Case 4: Retaliation and Harassment of Asian Male Faculty in
Academia.
I came into this country in twenty years ago as a graduate student and now I am a Professor. I live a good part of my life in the north and never felt discriminated. While I was in the north I used to hear horror stories about how in the south people discriminates. However, in my heart I thought that as long as you are excel in your career, discrimination can have no effect on you. Just keep on working hard and hard work has its reward and it will defeat discrimination by itself. I saw this belief and trust maintained when I was a Ph.D and postdoctoral researcher. With this trust and believe I started my academic career as a tenure-track faculty position in the South. My aforementioned belief was only shattered after I became an Assistant Professor.
Within a year of my appointment in a University in the South, I begin to realize no matter how hard I work there was no one to encourage and acknowledge my hard work ethics. Then, I started hearing stories from outsiders how bad I am in teaching and research. It was a terrible shock for me because I was an outstanding graduate student during the course of my Ph.D and also did outstanding researcher as a postdoctoral student. Then I thought may be I can work on it. So I started working on my teaching skills. While I was in the second year of my tenure-track position I felt very threatened that if I don't bring in big federal grants I will be kicked out within couple of years. This made me work even harder. My belief of Asian discrimination started at the time when I started observing caucasian faculty was always rewarded and treated with respect and dignity by the department administration and senior faculty. In contrast, Asian faculties were not given the same treatment. I began to realize that being an Asian I am expected to work at least 10-times harder than caucasian faculty in my department. Then I started working on research projects myself, working in the laboratory for long hours. I brought a sleeping bag in my office and refuse to date or socialize with anyone. I had tremendous pressure that if I don't bring in NIH grants within the first three years I will be kicked out.
At the end of my third-year, I was very happy with the grant and my teaching evaluation by the students and felt now the University might help me get some Ph.D students to work in my laboratory. I went to talk to the chair (after getting $1 million dollar) and was able to convince him to admit graduate students to work in my laboratory. I was successful in getting few Ph.D students. While I was mentoring my students I immediately begin to notice that my caucasian student was treated differently than my Asian students. For example, always my caucasian student was praised heavily by the administration. The caucasian student's stipend was higher and was given special awards and bonuses compared to my Asian students. There were times when the department administration would support my caucasian students so much that I was often threatened and humiliated in front of my students. It was becoming more and more depressing and frustrating for me, but I endured everything because I was not tenured. I knew the moment I will speak up they will deny me tenure. So I keep on working hard myself. My research performance was so outstanding that I was rated very heavily by external reviewer. Some reviewers, even went on mentioning that I should be promoted directly to full professor. As I mentioned earlier, my performance was outstanding and had this been a caucasian person he/she would have been rated very highly by the University administrators. I knew this will never happen because I am Asian. Fortunately, again my prayers were answered and I was granted tenure but after so much stress and difficulty. I was happy to be promoted but promise myself to stand-up for any one who suffers similar injustice.
At this point in my life I am still trying to get my message across the University that please do not treat people on their looks and skin color but try to think that we are living in 20th century. I wonder if the people who discriminates ever think " People are people, no matter how they look, they are all the creatures of the same God."
At this point I only hope our University will stand-up against racism and will do the right thing for justice to prevail. I know that there is very little chance that they will change but there is a hope. I also feel that this is a battle that we will have to fight together. While I am writing this, I will once again pray today to the ALMIGHTY to make our beloved country free of racial discrimination. I know my prayers will be answered because everytime I prayed it was answered!