Filler Page for Turley Publications Advertisement foundations editor-in-chief & alumni outreach chair Dear Reader: Nan Guo, SY ’09

It is our pleasure to introduce to you the second edition of the Asian American Students aasa co-moderators Alliance’s foundations. The first year at Yale can be exhilarating and eye-opening, Amit Mahadevia, SY ’08 and we are excited about what is in store for you. As you begin this chapter of your life, Priya Prasad, BK ’08 we hope that you will find this copy of foundations to be a helpful guide that will inter- est, motivate and encourage you. apa heritage co-chairs Nicole Fish, PC ’09 foundations was created to fill the need to heighten awareness about ourselves as Mindy Lu, BK ’09 Asian American students at Yale. We have organized this publication for both incoming freshmen and upperclassmen: all of us can benefit from learning more about the rich asian american studies chair history of Asian Americans at Yale University. David Tian, CC ’07

We sought to capture the most pivotal moments of our history at Yale. In coopera- community outreach co-chairs tion with the Asian American Cultural Center and the member groups of the Asian Mitchell Ji, MC ’09 American Students Alliance, we tracked down alumni who played crucial roles in these Christine Nguyen, MC ’09 moments and asked them to tell us about their experiences. Included are a diverse set of stories: the founding of organizations, dramatic protests, incidents of racism and con- historian flict. This publication also bears witness to efforts to display the beauty of our cultural backgrounds, the causes that we believe in and work towards, and how much the Asian Becky Hua, MC ’09 American community as a whole has flourished and grown in the past few decades. The result is foundations: a collection of sometimes captivating and momentous narra- political action & education co-chairs tives that weave into the elaborate fabric that makes up our history. Nancy Liang, TC ’08 Steven Tan, SM ’08 So we invite you to turn the page and explore the decades of history that our community has seen at this fine university. foundations was not created as something to be read publicity chair once and tossed aside. We hope that this publication will be more than a static collec- Crystal Chen, MC ’09 tion of history that goes no further than begging the question, “So what?” We hope that the stories included in these pages will provoke discussion, incite action, and remind all secretary of us why we are or why we should be involved in the community. These stories are to Marisa Landin, BR ’08 remind all of us that we are part of a much larger legacy that we must sustain beyond our own time at Yale. treasurer Tiffany Pham, BR ’08 foundations is as much about our future as it is about our past. Though what you will read in these pages is behind us, remember that one day your mark on this community webmaster may be passed on to future classes through this publication. You, as the present, are Tiffany Pham, BR ’08 empowered to direct our future. special thanks to Sincerely, Dean Saveena Dhall Carissa Feria, BK ’07 Amit Mahadevia Priya Prasad Nan Guo AASA Co-Moderator AASA Co-Moderator Editor-in-Chief www.yale.edu/aasa

what’s inside. page... 3 letter to the reader

5 then and now 6 asian american students alliance 8 asian american cultural center 10 chinese american students’ association 12 kasama: the filipino club of yale university 14 korean american students at yale 16 muslim students association 18 south asian society 20 taiwanese american society 22 vietnamese students association 24 insight: yale’s chapter of the national apa women’s forum 25 japanese american students union 26 other groups

27 our issues 28 attacked: the katherine lo, cc ’05, incident 30 unfunny: an april fool’s joke gone wrong 33 our voice: rumpus/herald incident

34 people 35 freshman reflections 36 senior reflections 38 your ethnic counselors

foundations then and now. Although the Asian American community at Yale as we know it through AASA was born only three and a half decades ago, Asian Ameri- cans have been at Yale for almost half of our college’s existence.

These pages chronicle the evolution of the Asian Ameri- can community at Yale. Although it is impossible to encapsu- late the rich history of our community in 21 pages, the juxtapo- sition of the past and the present illustrates how far we have come.

As you follow the journey that our community has taken, remember that there is still more that lies ahead. asian american history at yale in a nutshell.

1854 The Beginning. Yung Wing, a student from China, graduates from Yale College. He is the first Asian to graduate from Yale and the first Chinese to graduate from a U.S. college.

1969 Don Nakanishi, SY ’71, forms the Asian American Students Association (AASA). The group is later renamed the Asian American Students Alliance.

1970 Amerasia Journal, an Asian American newsletter that has become the premier academic publication in Asian American Studies, is started at Yale.

The first Asian American Studies course, “The Asian American Experience,” is taught by Prof. Chitoshi Yanaga.

Don Nakanishi, SY ’71, proposes a “floating counselor system” for students of color, which later evolves into the ethnic counselor system.

Yale becomes the first institution to include Asian Americans in its affirmative action program.

1972 AASA is given a one-room office in the basement of Durfee.

1981 The Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) is established.

2004 Yale celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Yung Wing’s graduation from Yale College in 1854.

AASA celebrates its 35th Anniversary.

2006 The Present. The Class of 2010 arrives at Yale. then and now 5 Don Nakanishi, the founder of AASA, is currently the director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. He is a political scientist by training with a PhD from Harvard University and has been chair of the Yale Alumni aasa then Schools Committee of Los Angeles County for the past 25 years.

AASA was not just a political thing. AASA Board

A lot of it had to do with how the of 2006 Asian American students were feeling Co-Moderators Asian American Studies Chair themselves, and about their own Amit Mahadevia, SY ’08 David Tian, CC ’07 identity, or how they thought they were Priya Prasad, BK ’08 being viewed by others on campus. Community Outreach Chairs One thing that I always remember Secretary Mitchell Ji, MC ’09 from my first or second year was Marisa Landin, BR ’08 Christine Nguyen, MC ’09 the ways that Asian Americans Treasurer & Webmaster Alumni Outreach Chair interacted or didn’t interact at Yale. Tiffany Pham, BR ’08 Nan Guo, SY ’09 I realized how strange I found it to walk down the street at Yale Historian Political Action Chairs and see another Asian American Becky Hua, MC ’09 Nancy Liang, TC ’08 student walk towards me. When the Steven Tan, SM ’08 person got close to me, she would APA Heritage Co-Chairs look at the ground and not look at Nicole Fish, PC ’09 Publicity Chair me directly. More generally, there Mindy Lu, BK ’09 Crystal Chen, MC ’09 was a feeling of isolation, of being marginalized. The mainstream of Yale The Asian American Students Alliance web site can be found at yale.edu/aasa. life was not in any way committed To subscribe to AASA’s weekly newsletter, please contact [email protected]. to diversity or multiculturalism. American students. There was a AASA’s early efforts, Asian American AASA’s founding had a lot to do small group of us who decided students came to be considered with the impact of African American we should try to pull all the Asian as part of Yale’s affirmative students as well as the Mexican Americans together. We went to the action and diversity programs. American students [organizing] telephone directory and picked out Asian surnames. We had something In addition, we wanted a class for like 50 students out of the 4,600 Asian Americans and asked Professor There was a feeling students at Yale. After we compiled Chitoshi Yanaga, the first Japanese of isolation, of be- the list, a group of us just called up American to be a tenured professor at people and asked them to come Yale, [to teach the first Asian American ing marginalized. eat dinner in Saybrook. There were Studies class] in the spring of 1970. If The mainstream of around 35 students who showed. I have any regret about Yale, it would Yale was not com- When we marched in, be the fact that Asian American Studies everybody was looking at us. hasn’t gotten a stronger foothold. mitted to diversity. One of the things we decided was to Within two years, we saw some take up issues involving the McCarran results. By the time we left, there were themselves. The first group I joined Act, a law that basically allowed the around 90 Asian Americans out of was the Mexican American students’ government to round up people and 4600. The course had been repeated, organization at Yale. The lessons put them in concentration camps [as it was going to be continued, and we I learned from that, I shared and they did with] Japanese Americans. were part of Yale’s plan [to] recruit applied to the founding of AASA. In We decided we would go to every other Asian American students. We addition, I was very much influenced dining hall at Yale and we got 4,000 had held three very large regional by an incoming graduate student in signatures and sent them to Congress. conferences that had attracted three psychology, Glen Omatsu, who I had They put in the Congressional or four hundred people. We had met over the summer in 1969. Glen record that Yale University was also formed the Amerasia Journal had been active in Asian American in favor of the repeal of Title 2. with Lowell Chun-Hoon of Hawaii. student activities at UC-Santa Cruz. asian americanalliance students We also saw there were not enough When we left, I think we were very In the fall of 1969, I was inspired Asian Americans, [especially] optimistic about the organization, to start a similar group for Asian working-class Asian Americans, and its long range future, as well as its Americans. I knew somelux Asian so we formedet another committeeveritas [necessity]. Over the course of 35 American students in my class and to go negotiate with the admissions years, I have seen the group as being knew some of the female Asian office for recruitment. As a result of very strong and also barely surviving. 6 foundations Tashin Le-Nguyen, TC ’08, is from fosters the idea that as diverse as our poetry performance every spring called Atlanta, Georgia. She served as the community is, we all share ties to the PULSE. At this past year’s hugely suc- Alumni Outreach Chair for AASA and immigrant experience and our com- cessful PULSE, AASA invited Yalies to the Social Chair of the Vietnamese mon interest in Asian American po- perform their own unique and astound- Students Association (ViSA) in 2005. litical issues. AASA sponsors political, ing songs, poems, and standup comedy cultural, and social events that cater in a packed Branford Common Room.

Originally the Asian American Students to the entire Asian American commu- In previous years, PULSE featured Yale students american alliance asian Association,lux AASA has blossomed et from nity on campusveritas and contribute to the talent as well as Def Jam Poet Beau Sia. being the only Asian American group on larger Asian American cause. AASA campus to one that encompasses many. provides funding to the individual or- AASA also mobilizes in response to Recently renamed the Asian American ganizations and holds Executive Board pressing social issues. In response to Students Alliance, AASA serves as the meetings where representatives from its the devastation caused by the tsunami umbrella organization for seven Asian of December 2004, AASA cooperated American groups on campus. These AASA fosters the with the American Red Cross of Yale groups include the Chinese American University to organize the Tsunami Re- Students’ Association (CASA), KASAMA: idea that as diverse lief Benefit Dinner. With donations from The Filipino Club of Yale University, Ko- as our community is, over twenty local restaurants, partici- rean American Students at Yale (KASY), pants enjoyed everything from pad thai the Muslim Students Association (MSA), we all share ties to to curry and sushi. The event garnered the South Asian Society (SAS), the Tai- the immigrant ex- massive campus participation, raising wanese American Society (TAS), and the perience and Asian over $3,500 and attracting over 500 Vietnamese Students Association (ViSA). students. In the spring of 2006, AASA AASA also works with a number of af- American issues. members attended a conference held by filiated groups, including the Japanese the East Coast Asian American Students American Students Union (JASU), In- member groups discuss events, prob- Union (ECAASU), where many issues af- sight: The Yale Chapter of the National lems, and other situations that demand fecting Asian Americans were examined Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the attention of the entire community. and discussed. The Yale attendees bid the East Coast Asian American Students to bring the conference to Yale in Spring Union Conference, Builders of a Bet- In the fall, AASA hosts “Prelude,” un- 2007 and won! The conference will be ter Cambodian Community (BBCC), doubtedly the hottest party on campus. held on campus February 8-10, 2007. the Malaysian and Singaporean Stu- In the spring, AASA co-sponsors the dents’ Association (MASA), SATAY: Asian American Film Festival, an Asian AASA also seeks to nurture a sense of Thai Students at Yale, and Jook Songs. American art exhibit, and a number of camaraderie among the individual eth- other events during April, which is Asian nic and cultural groups within our com- Encouraging collaboration and har- Pacific American Heritage Month. AASA munity. Events such as Fusion, a game mony among the cultural groups, AASA also holds a yearly spoken word and night held at the Asian American Cultur- al Center (AACC) by the AASA freshman Clockwise, from top left. AASA members kick off the year with the AACC/AASA Fall Retreat at Water’s Edge Resort; the Yale bid team networks with students from other liaisons, bring students to the AACC to schools at ECAASU 2006; AASA board members at the AACC after a Monday night meeting. enjoy an evening of food, drink, music, games , and each other’s company as well. This past year, the APA Heritage Chairs, with the support and help of our affiliate groups, held the Pan Asian Dinner, which brought all the groups to- gether in a unified effort to showcase the diversity of our cultures. The proceeds from the dinner benefited South Asian tsunami and earthquake relief funds.

While AASA functions as an inde- pendent organization, its strength de- pends on the vitality of the individual member organizations. AASA plays a crucial role in coordinating dates, events, and other activities to maintain harmony and cooperation within the Asian American community on campus. Many members of AASA are also heav- ily involved in AASA’s umbrella groups.

AASA holds weekly Board and Execu- tive Board meetings at 7 p.m. every Monday at the Asian American Cul- tural Center. We invite you to join a aasa now tradition that spans over thirty-five years! then and now 7 Grant Din, BR ’79, graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Sociology. He was an active member of AASA during his time at Yale and currently serves as Executive Director of the non-profit organization Asian Neighborhood aacc then Design in San Francisco, California.

