Task Force on Support to Asian and Asian American Students and Scholars

In April 2020, Penn established the Task Force on Support to Asian and Asian-American Students and Scholars to coordinate and enhance support to members of the Penn community experiencing increased stigma, bias, discrimination, and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These incidents have increased alarmingly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially against people of Asian backgrounds. In March 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned that "Hate crime incidents against Asian-Americans will likely surge." Data collected by an Asian-American advocacy organization, meanwhile, record over 1,700 reports of anti-Asian behavior from mid-March to mid-May 2020, and nearly 60% of Asian-Americans in a recent Pew Research Center survey agreed that anti-Asian behavior had become more commonplace since the onset of the pandemic. 

The Task Force is committed to raising awareness about these concerns, to increasing reporting and redress of incidents that impact Penn community members, and to helping the Penn community navigate these difficult challenges through educational and programmatic activities.

#FlattenTheHate Campaign

The Task Force launched the #FlattentheHate Campaign in 2020 to raise awareness and demonstrate the Penn community's commitment to stand together to stop hate against Asian and Asian American communities. 

Poster for the #FlattentheHate campaign featuring "Flatten the Hate" in multiple languages and faces of the Penn community

About the Task Force

The Task Force is co-chaired by Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Amy Gadsden and Executive Director of Operations and Chief of Staff of the Division of Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson.

The objectives of the Task Force are to:

  1. Coordinate University support for Asian and Asian-American members of the Penn community
  2. Signal the University’s determination to combat stigma, discrimination, and bias
  3. Provide a platform for outreach to concerned Penn community members

Ongoing initiatives include efforts to raise awareness of support resources that Penn can provide to those who have experienced anti-Asian bias and ways to report these incidents; a campaign called FlattenTheHate that aims to raise awareness of anti-Asian bias and encourage all members of the University community to stand against it; and a dialogue series. 

Resources & Reporting for Hate and Bias Incidents

The University of Pennsylvania is an inclusive community in which we learn from the research, ideas, and experiences of other people on campus and around the world.  We also value and respect the dignity and worth of all members of our community. 

When a member of our community is impacted by actions counter to our values such as an incident motivated by bias or hate, Penn provides comprehensive support and options for reporting and resolution. See below for information related to support and reporting.

Explore Penn's Support Resources

Members of the Penn community can receive confidential ongoing support from any of the following offices, all of which are completely confidential:

Support resources are available regardless of the time or location of the incident.

Additional Resources

The following offices are also available to listen, provide options, and make appropriate referrals:

Report a Hate or Bias Incident

If you feel your safety is in danger, please call Penn’s Division of Public Safety (or 911 if you are away from Penn) immediately.

If you have been impacted by a hate or bias-motivated incident there are formal reporting options available. Those options include reporting an incident to Penn's Division of Public Safety and/or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

We encourage community members to promptly report these incidents to aid in Penn’s ability to provide a swift response. However, it is important to note that you may report these incidences at any time.

Not sure where to start? Contact Special Services in the Division of Public Safety  24-hour helpline at 215.898.6600 or by email at Specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu  Special Services is able to assist all Penn students, faculty, and staff regardless of school/center affiliation.

Report Bias Incidents or Crimes to Penn Division of Public Safety
Report On-Campus Bias Incidents to Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Explore Penn's Support Resources

Members of the Penn community can receive confidential ongoing support from any of the following offices, all of which are completely confidential:

Support resources are available regardless of the time or location of the incident.

Additional Resources

The following offices are also available to listen, provide options, and make appropriate referrals:

Report a Hate or Bias Incident

If you feel your safety is in danger, please call Penn’s Division of Public Safety (or 911 if you are away from Penn) immediately.

If you have been impacted by a hate or bias-motivated incident there are formal reporting options available. Those options include reporting an incident to Penn's Division of Public Safety and/or the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

We encourage community members to promptly report these incidents to aid in Penn’s ability to provide a swift response. However, it is important to note that you may report these incidences at any time.

Not sure where to start? Contact Special Services in the Division of Public Safety  24-hour helpline at 215.898.6600 or by email at Specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu  Special Services is able to assist all Penn students, faculty, and staff regardless of school/center affiliation.

Report Bias Incidents or Crimes to Penn Division of Public Safety
Report On-Campus Bias Incidents to Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Resources to Prevent & Respond to Anti-Asian Behavior

TAASS generated a list of resources and aggregated guidance to help the Penn community prevent and respond to anti-Asian behavior, from learning about ways to avoid and counter stigma, to using Penn's Walking Escort Program, to understanding the wealth of resources available to you on campus and beyond. 

Understand How to Address Anti-Asian Behavior

  • Ways to Avoid and Counter Stigma: Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Equity Advancement has developed a fact sheet on Stigma, Language, and COVID-19. Key points include: 

    • Use the official term for the novel coronavirus and the disease that it causes (COVID-19). Don’t attach locations, countries, or ethnicities to the virus to avoid stigmatization. 
    • Use “people-first” language when talking about the virus. Refer to “people who have COVID-19” or “people who are recovering from COVID-19,” instead of “COVID-19 patients” or “coronavirus victims.” 
    • Use neutral, technical terms like “acquiring” or “contracting” when talking about COVID-19 instead of those that can carry a negative implication, like “infecting others” or “spreading the virus,” which may imply guilt or blame.   
       

  • Ways to stay safe with Penn's free 24/7 and enhanced Walking Escort Program: Public Safety Security Officers will walk with Penn students, faculty, and staff anywhere in the Penn Patrol Zone. The Free Walking Escort service extends between 30th and 43rd Streets, and Market to Baltimore Avenue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It also extends west to 50th Street, and north/south from Spring Garden to Woodland Avenue, between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. via the University’s partnership with the University City District Ambassador Program by calling the same phone number.  

