Unified Asian American Student Organization - Class 1 Organization of Montclair State University
We have a great general meeting planned for you and invite everyone to come! Whether you’ve been to UAASO or not, whether you even go to MSU or not, we hope you can come have fun at our general meeting!
Wednesday, March 27th from 3-4pm in Patridge Hall 112
Come see what we’re about!
http://montclair.edu/orgs/uaaso
And click “Join” on our Facebook event page!
https://www.facebook.com/events/126210810900624/
See ya there!
~Ashley, Secretary
Members of the UAASO executive board were given the opportunity to attend ECAASU’s 2013 Conference in New York City’s Columbia University, thanks to the Student Government Association.
If you weren’t there, you missed out!
A medley of performances for the opening/closing ceremonies and enlightening keynote speakers had guests cheering. Workshops were filled, offering just about everything from energetic activities to practical tips on achieving social media notoriety, Socializing, networking and job opportunities were also a big hit. If that doesn’t phase you, then let’s not forget about the after parties, partying hard and all night long!
It’s interesting to see the influence of the AAPI community across other campuses. Some have flourished beautifully, others have room to grow, and others have thorns on the side.
As Curtis Chin put it, this generation of Asian 3.0s will continue to grow and their voice will grow louder in American society. So look within, span across, and go above and beyond.
~Ashley, Secretary
A Recap on Culture Chair Krissy’s latest discussion:
How many Asian Americans do you see playing main roles on TV or movies? It is hard to find characters who you can relate to, and sometimes these characters will fall into archetypal roles. However, with the facility that YouTube creates for its users and viewers, Asian Americans have gained large audiences without resorting to large corporate teams, contracts, or signing onto agencies as a means to get big.
Whether they were bored or wanted to demonstrate their talents (comedy, special effects, music, dance, acting, etc.), the young YouTube stars of Asian descent have grown in popularity because they are real, they are creative, they break typical images, and they want to share their story, get a message across, make commentary, etc. This is something many youth can identify with and begin to understand as they go on their social networks, find and share these videos, and become motivated to find their own voice.
Whether it’s for laughs, gasps, praise, or for something with serious undertones, you can find Asian Americans gaining a voice in the media, and with that, growing popularity and influence in the community.
~Ashley, Secretary
This Diversity Week, get your chance of FIVE doses of UAASO!
Saturday at the Student Center 4th floor, UAASO is participating in the Diversity Retreat which is now open to all of campus; you are encouraged to attend the entire retreat from 9am to 6pm; diversity workshops and panels, including free breakfast lunch and dinner!
Monday at the Student Center’s Center For Faith and Spirituality starting at 11am come to support UAASO at the 8th Annual Nelson Mandela Award Ceremony, acknowledging the efforts UAASO puts in to promote diversity on campus! Then at 7:30pm in the Student Center Formal Dining Room come to Asian Night Market for a chance to experience Asia by sampling cultural food, performance, and crafts!
Wednesday at the Student Center Formal Dining Room starting at 7:30pm, come to Cultural Dance Workshop to learn traditional dances taught by peers and co-sponsors!
Then Friday at SC 419 starting at 7pm come to the Microaggressions Workshop being hosted by the Microaggressions Project! Learn about an interesting and frustrating sociologial phenomena that occurs from subtle to obvious ways. This marks the end of Diversity Week!
As you can see UAASO has its hands full, and we would absolutely love your support! Spread the word and come if you can!
~Ashley, Secretary
Once again UAASO has attended another conference! Fellow member Diana and I went to the Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro)’s 2nd annual UniPro Summit at NYU. The featured keynote speaker was Jose Antonio Vargas, a Filipino journalist and activist for the immigration and LGBT communities.
There was designated time for networking with fellow attendees and a wide ranged choice of panels/workshops, even beautiful cultural performances by Mga Anak ni Inang Daigdig! The theme was Pilipino Renaissance. Some definitions that I got from this movement: unity, self sufficiency, giving back globally, achievement, self determination, embracing the spirit of the Philippines.
Some points I learned throughout the conference:
★ Identities can be based on ethnicity, gender, and geographic location; they evolve over time and should not be determined by anyone but yourself. You are not less of anything because someone says so.
★ The Filipino formative experience can come at any time in one’s life and from any event- a country remniscient of the Philippines, visitng the Philippines, family stories, joining communities and on or off campus organizations, etc.
★ We should not be passive when people use microaggressions, but re-educate them. Challenge your authentic voice to be heard against the current of the dominant discourse. It’s not how you fit into the dominant discourse, but how the dominant discourse fits into you. Be okay with creating your own standards of success and support one another’s endeavors.
★ The Filipino Renaissance is in transition; it is your civic duty as the contemporary generation to keep the renaissance alive for the future generation as a legacy, mainly by participating in the community and supporting it.
★ Be passionate about what you do in order to excel. Success is not necessarily taught in school, but school gives you the tools to succeed. Follow your bliss, be authentic!
★ In the world of sports, foreign born and foreign descent players of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) like the Segal brothers faced a lot of resentment and legal complications due to a debate in their citizenship. The “PhilAms”, “PhilSHAMs”, or ”imports” were seen as a threat to the native Filipinos, allegedly stealing their athletic opportunities. The senate had a difficult time defining what makes one Filipino in legal terms, having moments of blatant hypocrisy. After the community moved on from these matters, they were able to deal with Arnold Clavio’s statement against the Filipino soccer team, the Azcals, in an clearer manner. Clavio’s statement had stirred controversy and racial issues.
I recommend this conference to anyone who is interested in understanding the facets of Filipino and Filipino-American culture. You will meet humorous, informative speakers that are sure to inspire you to be active in the community! Kitakits~ (See you soon~)
-Ashley, Secretary
(Source: unipronow.org)
Did you or someone you know ever experience the following?
- Lying or choosing not to disclose your race/ethnicity on an application
- Feeling that your acceptance into/rejection from an institution was due to your race/ethnicity
- Taking ethnicity into account for the sake of leveling the playing field and equal representation
Either way, chances are you have been involved in the system of affirmative action.
John F. Kennedy coined the phrase in his order for federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” -Now.org
Despite the call to disregard race/ethnicity, debators for and against affirmative action tend to bring up just that as their reason to be in favor of or oppose it.
What is one way in which affirmative action affects the Asian American community, a minority in the United States? For one thing, some employed Asian Americans have reported higher incomes than other minorities and even the majorities, earning Asian Americans the double-edged title “model minority” over time. While higher income usually means success and achievement, the downside is the major neglect of those from the Asian American community who fall into the unemployed, homeless and/or low-income category. Perhaps those in the aforementioned category do not easily get enough financial or welfare assistance if at all as in this real life example:
“All too often, low-income, underserved Asian American youth remain invisible. Their needs and struggles are hidden by the myth that Asian Americans do not need help, which all too often results in policies and practices leading to benign neglect.”- Asian American LEAD
The same can be said about education: Some Asian Americans accepted into educational institutions might report higher test scores or test taking abilities, but those who are below average might not be getting the help that they deserve.
Also it seems that because of the “model minority” effect, the Asian American community was not sufficicently represented or considered in public national surveys regarding affirmative action from gallup polls, as if implying that other minorities (and the majority) had more to gain from or be affected by the intentions of equal opportunity that supposedly come with affirmative action.
You may or may not have a view on affirmative action- to those that do, your position on it may be for, against, or somewhere in the middle of it. It is something to think about because how affirmative action is enforced now (and how it could be enforced in the future) could affect various communities (for better and/or worse).
Ashley, Culture Chair
(Source: now.org, aalead.org)