I really enjoyed my Yale days, back in ancient history, and a 2006-07 large part of it was because of the friends I made in AASA (back AACC Staff Assistant Dean, Director of the Alumni Outreach Asian American Cultural Center Co-Coordinators We’d been hoping Dean Saveena Dhall Yvonne Chung, ES ’07 to get a larger facil- Avanti Verma, BK ’08 Graduate Assistant Coordinator ity for AASA than the Debjani Bhaumik, MPH ’07 Publicity Chair two small rooms in the Crystal Chen Head Coordinator Bingham basement that Christopher Lapinig, CC ’07 Special Events Co-Coordinators to be announced we had. This was a step Historian up from the tiny room Esther Chu, SY ’09 Webmaster to be announced in the Durfee basement Asian American Studies that we used to have. Coordinator Freshmen Liaison Jennifer Suhr, SM ’07 to be announced

then there were only a couple of Asian American organizations.). For more information about the Asian American Cultural Center, please call (203) 432-2906, direct questions to [email protected], or visit the AACC’s web site at www.yale.edu/aacc. It may be hard to believe for the recent grads in the group, but there were tiny room in the Durfee basement packed, and everyone took off their only 250 Asian Americans on campus we used to have. Nick managed to shoes and put them outside the door. in 1975 (back pre-PCs, when we had get President Bart Giamatti to have President Giamatti and his aide to type out drafts on our typewriters. a meeting with us about a cultural could barely make it through the Sheesh, what dinosaurs!). Asians center. In a stroke of genius, Nick had shoes and the people to their seats, the president come meet in our space. and we all had a cordial discussion — he said he’d look into it. AASA President Giamat- We spread the word to every Asian students including Mary Li Hsu American student on campus that and others continued to work to ti and his aide could if they came to one AASA event in get the center after we graduated barely make it through their four years, they should come in 1979, and we were thrilled to to thisthe meeting. The place center was hear about their successful efforts. the shoes and the people to their seats. (1828-1886) were much less diverse than we are Yung Wing now on campus, primarily Chinese, Yung Wing was the first person of China where he engaged in vari- Japanese, and Korean American. Chinese descent to graduate from ous projects to promote China’s an American university and the modernization. He is best known Among other things, we laid the groundwork for Asian Community first Asian to earn a bachelor’s de- for having organized the Chi- Services by starting a tutoring program gree from Yale. Yung was born in nese Educational Mission, which in New Haven, ran a student-taught 1828 in a small village in Guang- brought 120 Chinese students to Asian American studies course for dong province. He received his colleges in the Northeast, includ- credit in the sociology department, early education in a missionary ing Yale, in the 1870s. To com- and advocated for the Asian school under the tutelage of a Yale memorate the 150th anniversary asian american center cultural American Cultural Center partly graduate, the Reverend Samuel of Yung Wing’s graduation in through a legendary 1978 meeting Robbins Brown. Yung accompa- 2004, the AACC collaborated that Nick Chen ‘79 organized. nied Brown to the United States with university departments and We had been hoping to get a larger in 1847, where he enrolled in student groups, such as CASA facility for AASA than the two small the Monson Academy and later and AASA, to organize a series of rooms in the Bingham basement that at Yale College. After graduating events highlighting Yung Wing we had. This was a step up from the in 1854, Yung Wing returned to and Asian American alumni. 8 foundations Welcome, Class of 2010! We are community. To best serve these needs, fessor Shilpa Dave, a specialist in issues excited to have you on campus, we work carefully to bring diverse pro- regarding Asian American masculinity host you at the Asian American Cul- grams to campus (speakers, conferenc- and media representation, and our APA tural Center (AACC), and introduce es, dinners, writers, study breaks, artists, Heritage Month Guest Speaker, Kenji you to the various student groups activists, an annual Asian American Yoshino, Yale Law School Professor and and programs we have to offer. Film Festival and Asian American Arts author of Covering: the Hidden Assault Exhibit) with the goal of enriching stu- on Our Civil Rights. In addition, for the The AtheACC was established in 1981center dent life at Yale. Examples of speakers first time, the center put on two new due to the efforts of the students in the include former Governor Gary Locke, events: an open mic night featuring stu- cultural center american asian late 70s and early 80s who were per- JE ’72; playwright David Henry Hwang dent musical performances as well as a sistent in lobbying the administration haunted house co-hosted with La Casa for a center, a place to call “home” at The AACC serves as a Cultural Center over Halloween week- Yale. At that time, the Asian American end. This coming February, we will be student population was about 5% of second home to our hosting the East Coast Asian American the undergraduate student body and students and is avail- Students Union (ECAASU) Conference there was one Asian American student at Yale which will allow you ample op- organization, the Asian American Stu- able for both informal portunities to interact with alumni in vari- dents Association, which served as an and formal gatherings. ous fields and learn about life after Yale. umbrella group for the Asian Ameri- can student population. Now, Asian Saveena Dhall, Assistant Dean of Yale Americans comprise 13% of Yale’s stu- DRA ’81; Indra Nooyi, SOM ’80, Presi- College and Director of the AACC, dent population, and the AACC plays dent of PepsiCo; chef Ming Tsai, BR works with a team of student staffers host to over 35 student organizations. ’86; Professor Gary Okihiro of Colum- to manage the center’s activities and The Asian American population is bia University; AIDS researcher Dr. Da- ongoing programs. Dean Dhall also made up of Southeast, East, and vid Ho; Professor Vijay Prashad of Trin- serves as a freshmen and sophomore South Asians. The AACC, the Asian ity College; Monique Truong, TD ’90, advisor and works with various offices American Ethnic Counselors, and the author of Book of Salt, and many more! such as Admissions, the Association of various Asian and Asian American Yale Alumni, Career Services, and Fel- student groups work together to help In the 2005-06 academic year, the lowship Programs. She serves as an ad- create a supportive community as you Center continued to offer a wide variety ditional resource on a variety of issues transition to your new home at Yale. of social, political, and cultural events and is available to meet with students. as well as a few new activities for both Dean Dhall’s office is in SSS 110, the The Center and affiliated student orga- students and alumni. Guest professors Yale College Dean’s Office; she can be nizations are committed to the intellec- and speakers included Professor Vi- reached at [email protected]. tual, cultural, social and political devel- ranjini Munasinghe who spoke on the The AACC also has an Advisory Board opment of the Asian American student Asian experience in the Caribbean, Pro- consisting of Yale faculty members, administrators, alumni, and members A collage of events from the 2005-2006 academic year illustrates the many activities that the AACC staff and AACC-affiliated groups hold every year, many of them at the Cultural Center itself. of the New Haven Asian American community who advise and provide support for the Center and its goals.

The AACC serves as a second home to our students and is available for both informal and formal gatherings. Stu- dents are encouraged to come to the AACC to study or to use the computer room, kitchen, TV room or conference rooms. The Center also houses an Asian American Studies Library, which has books and magazines of Asian American interest. We invite interested members of the Yale community to feel welcome to attend any of our events.

Our hours are Monday - Thurs- 295 Crown Street day 4 to 10 pm and Sunday 2 to New Haven, CT 6pm. We’re located at 295 Crown 203.432.2931 Street between York and High Streets M-Th 4pm-10pm (one block from Old Campus) in a Su 2pm-6pm three-story converted duplex . Visit us online at www.yale.edu/aacc.

We look forward to seeing you over at the AACC and wish you much aacc now success during your freshman year! then and now 9 Steven Lin, SM ’99, is a founding member of the Chinese American Students’ Association. He graduated from Yale with a degree in Molecular Biophysics casa then & Biochemistry. He is currently a surgeon practicing in Chicago. I guess this whole thing started my 2006 CASA

tion freshman year. There had been a CSA in the years before I came to campus, but before we started CASA, Executive Board it became defunct because of a lack of participation. When I came in, President Political Action Chair there was a group ahead of me that Aaron Meng, MC ’08 Crystal Chen, MC ’09 had an interest in restarting it, and Vice President Communications Chair that was done the first semester I David Wang, SY ’08 Victor Wong, JE ’09 was there in 1995. At the time, TAS was the Taiwanese Club, and that Social Chair Treasurer was the group organized by Chinese Mitchell Ji, MC ’09 Alexander Chin, SM ’09 students. In our first year, we were a pretty small group and there was a Community Chair Secretary lot of intermingling between TAS and Emily Guh, ES ’09 Xinchen Wang, BK ’09 us, but they had a much stronger bent toward the Taiwanese political Cultural Chair situation. It was after the first semester Emily Mathews, BK ’08 that we decided to change the name to CASA to separate ourselves from the previous organization and to The Chinese American Students’ Association web site can be found at yale.edu/ focus on our experiences of being casa. To be added to the CASA email list, please contact [email protected]. Chinese and living in America. the Dean’s Office, and we got a the idea of the Chinese American We were practically a brand-new chance to put it on a level playing field Students’ Association was about our organization. We had nothing to do with these other groups. On the flip lives as they were then. We just wanted with the previous organization. We side, the Asian community was quite to create a place where people could basically started from the ground up ethnically separated at the time. Most get together and freshmen could meet as a bunch of active freshmen. The groups tended to do their own thing. people easily, to help each other, and

In our first year, we actually did a lot of The long-term goal small things, like movie nights, where And it’s a wonderful was to create a com- we would have a room where we would thing that they have show Chinese movies, old cultural munity for those peo- flicks or some more modern stuff from these traditions that just ple of Chinese de- Taiwan. We also had dumpling nights keep going, it’s great scent regardless of and ski trips. The bigger events, such as the cultural show, started the to see the continuity. where they were from. year after me. The group after us also got in contact with the Chinese to teach others a little bit about our only obstacle as a new group was school that is on campus and started heritage. I did not celebrate all those getting bodies. In a way it was kind to get the sibling program going. typical Chinese holidays growing up; I of easy because we were freshmen did not know the stories and legends. so we just got all of our friends to I am from North Carolina, so I did College is a place where you are come. I think that over the years, as not grow up among Asian people. growing and learning- a good place CASA got bigger and bigger, there The first time I saw Asian people I to learn all these things and hopefully was a lot more work in delineating was not related to was when I came to make friends. It is a wonderful thing among the different groups. to Yale. The long-term goal was to that they have these traditions that just create a community for those people keep on going. It is great to see the By the time I graduated it had changed of Chinese descent regardless of where continuity, and I think that they are a bit, but in my four years at Yale, KASY they were from, whether you were from doing a great job. I want to reiterate was the strongest organization. ViSA overseas, from mainland, from Taiwan, my admiration for everyone right now. was a close second and fairly powerful whether you were born here or born in its own right. AASA provided us with there and lived here all your life. Our I helped start this, but by far, it was chine americanocia chine students’ a path of legitimacy by having CASA mission statement at the time was that not only me, many people were on the board and being耶魯大學 a recognized we were all of Chinese descent and involved, and with each generation, member group. We got funds from we were all living in America, and it grows and gets better and better. 10 foundations Aaron Meng, MC ’08, is from Parents take their kids out for food, give AASA member organizations. Hockessin, Delaware. He currently them helpful advice about college life, serves as the President for CASA: the and provide a strong foundation for Do not miss out on CASA’s Chinese American Students’ Association. interclass interactions. These familial celebrations of Chinese culture. students’chine american ocia bonds are maintained throughout the Hotpot Night celebrates Chinese CASA is an organization that truly academic year with family events such New Year with traditional Chinese caters to a wide range of interests as Fall Olympics and Hotpot Night. cuisine, and the Mid-Autumn Festival and personalities. Some of our includes moon cakes for all. We members耶魯大學 make CASA a major part Other social traditions include an also produce a huge cultural show of their college lives, while others annual banquet, a school-wide dance, every year that is widely attended by choose to participate in only one or a barbeque on Old Campus, and students, parents, and faculty from two events each year. These events a cultural dinner with home-cooked across the Yale community. The show can be broadly categorized as social, food. To keep CASA members in draws on the talents of the entire political, community, cultural, or often touch throughout the year, we fill the CASA membership and showcases a mix. We encourage students of all weeks in between with study breaks acting, martial arts, Chinese dance, backgrounds interested in any of these and movie nights. We also coordinate hip-hop performances, traditional aspects to come check CASA out. dim sum mixers in New York City with music, a fashion show, and many counterpart groups from other schools other acts. Anyone can get involved such as Columbia or Princeton. in any aspect of the show, including It is hard to get scriptwriting, performing, directing, On our political side, our campus- or stage crew. Or, simply come out across in words just wide events draw out even non-CASA and watch to have a great time! how great of an members; recently, we hosted Eric organization CASA is. Liu, an acclaimed author and former Finally, CASA prides itself on its presidential speechwriter. Other past involvement beyond the Yale speakers include Professor Jonathan community. In addition to working CASA was founded to promote Spence, Iris Chang, and Chun Yu. with New Haven public schools in the awareness of Chinese and Chinese- We also spearheaded the 150th Cultural Awareness Program, we also American identity, and this is largely Yung Wing Celebration Series in have a mentorship with the New Haven achieved through an expansive social collaboration with Dean Dhall and Chinese School in which Chinese network that is strengthened every year. the Asian American Cultural Center. school kids are paired up with a big The key to this network is the CASA More recently, we have also been sib from Yale. In collaboration with family program, where interested increasing awareness through the the Taiwanese American Society, we freshmen are given two upperclassmen CASA Political Review and InformAsian, founded the Chinese Adopted Siblings “parents” and a freshman “sibling.” a weekly newsletter created by Program for Youth (CASPY), which is on its way to becoming a national Members of the 2006 Executive Board of the Chinese American Students’ program. CASPY pairs Yale students Association pose for a picture together at the CASA Banquet in the spring of 2006. with adopted Chinese children from the tri-state area and allows them to form tight bonds through participation in the bi-annual event. A day is spent in cultural immersion with fun activities, workshops, and games that is deeply fulfilling for families and students alike.

