Asian American elitism offends

Over the last year, Pierson College Dean June Chu published controversial reviews of local businesses on her personal Yelp account, on one occasion referring to clientele of a restaurant as “white trash” and “low class folks,” and on another praising a movie theater for its lack of “sketchy crowds” despite being located in New Haven.

Screenshots of the reviews, obtained by the News Saturday afternoon and accessible here, began circulating among Pierson students in recent months. Her account has since been deleted.
Chu sent an email to the residential college community on Saturday apologizing for her reviews, which have been been met with anger and disappointment by students.

“I have learned a lot this semester about the power of words and about the accountability that we owe one another,” Chu wrote. “My remarks were wrong. There are no two ways about it. Not only were they insensitive in matters related to class and race; they demean the values to which I hold myself and which I offer as a member of this community.”

Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway told the News on Saturday that the incident was brought to his attention a few days ago by Dean of Student Affairs Camille Lizarribar. Holloway, who spoke with Pierson Head Stephen Davis after finding out about the incident, said he was only aware of the two reviews Chu mentioned in her Saturday email.

But other reviews obtained by the News featured provocative comments that were not referenced in Saturday’s email. Most of the posts were published after June 2016, after Chu had been appointed dean.

In a 2015 review of Entertainment Cinemas in nearby Seymour, Chu criticized “barely educated morons trying to manage snack orders for the obese” and lamented that she had to “remain in line with all the other idiots.”

“Everyone raves about the views but seriously — it’s New Haven,” Chu wrote in a review of the restaurant John Davenport’s. “Come on. There is no view.”

According to Holloway, Chu, Davis and other administrators together decided that Chu should email Pierson students about the incident on Saturday after “wrestling with how to do the right thing.” Holloway praised Chu’s email for being “very honest” and said he hopes students will be able to recognize that people make mistakes and can learn from them.

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