I was outraged and disappointed at the same time when I saw the cartoon "Better Than Stick Figures" in your April 18 issue. I cannot believe that such a racist and discriminating message could be delivered by our university's newspaper, which has always been known for promoting cultural diversity.
There are 2,010 international graduate students in UB, and almost half of them are teaching assistants, graduate assistants or research assistants. They work very hard to contribute to the school's academic development. The international TAs are all required to pass the SPEAK test and attend a TA workshop before they teach. They are qualified instructors; UB's undergraduate education would have big loss without the international TAs (sic).
The cartoon in your paper is an insult to the international TAs, and by discriminating (against) the international TAs, it also severely undermines the cultural diversity of our school.
I seriously demand an apology from your newspaper and the author of the cartoon to all the international teaching assistants.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