Another community (and very social) event is our popular Triad Night, where members dress to impress and get together for karaoke, mahjong, poker, blackjack, and other casino games. Prizes are auctioned off to those with the most “Triad money,” and the hundreds of dollars raised by the event are donated to a children’s charity in China. tion It is hard to get across in words just how great of an organization CASA is, so you should just come out and give it a try. Come meet the people that make CASA what it is today and you’ll see why we love CASA as much as we do. YOU are CASA’s future – we casa now look forward to seeing you around! then and now 11 Wendy Pizarro Campbell, SY ’92, a founding member of KASAMA, cur- rently serves as President & Chief Operating Officer of VIPMobile, kasama then Inc. She earned a B.A. and M.A. with honors from Yale University, a M.St. from Oxford University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

We came together my freshman year, around the spring of 1989. 2006 KASAMA We founded KASAMA because there was a need for us to find unity and a voice when it came to being Filipi- Executive Board no. We could go to AASA meetings, but we could not really connect with Co-Presidents Political Action and some of the experiences of the Kore- Aldrin Agas, TC ’08 Education Chair an American and Chinese American Francisco Liquido, SM’ 08 Ryan Villanueva, JE ’08 students. There was a great disparity between the history of Filipino Amer- Social-Cultural Co-Chairs Secretary/Treasurer icans and how we were brought up Audrey Tan, JE ‘09 Andrei Javier, TC ’08 and their history and upbringing. Ryan Salinas, BR ‘09

We met every week at one of the colleges for dinner. We [also threw] some really good potluck dinners. We would have lumpia, pansit, all kinds of food for the greater Yale community, and that was really neat The KASAMA: The Filipino Club of Yale web site can be found at yale.edu/kasama. – it was the first time at Yale a lot To subscribe to KASAMA’s weekly newsletter, please contact [email protected]. of people outside of our commu- nity were exposed to traditional Fili- with Yale Law School. She came dents from NYU, Columbia, Penn, pino food. Our dinners were very to talk more about her trial and a or from wherever. We decided, popular. The food was just great; little bit about the Philippines and “Let’s make it fun, let’s make it so the people just loved it. I remem- so on. We co-hosted that event, people will want to come, let’s not ber we would spend all day cook- and again, that really was one of make it very militant. Let’s make ing it ourselves. And the best part the defining moments of KASAMA. it more unifying.” That is why we of our dinners was not just getting As an alum, I like to be able to say used the name FIND, which was together and getting our friends to that I recruited at least two KASAMA try our food, it was actually mak- members to Yale personally. I wrote ing the food. We would spend all them letters to help them get in and KASAMA was a day as a group making it together. did what I could to let them in. I great outlet for us helped them do their applications It was a pretty interesting time. This and talked to the people from the to come together was during the fall of Marcos, and admissions office. And I hoped that and bond based on a lot of Filipinos in the country were the two people I recruited would our background. recruit two people each. We need to look for candidates that have We founded KASAMA potential and promise. And that is one way to instill more coming to- because there was a how to get growth. It is up to us. gether, a little more touchy-feely, need for us to find uni- less controversial than what people I am sure if you talk to any of us, would use for other conferences. ty and a voice when it one thing that we are happy con- We just wanted people to come. came to being Filipino. tinues is FIND (editor’s note: FIND stands for the Filipino Intercollegiate So what does KASAMA mean? Networking Dialogue, an organiza- KASAMA is about unity and it is very much on the political scene tion founded by KASAMA in 1991 about friendship. We founded kasama: of yale club filipino the talking about democratization. If you that now holds conferences for KASAMA as a group to promote remember, at the time, Imelda Mar- Filipino American students across friendship, unity, dialogue and cos was on trial, and she was in ex- the Eastern seaboard). FIND was finding a sense of belonging at ile in Hawaii for human rights abus- our brainchild the second year af- Yale. All of us did different things es. And there was a class action suit ter KASAMA was born. We had and so KASAMA was a great out- against her, filed in New York. She ab out 100 studentsk attend s the let for us tom come together and actually came to Yale, and KASAMA first conference. It was very social bond based on our backgrounds. was on the host committee for her – we would just hang out with stu- 12 foundations Therese Lim, BK ’07, is from Manila, all of what KASAMA does. We come delicious Filipino dessert, a “mix mix” Philippines. She served as Secre- from all over — the Philippines, Ha- of tropical fruits, milk, and ice. We tary/Treasurer of KASAMA: The Fili- waii, the Bay Area, New York, and all also satisfied our craving for Pinoy pino Club of Yale University in 2005. over the world. We are budding art- cuisine at November’s Adobo Night ists, musicians, politicians, lawyers, and March’s Longganisa Night, where the filipino club of yale kasama: KASAMA. Not an acronym, but a Ta- writers, economists, diplomats, doc- KASAMA members bonded over more galog word that means “companion” tors, and scientists. We are not all Fili- cooking and dining. And we sprinkle or “to accompany.” And KASAMA pino by blood, but we are all tied to the remainder of the school year with doesn’t just live up to its name — it the motherland in some specific way. our notoriously fun-filled Happy Hours, goes k beyond it. KASAMAs is com- Together,m we empower and inspire where members and friends can un- each other to make things happen. wind over drinks, music, and dance.

A Tagalog word that In April of 2005, KASAMA proudly re- Another integral part of KASAMA’s means “companion” vived Barrio Fiesta, our main event of mission is the advancement of Filipino- the year. Literally translated as “village American political and social interests. or “to accompany.” feast,” Barrio Fiesta featured an extrav- KASAMA founded the Filipino Intercol- agant showcase of Philippine culture legiate Networking Dialogue (FIND), prised of Yalies devoted to promot- through song, dance, performance, ing Filipino culture and understand- and of course sumptuous Filipino ing Filipino-American identity and food. We shared with the larger Yale KASAMA is a close-knit politics. Most importantly, it is a community the rich tapestry of Filipino community that is ready close-knit community that is ready traditions and values and had plenty to shower anyone with some good of fun along the way. Barrio Fiesta to shower anyone with old Pinoy warmth and hospitality. 2006 was a smashing success, win- some good old Pinoy Small enough so that everyone re- ning over the hearts — and stomachs warmth and hospitality. ally does know your name, KASAMA — of over 150 audience members. was established in 1989 by students who saw the need for Filipinos, Fil- But Barrio Fiesta is only one of many the largest Filipino youth program Ams, and friends to advance Philip- activities KASAMA organizes. Every in the country, over a decade ago in pine-specific issues. The ultimate semester, the group holds smaller 1991. Last year, KASAMA worked goal was — and continues to be gatherings to celebrate Filipino cul- hard to revive our FIND district and — to create a space in which people ture, and like most Filipinos, we love attend national conferences. KASA- could enjoy each other’s company. to eat! In October of 2005, we held MA’s Political Chairs have also worked Currently, KASAMA has over twenty the second annual Halo-Halo Night, to bring Tagalog language instruction active undergraduate and graduate where KASAMA members and over and other Philippine Studies courses members who are deeply involved in forty Yalies gathered to prepare the to Yale. KASAMA also recognizes the severe underrepresentation of Filipi- Members of KASAMA: the Filipino Club of Yale come together for a night of fun and nos at Yale, and we have collaborated friendship at the KASAMA Easter Egg Hunt, held at the AACC in the spring of 2006. with the Admissions Office to ensure that more Filipino students are ad- mitted and choose to come to Yale.

In order to spread awareness about our beautiful culture, KASAMA also participates in the Cultural Aware- ness Program. Through CAP, we have shared with New Haven public school students the colorful history of the Phil- ippines; tinikling, our national dance; and of course delicious delicacies such as turon, Philippine fried banana.

After rejoining AASA in 2004 and then reviving our cultural show in 2005, KASAMA is now at an excit- ing stage. For those of you that are missing your pansit and for those of you that would like to find out what it is (tasty Filipino noodles!), come and join us for one of our weekly KASA- MA dinners. You won’t find a friend- li er, more energetic, and welcoming place at Yale. We are all proud to be a part of KASAMA, and we are look- kasama now ing forward to sharing it with you! then and now 13 Victor J. Lee, PC ’91, served as the first KASY president from 1988 to 1989. He is currently employed by the firm Semper Ventures, and he and his wife recently had their first child. kasy then In 1987, a small core group of Korean American students led by David Yeo (BK ’88, then a senior) met informally, as Korean American 2006-07 KASY students had in past years, under the banner of the Korean American Executive Board Student Association (KASA). KASA was an unregistered organization President Political Action Chair and primarily social in nature. But Andy Yu, TC ’08 Christina Park, SY ’09 1987 was different. The incoming freshman class of 1991 had a Vice President Cultural Chair sufficient critical mass of Korean Edward Miller, PC ’07 Molly Kim, CC ’09 American students (approximately Secretary Social Chair 30) to sustain a multifaceted Joseph Oh, JE ’09 Jen Jun, PC ’09 organization. There were already several outlets for Korean American Treasurer Media Chair students to congregate, three Janet Noh, SY ’09 David Kim, BR ’09 Korean churches in the New Haven area, the Korean American Community Chair Journal, the East Rock Institute run Yoojin Cheong, JE ’09 by Dr. Hesung Koh, and last but not least, the Korean intercollegiate volleyball tournaments. The Korean American Students at Yale website can be found at yale.edu/kasy. To subscribe to KASY’s weekly newsletter, please contact [email protected].

That year’s Korean American schools through social, cultural, history, was particularly vocal during students formally registered with athletic, and political events. class and raised acerbic questions the Yale College Dean’s Office throughout the semester. After and came up with a new name One incident, however, stands out. receiving an “F” on her mid-term unique to Yale, KASY. KASY was That year saw KASY at the forefront exam, the vocal student raised granted a modest budget under the of the racially charged environment the accusation of racism in an umbrella of AASA and was assigned editorial in a campus newspaper. to the office of the Dean of Asian KASY established the In the ensuing uproar, as KASY’s American Affairs, Dean Joyce Baker, representative, I responded with who was tremendously supportive Korean Studies Task another editorial that entreated the of KASY. In addition, KASY Force, which success- student body not to attack the vocal established the Korean Studies Task fully lobbied the ad- student, but to rather look at the facts Force, which successfully lobbied of the case and the unfair grading. the administration to implement ministration to im- Needless to say, the Korean history a Korean History course, and by plement a Korean course was subsequently dropped 1990, Yale’s first Korean language from the curriculum. Despite the course. By the end of second History course, and by setback in Korean studies that year, semester, it came time to elect the 1990, Yale’s first Ko- Yale introduced a Korean language first President of KASY. The voters rean language course. class the following year, which had a choice between a freshman became a highly popular course. and a sophomore. Through active campaigning among the large of that time. The second semester The ensuing KASY classes expanded freshman class, I, the freshman of 1989 heralded the first Korean upon the first KASY class’s efforts, candidate, won the election. History course, taught by a professor initiating community outreach of Japanese history. Attesting to the programs with Korean adoptees in The first active year of KASY, 1988- pent-up demand for Korea-related the Connecticut area and continuing 89, was a year of growing pains. In traditions such as the KASY formal,

korean americanat yale students courses, over 50 students signed addition to establishing an effective up for the course, far exceeding the originally called “Blackout”. organization and setting agendas History department’s expectations. through our four committees One particularly outspoken Korean It is with tremendous pride and (political, cultural, social, and American student, dissatisfied with great honor that I can contribute financial), KASY was예일 busy reaching 대학 learning Korean history through the to the oral and written history of out to organizations at other perspective of a scholar of Japanese Korean American Students at Yale. 14 foundations Chang Park, TC ’06, is a and our recent addition – community. the most fun and rewarding event. psychology major originally from Each event involves at least one of Bergen County, New Jersey. He these pillars and aims to meet the One of the biggest strengths of served as president of KASY for wide-ranging interests of the Korean KASY is its family-like community. the 2004-2005 school year. American community at Yale. KASY members actively welcome new people and seek to introduce

“The Korean American Students Some of our biggest events include new members to the organization. students american at yale korean at Yale was established in 1984 by the Adopted Friends Picnic, the For example, freshmen are paired a group of students who wanted to annual KASY cultural show, March and placed into a family in which 예일st 대학 promote the political, cultural, and 1 Independence Day Celebration, upperclassmen parents help their social interests of the community new children adjust to college of Korean Americans at Yale. life and serve as resources, role Starting with only a handful of Despite its emphasis models, and friends. KASY is members, KASY has grown both in on a close social com- focused on maintaining a tight- size and in the scope of its goals. knit community that really is like an munity, KASY realizes extended family to Yale students. KASY aims at forming strong bonds that the future of Ko- within its own community, not only rean America lies in a Despite its emphasis on a close for the enjoyment of its members social community, KASY realizes that but also for the political and growing political voice the future of Korean America lies in cultural future of Korean America. and the retention of its a growing political voice and the In addition to large social events retention of its culture and heritage such as the Blackout dance in culture and heritage. as time passes by. KASY’s long term the fall, KASY hosts a variety of goals include emphasizing those activities such as ski trips, movie two pillars – dealing with current nights, and study breaks — media and Blackout, the KASY dance. events that affect not only Korea but through which KASY can become These events encompass the four the US and the rest of the world, a more close-knit community.” pillars of KASY and demonstrate and continually rediscovering the diversity among our events. our knowledge of Korean culture - Excerpt from the KASY web site Many members find our Adopted that will inevitably wear down Friends Picnic, a full day event for as the generations advance. KASY events and goals are centered Adopted Korean children and their around what we call the four pillars American parents to learn Korean Lastly, KASY wishes to seek out its of KASY – social, political, cultural, culture from Korean Yale students, own rich history. KASY is one of the oldest Asian organizations on Members of the incoming KASY executive board for the 2006-2007 school year pose for a group campus, and its history extends back picture as they celebrate after a general meeting and election night at Linsly-Chittenden Hall. twenty years. Because of the nature of college organizations, a lot of KASY’s past has been forgotten. One of our projects is to go through our archives and old documents to discover what KASY was like five, ten, and even twenty years ago when it was first started. We believe that knowing about the past is an invaluable resource for KASY’s future. To accomplish this, KASY also aims to keep close contact with its alumni and always seeks to rediscover former participants.

