Student Union
Foreign Students Are Targets of Hate Speech
Joon Baek, a Korean student at Columbia University in New York City, was riding the subway last year when a woman sitting across from him began to shout. In America’s largest city of nearly 8 million people, it is not unusual to hear someone ranting.
“I was commuting from campus back to Korea Town where I live, and I tried not to say anything, to just look down, was just minding my own business,” Baek described. “But it got worse and worse, and it wasn’t just any kind of verbal assault. I realized it was actually directed at me.”
Baek said he was uncomfortable, given that anti-Asian hate crimes that have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to police data.
He decided to get off at the next stop.
Most of the international students in the U.S. are students of color, according to statistics from the Institute for International Education.
Jessica, a Chinese national from South Africa graduating from the Parsons School of Design in New York, said news reports of anti-Asian incidents make her more cautious.
“I used to feel really safe in New York, but that hasn’t been the case since 2020. … For the first time, I feel targeted when I’m walking down the street,” she said. “It’s really sad because I have to avoid going out in the dark. I have to avoid certain streets which are dark. I have to always be very cautious and very aware of my Asian identity.”
All the students VOA talked with said they generally feel comfortable on campus and among America’s diverse urban populations. They say the experience of living in a multicultural society has opened their eyes.
Baek, who studies cyber privacy and data security, said he came to the U.S. in 2015 from South Korea for the excellence in education.
“America offers the best universities, the most renowned ones, and I felt like going to America, studying there, would open up new opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I had studied back in Korea.”
Andy Mao, a biology graduate from New York University, was taking photos with three non-Asian classmates in front of the school, laughing and enjoying their graduation celebration.
“It’s been an amazing journey, especially when I look back and I got to see so many different cultures coming together. And most importantly, meet friends from different countries, cultures and get to know their stories,” Mao said. “It’s really expanded my mind, and I appreciate this kind of freedom for me to explore the world.”
But despite his enthusiasm, Mao said news reports about anti-Asian hate give him pause.
“I definitely felt really sad to see those attacks happening not only in New York City but other cities, as well. Sometimes I feel a little bit unsafe when I’m in this kind of situation,” Mao said. “But I’m lucky. I’ve received a lot of love and support.”
While overall reported hate crimes decreased 7 percent last year — likely because of lockdowns — reports of hate crimes against Asians rose nearly 150% in 16 of the largest U.S. cities, according to police data cited by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino (CSUSB).
But isolated incidents leave a mark.
Archit Choudhury, who is graduating from Columbia University in computer science, said he was walking in the midwestern city of St. Louis, Missouri, enjoying the Gateway Arch and hanging out with other students, when an elderly woman accosted him.
“‘You guys suck. Go back to your country. Why are you in the U.S.?’ That’s pretty much it. It’s been a rare, one-off occasion. It’s nothing that would make me feel unsafe,” Choudhury said. “It still sucks when it does happen.”
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
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