by Eunice Sung

“My friend, she was so afraid. She’s even afraid to cough…she’s afraid to cough because she’s worried about people [looking] at her differently,” said Ziyu Wang, a junior international Chinese student majoring in computer science.

Xenophobia, the fear of something that seems strange or foreign, has been spreading along with the Coronavirus, more specifically COVID-19, and putting Asians and Asian Americans in danger across the country. 

According to the New York Post, a woman wearing a face mask was attacked at a Chinatown subway station. According to NBC News, a middle school student of Asian descent was allegedly bullied and assaulted amid fears over the virus. 

“History tells us that Asian Americans become targets of bias when disease is racialized,” Janelle Wong, a professor of American studies and Asian American studies, stated in an email.

Megumi Miyaoka, a junior architecture student studying abroad in Italy, noted how uncomfortable she felt being in a new country knowing about the prevailing hostile racial sentiments against Asians.

“I coughed in a restaurant and all the heads whipped towards me,” Miyaoka said. 

These worries have been prompting her to change the way she presents herself.

“I try to look [the] least touristy… possible. I refuse to use Google maps. I just walk, look straight, don’t stop, don’t wear a mask. I haven’t walked around with a camera at all since that’s a telltale sign of being foreign,” she said. “I feel stuck and every decision I make, I think I weigh more what other people think and not what I want to do.”

According to Cixin Wang, an assistant professor of the school of psychology in the College of Education, Asians tend to be perceived as foreigners because they “just look different.”

This stereotype can be manifested in overt ways, like physical abuse towards Asians, or microaggressions such as asking someone where someone is really from, Professor Wang said.

Of the students interviewed for this article, none said they have personally experienced this type of discrimination on campus. However, according to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, several students have visited the Hate-Bias Response office on campus to discuss anti-Asian sentiments. 

 “Unfortunately, our campus is not immune to discrimination against Asian students and faculty [or] staff, and ODI is committed to building a more inclusive campus community going forward,” the Office of Diversity and Inclusion wrote in an email. 

This xenophobic sentiment has had other subtle effects on students, especially international students from China.

Wang’s mother warned her to be careful of wearing masks in public spaces because she was worried that she would also become a victim of a hate crime. Wang is also being much more cautious of her health.

“I would bring these…” she said as she rustled through her backpack and pulled out alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer. “I bring these with me daily.”

Haoyue Zhou, a junior international Chinese student majoring in agricultural and resource economics, said she is afraid to wear masks on campus because she doesn’t want others to act “weird” around her. 

The president of the Asian American Student Union, Heather Kim, a senior broadcast journalism major and Asian American studies minor, said she was frustrated when she first heard about cases of xenophobia in the news. 

“No matter how many generations we’ve been here, we’re always seen as this alien other,” she said. “A virus doesn’t discriminate. But this seems like a chance for people to demonstrate their racism when a virus shouldn’t be an excuse.”

Shufan Gao, a senior international Chinese student majoring in agricultural and resource economics, said that one of his professors made a joke by asking him if he was from Wuhan; Gao took it as a joke and a friendly gesture.

However, Professor Wang said that jokes like these might unintentionally hurt others. 

“As faculty, as students, we want to be supportive of other international students,” she said. “By asking about it, you might be reinforcing that type of stereotype…Other people might not know it’s a joke and might be reinforcing those anxieties about the virus as well as the stereotypes or bias towards Chinese international students.”

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion wrote in an email that building an anti-racist community is a collective effort. They said they are aware that the work isn’t done and will keep working to prevent incidents and address any that do come up.

“At such a difficult time, we want to be kind and compassionate towards other students and try to support them,” Professor Wang said.