No room for name calling at Jiao Tong University

A teacher at the School of Electronics, Information and Electrical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University was suspended for “inappropriate remarks,” the school announced Monday.

The statement was released after a Sina Weibo user posted several photos early Monday, including some screenshots of online communication in which, Ni Bingbing, an associate professor and supervisor of Ph.D. students, asked students in his research program to work seven days a week and called them “idiots and illiterates.”

The post was widely reposted and immediately attracted the attention of university authorities.

The school said it launched an investigation on noticing the posts and confirmed that Ni had delivered “inappropriate remarks.”

Ni was asked to apologize to the student and others in his research team and to reflect on his behavior.

The school said in a statement that it has always followed the “zero tolerance” policy toward violation of the teacher ethics.