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Yale dean leaves job after Yelp comments calling people 'white trash,' 'low-class'

Mary Bowerman
WATCH LIVE
The Sterling Memorial Library on the Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut.
Craig Warga | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A Yale dean who left Yelp comments calling people "white trash" and "low class" has left her position with the university, according to a college official.

June Chu, the former dean of Pierson College at Yale University, was previously placed on leave after leaving Yelp comments which included calling people "white trash," "sketchy" and "low-class folks," the Yale Daily News reported.

The head of Pierson College Stephen Davis said in an email to students Tuesday morning that Chu left her position and the search for a new dean would begin immediately, the Yale Daily News reported.

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The Yale Daily News reported that Chu's Yelp comments had been well-known among students for months before she was placed on leave. The student newspaper posted screenshots of many of the comments from Chu's now deleted account.

In many of the posts, Chu states that she is "Asian."

"Remember: I am Asian," Chu says in a post criticizing a Mochi restaurant. "I know Mochi. These are not good and overpriced… I guess if you were a white person who has no clue what Mochi is, this would be fine for you."

In another scathing review, Chu slams a Japanese restaurant and notes that the employees are Chinese and not Japanese.

"To put it quite simply: If you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you. This establishment is definitely not authentic by any stretch of any imagination and perfect for those low-class folks who believe this is a real night out."

In the email, Davis told students he would reach out for feedback in the search for the college's new dean.

In May, Davis told students in another email that he originally believed Chu had written two insensitive Yelp reviews, but upon learning of "multiple reprehensible posts" his trust in her ability to lead students was further eroded, the Yale Daily News reported.

"Let me be clear," Davis wrote in May. "No one, especially those in trusted positions of educating young people, should denigrate or stereotype others, and that extends to any form of discrimination based on class, race, religion, age, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation."