“They were disappointed that these students were not taking the opportunity to improve their English and were being so impolite as to have a conversation that not everyone on the floor could understand,” Professor Neely wrote in the email. “To international students, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these unintended consequences in mind when you choose to speak Chinese in the building.”

She added that she had the utmost respect for international students. “That being said,” she wrote, “I encourage you to commit to using English 100% of the time” in a professional setting.

The university confirmed the authenticity of the email, which was widely shared on social media.

In February 2018, Professor Neely sent a similar email, which a university spokesman also verified. In that email, she acknowledged that living and studying in a foreign country was a “tremendous undertaking,” but relayed that faculty members were concerned about students speaking foreign languages in the department’s break rooms.

“Speaking in your native language in the department may give faculty the impression that you are not trying to improve your English skills and that you are not taking this opportunity seriously,” she wrote. “As a result, they may be more hesitant to hire or work with international students because communication is such an important part of what we do.”

In her letter, Dr. Klotman, the dean, apologized to students and said she had asked the university’s Office for Institutional Equity to conduct a “thorough review.”