Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger has sent an open letter to the university community following a student slaying last month in which he addresses some "troubling" ethnically-charged commentary about the suspected killer.
The letter, in which Steger also urges students, faculty and administrators to keep in mind that college campuses are still some of the safest places in the nation, takes issue with those who have used accused killer Haiyang Zhu's Chinese background to somehow disparage the school's other Asian students.
"Regrettably, I also find it necessary to address some troubling commentary directed to the university leadership via e-mail, on blogs, or in letters-to-the-editor," Steger wrote in the e-mail that went out last night.
"Virginia Tech is an open and accepting community including many races, ethnicities, and cultures from around the world. We believe firmly that this diversity enriches the educational experience of all of our students. There is no evidence to suggest this death was in any way ethnically motivated. Moreover, it is important to note the international student community at Virginia Tech has an outstanding law-abiding history and reputation. Compared to their percent of the student body, our international students generally are extremely under-represented in terms of offenses brought to the university's judicial system."
Zhu, a 25-year-old graduate student, is charged with first-degree murder, accused of beheading fellow graduate student Xin Yang in a campus coffee shop. Yang, 22, was also from China.
-- Rex Bowman
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