KASY prides itself on its rich history and its goals for the future. We aim to make Korean Americans feel that they belong to a community and expose them to the issues that Korean Americans face. As the Yale environment has dramatically evolved in the past twenty years, so too has KASY – and we hope that KASY will always be a prominent kasy now organization on the Yale campus. then and now 15 Hasina Mohyuddin, co-founder of MSA, is currently employed by DDM, Inc. She holds an M.B.A. Vanderbilt University and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University. msa then When I first came to Yale, there were three Muslims in our freshman class in Berkeley College: Nael Al-Abdullah, our friend Nazish Agha, and myself. Nael (later my co-president) and I 2006-07 MSA were both from Nashville, and we had met each other and our respective Executive Board families before reaching New Haven. It was important to us that we were all together to support each other President Social Action Chair and feed off each other’s ideas. Altaf Saadi, MC ’08 Firat Erel, PC ’09

We all assumed that Yale would Vice President Secretary/Librarian have an MSA or ISA, as they were Usman Humayun, BR ’08 Fatima Ghani, TC ’09 fairly common at major universities. Unfortunately, there was none. We Treasurer Alumni Relations/Historian had heard later that there had been Shoaib Ahmed, BR ’09 Nadim Mahmud, TC ’08 previous attempts, but when the leaders Political Action Chair Graduate Liaisons left Yale, the MSA/ISA had not survived. Zahreen Ghaznavi, JE ’08 Sharmin Ghaznavi, ’08 Our first discussions for an MSA/ISA Lubna Shamsi, MPH ’07 started with the need for a place to pray Jummah on Fridays. To use a University facility on a regular basis, you had to The Muslim Students Association website can be found at yale.edu/msa. To be an official Yale organization. In subscribe to MSA’s weekly newletter, please contact [email protected]. addition, we wanted to have special functions during Ramadan and Eid. junior year, Yale hired the local New our third year (when Nael and I Our primary goal in the beginning Haven Imam as a Muslim Chaplain, were getting ready to graduate), we and we had a few events with the had a good solid group from all New Haven Masjid as well. Having classes — everyone from freshmen We all assumed that the Imam helped us develop ties with to seniors, and grad students as well. Yale would have an the local Muslim community, and we also began to look at collaborating By the time I left Yale, we had MSA or ISA, as they with MSAs at other colleges for accomplished our short-term goals were fairly common conferences and other events. of providing space for Jummah and at major universi- having Ramadan and Eid events. Getting members was a slow process. We were into the secondary stage of ties. Unfortunate- The perception at the time was that if reaching out to the local community ly, there was none. you were part of an MSA/ISA, you were and other MSAs. But our biggest goal a very conservative Muslim. I found this was to have longevity for the group. to be especially true for women. Many We did not want [what happened to was to be able to practice our religion felt that if you didn’t wear a hijab, you previous MSAs at Yale] to happen on a regular basis and to have a way didn’t have a place in the MSA. For again. We wanted to ensure that to maintain our Islamic traditions. this reason, the female participation there was future leadership, and I in the MSA, and to a lesser extent, think we were able to accomplish that. Once we got the paperwork going, we the male, was relatively low in the needed to get more members. Several beginning. Graduate students were As I was looking at the MSA website of the grad students were instrumental the most likely to come and were very recently, I was impressed with how in helping to organize our group and regular in their attendance at meetings, closely the current MSA articulated in establishing the Friday prayers.

muslim students ociation students muslim prayers, and other gatherings. our original vision. It was amazing Yale was good about facilitating our to see how similar it was to what requests, and we were able to have Once people got to know members we were trying to do back then. It is regular Jummahs, get food from our of our group personally, however, great that issues of Islamic identity meal plans to keep in our dorms during they were much more likely to join continue to be discussed because Ramadan, and organize functions and participate in our activities. They these are issues we must all deal with for Eid. We had a lot of overlapping realized that we were not out to on an everyday basis. I hope the membership with the South Asian criticize anyone but were just trying MSA continues to reach out to non- Society and held joint events with to provide a positive atmosphere in Muslims as well as Muslims and to let organizations such as Hillel. My which to practice our religion. By people know the truth about Islam.

16 foundations Gul Raza, PC ’06, is a political sci- needs are met, the MSA serves ners) and suhoors (breakfast) during ence major originally from the At- the broader community by being the month, as well as daily Taraweeh lanta, Georgia area. She served as open to all those interested in Is- prayers and the annual Ramadan president of MSA for the 2004-05 lam and its many diverse facets. Banquet. This year’s Ramadan Ban- academic year and as an ethnic coun- quet, held in Commons Dining Hall, selor for the 2005-06 academic year. Since its inception in the early 1990s, was a huge success. It was one of the MSA has grown dramatically to the most widely attended events of The Muslim Students Association at involve the participation of under- the year, with over 400 students and Yale (MSA) originated primarily to graduate, graduate, local, and in- faculty in attendance. Even the illustri- bring together Muslims of diverse ternational students. It has become ous Dean of Yale College, Peter Sa-

active and visible both on campus lovey, was there in addition to Deans muslim In addition to provid- and within the community. The orga- and Masters of several residential nization currently consists of an Ex- colleges. In addition, the MSA hosts ing Muslim students ecutive Board made up of nine posi- an annual Islamic Awareness Week, with a supportive Mus- tions. While the freshman positions with the purpose of better acquaint- are elected in September, general ing the campus community with the lim environment, th e elections are held annually in April. faith of its members in a relaxed and MSA serves the broad- The MSA board meets every Monday friendly atmosphere. Past lecture titles in order to plan for future events and have included, “Muslim Women and er community by be- discuss the progress of current affairs. Leadership” and “Defining a Mus- ing open to all those lim Identity at Yale and in America.” This past year has been a historic one. interested in Islam. For the first time in Yale’s history, ha- Recently, the MSA has also put on the

lal food has been made available in Critical Islamic Reflections Confer- students ociation backgrounds and cultures under one all college dining halls thus fulfilling ence in sponsorship with other orga- unified, organized, and proactive a long-standing need for many of the nizations. In the hopes of providing a community — one that is welcom- Muslim students on campus. Another framework to pursue a sophisticated ing to all, regardless of the extent of first in Yale and the MSA’s history is the understanding and discourse of is- religious knowledge or determina- hiring of a Muslim Chaplain Fellow sues pertinent to Muslims in America tion. Now, as the Muslim population by the Chaplains’ Office as an exclu- in light of prevailing realities, the CIR at Yale has flourished, it has also be- sive resource for Muslims on campus. group has successfully run confer- come an organization for political, ences such as “Rooting Islam in social, and intellectual exchange. Major events taken on by the MSA America,” “Muhammad the Prophet include activities during the holy in the Academy,” and “Islamic Law: In addition to providing Muslim stu- month of Ramadan, where Muslim Questions of Authority and Change.” dents with a supportive Muslim en- students partake in daily fast. Activi- vironment and making sure their ties include providing daily iftars (din- The MSA also organizes many social and food-related events such as study Past and present members of the Executive Board of the Muslim Students Associa- breaks, chill sessions, girls’ nights, tion pose for a picture with Dean Salovey at the Ramadan Banquet in the fall of 2005. and movie nights. Some other an- nual events include the hike to East Rock, freshman Barbeque, and the “Meet and Greet” session held at the beginning of the year. Weekly events include nightly prayers in the MSA Prayer Room (located in Bingham Basement), weekly dinners held at one of the 12 Residential colleges, and the weekly Jumu’a (Friday) Prayers. In addition, a weekly halaqa (discussion circle) is held on Wednesday nights.

MSA also works with many other related groups including AASA-af- filiated organizations, SAS, Yale Muslims in Medicine, ASA, and Yale Muslim Law Students’ As- sociation to bring its students ac- tivities to create lasting friendships, have fun, and increase involvement.

The Muslim Students Association is dedicated to providing students the opportunity to come together and aims its efforts in helping members to evolve intellectually, socially, and spiritually msa now during their tenure at Yale University. then and now 17 Ranjit Shastri, the founder of SAS, is currently employed by PSi, Inc. He holds an M.B.A. with honors from the Wharton School and a B.Sc. with honors in applied sas then mathematics from Yale University.

It has been over 20 years since I founded the South Asia Society at Yale. I recall that it was in January 2006-07 SAS 1983 (my junior year) that I prepared a list of all the students that I knew Executive Board of South Asian origin, about 40 in all. I thought it would be fun to get President Political Action Chair together with some of them over a Tarana Shivdasani, TC ’08 Kersi Shroff, BR ’09 meal, just to get to know each other Vice President Political Action Chair better. I then called 4 or 5 students Neal Ubriani, SY ’08 Sameer Jain, PC ’09 and suggested that we meet for dinner. I asked each of my fellow Social Chair Treasurer students to contact 8 or 10 others in Kalindi Winfield, MC ’08 Dhruv Khullar, DC ’09 the same way and get those that they contacted to call the others. One of Publicity Chair SASAC Chair us was able to reserve the room at Sharmistha Das, MC ’09 Suyog Bhandari, JE ’09 the far end of Commons dining hall. Cultural Chair Outreach Coordinator When we all met, I was pleased Ruchita Poddar, JE ’09 Chhitij Bashyal, TC ’09 to see that almost everyone on the list had shown up, plus a few that were not on the original list. The South Asian Society website can be found at yale.edu/sas. Tosub- The majority of those present were scribe to SAS’s weekly newsletter, please contact [email protected]. undergraduates, but a few graduate students also joined us. We passed spearheaded. Rajiv Sahney and I the culture of South Asia, which around a sheet of paper so that drove along the highways around we felt was a way for us to make everyone could record their contact New Haven to collect funds a positive impact on the University. details. I am still in touch with several from Indian-run motels. We told It also served as a way to connect of the people who attended: Manu them that we were from Yale and with people who shared a common Bammi, who today is my business were organizing a concert, and cultural experience. This was partner; Anuradha Malhotra, whom that we would put their name as particularly attractive for those who I married 4 years later; K. “Nandu” benefactors on the program. We were new to the United States; they Narayanan, whom I see whenever all chipped in to distribute fliers sometimes needed that reassurance. I’m in New York. I’ve unfortunately lost touch with many others. I’m happy to say that I continue to be Although most of us involved in the South Asian Society. In the discussion that ensued, it was About six months ago I met with some agreed that we should get together were of Indian origin, of the leaders of the club in New more often. Although most of us we decided to call the Haven (to discuss the preparations were of Indian origin, we decided to club the South Asian for President Levin’s recent visit to south asian sociysouth call the club the South Asian Society India), and am working with them on rather than the Indian Society to Society to be as in- a monthly newsletter called “India be as inclusive as possible. While clusive as possible. Business & Investment Report”, for there already existed an Asian which my company is providing Society, few of us knew much about financial support. I’ve also offered it or felt a strong connection to it. around campus, booked the hall three summer internships to Yale and pressed our friends to attend. students to work in my office in India By the fall of next year we had The event was a great success through a new campus organization obtained official recognition — the music was wonderful and called “Yalies in India”. Anu and from Yale College as a club, and the hall was overflowing with I are also active in interviewing since I was the main organizer Yalies and non-Yalies (including Indian high school students I took on the role of President. the families of the motel owners!). who are now applying to Yale.

