Gank post upsets Asian associations

An organizer of the search engine gank.princeton.edu — which operates off of the University network — posted a message Tuesday drawing attention to possible self-segregation among Asian students and questioning the University's diversification efforts.

The message included the last names of 21 Asian students from the Spelman room draw list and three rhetorical questions which offended many: "aZn self-segregation? Spelman internment camp? Why do we bother with diversity?"

Many of the individual words in those questions were linked to other articles expanding on diversity and segregation issues.

Niraj Bhatt '03, the site's operator and a Butler College Minority Affairs Adviser, would not comment specifically on the message but said he is now working to organize a debate about self-segregation through Whig-Clio.

Yesterday, Bhatt posted an apology in place of the list of names.

"[The message] unfairly singled out individuals of an ethnic group in the University community with regards to self-segregation," the apology read. "This is a topic that frustrates me, and . . . many other people on campus as well. I hope you will join me in forming a constructive response," Bhatt wrote referring to plans for the Whig-Clio sponsored discussion.

In response to the message, the Chinese Students' Association held a meeting last night to formalize their opinions. The Asian American Students' Association will hold a meeting tonight to discuss Gank tonight.

Dan Chiou '05, co-president of the CSA, said the message was offensive but did raise an issue worthy of discussion.

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"It was not an appropriate message to put on something so widespread. [Gank] is different from a personal webpage," Chiou said.

Chiou said the definition of "self-segregation" on the website was narrow and does not only apply to minority groups.

"There are multiple forms of self-segregation. Ethnic is just easier to spot," he said, extending the term to include tables of sorority sisters, teammates and students in the same major.

"It's just a matter of comfort level for different people," Chiou said.

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The message resonated with students in different ways.

When a few friends called and instant-messaged James Tieng '04 Tuesday night to tell him about the posting, Tieng shot an email off to student leaders and minority students' organizations because his friends were "visibly upset and hurt," he said.

In the email, Tieng challenged Bhatt to a debate on self-segregation.

"I was most troubled by the comment regarding the 'Spelman internment camp.' I thought it was extremely insensitive," Tieng said.

Other students were less incensed and looked forward to an open discussion.

"The issues are controversial but I was just going to ask them what was going on instead," said Daniel Ho '04, whose name was listed on the Gank site.

Ho is well aquainted with Bhatt, a fellow electrical engineering major.

"I didn't want to be quick to judge," Ho said.

Ho said he has seen polemics posted on the website before, such as one that appeared shortly after Bicker.