Penn Law to Sanction Professor Who Said U.S. ‘Better off’ With Fewer Asians

The dean of the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law said he would seek sanctions against tenured law professor Amy Wax over discriminatory remarks she made about the Asian American community.

Wax said early this month that the U.S. is “better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration.” Dean Ted Ruger said in a statement Tuesday that he had received multiple complaints since 2017 citing Wax’s behavior as disruptive to students and the school community.

“Professor Amy Wax has repeatedly made derogatory public statements about the characteristics, attitudes, and abilities of a majority of those who study, teach, and work here,” Ruger wrote. “The complaints assert that it is impossible for students to take classes from her without a reasonable belief that they are being treated with discriminatory animus.”

Ruger released a statement on the university’s website two weeks ago condemning Wax’s comments as “thoroughly anti-intellectual and racist.” {snip}

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It was in an interview last month on the economist Glenn Loury’s website, Bloggingheads.tv, that Wax made her comments {snip}

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“Maybe it’s just that Democrats love open borders, and Asians want more Asians here,” she wrote. “Perhaps they (and especially their distaff element) are just mesmerized by the feel-good cult of ‘diversity.’ {snip} But as long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration.”

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The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA), a nonprofit organization defending the rights of faculty members at universities and colleges, released a letter this month supporting Wax’s right to free speech.

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Penn Law students started a petition this month demanding that the school take action against Wax, citing her “offensive and obviously racist” statements. In a letter, several Philadelphia City Council members asked university President Amy Gutmann to further investigate Wax’s position, saying her comments fuel hateful actions and beliefs against Asian Americans.

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