One of the first events we organized Over the course of the year we I’m pleased to see that the South in the fall of 1983 was a concert organized several other events, Asian Society has continued to by Ajoy Chakravorty (vocal) and including an Odissi dance grow and branch out in so many Viji Jog (Indian classical violin), performance by Protima Bedi. unpredictable ways, and I am grateful whose trip from Calcutta Siddharthsouth Our goal was to expose Yale to asiato have played a role in its creation. 18 foundations Abbas Hussain, BK ’07, is from Asian Medical Student Association. show is a larger theatrical event, Karachi, Pakistan and served as the and is called Jhalak (a glimpse). president of the South Asian Society The Executive Board of SAS is cur- (SAS) for the 2005-06 academic year. rently comprised of a president, SAS also sponsors a yearly South secretary/historian, publicity chair, Asian Awareness Week in Febru- The South Asian Society at Yale (SAS) treasurer, cultural chair, social chair, ary. Events include forums, speakers is an organization of social, cultural, community outreach chair, one po- and movie screenings open to the and intellectual exchange for those litical action chair, and three fresh- entire Yale community. The goal of with a special interest in South Asia man liaisons. While freshman li- the week is to foster a greater con- (Bangladesh,south Bhutan, India, the aisons are electedasia in September of sciousness of South Asia at Yale. Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). The mission of SAS is three- Through SAS and its many affiliated fold: to increase awareness of South The mission of SAS is student groups, any interest or goal Asia and South Asian American po- three-fold: to increase can be sought. There is ample op- litical issues, to increase South Asian portunity for members to pursue their cultural awareness, and to serve awareness of South own interests in South Asian culture as a social link between the South Asian and South Asian and to increase the South Asian pres- Asian community at Yale University. ence on campus in unique, novel

American political is- ways. SAS sponsors various com- south sociy asian Founded in 1983, SAS has burgeoned sues, to increase cul- munity service efforts in New Haven over the years, currently boasting a tural awareness, and which enhance bonds both within and membership of more than 300, most outside of the Yale community. SAS of whom are undergraduate, but also to serve as a social members have also formed “Shakti: including graduate and professional tie for the community. A South Asian Experience,” a literary students, faculty, and community magazine filled with writings on South members. As indicated by its large Asia and South Asian experiences in membership SAS is not necessarily each year, general elections are held America. Other subsidiary organiza- just for South Asians: it is open to all in April, with all members voting. tions within SAS include a South Asian that share an interest in any aspect of Two major SAS events include the Women’s Forum, a Hindu Prayer South Asia. SAS also works with many annual fall and spring cultural show. other groups such as the Muslim Stu- The fall show, called Roshni (light), is dents’ Association, the Asian American a celebration of all religious holidays There is ample op- Students’ Alliance, the South Asian from Diwali to Ramadan to Christ- portunity for mem- Graduate Association, the South Asian mas. It traditionally includes a din- Law Students’ Association, and South ner followed by a show. The spring bers to pursue their own interests in Members of the South Asian Society take a group photograph after an after- South Asian culture noon filled with paint-filled madness during Holi 2006 on Cross Campus. and to increase the South Asian pres- ence on campus in unique, novel ways.

Group, the South Asian Arts Collec- tive, Bharata Natyam classes, and AID (Association for India’s Development). Currently, there are two dance groups – Megha and the Yale Bhangra Team. These groups represent the flexibility within SAS and the support for the interests of the changing community.

The South Asian Society is committed to the idea of allowing members to create and pursue any projects and opportunities related to South Asia that they find interesting. Playing the role of a facilitator, SAS makes every effort to support its members’ ideas and en- deavors, and tries to serve as a forum through which its members can par- ticipate in a host of activities: service, sas now performance, learning, and growth. then and now 19 Judy T. Lin, BK ’92, a found- ing member of the Taiwanese American Society, received a bachelo r’s degree in psychology.

TAS started as simply the Taiwanese tas then Language Table. As a freshman, I feared I would lose my ability to speak Taiwanese because I was away from home. Most Taiwanese- Americans of my generation grew 2006 TAS up speaking English; often Taiwan- ese was a second language that our Executive Board parents and older relatives spoke with each other, and only sometimes Co-Moderators Education Chair to us. Furthermore, even in Taiwan, Angela Ku, SY ’08 Alice Lin, TD ’09 the language was fading fast. In Frank Yang, PC ’08 1988, Mandarin had been the of- Political Action Chair ficial language of the country for Secretary/Treasurer Lillian Chen, DC ’09 over 40 years under the Nationalist Chris Karas, JE ’08 government, and many parents had Historian/Webmaster decided it was more useful to teach Cultural Chair Richard Shieh, CC ’09 their children Mandarin instead of Brian Ju, JE ’08 Taiwanese. I was very worried that Social Chair the language would become extinct, Diana Zhou, JE ’08 so I wanted to keep up my fluency. At the same time, I wanted to en- courage others to see the language as an important part of Taiwanese The Taiwanese American Society website can be found at yale.edu/tai- culture, as distinct from Chinese wan. To subscribe to TAS’s weekly newletter, contact [email protected]. culture. I managed to convince a few friends that it would be re- periences as Taiwanese Americans gave us the sense that what we were ally fun to have a Taiwanese Table as well as practice the language. doing might actually have an im- We started doing cultural activities, pact beyond ourselves. Many of the such as having “dumpling night” original members of the Yale group Close contact with Tai- and celebrating the Mid-Autumn wanese student or- Moon Festival, and also became more politically active. We were It has been 17 years ganizations at other very pleased to find that Yale was universities... made us one of the few U.S. universities at since that first Taiwan- the time to actually offer a class ese Table meeting. feel more connected to on Taiwanese history, and many of the Taiwanese Ameri- us eagerly signed up for the class, can community. What taught by Prof. Beatrice Bartlett. were involved in the formation of ITASA (Intercollegiate Taiwanese we were doing might In my junior or senior year, some- American Students’ Association), actually have an im- one suggested that we register with and later after we graduated, SOTA the University and apply for funds (Society of Taiwanese Americans). pact beyond ourselves. to support our activities, so the Tai- wanese Club became an “official” It has been 17 years since that and practice speaking Taiwanese, organization. The biggest chal- first Taiwanese Table meeting, and and that was how it all began. lenge was getting people to partici- many things have changed: in pate on a consistent basis. This was Taiwan, elected officials speak Tai-

taiwane americantaiwane sociy During my freshman year, Tai- before e-mail became a prevalent wanese, and the Nationalists are wanese Table meetings were quite form of communication, so I used no longer the ruling party; at Yale, small—just myself and a handful to call everyone before each meet- the Taiwanese Club has renamed of friends. Fortunately, as succes- ing to remind (read: beg, wheedle, itself the Taiwanese American So- sive classes entered, more people cajole) them to come. Close con- ciety, to better acknowledge the joined, most notably Ula Hwang tact with Taiwanese student orga- American aspect of being Taiwan- and Cindy Yeh, who were instru- nizations at other universities also ese American. I am gratified to see mental in the growth of the orga- helped to solidify the Taiwanese that the organization has evolved to nization. In the following years, we Club at Yale. It made us feel more meet the needs of a new genera- evolved into a loosely-formed耶魯大學 club connected to the Taiwanese Ameri- tion of Taiwanese Americans, and that met regularly to discuss our ex- can community as a whole, and I hope that it continues to do so.

20 foundations Angela Ku, SY ’08, is from Pasa- nization was later renamed the Yale here at Yale. Whether we are mak- dena, California. She is cur- College Taiwanese American Soci- ing homemade dumplings for our rently a co-moderator of the ety in order to integrate the Ameri- traditional Dumpling Night or cook- Ta iwanese American Society. can dimension that students pos- ing a full course meal for our newly sess from living or studying in this established annual Cultural Dinner, Today, the Yale College Taiwanese country. The initial Taiwanese Club the Taiwanese American Society ex- American Society (TAS) remains an has evolved to a stronger and more periences the enjoyment of work- undergraduate student organiza- experienced organization, even host- ing (and eating) together as a fam- tion for耶魯大學 students who are interested ing the East Coast Intercollegiate Tai- ily. Moreover, TAS works together wanese American Students Associa- with the Chinese American Students tion conference in 2004 here at Yale. Association (CASA) to organize the

The Taiwanese bi-annual Chinese Adopted Siblings sociy taiwane american American Society The executive board of TAS is com- Program for Youth. CASPY is a com- experiences the en- prised of two co-moderators, an edu- cation chair, cultural chair, secretary/ joyment of working treasurer, social chair, political chair, TAS is not simply about (and eating) to- historian/webmaster, and freshmen social activities — the gether as a family. liaisons. While freshmen liaisons are chosen in the fall semester of each so ciety holds political year, general elections are held in De- di scussions, lectures, in the Taiwanese culture, and it is cember. Board members, excluding open to all the members of the Yale freshmen liaisons, hold positions for debates, and sponsors community. The mission of TAS is the calendar year beginning in Janu- guest speakers to edu- to maintain a network of interper- ary, as opposed to the school year. cate the members of sonal relationships among students interested in sharing the language, To sponsor many events that knit the the Yale community on history, culture, and current affairs community together- such as study Taiwanese and Taiwan- of Taiwan, while also to provide a breaks, excellent dances, delicious forum for education and action. dinners, and other cultural activities- ese-American history, TAS has slowly established a balance culture, politics, and The Taiwanese Club was originally between making its name as a unique contemporary affairs. founded in 1991 to foster an aware- organization while promoting col- ness of Taiwanese language and laboration with other groups in the culture at Yale University. The orga- larger Asian American community munity outreach program for families with adopted Chinese children in the The 2005 TAS Executive Board passed the torch to the 2006 Executive Boardat Tri-State area to establish a special the organization’s annual Turnover Banquet, held at the beginning of each year. relationship with adopted children and their families while sharing Chi- nese/Taiwanese culture with them.

However, TAS is not simply about so- cial activities – the society holds po- litical discussions, lectures, debates, and sponsors guest speakers to edu- cate the members of the Yale com- munity on Taiwanese and Taiwanese- American history, culture, politics, and contemporary affairs. Recent political events have included politi- cal forums where professors discuss their perspectives on the transforma- tions of Taiwan and the future pros- pects of the island and film screen- ings for the remembrance of the 2-28 Incident that occurred in 1947.

Through the many TAS events, a sense of identity arises. It is truly through this vital and essential com- bination of the strong sense of iden- tity and the fun social interactions between the members of TAS that tas now tight common bonds are forged. then and now 21 Quyen Vuong, DC ‘89, a founding member of the Vietnamese Students Association, graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Economics. visa then We formed ViSA because we needed a source of emotional and cultural support – to feel that we are Vietnamese and to get in touch with our culture and traditional values. 2006 ViSA There were very few Vietnamese American students at the Executive Board time, on average three per class. The number of Vietnamese Co-Presidents Political Action Chair students increased somewhat after Steven Le, TC ’08 Cecilia Ong, DC ’09 Jerry Nguyen, TD ’08 that, on average about six to eight Publications Chair per year. When I got accepted Secretary Carrie Nguyen, ES ’09 to Yale, I had just completed my Marilynn Ly, TD ’09 fourth year living in the US as a Historian refugee. I was still struggling to Treasurer Chris VanLang, BR ’08 adapt to the new life, struggling Will Nguyen, DC ’08 to help my younger siblings grow Cultural Chair up in the absence of our mother, Social Chair to be announced so the cultural support base was Anha Vo, BR ’09 critical to my emotional and mental well-being. Going away to college across the country to a completely new place was quite a scary thought. The Vietnamese Students Association website can be found at yale.edu/visa. To I wanted to go, but I also wanted subscribe to ViSA’s weekly newsletter, please contact [email protected]. to make sure that I had access to a Vietnamese community and me, I remembered sharing a lot of by Bac Thong’s discussion of network of Vietnamese friends. memories about life in Vietnam, the Vietnamese culture and tradition as MIT, with its strong network of boat escape, and the experience reflected in Vietnamese literature. It Vietnamese American students and of living in the refugee camp with was like coming home to our own the neighboring networks of Harvard Linh Nguyen ’87, the only other family with loving parents and a and other schools in the greater Vietnamese student who was fluent rich cultural heritage. In retrospect, Boston area, sounded so much more in Vietnamese. Linh lent me the those were precious moments that attractive. Yale was in New Haven, much needed emotional support helped us nurture the desire to students ociation students and there was literally no connection to get through my first year at Yale. learn more about our Vietnamese between Yale and the Vietnamese cultural heritage and to shape us community in New Haven. Upon Before ViSA was formally founded, as Vietnamese Americans. The hearing my concern, Loc Vo ’88 an informal social network seemed bonding grew stronger over time, to suffice. So we just hung out with and by my senior year at Yale (1988- each other, had dinners and picnics 1989) the time was ripe to found There were very few together. As we got to know a a Vietnamese student association. Vietnamese students few friends from New Haven and neighboring towns, our connection The first big activity that officially at the time, on aver- with the Vietnamese community brought campus-wide recognition to age three per class. grew stronger. We were also ViSA was the exhibition of the plight ‘adopted’ by Prof. Huynh Sanh of Vietnamese refugees in the camps. Thong (the Vietnamese scholar in The pictures and stories I brought laughed and told me, “Well, why Yale’s Southeast Asian Department) back from Vietnam were so powerful don’t you come to Yale and start a and his lovely wife Bac Yen, who and moving that everyone banded Vietnamese student club then?” cooked for us occasionally. Those together and wanted to generate gatherings at their house provided more awareness to help the refugees. The majority of Vietnamese students the glue that brought us together. We also went to share the stories and viname viname at Yale at the time came to the US After a delicious bowl of pho (it was pictures with students at Harvard, in 1975 at a very young age, some somewhat Americanized, but it was MIT, and Princeton and worked with of them even grew up with adopted still heaven to us), we listened to Bac various groups to create a region- American families. They were much Yen’s stories of how they met, how wide movement to help the refugees. more Americanized and hardly spoke they survived as students in America Vietnamese. But I could feel that back in the ’50s, and the challenge I am happy to hear that the group has deep down, they too were yearning of instilling Vietnamese roots in grown in size and is doing a number to find their cultural roots.đại As for their children.học We were mesmerized ofYale things to help support its members. 22 foundations Ngocquynh “Quynh” Chu, BK ’07, to maintain a family-like community famous noodle soup. Interested is from Amherst, Mass. She served that students can turn to for support members are divided into two teams as co-president of the Vietnamese and advice from other members. for the cook-off complete with secret Students Association in 2005. ingredients that is the ViSA Iron Chef. ViSA loves food! Our weekly meetings ViSA aims to promote cultural are held over dinner on Wednesdays Not all of our events are food- awareness and community on at 5:30. These dinner meetings centric. Every year, ViSA invites campus, primarily for students of are meant to be a relaxing social various guests to Yale to broaden

