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Franz Werro: Georgetown University under fire after prof calls student 'Mr Chinaman’

Students in the organization said that although they appreciate Werro's apology they still feel the absence of empathy

Georgetown University is under fire after a law professor referred to a student as 'Mr Chinaman’ in front of an entire class. In a viral video, Georgetown Law Professor Franz Werro can be seen sitting at his desk during a lecture on international contracts and sales law. In the incident, which took place earlier in February, Werro can be heard saying, "So any other surprise or…? What about you, Mr. Chinaman?”, pointing at a student who is not visible in the clip. “Sorry to not catch your name,” Werro says. 

As per Georgetown Law's website, Werro specializes in private law, and had three stints as Georgetown Law’s academic co-director. He has taught at several colleges and universities in the US and Europe. Above the Law reported that Georgetown law’s dean, Bill Treanor, released a statement about the incident, saying, "I was made aware of an incident yesterday involving a professor using a derogatory term in the classroom that is demeaning and hurtful. This term is a slur with a centuries-long history of harm to Asian people."

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Without mentioning Werro's name following the heat, Treanor said the professor has apologized for the incident. Treanor also said that the professor and other faculty members would participate in cultural and diversity conversations and workshops. “As a community of students, staff, and faculty we must take a serious look at our culture, structure, systems, and processes to ensure that we are a community that fosters respect, equity, and justice. We have significant work ahead of us to create a community in which students can learn in an environment that is free from bias, where they are able to foster positive connections with others, and where everyone feels supported and appreciated for their contributions,” Treanor continued in his statement.

Werro reportedly sent an apology to the Georgetown law school community. “I apologize that I used an offensive term in class yesterday,” Werro said. “The statement I made was just after the break in the class, during which I had enthusiastically noted the great diversity of languages spoken by members of the class. As a non-native English speaker myself, I did not appreciate that it was a derogatory term, as I now understand it is. I am very sorry I used it. I am committed to educating myself because I want all students to feel welcome in my classroom.”

The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association at Georgetown has explained that 'Chinaman' is a slur that was used in the 19th century to label people of Chinese ancestry as 'subhuman'. “This term originates from a time where Chinese laborers were paid low wages (if at all), taxed heavily, denied entry to the U.S., denied the right to citizenship…portrayed in caricatures as criminal ‘destroyer of women and children.’...That anti-Asian sentiment has never fully gone away, and it set the cultural, societal, and legal foundation on which the U.S. enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,” a letter from the organization, slated to be given to the law school’s dean, read. Students in the organization said that although they appreciate Werro's apology they still feel the absence of empathy.