This Christmas, Take a Ride On The Most Racist Bus in Illinois!

"You won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses."



A transportation company that services the Champaign-Urbana area in Illinois is under fire for a racist, anti-Chinese message included in a promotional email sent out to its mailing list over the weekend.

Suburban Express sends controversial Christmas email

Suburban Express sent an email touting the perks of its Christmas break bus services for University of Illinois students. Among other self-identified selling points, the Surburban Express Experience includes riding with "Passengers like you. You won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses."

This, of course, refers to the University's large population of international students.

Charges upgraded in kidnapping of missing Chinese student

Brendt Christensen could face the death penalty for killing Yingying Zhang.



The man charged in the disappearance of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois could be eligible for the death penalty after new charges were filed, accusing him of kidnapping and killing her.

Illinois man could face death penalty in missing Chinese student case

According to an updated indictment released this week, 28-year-old Brendt Christensen has been charged with kidnapping resulting in the death of Yingying Zhang. Christensen was initially charged with kidnapping Zhang, but the new charges claim he kidnapped and "intentionally killed" her.

Suspect arrested in kidnapping of Chinese student

Yingying Zhang, who disappeared from the University of Illinois on June 9, is believed to be dead.



A suspect has been arrested in the kidnapping of visiting Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang, who has been missing from the University of Illinois since June 9. She is believed by authorities to be dead.

Man charged with kidnapping U. of I. student, who authorities believe is dead

27-year-old Brendt Christensen was arrested late Friday as a suspect in Zhang's kidnapping.

According to the FBI press release, "while Christensen was under law enforcement surveillance, agents overheard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang. Based on this, and other facts uncovered during the investigation of this matter, law enforcement agents believe that Ms. Zhang is no longer alive."

FBI finds car linked to kidnapped Chinese student

Visiting scholar Yingying Zhang has been missing from the University of Illinois since June 9.



In Illinois, the FBI announced Tuesday that it had found the car that a visiting Chinese student was last seen getting into before she went missing from the University of Illinois nearly three weeks ago.

26-year-old Yingying Zhang, a visiting student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, was last seen June 9 near the north end of campus in Urbana-Champaign. She had just gotten off a bus and was apparently on her way to an apartment complex to sign a lease.

Security camera footage shows her getting into the passenger seat of a black Saturn Astra. The FBI says the vehicle appeared to be driven by a white male who circled the area before making contact with Zhang. The car is seen pulling up next to Zhang on the sidewalk just after 2:00 pm. She talks for several moments to the unidentified driver before getting into the vehicle. The car then drives away.

She has not been seen or heard from since.

Visiting Chinese scholar missing from University of Illinois

26-year-old Yingying Zhang was last seen on June 9.



At the University of Illinois, authorities are asking for the public's help in the search for a visiting scholar from China who has been missing from the Urbana-Champaign campus since Friday.

University of Illinois scholar from China missing since Friday

26-year-old Yingying Zhang, a visiting student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, was last seen June 9 near the north end of campus. She had just gotten off a bus and was apparently on her way to an apartment complex in Urbana to sign a lease. Zhang's friends called police on Saturday when they couldn't get in touch with her and became concerned about her whereabouts.

University of Illinois Police released security camera footage showing a black Saturn Astra pulling up next to Zhang on the sidewalk just after 2:00 pm. She can be seen talking for several moments to the unidentified driver before getting into the vehicle. The car then drives way. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Professor claims university forced him to teach stats because he's Asian

Seung-Whan Choi is suing the University of Illinois at Chicago.



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.

Missing college student found safe and reunited with family

University of Illinois student went missing at O'Hare International Airport



Good news, but what happened to you, dude? Hye Min Choi, the University of Illinois student who went missing after checking in at the airport last Saturday, has been found safe and reunited with his family.

Missing University of Illinois student Hye Min Choi found, reunited with family

Choi, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, checked his luggage at O'Hare International Airport on Saturday afternoon, but never boarded his United Airlines flight to Greensboro, North Carolina, and didn't re-book another flight.

