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Roxanne Vaughan, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of North Dakota, is reportedly “under fire” over a misinterpreted Facebook comment about Ananya Vinay, the 12-year-old winner of the 2017 U.S. Scripps National Spelling Bee. The Grand Forks Herald and WDAZ-ABC reported this week that Vaughan wrote of Vinay, who is of Indian descent, “I'm sure she's an immigrant, not worthy of interacting with our pure Americans. Send her back.”
A campus spokesperson reportedly said Vaughan’s comment was “certainly not in keeping with university statement core values,” adding, “We know we have work to do in that area and this underscores the fact that we have a lot of work to do.”
Vaughan said via email Tuesday that her remark -- as many might suspect -- was posted sarcastically, in response to current political rhetoric surrounding immigration. She attempted to clarify her point after someone misunderstood and removed the post within five minutes to avoid further confusion, she added.
“I was led to make a remark on my Facebook page that I phrased as sarcasm to convey my belief that our society is strengthened by the presence of diverse cultures and that exclusion of any group robs us of these benefits,” Vaughan said. “I sincerely regret that I wrote this comment in a way that could be misinterpreted, and that it may have caused any pain or fear to [students], who above all else should trust their faculty.”
