LAS VEGAS — The faculty and students of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Asian and Asian American Studies Program released the following statement, which was published in The Nevada Current on Dec. 15.
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We — the faculty and students of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program — are hurting.
We are saddened, angry, mourning, and processing the campus shooting on Dec. 6, 2023 that took the lives of three UNLV professors, Dr. Jerry Chang, Dr. Patricia Navarro, and Dr. Naoko Takemaru, and left another professor fighting for his life. We send our deepest condolences and offer of support to the victims’ families and our colleagues.
Many of us were on campus that day, finishing our final week of classes, only to endure a harrowing experience that has left us shell-shocked, trying to make sense of it all.
It is not lost on any of us that the three people killed were faculty of color — two Asians/Asian Americans and one Latina — and we fear that the fourth victim will be confirmed to also be Asian/Asian American.
We must name this fact, think about it, and ask questions based on this reality. We believe this fact is key to understanding the “why?” We understand that this shooting may not be considered a “hate crime” or that it may not have been racially motivated within the legal definition of a hate crime.
We know that the shooter was disgruntled and sought revenge for being rejected for an academic position at UNLV (and elsewhere) and expressed a disdain for the state of higher education as a whole. We also know that he had a list of targets for UNLV, but none of the victims were on that list.
Despite this, we are left with questions. Even if we find no explicit evidence of racial animus or if the shooter was “racially motivated,” how do we explain why the factual outcome is that four of the victims are faculty of color?
If the shooter was indeed angry at the Lee Business School for denying him a job and went to Beam Hall to kill specific faculty on his target list, why did he end up shooting other faculty?
And why did he choose non-white faculty to kill? Did he imagine them as taking “his” job?
Dr. Takemaru, a Japanese language professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and affiliate faculty in our program, was not even a member of the Business School. The other three victims had offices on different floors. Perhaps the fact that all of the victims are non-white is purely coincidental. Yet, what are the chances that four non-white faculty — at a school where most faculty are white — were all “at the wrong place at the wrong time?”
Who exactly did the shooter encounter during his 22 minutes inside Beam Hall? Did he bypass others before ultimately shooting the four victims? Why, for all of the shooter’s rage at higher education, did faculty of color end up paying the ultimate price?
As UNLV and the Las Vegas community continue to piece together a motive, we must continue to ask these questions about race and ethnicity in relation to the shooting. They are central and should not be dismissed, minimized, or ignored. They are worth asking and investigating further.
And as we do this, we need to take care of ourselves. We encourage you to lean on your support systems and to use these resources suggested by the Asian American Psychological Association:
AAPA Provider Directory
https://directory.aapaonline.org/
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
APA resources for coping with mass shootings, understanding gun violence
www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/mass-shooting-resources
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UNLV posted the following in conjunction with a memorial that was held Dec. 13 on campus.
Today we honored the lives of three cherished UNLV faculty members and the impact of their remarkable legacies. Our hearts continue to be with their loved ones.
Remembering Dr. Naoko Takemaru: “We knew her as Takemaru-sensei. She had a smile that would light up an entire room. Every time I saw her she had a smile on her face. Just that positive energy in and of itself made me want to be a better person and a better student.” Shared by alumnus Devon Whitaker
Remembering Dr. Jerry Cha-Jan Chang: “He was many things to countless UNLV students… He left an indelible mark on my heart and in my mind, nurturing my confidence as I started my master’s program. As a young woman, with a liberal arts background in a business, graduate-level program, his support was invaluable.” Shared by alumnus Ashley Weckesser
Remembering Dr. Patricia Navarro Velez: “She was dedicated for the success of her students. She shared with me how fulfilling it was for her to see her students graduating … There is a hole in our hearts that we know will not go away per se because we will never forget her, we will however become stronger together.” Shared by Lecturer Gloribert Roque-Melendez