Duke professor warned Chinese students to speak English (buy, school)

[trumpetbutt]

if she said it in a private conversation to the students, offering that it may be helpful for them in gaining opportunities to collaborate and develop their careers here in the US. That's helpful, real-world advice. Not xenophobia.

But put it in a clumsily-worded email and you make the national news. Live and learn.

[m378]

My trust in the media is admittedly low lately, but I feel like there's more to this story, and what we're seeing was taken well out of context.

[wheelsup]

CNN titles it "professor WARNED (emphasis mine) students to speak English" then changes their text in the actual article to "urges" and in the email the professor says they have utmost respect for said students and are just giving them a heads up on what the other professors have relayed to them.

And you trust this same media to bring accurate representation of what happens in all things news?

The travesty in all of this is the media took hold of the single professor who was actually trying to do good, her only crime was going to the students instead their boss (dean?). But then, we all know how working in closed cell environments work and the interpersonal relationships where people who "rat" on others get treated.

When out I do notice foreigners speaking their language very loudly (as per the email) and think it's just a cultural thing. So address the volume of the conversation not the type...seems like the professors who noticed this and approached Neely didn't have the cojones to address the students themselves.

[pierretong1991]

Originally Posted by trumpetbutt

if she said it in a private conversation to the students, offering that it may be helpful for them in gaining opportunities to collaborate and develop their careers here in the US. That's helpful, real-world advice. Not xenophobia.

But put it in a clumsily-worded email and you make the national news. Live and learn.

That's how I feel as well - sometimes the ease of technology to avoid difficult personal conversations can be a bad thing.

[Universe93B]

Finally! Some common sense discussed here - yes a private conversation to help these students out would be much more useful, but instead everyone turns to email and even worse, social media to try to "spread" the message. Yeah sure, put everything in writing where the media can destroy you.


Second, picking the correct candidate for the job is all good. Unless there exists some other more rampant discrimination to not hire Chinese or other students.


Third, a great majority of the world can speak more than 1 language except for us Americans. Speaking/learning/in the process of learning another language can help improve cognition, critical thinking skills and maybe slow dementia. Speaking more than 1 language is a not a bad thing.

[Heel82]

I’m not one to get worked up over every slight, but this does seem a fairly big deal. Speaking your native language in a student lounge isn’t exactly a “professional setting”. Unless “improving English” is built into the curriculum as a stated goal, I’m at a loss for where that fits in. If a student can’t handle the internship because they lack certain skills, up to and including communication skills, that is one thing. Policing how they interact outside the classroom seems to cross a barrier I can’t quite wrap my head around.

[abnheel]

I’m proud of those of you who question what you see in the media.

As revenue counts on your emotions to get that ad revenue.

The media’s business model isn’t sustainable without a healthy dose of fear and division.

[twingles]

Originally Posted by abnheel

I’m proud of those of you who question what you see in the media.

As revenue counts on your emotions to get that ad revenue.

The media’s business model isn’t sustainable without a healthy dose of fear and division.

Yes, the media LOVES the current climate of "I'm going to get offended over every little thing".

This case is particularly interesting, because the people who spoke with this advisor told her what their thoughts were. This is the last place any of us have any privacy. If they kept these thoughts to themselves and just shut these students out of opportunities no one would be the wiser.

[zitsky]

I have studied a few languages but I wouldn't say I'm fluent in anything but English. When I was in a graduate program I spoke up for international students (mostly Chinese) whose English wasn't quite 100%. But when I travel some place I speak the language, even if it's only a few words. Yes it is true that in the USA we speak more than English. But is it so unreasonable to expect people who come here to speak English?

[SFspiderman]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I have studied a few languages but I wouldn't say I'm fluent in anything but English. When I was in a graduate program I spoke up for international students (mostly Chinese) whose English wasn't quite 100%. But when I travel some place I speak the language, even if it's only a few words. Yes it is true that in the USA we speak more than English. But is it so unreasonable to expect people who come here to speak English?

So when you're traveling to China and speaking to your American travel companions, you speak Chinese?

The email is bizarre, with other professors apparently wanting to discriminate because they couldn't eavesdrop on the Chinese students' conversation? They're in a student lounge, not a classroom...they can speak whatever language they want with each other.