What happened

On October 21, 2022, a student, who identifies as Chinese, reported that on October 20, 2022 while at the Stadium Trax station, she was harassed by a woman (approximately 40-60 years old) who repeatedly yelled racial slurs and insults at the student, including calling her a “f***ing ch**k”, “f***ing b**ch” and “ching chang.” The woman also made unintelligible comments and insults about China.

What is being done

The incident has been reported to the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA) the Office of the Dean of Students Conduct teams, the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team, and University of Utah Police and Utah Transit Authority Police, who have opened an investigation. The student who reported has also been connected to a victim advocate and support services that are available on campus.

Although it is unknown if the individual who yelled the racist slurs is a member of our community, if, through the course of some review or investigation (by University Police, or other appropriate investigative body), the individual responsible is identified as part of the U community, the Office of the Dean of Students (if confirmed to be a student), Human Resources (if confirmed to be an employee), or other appropriate leader, will act within university policy designed to hold the individual accountable and, if appropriate, provide additional education about the harm caused to the community by this type of behavior.

What to do

Be vigilant, speak up, and stand up for others. Stopping this type of behavior takes collective action, and bystander intervention efforts are one way of combatting such conduct that causes real harm. To learn more about how to incorporate bystander intervention into your toolkit, check out the information here: https://wellness.utah.edu/workshops-training/#bystander.

If, while using the UTA public transit system, you encounter a safety concern, crime or another matter you feel needs an immediate UTA Police response, please report it:

• Call 9-1-1—if there is an emergency, it is best to call 9-1-1
• Call UTA Police Dispatch—to reach UTA Police by phone, call 801-287-3937 (801-287-EYES)
• Text—send text messages to UTA police at 274-637 (CRIMES). Start your message with UTATIP and then include your message.

If you are interested in learning more about the variety of resources the U offers to support diversity and inclusion, please visit the Office of the Dean of Students in the Union Building, Room 270, deanofstudents@utah.edu, 801-581-7066, or Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Park Building, Room 208, or https://diversity.utah.edu/our-team/. To make a report of a racist or bias incident, visit the public reporting form. 

The U condemns hate and is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion

This act, specifically targeted against a student member of our Asian community, in a public space, is rooted in the hateful act of striking fear among our community members. These targeted acts, in the context of increased anti-Asian hate incidents around the country, leave our Asian students, staff and faculty feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, and continuously on edge. While we work to ensure that they can find a place of safety and belonging as a part of our campus community, we know that is not enough.  We will continue to name the racist acts, investigate, and hold the perpetrators accountable when they are identified. We cannot tolerate what is intolerable. Additionally, we will continue to proactively implement efforts that uplift and celebrate our communities as we witness an increasing number of racist acts on our campus and across the nation. This is the time to draw together and call out these acts when we see them.