The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878 THURSDAY, NOV 17, 2022
VOLUME 144, NO. 11
WEED-OUT CLASSES
WWW.STUDLIFE.COM
PICKUP BASKETBALL
How the pre-med curriculum reinforces shortages in the medical profession. (Forum, pg 2)
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Women’s soccer headed to the sweet sixteen. (Sports, pg 8)
Hoop stories from Sumers Rec. (Scene, pg 4)
Dybvig, professor and Nobel Prize winner, accused of inappropriate conduct JULIA ROBBINS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Two Chinese women have come forward with allegations that Olin Professor Philip Dybvig, the 2022 Economic Sciences Nobel Prize recipient, made them uncomfortable during their time as students at Washington University. These allegations have gained international attention online after a former Olin graduate student posted an allegation of misconduct on WeChat, a social media platform used by many Chinese international students, on Oct. 12. The alum, who requested to be anonymous, wrote a detailed allegation of misconduct against Dybvig in Chinese on WeChat in a post that has since been liked thousands of times and reposted on Twitter. In this post, the student, who will be referred to as Z, wrote of various interactions with Dybvig in which she said he pulled her onto his lap for a photo, gave her a box of chocolates, touched her hand while sitting on a couch together, and messaged her on Facebook telling her he missed her smile. Student Life spoke to this alum about the allegation she posted online. Z was born and raised in China where she earned her bachelor's degree, before coming to the United States in 2011 to pursue her master's degree at Olin. Within the first week or so of her graduate program, Z said that the business school organized a welcome party at a bar on Delmar Boulevard which is where she first met Dybvig. During this interaction at the bar, Z said Dybvig spoke in Chinese with her which she found pleasantly surprising. Dybvig has spent significant time in China, where he was the Director of the Institute of Financial Studies at Southwest University of Finance and Economics in Sichuan, China from 2010-2021. “Back then, as a brand new international student in the Business School, all we wanted to do was network and get to know as many people as possible, including students and professors,” Z said. Z said that after they started chatting, someone at the bar said “let’s take a picture together” and while the photo was being taken, “Dybvig actually grabbed me and forced me to sit on his lap.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
Philip Dybvig has worked at Washington University since the 1980s.
“In that moment, I felt a little bit weird, but I thought he was just being very nice or friendly so I didn’t think too much of it,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘oh maybe that’s just how American people are.’” Z said she has since deleted the photo because it made her uncomfortable to keep. Some time after that initial interaction, Z said Dybvig emailed her that he had brought a gift back for her from a business trip and she should come to his office. She said she went to his office and he proceeded to close the door, asked her to sit down, and “he sat right next to me” and offered her a box of chocolates. “I was still feeling that he was friendly, so I was happy and I accepted it, but then he started touching my hand and getting really close and started saying ‘oh, I think you’re really pretty, I really like you,’ that kind of stuff,” Z said. She said she could also see an email draft open on his computer of him calling someone “tianmeizi” which is a Mandarin term she translated to ‘sweet girl’ and that he had used this term to address her as well. She added she did not think this email was directed to his wife because the term also means ‘little girl.’ While they were sitting on the couch together, Z said Dybvig touched her hand in a way that made her uncomfortable. “I really wanted
to leave, but I didn’t know how so I gave an excuse — I asked him to start explaining some economic formula to me I had just learned in class so at least I could keep some distance with him,” she said. Z said that he stood up and wrote a formula on the whiteboard and then came back to sit next to her on the couch. Around this time, she said an Olin Professor walked in and “his face looked awkward and a little bit shocked.” “He saw that I was sitting next to Philip Dybvig with the door closed in his office,” she said. The professor left, and Z soon left the office because she felt uncomfortable staying, she said. Later that day, Z said that she bumped into three of her classmates and told them of her interaction with Dybvig. Z did not respond to requests for the names or contact information of any of the three classmates she said she spoke with that day. Z said that following the encounter in his office, “he kept emailing me and wanting to meet more, but I felt so uncomfortable, and by then I knew it’s not just a friendly gesture. No professor would be touching a student’s hand and telling her he really likes her.” After receiving these emails, Z said she wrote him an email saying something like, “I don’t feel comfortable at all, and if you keep doing
things like that I’m going to take measurements.” She said she deleted all of these emails because she “got really grossed out,” but she thinks he replied saying that “it’s just a misunderstanding, we don’t have to make things serious,” and then he stopped messaging her. A few years after she graduated, Z said Dybvig “randomly messaged me on Facebook again, saying that he misses my smile and he still really likes me and wants to meet up if possible. I thought it was super disgusting so I deleted his message and then blocked him on Facebook.” Z sent a screenshot to Student Life of her list of blocked Facebook accounts, and Dybvig’s name is on the list. She said she never reported Dybvig to the University while she was a student because she was worried about retaliation from the school. As Chinese international students, “[we] try to not make any trouble, because if we do, there’s a chance we might be kicked out of school,” Z said. “And then we have to go back to China which defeats the purpose of studying really hard and working towards the goal of studying abroad.” The allegations that Z brought forth prompted other students to speak with Student Life regarding alleged misconduct from Dybvig. A Brown School alum spoke to Student Life about an experience a few years ago where she heard about misconduct from an economics professor at the University. This former student asked to remain anonymous for legal reasons and to not take away space from survivors. She will be refered to as X. X said that her husband, an Olin Business School alum, heard at a business school event several years ago that “an economics professor at Olin who had the greatest chance of getting a Nobel Prize [had been] constantly harassing Chinese international students.” She said that the woman who spoke to her husband “said that a lot of people knew about [the harassment], but no one reported it.” X reported what she heard from her husband to the Title IX office, three years ago. “Back then I didn’t know the name of the professor, I just knew that he had the greatest chance of getting a Nobel Prize and that’s what I told the Title IX office.”
