Dartmouth Club Apologizes for Anti-Asian E-mail

A Dartmouth College student newspaper club has apologized for an offensive e-mail against the school’s next president Jim Yong Kim.

According to an Associated Press report yesterday, several members of the student newspaper club Generic Good Morning Message sent the e-mail to some 1,000 students and graduates of the university March 3, the next day after Kim’s election.

The e-mail called the Korean American “Chinaman” and warned that Kim could "Asianize" the school.

“On July 1, yet another hardworking American`s job will be taken by an immigrant willing to work in substandard conditions at near subsistence wages, saving half his money and sending the rest home to his village in the form of traveler`s checks,” the message said.

“Unless Jim Young Kim means `I love freedom` in Chinese, I don`t want anything to do with him. Dartmouth is America, not Panda Garden Rice Village Restaurant."

Kim responded in his own e-mail addressed to all Dartmouth students. He said he is concerned the matter would undermine the school’s bid to build a diverse and inclusive campus that cherishes free speech, but also nurtures mutual respect and civility. He added he hopes the incident will be an opportunity to help deepen understanding with each other.

Generic Good Morning Message sent all recipients of the e-mail an apology. “The writer is full of regret; did not intend to offend anyone, and has committed to meeting with others, from diverse backgrounds, to learn as many lessons as possible from this experience,” it said.

Outgoing Dartmouth President James Wright said, “This does not represent the mood that we share and it will not deter us from our plans to warmly welcome Dr. Kim and his family to this open and gracious community.”