Letter to the Editor | University students are too bright for Suburban Express’ antics

Letter+to+the+Editor+%7C+University+students+are+too+bright+for+Suburban+Express+antics

By Jesse Ruiz

As a proud alum – and as the proud son of Mexican immigrants – I was horrified by the racism of Suburban Express’ recent boast stating, “you won’t feel like you’re in China when you’re on our buses.”

The University of Illinois was founded so that young people with modest means could get a college education. Over the past 150 years, our flagship University has educated hundreds of thousands of bright young Illinoisans, and it has become so renowned that it attracts top students from all over world.

It’s a good thing when people from other countries want to bring their talent and their energy to our state, and it’s a good thing that students at the University have the opportunity to learn in a diverse and culturally rich environment.

Frankly, it’s hard to understand why Suburban Express would think that its clearly bigoted promotional email would appeal to some of our best and brightest students. I am very proud that so many University students have stood up and spoken out against Suburban Express and its offensive statements.

It has to be tough to be a foreign student trying to learn and fit in at a university far from home. I’m very sorry that Suburban Express decided to make foreign students’ lives even more challenging through its anti-Chinese comments.

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I know personally what it is like to face bigoted insults based on the country my family comes from, and the way I look. I hope that University students will let Suburban Express know that all students are welcome on our campus, and that we want nothing to do with a company that tries to exploit racial discrimination for profit.

Jesse Ruiz, LAS ‘88 Democratic Candidate for Illinois Attorney General

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