Duke Asian American student group makes demands, calls out administration for lack of response to violence

The Asian American Studies Working Group recently penned a letter to Duke President Vincent Price, Duke administrators and the university Board of Trustees with a list of demands. The group also launched a petition to increase support and awareness of Asian students and community members at Duke.

The group feels slighted by what they call "dismissiveness and lack of acknowledgment of Duke’s Asian communities and students by higher administration."

"We are burnt out, tired, and expect more from our administration," the letter states.

Organization representatives want things like an Asian American Studies major and a cultural center to better suit their experience at the university.

On March 5, President Price sent an email to students regarding a rise in violence against Asian Americans. The group felt the letter was "disingenuous and perfunctory," adding that Price was "largely silent" regarding the recent murders at spas and massage parlors in Georgia. Six of the eight people killed in the murders were women of Asian decent.

"I am outraged at the recent and ongoing violence against Asians, Asian-Americans, and Pacific Islanders in communities across the country. I resoundingly condemn this horrific activity—and the terrible hate and xenophobia behind it.," Price wrote. "Let us condemn together this violence and hatred in all its forms, and renew our commitments to work together toward justice and inclusion for our nation and the world," the letter concludes.

They want things like an Asian American Studies major and a cultural center for students of color on campus to better suit their experience at the university.

They point to other incidents of racism on campus such as in 2019, when a professor sent an email to Chinese graduate students urging them to speak English on campus.

Duke professor apologizes for English-only email to Chinese grad students