SEE DYBVIG, PAGE 3
University launches mental health training program to combat suicide ARIANA MEJIA AND JAMES ELLINGHAUS CONTRIBUTING WRITER AND SENIOR NEWS EDITOR The Habif Health and Wellness Center will promote conversations about suicide and mental health with a newly available training program, QPR. QPR is a nationwide training course that emphasizes three key steps in “recognizing and responding to signs of suicidal thinking or behavior,” according to The Source, which are “question, persuade, and refer.” The program takes 45 minutes to complete and can be accessed online or in person. Dr. Gonzalez, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Dr. Dougher, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Support and Well-being, were aware of the growing prevalence of suicide and suicidal ideations on college campuses before implementing QPR at WashU. “[Suicide] is the second highest [cause of] death for college-aged students,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not just WashU…it is a national epidemic.” “[Suicidal thoughts] are very common in ways that folks are generally less comfortable talking about,” Dougher said. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis for college students. Even as COVID cases slowed down and restrictions rolled back, students continued to suffer from depression and other mental illnesses at high rates. “The impact of COVID has not returned to normal and we have seen an increase in student [mental health] struggles,” Dougher said. Past research highlights that QPR training can have a positive effect on participants and their communities. Dr. Gonzalez cited a study by researchers Clay Litteken and Elizabeth Sale for the state of Missouri that revealed the efficacy of QPR and other programs like it. The study’s results show that “QPR [continues] to be recommended in state suicide prevention plans as an effective gatekeeper program with long-term effects,” in states like Alaska, Washington, and Missouri.
SEE HEALTH, PAGE 3
Washington University ‘21 alum elected mayor of Bogalusa, LA NINA GIRALDO SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Washington University ‘21 alum Tyrin Truong was elected mayor of Bogalusa, Louisiana, Nov. 8. At 23 years old, Truong is Bogalusa’s youngest mayor-elect in history, as well as the second youngest statewide. Truong defeated two other candidates, including eight-year incumbent, Mayor Wendy Perrette. As a previous member of the University’s Student Union (SU), Truong served as both Speaker of the Senate and as Student Body President. With a double major in African American Studies and Political Science, Truong currently works as Policy Director at the Urban League Of Louisiana, and is set to transition to Bogalusa City Hall in January of next year. Truong decided to run for office
during his time as the University’s Student Body President after witnessing people from home complain about the standard of living. “I just wanted to come home and make a difference, use my skillset to bring more to the table,” Truong said in a statement to WWL-TV. Truong’s campaign goals include reducing poverty and crime rates, redeveloping city properties, empowering youth, and increasing the accessibility of Bogalusa City Hall to the public. According to WWL-TV, Truong was unsure of election results after a “tough” campaign often countered with skepticism. “You always have to meet with community leaders. That’s the first thing that you do with somebody who is running for office,” Truong said to WWL-TV. “More than one laughed at me in my face when I said
that I was running for mayor.” The Washington Parish Registrar of Voters Office had 6,658 registered voters in Bogalusa, 3,111 of whom voted. Truong won 56% of the votes. Associate Director for Campus Life, Peggy Hermes, worked with Truong in SU as the Staff Advisor to the Senate. Having worked at the University for about ten years, Hermes has seen a number of SU members go on to work in political careers as the leadership experience provides students with numerous skills “transferable” to a variety of careers. “[SU] is getting [students] leadership experience; they’re facilitating conversations with their peers or their colleagues, sometimes there’s conflicts that are being resolved and they’re learning skills around that,” Hermes said. “They’re learning about professionalism and how to
follow through on projects or interact with others.” Hermes described Truong as “forthcoming about his aspirations” during his years in SU. “I think he was very interested in change, and bringing the community together in a way to amplify voices and make sure that students’ constituents are being heard and moving their goals and wants forward,” Hermes said. Perrette, the incumbent, expressed skepticism in Truong’s ability to carry the city forward. “I wish the mayor-elect well, but young Tyrin has demonstrated repeatedly during this campaign that he lacks the skills necessary to lead and unite our city,” Perrette said in a statement to WDSU News. “I pray I am wrong. During the transition period, I will help in any way that I can.”
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The mayor-elect does not believe his age will interfere with his ability to lead the Bogalusa community. "I am young, but I can get it done. Young people have fresh ideas and the ability to get it done,” Truong said to WDSU News. “We just need a chance. I look forward to taking that chance and positively impacting my generation.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX8LIVE
Truong is a former Student Union President at WashU.