đại học Yale viname Vietnamese heritage, but certainly gathering where members can understanding of the Vietnamese and not limited to that. The purpose of simply socialize and catch up with Vietnamese American community. ViSA, as stated in our constitution is each other. However, meetings are In Spring 2005, ViSA hosted “to establish an organized connection also informative. Members come to performing artist and author of “The within the Yale community concerning discuss cultural and social issues and Gangster We Are All Looking For,” Le Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American Thi Diem Thuy, to perform, speak to issues.” Our organization is over students, and run a writing workshop. two decades old, and we are always As a result of our Past speakers have included ViSA eager to welcome and embrace small size, we have alum and actress Diep Bui, author of members who share our goals. the acclaimed books The Unwanted been able to main- and The Tapestries Kien Nguyen, and Founded in 1988, ViSA has remained tain a family-like the renowned Vietnamese songwriter a small but resilient organization on Pham Duy. In addition, we also have campus. We have about forty active community that stu- a cultural show. The most recent members that comprise of not only dents can turn to for cultural show, held in December undergraduate students but graduate support and advice 2004, was a parody of the movie students, professional students, and Mean Girls, appropriately titled faculty and community members Mean Viet Girls. Lastly, ViSA also co- students ociation as well. One of our most important learn about academic opportunities. sponsors events with other groups. members is Prof. Quang Phu Van ViSA’s love of food is also reflected We participate in the annual SEAS (“Thay Quang”) who acts as an in three popular events – the cultural Spring Festival in conjunction with advisor to ViSA and helps us in any dinner, Pho Night, and an Iron Chef the Southeast Asian Studies Council. way he can. We are also proud to competition. The cultural dinner is Sometimes we have small social have members who are not ethnically our opportunity to share our culture events with other Southeast Asian Vietnamese but share our interest and with the Yale community through groups, such as KASAMA, the Filipino love of Vietnamese culture. As a result food. Pho Night is also a popular student organization. We have also of our small size, we have been able food event that serves Vietnam’s collaborated with the Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education Some members of the Executive Board of the Vietnamese Students Association (IVCE) and the VSA of Columbia pose for a picture after a night of white elephant to celebrate the holidays together. University to put on a cultural show.

ViSA also comes out with an annual publication called the ViSA Vibe, a newsletter/magazine. ViSA Vibe contains a variety of memoirs, poetry, art, and other cultural pieces written and created by ViSA members. Last but not least, ViSA comes out with tee-shirts designed by very creative members that are sold to everyone and anyone who wants to wear them. One popular tee- shirt was the “What the pho?” tee- shirt, which is soon to be retired but will be replaced by a new design.

Though ViSA is committed to providing social and cultural support for Vietnamese students on the Yale campus, we are always open to new members of any background as we are eager to share our culture. We also make every effort to support suggestions and ideas from our members and provide a community that members visa now can turn to for fun and support. then and now 23 The Yale University Chapter of the InSight National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (an AASA affiliated group)

Michelle Wong, MC '08, currently serves as president of InSight. Have you ever been to a party where some random, sketchy guy has gone up to talk to every Asian girl in the room? Then have you wondered why he suddenly comes up to you and starts feeding you compliments like “wow, you’re so cute”? How many times has he used that pick up line before? ...... I spent Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in Oakland, CA attending NAPAWF’s Face 2 Face gathering, where leaders of each chapter, including Yale’s chapter, InSight, could meet with both the national board and with each other, sharing ideas and learning from each other. As I sat in that room with 40 other accomplished young Asian Pacific American women, I wondered to myself, “What am I doing here?” As the youngest person there, I was initially more than slightly intimidated, surrounded by social justice workers, lawyers, activists and others. 2006-2007 As the day progressed, we shared our InSight Board: Publicity Chair Issues and Advocacy Chairs stories, and I realized that we weren’t so Manasvi Menon, MC ’07 Katharine Jan, TC ’08 Presidents Tashin Le-Nguyen, TC ’08 different. While I was new to social justice Minghao Liu, JE ’09 Internal Relations Chair work, the women offered nothing but Michelle Wong, MC ’08 Karin Lee, ES ’08 Community Outreach encouragement, with one sister telling me, Chairs “at one time, we all started somewhere.” Business and Finance Chair Communications Chair Emma Kurose, PC ’09 Diana Lin, SM ’08 Anna Yu, MC ’08 Anha Vo, BR ’08 During those two days, we discussed how to further NAPAWF’s visions and goals through connections, we were forging friendships. media through movies such as Memoirs the national agenda of reproductive and ...... of a Geisha. Through doing so, we hope sexual justice, ways to end violence against Now, here’s a call to all those strong, to empower women by gaining insight on women and human trafficking, and how each independent, bright, socially conscious, these issues as well as building a network of of our individual chapters could take on these motivated and insightful women (and men, motivated women (and men) willing to spread goals as well. We brainstormed ideas about too!), who have wondered about these awareness of them—putting them in sight. how to advance the national campaign of things. InSight, an Asian American women’s working with nail salon workers, the majority interest group at Yale, is one of the first InSight is also dedicated to being a social of which are Asian immigrant workers, who, collegiate chapters of NAPAWF: National justice advocate for other Asian Pacific through the nail products, are exposed daily Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. American women. Currently, InSight is working to many toxic chemicals. We shared ideas We meet weekly for dinner meetings where on an initiative with the nail salon workers on how to improve our chapters and learned members have a chance to discuss many of in the New Haven area, many of whom are more about social justice work. However, by the issues affecting the lives of young Asian female immigrants from Asian countries, the end of the weekend, over discussions American college women. Some of our past such as Vietnam, helping to educate them about our contributions to NAPAWF’s work topics have included the "Asian Fetish,” about the harmful effects of the products of both social justice and empowerment, we the stereotype of the “model minority,” they work with and trying to introduce to began to make more than just networking and the portrayal of Asian women in the the owners of these salons safer products.

24 foundations JASU Japane American Students Union (an AASA affiliated group) Thomas Nakanishi, SY a clear absence in Yale’s APA community of of Executive Order 9066. Additionally, ‘05, was a co-founder/ Japanese American experiences, histories JASU worked with other Asian American president of JASU, and more importantly organizational spaces. and ethnic organizations on such events as chair of AASA PAEC, As a result, JASU began organizing weekly the Dr. King Celebration and Indigenous a co-founder of the meetings in Spring 2002 and joined AASA Peoples’ Day, recognizing the importance Freestyle Expressions as an affiliate organization, contributing to of interethnic unity and collaboration. Crew and member of Jook Songs. He Founded primarily as a social/political served on ECAASU National Board and ... the founders of JASU organization for Japanese Americans at helped organize the first National Asian recognized a clear Yale to meet and for other members of American Student Conference. Currently, the Yale community to understand the Thomas attends Harvard’s JFK School of absence in Yale's APA multigenerational experiences of Japanese Government and works for Our Education community of Japanese in America, JASU also engaged the Yale and Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). community in Japanese cultural activities in American experiences... coordination with the Japan Association at The Japanese American Student Union Yale. While many fourth and fifth generation (JASU) was founded in the fall of 2001 by a the political action and cultural celebrations Japanese Americans did not grow up with small group of Japanese American students of Yale’s APA community. JASU’s students the immigrant-Asian American experiences that included Rich Ting ‘02, Daisuke began by organizing a dialogue correlating Nonaka ‘02, Zoe Tanaka ‘03, Doug the Japanese American internment with post- JASU students sought not Shimokawa ‘04, Nathan Kitada ‘05, Mia 9/11 treatment of South Asian and Arab Arakaki ‘05 and Thomas Nakanishi ‘05. Americans and continued this dialogue with only to better understand While Yale had a large number of student a Day of Remembrance in February 2002 their Japanese cultures organizations devoted to Asian American to commemorate the 60th anniversary of students, the founders of JASU recognized President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing but also to see how their families’ multiple Members of the Japanese American Students Union, an organization revived by presidents Jus- tin Hayase and Takeo Toyoshima, come together after a Japanese film showing at the AACC. generations in America had transformed their “culture” into something purely Japanese American.

that many APAs at Yale personally know, JASU students sought not only to better understand their Japanese cultures but also to see how their families’ multiple generations in America had transformed their “culture” into something purely Japanese American.

In Fall 2004, Takeo Toyoshima ‘08 and Justin Hayase ‘08 sought out the remaining JASU founders and began re- organizing JASU for a new generation of Japanese American and APA students. In February 2006, JASU organized a Day of Remembrance to continue educating the Yale student body about the WWII Japanese American internment and brought JASU back into AASA and the Asian American Cultural Center. JASU has regular dinner meetings where it plans the various events and fundraisers it hosts as an organization. then and now 25 While there are presently seven groups under the umbrella of the Asian American Students Alliance, the Asian American community at Yale sprawls far wider than those groups. From other cultural organizations other groups to dance troupes and task forces, our community is truly multifaceted.

Affiliated with KASY Cultural Groups Unity Korean Cultural Music Troupe Publications Traditional Korean drum troupe, practices Chinese Calligraphy Association Korean American Journal every Monday and Wednesday. For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ Literary journal affiliated with KASY. Visit www.yale.edu/unity or direct any For more information, direct any questions calligraphy or direct any questions by e- questions to [email protected]. mail to [email protected]. by e-mail to [email protected].

Malaysian and Singaporean Yellow Pages Association Political Groups Asian American literary journal. For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ PRISM: Queer Students of Color For more information, direct any questions masa, or contact [email protected] For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ by e-mail to [email protected]. and [email protected]. prism or direct any questions by e-mail to [email protected]. Tamil Sangam Other Meets to practice the Tamil language and Students of Mixed Heritage and promote the culture and literature of the Jook Songs Culture Yale's premier Asian American writing and area. For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ performance group, meets every Monday For more information, please contact aditi. smhac or direct any questions and inquiries at 9:30. [email protected]. by e-mail to [email protected] or For more information, e-mail. jennifer [email protected]. [email protected]. Dance Troupes South Asian Conference Council (SACC) ECAASU 2007 at Yale International Silat Federation of Hosts yearly conferences exploring issues A committee of Yale students organizing and Yale Students and Affiliates relevant to South Asian Americans. directing the next East Coast Asian American "S ilat Tuo: the Healing, Dance, Meditation, For more information, visit www.yale. Students Union conference, which is to be Movement and Martial Arts of Sumatra, edu/sacc or direct any questions by e- held at Yale in spring 2007. Indonesia." Ongoing classes at Yale. mail to [email protected] or saheli. For more information, contact allen. For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ [email protected]. [email protected] or go to ecaasu2007.org. silat or direct any questions by e-mail to [email protected]. Builders of a Brighter Cambodian Affiliated with SAS spotlight on... Community (BBCC) Yale Bhangra Society Open to individuals of all ethnicities and For more information, direct any questions demographic backgrounds, BBCC is a by e-mail to [email protected]. Asian American Studies Task group that seeks to promote and spread Force knowledge about Cambodian culture Megha Yale’s Asian American Studies course while emphasizing a strong devotion South Asian dance group. offerings and faculty still pale in com- to community service, both locally and For more information, direct any questions parison to other universities. Yale pres- abroad. BBCC aspires to institute sev- by e-mail to [email protected]. ently employs only a handful of junior eral activities to serve the Cambodian faculty that specialize in Asian Ameri- community, including fundraisers for Affiliated with CASA and TAS can Studies and offers just a few Asian those living in impoverished Cambodia Lion Dance Group American Studies courses each se- and events that spread awareness about Visit www.yale.edu/lion or direct mester. A part of the Asian American Cambodia and its culture. Last year, any questions by e-mail to duncan. Students Alliance, the Asian American BBCC’s primary project was “Build a [email protected]. Studies Task Force works to highlight Book, Teach a Kid,” a yearlong project the absence of Asian American Stud- intended to promote refugee children’s Phoenix Dance Troupe ies, increase awareness with speakers literacy by crafting bilingual storybooks. Traditional Chinese dance troupe that and workshops, and take political ac- For more information, visit www.yale.edu/ incorporates ribbons and fans. tion for long-term goals. For more infor- bbcc, or contact hannah.hubler@yale. For more information, direct any questions mation, contact [email protected]. edu or [email protected]. by e-mail to [email protected]. 26 foundations our issues. You might think that at an Ivy League institution with students boasting skyrocketing test scores and high IQs, we would live in a utopian bubble free of the problems that abound outside of our campus. But even within the Ivory Tower of Yale University, we must cope with the same issues that confront Asian Americans throughout the rest of the country.

