Sir, - All of us involved with international students at third-level institutions and in language schools will have been appalled and angered by the racist killing of a Chinese student last week.
Like most universities in Ireland, UCD has been working to attract Chinese students to undergraduate courses where capacity is available, and to research degrees. They are intelligent, hard-working and immensely friendly, contributing to an international atmosphere on campus which is so important a feature of modern university life. They show great courage and initiative in coming so far and, in paying high fees for their courses, make an important economic contribution to the country. When they return home they usually take back strong attachments which bring both economic and cultural benefits to ourselves and to China.
How could any normal person feel anything other than admiration and friendship towards them? It is a regrettable fact that many of our international students - and we have over 80 nationalities on campus in UCD - experience racial prejudice during their stay here. It appears to be an inbuilt feature of Western "civilisation" to which we in Ireland are far from immune. The Garda and voluntary organisations are doing excellent work to combat it and the Government has made its position clear. Yet our collective approach needs a greater sense of urgency at all levels.
We need to combat the attitudes and activity of bigots and ensure that racist violence does not become a social norm. We need to publicise the multiple advantages that the presence of international students, researchers and employees bring to Ireland, and we need to ensure that they continue to feel both safe and welcome.
If we fail in this we will be much the poorer for it. - Yours, etc.,
Prof HUGH GOUGH,
Dean of International Affairs,
UCD,
Dublin 4