around the country towards these acts of terrorism and violence towards marginalized communities. We must not remain silent anymore. We must be demanding of each other to do better and be better in allyship. We, as a BIPOC community, are not safe until all of us are safe.

The Anthropology BIPOC Graduate Students

The AAARCC is offering support through varied programming, including:

March 30, Co-Founder of StopAAPI Hate, Dr. Russell Jeung will present: “Christian Nationalism, Anti-Asian Racism, & Asian American Resistance”
April 9, “Bystander Intervention To Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment” hosted by universities represented within the Great Lakes Asian American Student Services

Support at Purdue:

Readings, Toolkits, & Trainings

Organizations:

View this statement as a webpage here

Purdue Graduate Student Government & Purdue Student Government


In Support of Asian Boilermakers

Boilermakers, As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, attacks and harassments towards Asian and Asian Americans have spiked, with Stop AAPI Hate receiving reports of 3,795 hate incidents across the United States over the last year. Yesterday, March 16th, a white man shot and killed eight innocent people, six of whom were Asian women in the Atlanta metro area. We stand with the Asian community during this time and condemn this behavior; the shootings were a crime against us all. This is just one example of our country’s long history of discrimination and xenophobia against the Asian and Asian American community. The Purdue Student Government (PSG) and the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG) condemn racially and ethnically driven harassment, bias, and attacks. Together, both student governments stand with Asian Boilermakers. Diversity has a home right here in West Lafayette, but shame and disrespect do not. Hate has no home on this campus. As a reminder, Purdue University prohibits the discrimination against any member of the University community on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran. If you or someone you know has experienced an incident of hate or bias, please click here. For individuals who are in need of support and counseling, the following resources are available: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) - professional therapists who are specially trained in college mental health. Office of Institutional Equity - responsible for administering the University’s compliance with Anti-Harassment and Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, and Affirmative Action policies Asian American and Asian Resource Cultural Center (AAARCC) - Purdue’s cultural and resources center with the vision to bring Asian and Asian American experiences to life through programming, networking, and advocacy efforts that are focused on enriching the Purdue experience for all members of our campus community. Racism and xenophobia are antithetical to our values and what we stand for as a University. Each student was hand selected to join the Boilermaker family, and we must stand together to protect each other from racially and ethnically driven hatred. This is the time to reaffirm our commitment to fighting systemic racism, white supremacy, colonialism, and anti-Blackness. If you have been impacted by Tuesday's attack on the Asian community, please know that we see you and we hear you. We encourage you to seek out the resources listed above. Standing with you, Assata Gilmore Student Body President Madelina Nuñez Graduate Student Body President Hannah Darr Student Body Vice President Val Z. Schull Diversity Officer, Purdue Graduate Student Government Emily Johnson Press Secretary, Purdue Student Government


CONTACT US Vasundhara Kaul - Public Relations Officer pgsg.pro@gmail.com https://www.purduegradstudents.com

© 2019 Purdue University // EA/EOU

View this statement as a webpage here.

Purdue Honors College

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN'S OFFICE

Dear Members of the Honors College Community,

I write to you today to affirm that the Honors College values and stands in solidarity with our Asian and Asian American peers, colleagues, and community members. In doing so, I echo the statement issued yesterday by the Purdue Division of Diversity and Inclusion. The murder of eight people in the Atlanta area Tuesday night, six of whom were women of Asian descent, has magnified a longstanding problem of discrimination against Asian communities in the United States.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, verbal and physical attacks against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders have increased significantly. The organization Stop AAPI Hate has documented nearly 3,800 incidents of harassment, shunning, discrimination, and physical violence in the United States since March 2020, 68% of which targeted women. A recent report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University reported a 150% increase in hate crimes directed toward Asian Americans in our largest cities last year. Divisive political rhetoric surrounding the pandemic has only exacerbated racism against Asians and Asian Americans.

We in the Honors College denounce these attacks and continue to pursue anti-racist policies that promote an inclusive environment where all of our students, staff, faculty, and community members can live, learn, and work without discrimination and fear. We reaffirm the commitments expressed in our Inclusion Statement and call on you, as a member of our Honors learning community—and as a Boilermaker—to act as an ally to your peers.

To our Asian and Asian American students, the Honors College and Purdue have various resources available to support you during this difficult time. We encourage you to engage with these resources as you find helpful.

Megha Anwer, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Honors College, manwer@purdue.edu
Natasha Duncan, Associate Dean for International Education and Affairs, Honors College, ntduncan@purdue.edu
Heather Servaty-Seib, Associate Dean of Student Life, Honors College, servaty@purdue.edu
Nathan Swanson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Honors College, swanso64@purdue.edu
Asian and Asian American Research and Cultural Center, https://www.purdue.edu/aaarcc/index.php
CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services), https://www.purdue.edu/caps/
Office of the Dean of Students, https://www.purdue.edu/odos/
Purdue’s system for Reporting Hate and Bias incidents, https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?PurdueUniv&layout_id=14

To our wider community, we encourage you to increase your awareness of the diverse histories, contributions, and challenges of Asian communities in the United States; to stand up against all forms of racism; and to offer your support to those affected by racialized discrimination and violence. These upcoming events sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Research and Cultural Center will help you learn—and learn how to act:

March 30 / 5.30pm: Co-Founder of StopAAPI Hate, Dr. Russell Jeung will present on “Christian Nationalism, Anti-Asian Racism, & Asian American Resistance” (RSVP)
April 9 / 3pm: “Bystander Intervention To Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment,” hosted by universities represented within the Great Lakes Asian American Student Services (RSVP)

Thank you for joining me in support of the Asian and Asian American members of our communities.

Sincerely,