These pages chronicle a few distressing incidents of intolerance in Yale’s recent history. Yet even these pages provide only a snapshot of the obstacles that our community has faced and will face, unless we remain committed to the ideals of tolerance and justice.

So yes, we have issues. Let’s do something about them.

our issues 27 attacked one asian american exercising her right to protest sparked a contro- versy yale was not ready to handle

This piece was adapted from an article offspring. I hate you. GO AMERICA!” of this email, which was decidedly luke- originally published in the Spring 2003 edi- warm, especially relative to the serious- tion of Revelasians, the semesterly publica- 2. A group of undergraduates participated ness of what had transpired. The major tion of the Asian American Cultural Center. in a silent non-violent vigil type action in qualms with Dean Brodhead’s statement the Universities dining halls to mourn the was that it was late and very weak, though In the spring of 2003, at the peak of the war loss of Iraqi civilians in the current conflict. students of color and student activists were in Iraq, a series of events exploded the Yale A participant was followed out of Daven- legitimately afraid for their safety at this port and spit on by a white male student. point. There was a great sense that the administration needed to let the campus A female student’s 3. Multiple anonymous, racist and threat- know that they recognized an insidiously suite in Calhoun Col- ening posts made on the YDN online fo- intolerant environment, and that measures rum in response to the article on the Cal- were being taken to keep the campus safe. lege was entered by houn College incident. The YDN online three men armed with a forum was shut down later that evening. A sit-in at Woodbridge Hall, which houses 2x4 after she displayed the Office of the President, occurred the 4. The following note was left on the door of next day. Students involved were from an American flag up- the African-American Cultural Center: “I hope a number of different campus groups, side down outside her you protesters and your children are killed in and of many different racial and religious the next terrorist attack. Signed F**k You.” dormitory window. 5. Undergraduates decided to fly American Students involved were campus into a place where students of color flags upside down outside their windows as from a number of many felt unsafe, where specifically Muslim, black, a sign of dissent, distress, and solidarity with different racial and re- and anti-war students suddenly became the the student in Calhoun College. The suite objects of an intolerant atmosphere that many of a female undergraduate was illegally ligious backgrounds. felt was unchecked by the administration. entered and her flag reversed to hang right But they were united side up, possibly in response to her active At the center of this controversy was Kat Lo, role in organizing the solidarity campaign. by their conviction to CC ’05, who protested the war in Iraq by stand up against a ra- hanging an American flag outside of her 6. Undergraduates put up an art instilla- suite window, a gesture typically reserved for tion permitted by the President’s Office cially hostile environ- situations in which the country is in distress. on Cross Campus. The work included 22 ment at this institution. The following list chronicles the hate crimes American flags representing the 22 failed in question, beginning with the Kat Lo in- U.S. attempts of military intervention in cident, as summarized in an e-mail draft- the name of democracy. One flag in the backgrounds. But they were united by ed by a group of concerned students and center was hung upside down. A white their conviction to stand up against a ra- Dean Betty Trachtenberg on April 13, 2005. male student tore down the center flag cially hostile environment at this institution. and threatened to “rip this bulls**t down,” 1. A female student’s suite in Calhoun Col- leaving only after having been showed the The students who had staged the sit-in ex- lege was entered by three men armed with valid permit from the President’s Office. pressed their demands that the University a 2x4 after she displayed an American flag disclose all of the events that had taken upside down outside her dormitory window. 7. A flag hung upside-down by an under- place, issue an apology for their failure They attempted to enter her room that was graduate sophomore was ripped down and to do so, and to pursue the strictest pun- locked and left the following note: “I love kick- stolen. On April 10, 2003, Richard Brod- ishment for the culprits of these crimes. In ing the Muslims ass bitches ass! They should head, then dean of Yale College, sent an response to the sit-in, President Richard all die with Mohammed. We as Americans e-mail briefly touching on the University’s Levin sent an e-mail to the undergradu- should destroy them and launch so many commitment to combating intolerance. Still, ation population outlining the incidents missiles their mother’s don’t produce healthy students were concerned about the tone that had occurred and the University’s

28 foundations a ttac k ed one asian american exercising her right to protest sparked a controversy yale was not ready to handle disapproval of what had transpired. Many students took President Levin’s email to be a victory of sorts. He acknowledged Flyers distributed in May the fact that the incidents were not freak ac- of 2004 revealed the names of the alleged The power play was trespassers in the Kat Lo never the important incident. The flyer reads, thing: what spurred “Why is the victim’s name this exchange was a public while the perpetra- legimitate threat to tors remain anonymous?” the safety of minor- and includes a photo- ity students on campus. copied version of the inflammatory note that cidents or isolated to a certain time, place, was left in Kat Lo’s suite. or demographic. While the e-mail was not exactly what students had asked for, it For more information, still recognized that there was a problem please refer to the Yale at this University and that it had to be ad- dressed. A detailed e-mail was later sent Da ily News archives at by Chief of Yale Police Jamese Perrotti, but www.yaledailynews.com. President Levin failed to send any further Courtesy of Yale Daily News correspondence regarding the matter. Courtesy of Christian Clark ’05 In Spring of 2005, the In the end, the exchange turned out to student organization Bull- be an interesting power play between administration and students. But it must dog Productions screened be remembered that the power play was an original feature-length never the important thing: what spurred this exchange was a legitimate threat to movie entitled “Within the the safety of minority students on campus. Ivory Tower.” The mov- ie chronicled the events Since the original publication of this article, of the Kat Lo story. The several developments have taken place: same semester, student the names of the students who alledgedly broke into Kat Lo’s suite were identified in Giovanni Adams ’05 flyers that were distributed in May 2004. staged a play in Dwight The Minority Advisory Committee was reinstated in Spring of 2004 to investi- Hall titled “Face-Off,” gate bias crimes such as this incident. which similarly centered The story was also adapted into the on the incidents of rac- feature-length movie “Within the Ivory ism and unrest associ- Tower” by the undergraduate group Bulldog Productions and the play ated with the Kat Lo story. “Face-Off” by Giovanni Adams ’05. attacked 29 unfunny. an april fool’s joke gone wrong. the original yale daily news* article with an introduction by chiraag bains, BK ’03

Chiraag Bains, ‘03 served as co- against its message. Students said Confessions of a Jewish Asian Worshipper moderator of AASA with Hua Ting-ting the article reflected the unique the original text. Liang ‘03 when the Yale Daily News position of Asian Americans as a printed this article. AASA took on the racial group acceptable to attack, March 15, I had expected, would leadership role of raising awareness, and they suggested a consistency have been a rather uneventful day. circulating information, meeting with between its themes and the rise in March Madness was about to begin, the editor of the Yale Daily News and anti-Asian violence in the country. and with spring break coming to a collaboratively sponsoring a forum to Meanwhile, some defended the close, I was planning on enjoying generate dialogue among students. article as a joke and accused AASA the rest of my vacation by sitting of crying racism where none existed. in just one place-in front of the On April Fool’s Day, 2001, the Yale television on my family room couch. Daily News* published “Confessions While the News accepted no blame With Yale’s winter sports out of the of a Jewish Asian Worshipper” in its for printing a gag heavy with picture, it just all sounded boring. annual spoof issue. The article drew racism, Horn circulated an apology its inspiration from Justin Fong’s I had woken up a few minutes before attack on his fellow Asian Americans, noon, gone to make myself some The episode raises breakfast, and settled down to scan Asian women were the internet for the final minutes important questions before college basketball would sluts and Asian men about race politics consume my life for the rest of the day. unable to satisfy and power: How CNN had nothing exciting to them; together these willing are we to tol- offer. The New York Times had truths made for an erate racism, wheth- something on President Bush effortlessly active sex and an upcoming fight with the er overt or in the Democrats. Standard fare, really. life for Jewish men context of humor? with Asian fetishes. But then, I nearly dropped my by email. The News did dedicate Grape-Nuts when I came across an one day’s full opinion page to the astonishing article in the Harvard entitled “The Invasian,” in Harvard’s controversy surrounding the article, Crimson’s FM magazine. “The FM magazine. The author, Michael and the paper co-sponsored a forum Invasion,” the headline read. Didn’t Horn, may have intended to satirize with AASA to discuss stereotypes seem like much - until I read it that is. the FM piece, but in the process and the role of the media. he reified racialized conceptions It was a long column written by of Asian Americans and invoked The episode raises important a self-hating Asian, describing additional stereotypes omitted by questions about race, politics, why, in detail, “most Harvard Fong. Asian women were sluts and and power: How willing are we to Asians can be pretty frickin’ lame.” tolerate racism, whether overt or in As later apologies by The Harvard Students said the the context of humor? How are the standards of what is objectionable Crimson stated, this article and its article reflected the changing? How seriously do we asides “were meant to provoke a discussion,” which is exactly what unique position of take the history of discrimination against Asian Americans, vis-à- it did among my friends and me. Asian Americans vis that of other minority groups? as a racial group What are the distinctions among We discussed the column and its racism, cultural insensitivity, and points, applying them to Asians acceptable to attack. the perpetuation of stereotypes and in general. And the more the which of these terms is most useful? discussion progressed, the more Asian men unable to satisfy them; And perhaps most importantly, in I found myself agreeing with together these truths made for an responding to an incident like this, the column’s central points but effortlessly active sex life for Jewish what is the right balance between disagreeing with its conclusion. men with Asian fetishes. The piece calling racism by its name and hurt and angered many among demanding justice, and settling * The views expressed in this article Asian Americans and other students for the more palatable dialogue in are not representative of the views of color, and whites too spoke out pursuit of healing and harmony? of the present Yale Daily News staff. 30 foundations The 2001 April Fool’s issue of the Yale Daily News featured this piece entitled “Confes- sions of a Jewish Asian Worshipper.” Espous- ing racist and ignorant comments about the unfunny.general Asian American population, this “joke” caused students on campus to not an april fool’s joke gone wrong. only rethink the reputation of Yale’s most respected newspaper, but also the status of Asian American students on campus.

I’ll grant Mr. Fong his point that Asian the women are being taken advantage of by the original text. women are sluts. My in-depth research people of other races who have Asian fetishes, (continued) has led me to the same conclusion. It’s an then that means these sex fiends are not only You see, for all the reasons the author of the indisputable, empirical fact. But I disagree “hanging out” with Asians. They’re also column Mr. Justin Geoffrey Fong ’03 hates with him that this is a bad thing. I mean, “hanging out” with non-Asians, people like me. Asians, are the very reasons I love Asians. And let what’s wrong with white men with Asian Right. Let’s ignore logic and move me make this perfectly clear – I do love Asians. fetishes hooking up with Asian women? Exactly. Nothing. In fact, it’s a good thing. On an aside of my own, Mr. Fong, the Mr. Fong also attacks column states, lives in Pfoho House, Furthermore, Mr. Fong attacks Asians for Asian men. He says which is basically a miserable excuse for how they only hang out with other Asians. Yup, I know of those Asians. We in the white the typical Asian community call them the “Asian Mafia.” male is “a scrawny, I’ll grant Mr. Fong But again, this does not seem like such a bad his point that Asian thing to me. It makes taking advantage of this impotent, effeminate whole Asian sex-fiend trait that much easier. brainiac.” I see he’s women are sluts. It’s just like hunting a flock of sheep; fishing amongst a school of fish in a pond; taking target done his research. a pseudo-residential college. It’s got the practice. You’re bound to nail at least one. Swing Space mentality going for it, except on with Mr. Fong’s argument. it’s not as nice. I know because I spent a But Mr. Fong faces a logical fallacy here. If Mr. Fong also attacks Asian men. night there during this year’s version of The He says the typical Asian male is Game – with an Asian girl in fact. Well she Included in the original print version of “Confessions “a scrawny, impotent, effeminate was half-Asian, but hey, who’s counting? of a Jewish Asian Worshipper” was this picture of what brainiac.” I see he’s done his research. the article suggested was the archetypal Asian woman. Anyway, back to Mr. Fong’s argument. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Fong abhors being called Asian just “because [his] First, Mr. Fong says the Harvard Asian woman package is less than heavy duty, [his] is no different from the stereotypical Asian eyes are poopy brown and [his]last name female who is “a super-erotic personification happens to sound like an onomatopoeia.”