Chicago police issued a statement earlier in the week asking for the public's help in locating Choi, but now it looks like he's okay, and reportedly in good condition. No further details were released, but it looks like he might not have wanted to go home because of school-related problems:

Missing: Hye Min Choi, last seen at O'Hare International Airport

University of Illinois student checked in for his flight but never boarded

In Chicago, police are asking for the public's help locating a University of Illinois student who went missing after checking luggage at O'Hare International Airport.

U of I student missing after checking in at O'Hare

19-year-old Hye Min Choi, also known as Joseph Choi, checked his luggage on Saturday afternoon for a United Airlines flight to North Carolina, but has not been seen or heard from since 4:49pm that day. According to Chicago Police, he did not board his flight, and did not re-book another flight.

His luggage arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina, where his mother picked it up.

Choi, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is described as 5-feet, 6 inches tall, weighs 100 lbs., and has brown eyes and black hair. He has a scar on his right eyelid.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Area North Special Victim's Unit at (312) 744-8200.

More here: U of I student missing after checking in for O'Hare flight

University of Illinois Chancellor responds to Twitter hate

"Racist, intimidating or culturally derogatory epithets have no place in any debate in any circumstance."


Earlier this week, Chancellor Phyllis Wise sent an email to the student, faculty and staff of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign informing the campus community that in spite of a bad weather forecast, classes would be held as usual on Monday. The unpopular decision set off a tide of ugly twitter hate.

I wish Chancellor Wise had a Twitter account. I wish she had thrown her hands up, said, "oh hell no" and put all those haters on blast. Alas, the "tweet" above is a Photoshop job for your amusement.

Moving Past Digital Hate

Instead, the Chancellor offered a much more classy, measured response to the hate, acknowledging that the negative comments are protected by free speech, but calling for a higher standard in debate and discourse:

So you didn't get a snow day. Respond with racism and sexism.

Stay classy, University of Illinois.



This is the email that set off a Twitter tide of racist, misogynist bullshit.

I hate cold weather. I admit, being a west coast kid, I can't relate much to polar vortexes and snow days as of late. However, my college days did see their share of Midwest winters. And man, they suck. But that's neither here nor there. I say this as a fellow human being: grow the fuck up, University of Illinois.

After Being Denied A Snow Day, University Of Illinois Students Respond With Racism And Sexism

I'm speaking specifically to the asshole students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who participated in the Twitter hashtag "#FuckPhyllis." On Sunday night, University Chancellor Phyllis Wise emailed the student body saying in spite of the weather forecast, school would be in session on Monday.

Some students, suddenly shocked that the college they chose to attend is subject to shitty weather, were compelled to take to Twitter and bellyache about the fact that they had to go to school. You know, like students. The complaining quickly devolved into racist and sexist hate directed at Chancellor Wise.

It got ugly fast.

Nick Offerman builds a Japanese gazebo

Parks and Recreation star pays homage to his mentor, Professor Emeritus Shozo Sato



I kept watching this video expecting something to indicate that it was some kind of elaborate comedy sketch. But it's apparently real. Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman recently returned to his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to build a Japanese gazebo in honor of his mentor, Professor Emeritus Shozo Sato. Everything about that last sentence is awesome, right?

Offerman, who expertly plays Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy, is also a professional boat builder and has a side business as a wood craftsman. But once upon a time he was a young acting student under the tutelage of Professor Sato. Last fall, he hosted a fundraiser for U of I's Japan House, and oversaw the construction of this dope azuyama. Watch:

Doctoral student charged in fatal stabbing of ex-girlfriend

University of Illinois math student Yongfei Ci is accused of killing Mengchen Huang in her apartment.

Damn. Some frightening news out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where a man was arrested for fatally stabbing a student in her apartment: Stabbing victim identified as U. of I. student from China.

29-year-old Yongfei Ci, a mathematics doctoral student from China, was arrested Friday in connection with the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend Mengchen Huang, a graduate student in the School of Art and Design.

According to authorities, Ci forced his way into Huang's apartment and held her and her roommate against their will, binding both women with duct tape. While the roommate was tied up and locked in the bathroom, Ci stabbed Huang in the throat at least three times and slit her throat before fleeing.

The roommate was able to free herself and call 911. Police tracked Ci to a nearby motel where he ultimately surrendered without incident.