![]() ![]() “Anybody who knows how to read English should be able to understand what this stands for.” “It is written in English, ‘HELL BANK NO TE,’ ” s aid Shutong Chen, a fourth-year specialist in applied mathematics and statistics, about the paper money. Although both Graduate House and the Governing Council have cited the incident as an “error,” some students want to know how this incident transpired. The university has not released information about the circumstances behind the distribution of the ‘hell bank note’ bills. Otherwise, she said, “that is just tokenism.” She believes that diversity and inclusivity measures need to be rooted in research and consultation with the targeted populations. In an interview with The Varsity, Quan said that the incident was indicative of broader issues. Other demands include employing cultural consultants and creating a student-centred monitoring system to prevent culturally inappropriate actions. It also calls for the university to provide mental health support for those affected and educate students and staff about these cultural practices. The petition, started by a group called U of T Asian Communities, questions why the apologies released have not explained why the Graduate House team used joss paper “without consulting with students or staff of Asian heritage.” However, in a petition signed by over 5,000 people as of February 6, community members are calling on the university for a more comprehensive apology, among other demands. It confirmed that all the red envelopes had been removed from Graduate House. Graduate House has since apologized for the “error” in an email to its residents, writing that there was “no malicious attempt behind this action.” On February 3, the university’s Governing Council also posted an apology in Mandarin on its verified WeChat account. She wrote in to represent the concerns of some Asian students living at Graduate House who wish to remain anonymous. “ you are conveying to the person that ‘you are dead to me’ or, worse, ‘I wish you are de ad,’ ” wr ote Patricia Quan, a master’s student at the Faculty of Social Work, in an email to Graduate House and other university representatives. These notes are a form of joss paper, which is traditionally burned as a sacrificial offering for deities and dead ancestors, and it is considered culturally offensive to give joss paper to people who are alive. But their contents have sparked outrage across social media as Chinese students and U of T community members have criticized the use of the ‘hell bank notes’ during the Lunar New Year. The red envelopes, which are commonly given to wish recipients an auspicious and peaceful year during the Lunar New Year festivities, were distributed by Graduate House’s service desk team. On the first night of the Lunar New Year, students at Graduate House, a U of T graduate student residence, found red envelopes in the common area that contained fake bills printed with the words “HELL BANK NOTE.” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |