Racial Discrimination, Racism in a Texas University (college), USARacial Discrimination, Racism in a

I wanted to get a PhD but ended up with a PTSD

During Grad School, have you been harassed, assaulted, had sexual acts carried out in your house without your consent, been racially discriminated or had your FoS taken away?

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Spoilt past, future Tense Racial Discrimination on an International Student in a Texas University Subho Chakraborty, PhD Student City University of New York

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Spoilt past, future Tense The Student The Adjudicator The Immediate Aftermath The Other University The Police NYC + NAGPS Et Cetera Questions www.racialUTB.info

The student Background In 2011, I was in U.T. Brownsville. The place was spectacular, set among buildings which were once parts of US history and US-Mexican wars. I had many misadventures & from my part, wasn’t a passive bystander at all.

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The student The Student He harassed me, asking for ~3 months to be included in a startup idea I had. He also got slapped in my house for gropery.

He also threatened to assault a Post Doc & emotionally abused a woman (twice in my house) to tears

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The student The night out One night the Sri Lankan student and the woman came to my house, outwardly to hang out, but he got me “sloshed” with 4 Loco and the two of them went to my bedroom and carried out a “bed scene”

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The student Assault One night in August, he cornered me on the staircase outside my house, blocked my way with his hand, and with much swearing and shouting, shoved me back into the staircase & slapped me. An unacceptable act!

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The adjudicator Initial reaction I complained to the adjudicator – (Mariscal) asking him to sit on it. He said the allegations were so serious he was compelled to act – since they were serious breaches of the UTB’s policies on harassment

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The adjudicator Subsequent reaction Now the woman (who was groped and was in the bedroom action) entered the picture, and he made a U turn, shut the case up in record time & refused to conduct a proper enquiry.eg: did not call my assailant

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The adjudicator His breaches He asked me for evidence of the assault (!!), brought up incidents from 6 months before (the chalk), to intimidate me. He took the “text� complain against me seriously, but not my complain against Sri Lankan

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The adjudicator My instructions Mariscal asked me to never mention the incidents again (FoS), exonerated the assailant, compromised the well being of UTB students, and I believe “broke” TX & US rules (Clery Act) too – all this with the tax payer’s money.

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The immediate aftermath My Initial reaction After Mariscal’s decision, I neither ate nor slept for 1 day & had back pain(?) When I told this to the horrified college medical counsellor, she said, if again this sort of reaction happens, I should make emergency entries – prescient

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The immediate aftermath It was useful advice Due to UTB’s decision, I had to go to there with the threat of running into my assailant – which I did, on at least 1 occasion & had to take emergency counselling. A university can’t make a student suffer hazardous environment

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The immediate aftermath END RESULT Though I was doing well in the 2nd sem I earned a dismal grade & had to leave. UTB not only ignored my extenuating circumstances, they also banned me from the campus (I wrote an indignant letter to FSO)

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The immediate aftermath Alternative College I was now left with the prospect of going back to India. But I managed to secure admission in an affordable program in NYC, with 3 hours of Visa remaining. UTB police watched me all the way, on my last day in RGV

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The other university The Excruciating first year The NYC college was to buy me time from Jan till Fall, when TAMU-C could make an offer with Assistantship. The 1st sem, I kept everything bottled up and studied, but beginning of the 2nd sem I had to write an exam for R.A.

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The other university Trigger - counselling The exam told us we couldn’t harass, assault, or carry out sexually offensive acts, alcohol related protocol - the very violations I was at the receiving end of !!

In a couple of weeks from the exam, I was back in counselling.

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The other university EEOC, Indian consulate I am thankful to the TAMU counselor for letting me open up in detail. But that brought things flooding back. I tried to get the story out – I wrote to the NGO’s and EEOC. The consulate promised to take it up with UTB but...

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The other university U-visa, PTSD, Article

I now engaged the services of lawyer Sherin Thawer to file for a U Visa. The extent of my emotional abuse was evaluated by Dr. Jeremy Cassius – it confirmed, I had PTSD. NYC based “Indian Panorama” printed my story

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The police – 3 strikes The case and testimony The first step in the U visa process was to lodge a police case for the assault.

1.5 years from the night of the assault, I filed a case with the Brownsville police.

It was classified Class A. I later gave a testimony too

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The police – 3 strikes The demotion After some time the police told me by email that the assault had been mysteriously demoted to “class C”!

Either it was a big blunder on their part to classify it as class A initially, or this was a deliberate demotion.

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The police – 3 strikes The I-918 and Pineda For the U-Visa, one needs to have a Form (I-918) signed. The police signs it, if the person has helped the law authorities. I obviously had helped. Sgt Roman Pineda said, he wouldn’t sign since they got a “quota” – lies!

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The police – 3 strikes The 3 Strikes I pointed out, police have no quota, Vermont has. He said the assault was trivial. I said that’s for USCIS to judge.

He still refused. I asked for a written version – he refused, since it would be the same as what he told on phone!

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Nyc and nagps NYC and PTSD I came to NYC ~ 2 years ago – I felt it was all behind me, but by 2014 end, I relapsed into PTSD – my doctor told me to come out with it. Again I had little success in getting it out – then I wrote this book and made a PR

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Nyc and nagps The Book In the book I described the salient events. I hope it serves as a warning, that Grad Students can’t be silenced and also make people aware of the gross violations of law carried out in US Universities – often deliberately.

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Nyc and nagps NAGPS and Us I wish I had known of NAGPS before .

TYVM Rajesh. I think NAGPS is specially relevant to foreign students. I envision a future when NAGPS will be known to all Grad students, not just of member Universities. I am happy to do my bit.

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Nyc and nagps Suggestions IF you permit me here are some ideas There could be a NAGPS handbook ** Reach out to all Grad & International Student Associations on Social Media. “Victims�, cc your complain to others, Record the verdict of the adjudicator

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Reactions This is a real screenshot of a text msg I received from an American friend living in the east coast

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Be an active bystander You could Tweet my website url.

You could share it on Facebook.

You could start a “chain e-mail”.

You could tell college Student orgs.

You could share my YouTube video.

You could tell media/NGO friends.

You could buy my little E-book .

You could offer me useful advise.

Ultimately = another Michela Cross www.racialUTB.info

Contact info Name: Subho Chakraborty Email: subho_1997@yahoo.com Whatsapp: 302-465-4340 Website: www.racialutb.info My Book: http://goo.gl/NYMd15 Youtube: https://goo.gl/eJceTk FB Group: https://goo.gl/LKKYfv www.racialUTB.info

My website

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questions

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