    • Extended Services: Walking Escorts will be on-site and available to provide safe, socially-distanced escorts daily from Sansom Place East and on Locust Walk between the high rises from 11am to 1pm and from 3:30pm to 6pm. This is in addition to our traditional on-call 24/7 walking escort program. 
       

  • University support resources: Support resources for those who have experienced bias incidents include Counseling and Psychological Services , the Office of the Chaplain, and, for University faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program.  University community members who have experienced bias incidents, or wish to express solidarity with those who have, are also invited to join Multilingual Restorative Practice Circles facilitated by University staff. Please see our Community Discussion Series page for more information. 
     

  • The Asian American Studies Program (ASAM): ASAM provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise on the underlying issues involved in anti-Asian racism. ASAM is an interdisciplinary program that offers a Minor and a broad range of courses and activities that explore the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian immigrants and of persons of Asian ancestry in North America. Through core courses in Sociology, English, and History, the program explores questions of race and ethnicity in national and global contexts. It offers a wide range of elective courses as well: in Psychology, Folklore, South Asian Studies, and others. Students may complete the ASAM minor alongside a multitude of majors. In deepening the knowledge of cultural diversity within the United States and beyond, the Asian American Studies Program complements many different courses of study.
     
  • External Training and Educational Resources: Note: links below are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the University. 

  • City and State Government Resources: Hate crimes and bias incidents that occur within the City of Philadelphia can be reported to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) at 215-686-2856 or pchr@phila.gov . Anonymous reports can be made to PCHR in any language. Discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, housing, and commercial property transactions is illegal in Pennsylvania and can be reported to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.    

Understand How to Address Anti-Asian Behavior

  • Ways to Avoid and Counter Stigma: Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Equity Advancement has developed a fact sheet on Stigma, Language, and COVID-19. Key points include: 

    • Use the official term for the novel coronavirus and the disease that it causes (COVID-19). Don’t attach locations, countries, or ethnicities to the virus to avoid stigmatization. 
    • Use “people-first” language when talking about the virus. Refer to “people who have COVID-19” or “people who are recovering from COVID-19,” instead of “COVID-19 patients” or “coronavirus victims.” 
    • Use neutral, technical terms like “acquiring” or “contracting” when talking about COVID-19 instead of those that can carry a negative implication, like “infecting others” or “spreading the virus,” which may imply guilt or blame.   
       

  • Ways to stay safe with Penn's free 24/7 and enhanced Walking Escort Program: Public Safety Security Officers will walk with Penn students, faculty, and staff anywhere in the Penn Patrol Zone. The Free Walking Escort service extends between 30th and 43rd Streets, and Market to Baltimore Avenue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It also extends west to 50th Street, and north/south from Spring Garden to Woodland Avenue, between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. via the University’s partnership with the University City District Ambassador Program by calling the same phone number.  

    • Extended Services: Walking Escorts will be on-site and available to provide safe, socially-distanced escorts daily from Sansom Place East and on Locust Walk between the high rises from 11am to 1pm and from 3:30pm to 6pm. This is in addition to our traditional on-call 24/7 walking escort program. 
       

  • University support resources: Support resources for those who have experienced bias incidents include Counseling and Psychological Services , the Office of the Chaplain, and, for University faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program.  University community members who have experienced bias incidents, or wish to express solidarity with those who have, are also invited to join Multilingual Restorative Practice Circles facilitated by University staff. Please see our Community Discussion Series page for more information. 
     

  • The Asian American Studies Program (ASAM): ASAM provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise on the underlying issues involved in anti-Asian racism. ASAM is an interdisciplinary program that offers a Minor and a broad range of courses and activities that explore the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian immigrants and of persons of Asian ancestry in North America. Through core courses in Sociology, English, and History, the program explores questions of race and ethnicity in national and global contexts. It offers a wide range of elective courses as well: in Psychology, Folklore, South Asian Studies, and others. Students may complete the ASAM minor alongside a multitude of majors. In deepening the knowledge of cultural diversity within the United States and beyond, the Asian American Studies Program complements many different courses of study.
     
  • External Training and Educational Resources: Note: links below are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the University. 

  • City and State Government Resources: Hate crimes and bias incidents that occur within the City of Philadelphia can be reported to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) at 215-686-2856 or pchr@phila.gov . Anonymous reports can be made to PCHR in any language. Discrimination in employment, education, public accommodations, housing, and commercial property transactions is illegal in Pennsylvania and can be reported to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.    

Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal
Dialogue Series

Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal dialogue series seeks to raise awareness, promote dialogue, and help the Penn community navigate the challenges associated with the increased stigma, bias, discrimination, and violence during the COVID-10 pandemic. The dialogue series offers the Penn community timely opportunities to engage in community discussions, restorative practice circles, and public dialogues. 

News & Media Coverage

Messages to the Penn Community

  • Letter to Penn Community regarding COVID-19 Biased-Based Incidents
    Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent for the Penn Police Department, wrote a letter to the Penn community concerning the bias-motivated attacks against members of the Asian and/or Asian-American communities in the Philadelphia region.

  • ISSS' "Stay Strong, Penn" Video
    Penn's International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) produced a short video for the Penn community around the world impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, encouraging everyone to stand together to keep Penn healthy, welcoming, and understanding.

  • TAASS' Statement on Anti-Asian Violence and Racism
    TAASS released a statement condemning and denouncing the despicable anti-Asian violence that took place in the United States in early 2021, and committed to redoubling their efforts to create meaningful, lasting change.

Media Coverage