Syracuse U. Prof Placed on Leave for Using Term ‘Wuhan Flu’ on Syllabus

There are certain things you’re just not allowed to say in higher education.

Campus Reform reports:

Syracuse puts prof who used ‘Wuhan flu’ in syllabus on leaveSyracuse University has placed a professor on administrative leave after he referred to COVID 19 as “the Wuhan Flu” and the “Chinese Communist Party Virus” in his course syllabus. A complaint against the professor is now being investigated under the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services.The announcement came on the same day that student-run social media accounts posted screenshots of a course syllabus that was reportedly distributed to students by Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Jon Zubieta. According to those accounts, Zubieta distributed the syllabi to students in his course titled, “Inorganic Chemistry.” In the syllabus, Zubieta included a section titled “Special Notices Related to the COVID19 Pandemic” where he also referred to the virus as the “Wuhan Flu” and “Chinese Communist Party Virus.”In an email to students and an official announcement posted to the university’s website on Tuesday, the university condemned the professor’s “derogatory language” as “damaging” to the student learning environment and “offensive to Chinese, international and Asian-Americans everywhere who have experienced hate speech, rhetoric and actions since the pandemic began.”The university said that it has “removed” the professor from the classroom and placed him on administrative leave“pending the outcome of a full investigation.”The university asserted its commitment to being an “anti-racist” community, promising to take “swift action to confront bias and hate.”“We will not allow any member of our community to violate the University’s commitment to a safe, inclusive and welcoming learning and living environment. Professors are expected to be especially mindful of these goals, as they are the individuals entrusted to cultivate productive, professional and supportive classrooms for our students.”

Tags: College Insurrection, New York, Wuhan Coronavirus

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