A professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago is suing the school, claiming that he was discriminated against because he is from Korea. His lawsuit alleges, among other things, that he was forced to teach courses in statistics because he was told "Koreans are very good at mathematics and statistics."
Professor sues University of Illinois at Chicago for racial discrimination
Seung-Whan Choi, a professor in international relations, says that school administrators unfairly fired him in 2011, only to reinstate him and force him to teach statistics. He was also forced to teach a course in Korean politics, despite having no formal education in the field.
Choi, a Korean-born U.S. citizen, claims he experienced years of discrimination and retaliation due to his race and national origin. His lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that he was ostracized and denied raises comparable to his peers in the department of political science.
According to the lawsuit, in 2015, then-department head Dennis Judd changed one of Choi's undergraduate student's grades without consulting with him. When he asked Judd about it, Choi was told that "as a foreigner," he had to "keep in mind who he is dealing with and what he is wishing for," and that Judd "knows that many Koreans are stubborn and do not understand American culture of compromise when dealing with their boss."
Sounds like somebody was expecting the Asian guy to sit down and shut up.
The lawsuit also claims that Choi was denied a promotion to full professor, alleging that Choi was wrongfully accused of being lacking in academic contributions and not providing sufficient service to the department.
Choi tells the Chicago Tribune that not only has the situation jeopardized his career, it has caused him health problems and impeded his ability to be a good husband and father.
According to Choi's attorney, he has not yet determined how much in punitive damages he is seeking.
More here: Professor says UIC forced him to teach statistics because he is Asian
