COVID-19

Syracuse Investigating Reference to ‘Wuhan Flu' on Syllabus

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Syracuse University is investigating a professor who allegedly referred to the coronavirus as the “Wuhan flu,” on a syllabus, and has placed him on administrative leave.

The university announced on Tuesday that the professor, who they did not name, will not be teaching until the complaint is investigated, Syracuse.com reported.

The syllabus for a chemistry class also referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese Communist Party Virus,” the newspaper said, which references unfounded allegations that the Chinese government intentionally spread the coronavirus.

“The derogatory language used by a professor on his course syllabus is damaging to the learning environment for our students,” two college officials said in a joint statement.

The virus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, and President Trump referred to it as the “Chinese virus," starting at the beginning of the outbreak in the United States, despite the occurrence of hate crimes in Chinese communities motivated by fear of the virus.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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