I say, come off it. Mr. Fong – don’t be so Follow my logic here. hard on yourself. Be proud. These are only a These Asians hang few of the many things that make you Asian. out in packs. Within And again, as far as I’m concerned, the fact the packs, the women that the Asian male is impotent and is not well hung is a very good thing. Follow my logic here. are sex-craved fiends. These Asians hang out in packs. Within the And the Asian men packs, the women are sex-craved fiends. And the Asian men in the packs are unable to fill in the packs are their desires cause they’re downright pathetic. unable to fill their And since – in the tradition of Blair desires cause they’re Golson ’01 (see photo Page 1) and the downright pathetic. other managing editors – my package is certainly “heavy duty,” it’s easy for me to of sensuality (Lucy Liu, Yoko Ono and capitalize on a little piece of Asian ass. Mulan) – a sex fiend hottie whose bones everyone wants to jump.” Asian women at Mr. Fong, I hope I get to meet you some day Harvard are “out-and-about: many men because you’ve cleared up the mystery for me. of different races with the Asian persuasion Thanks to some inspired debate, I now know have capitalized on the local piece of ass.” why Asians are just a downright incredible race. unfunny 31 In the days that followed the April 1, 2001 publi- cation of “Confessions of a Jewish Asian Worship- unfunny. per,” letters reacting to the article flooded into the Yale Daily News from students of all backgrounds.

Joke column is latent with insensitivity Column on Asians was iron- ic, not racist To the Editor:

I can’t think of a more fitting way to begin Hate Crimes Awareness Week than with To the Editor: [Confessions]. It is a perfect example of the kind of ignorance that leads to racially motivated violence. Deeming the column a satire and publishing it in a joke issue is a I recently received a rather disturbing e-mail from weak defense for your insensitivity. the Asian American Students Alliance suggest- ing that I join with others in requesting an “apol- ogy” from the Yale Daily News for [Confessions]. Ann M. Thai ’02 April 8, 2001 I am writing instead to request that you not issue any sort of apology because the article in ques- (This letter has been truncated due to space limitations. The full ver- tion is in no way “racist” or “sexist” as was alleged sion of this letter as well as additional letters sent to the Yale Daily News by the e-mail. How anyone could fail to see that the can be found on the Yale Daily News web site at www.yaledailynews.com) author wrote the aforementioned article with tongue planted firmly in cheek is completely beyond me.

Quiet prejudice is insidious and destructive I would expect Yale students would be intelli- gent enough to recognize the irony in such bla- To the Editor: tantly outrageous statements as “Asian wom- en are sluts” and “Asian men are impotent,” [Confessions] raises an important issue -- that of “quiet prejudice.” “Active racism” especially in the context of an April Fools’ Day col- has largely gone away. People are no longer lynched, and police no longer beat or umn. Where are these people’s senses of humor? kill people without proper cause (well, in most cases). “Quiet prejudice,” however, still remains; it is a subtle attitude that strips its victims of their human dignity. People with this In fact, I personally think the column does a rather attitude regard Asian women not as full human beings but as sex toys to be played with. good job of accenting the sheer absurdity of ra- cial stereotypes. When groups like the AASA start They regard Asian men not as people capable of love but as castrated workaholics. throwing tantrums over affairs that are clearly de- And I think quite a few people in America secretly harbor this attitude, although void of any real sort of racism, it cheapens worth- they claim to be opposed to racism, discrimination, etc. Precisely because while attempts to spread “cultural awareness.” it is subtle and can be hidden behind “jokes,” it is hard to catch and to correct. So, in defense of integrity, freedom of the press Nevertheless, I call upon of all you at the News to fight this quiet prejudice with the and April Fools’ Day, I would like to request rest of us. Surely, we are not asking for much when all we want is just human dignity. that you not publish an apology for the column.

Jing Wang ’02 Zubin Gautam ‘03 April 8, 2001 April 8, 2001

Selective satire: Would you have done this to others?

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my deep disappointment and surprise at the ignorance that your joke issue column displayed. To lay my cards out on the table, I am an Asian-American woman, and I was very offended by the stereotypes that your column chose to perpetuate.

I find it hard to believe that people who are smart enough to get into Yale are dumb enough to print such garbage. I doubt you would have printed an article espousing stereotypes about African-Americans or Jews, so why is it OK to encourage stereotyping of Asian-Americans? The answer is, it’s not. Stereotypes are harmful precisely because they aren’t true. You can’t judge a person based upon his or her mem- bership in a group, nor by the actions of a few. If you could, based on your actions, I’d have to say that all Yale men are irresponsible.

I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn’t realize just how hurtful your words were. But if you take anything away from this letter at all, please know that the column was not funny. Next time, be more careful about what you print. This is not acceptable “humor.”

Kanchana Wangkeo LAW ‘02 April 8, 2001 32 foundations Our Voice To react constructively against an offense to the Asian American community, people from many ethnici- ties and walks of life came together to show the cam- pus that we do have a voice, and we will be heard.

Annette Wong, BK ‘06, majored in His- stereotypes without poking at their flaws. to make visible to the student body our of- tory and International Studies. During her fense. Peter Salovey, the Dean of Yale Col- time at Yale, she was a Freshman Coun- Sometimes, the mutual respect for each oth- lege, Saveena Dhall, Assistant Dean of selor, a member of Jook Songs, and the er disintegrates in more visible ways. During Yale College, and Betty Trachtenberg, the CASA Community Chair from 2002 to our freshman year, the Katherine Lo/African Dean of Student Affairs, met with students 2003. She was also a Community Health American Cultural Center incident (see pag- to discuss ways in which respect for ethnic- Educator and an active member of Yale es 28-29) showed us that race-based hate ity could be fostered on a long-term, insti- Students for Christ and the Slavic Chorus. crimes can and do happen at Yale. More tutional level. The Asian American Students recently, at the Minority Advisory Council’s Alliance and Realizing Race also organized The April 2006 edition of The Rumpus’s open meeting of 2006, students recounted a forum, moderated by Professor of History pre-frosh survival guide featured a photo- instances of blatant racial discrimination on and Master of Calhoun College, Jonathan graph of a man wearing nothing but a Chi- Yale’s campus. In the wake of a string of local Holloway. The forum drew over 200 people nese pigtail hat and a take-out box on his robberies, the perpetrators were described from all walks of Yale life, from the writers penis under the headline, “ME LOVE YOU as black males between the ages of 18-25- and editors for the Rumpus and the Herald LONG TIME: Yale’s case of Yellow Fever.” a description that many Yale students fit. Afri- to the Deans of the Asian American, Latino, In the body of the article, Asian women can American students recalled having doors and Native American cultural centers. Stu- were likened to SARS (“they take my breath and gates shut on them purposely and staff dents respectfully discussed various aspects away”) and New Orleans Levees (“they only questioning their status as Yale students. As of the issue and brainstormed ways to set a stay tight for so long.”). That same week, a result, hearing members of the Yale com- positive precedence for the future. The fo- the Yale Herald also printed a cartoon in munity (even our friends!) tell us to “learn to rum was scheduled to last for an hour, but the Comics section that featured charac- take a joke,” “stop taking yourselves so seri- it lasted twice that long, with hardly any- ters implying that the fact that Yale College ously,” and “stop being so uppity” pointed one rising to leave. Afterward, clusters of Council President Emery Choi was Asian to the larger problem of the campus’s in- students remained well into their Thursday was a valid reason to vote for his opposition. ability to discuss race in a relevant manner. night to discuss the campus’s race relations.

Unfortunately, this was not the beginning of It was gratifying to It was gratifying to see such solidarity from such racially-charged stereotyping at Yale. so many facets of the Yale community. This Earlier in the semester, the Yale Herald’s see such solidarity solidarity was motivated in part by what Calendar section began its description of the from so many facets had been revealed earlier that week in the Asian American Film Festival with, “If you have Minority Advisory Council’s open meeting, Yellow Fever, where can you find the largest of the Yale community. that it was not just the Asian American com- gatherings of Lees, Wangs and Kims on cam- munity, but members of the African Ameri- pus this weekend? For once, the answer isn’t What was inspiring to see, however, was the can, Native American, Latino, and LGBT ‘at the library.’” Other instances were pres- mobilization of concerned students in order communities that felt marginalized as well. ent not only throughout the year, but over to raise awareness around the issue. In re- But the response we heard from the ad- the course of many students’ Yale careers. sponse to the Rumpus and Herald articles, ministration, alumni, faculty, and fellow AASA first spoke with the respective editors students gave us hope that, in the words Yale prides itself on its diversity and strives of the publications and then released a peti- of one student, “Real change is coming.” to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect tion letter. They photocopied and circulated and understanding. After four years of see- the articles in question, and solicited official Students engaged in discussion at the forum held ing ethnic awareness increase on campus, statements from the Dean’s office speaking by AASA and Realizing Race in LC in spring 2006. reading such base racial humor in our se- out against the articles in question. Alumni nior year was disappointing and frustrating. were notified and encouraged to write to The idea that Yalies are so tolerant and un- the Deans of Yale College, including the derstanding that the use of stereotyping for Dean of Admissions, since two of the items “ironic humor” would not be perceived as in question had been released for Bulldog hurtful or offensive assumes that racism is Days. A group of students also formed the a thing of the past. Ironic humor also re- “Students Against Flagrance” group on The- lies on the structure of satire, which singles Facebook.com to provide a digital forum out the ludicrous or absurd and subtly at- for students to discuss the articles. Within tacks it to show it for what it really is. The the first two days, the group had more than editors of both papers defended their pub- 300 members. A “Day of Silence” was also lications by citing satirical structure, but the observed in which participating students articles and cartoons merely presented these dressed in black and/or wore cloth gags our voice 33 people.

A hello and a goodbye. As you meet your eth- nic counselors, seniors who will serve as your men- tors and friends throughout this year, and read the thoughts of two sophomores on their own freshman years, two recent graduates, Kean Hsu and Suraiya Anita Jetha, embark on the next stage of their lives.

Just as Kean and Suraiya, as freshmen, entered a campus shaped by the students before them, you are entering a campus that has been shaped by stu- dents like Kean and Suraiya. Like all the students who have made up the history of Yale, their sto- ries illustrate the endless possibilities that await you.

From Yung Wing to Kean and Surai- ya, your predecessors have provided the fo undations for you. Where will you go from here?

34 people freshman reflections

Mitchell Ji, my awkward freshman clump of friends to food to shame). Through the joint ef- the extracurricular bazaar. Most of us were fort of all of the Asian ethnic groups, we MC ’09, is from pretty confused at the time and just wanted donated a large sum of money to help Green Oaks, Illi- to stick together to seem cool. I walked South Asian earthquake victims. Another nois. He currently into the row where all the Asian ethnic or- highlight was ECAASU (East Coast Asian serves as CASA ganizations stood. Without saying a word American Students Union). Dressed in social chair and or making any eye contact, I was immedi- bright orange and determined to suc- AASA community ately asked by upperclassmen to join AASA, ceed, over 40 Yale students attended the outreach co-chair, VISA, TAS, KASY, CASA, KASAMA, and any ECAASU 2006 conference at George and his favorite Asian movie is other Asian organization with an acro- Washington University and won the bid “My Sassy Girl.” nym. After that experience, I thought to to bring ECAASU to Yale in 2007. Now myself, “Wow, Asians at Yale are intense!” Yale’s Asian American community is Most freshmen will remark on how their working meticulously behind the scenes first year of Yale was a time of exciting So how correct was I with my first impres- to ensure the success of ECAASU ’07. change and personal growth. I’ll for- sion of the Asian community? Looking ever remember my freshman year with up the word “intense” in the thesaurus, What make these events so special are one word: awkward. On my second you will find the words “active”, “deter- the people who take the initiative to make day of Yale, I walked in on a girl getting mined”, and “passionate”. Given what them happen. The Asian American com- dressed because I thought it was my own I’ve experienced my freshman year, I feel munity at Yale is one of the most active room. Walking to class, I would say “Hi!” that these words truly capture the spirit of and tight-knit groups that I have seen. Last to people who I thought I knew, only to the Asian American community at Yale. year, I sat in my ethnic counselor meeting get a weird stare or a pity smile in return. surrounded by the other Asian American Sometimes I even caught other people One event that sticks out to me is the Pan- freshmen. Most of us sat awkwardly look- in my bathroom stealing toilet paper. Asian Dinner. That night, Yale students ing at each other, not knowing that many anxiously waited in long lines to try our of us would become very close friends as During the first week of Yale, I walked with ethnic foods (which really put dining hall we share the Yale experience together.

Christine despise. I had moments of triumph, but and organizational skills as well as net- also emotional breakdowns that made work among a group of talented people. Nguyen, me cry harder than I’ve ever cried. Col- lege made me realize that I AM human, Yale didn’t meet my expectations…it ex- MC ’09, is from that mistakes and failures are a part of ceeded them. I’m a little sad that the Culver City, Cali- life. Even when I felt alone, I knew that first year went by so quickly, but I’m fornia. She cur- there were lots of shoulders for me to cry looking forward to the coming years. rently serves as on. In such a short time, I found people AASA community that I can see myself still remaining close The AASA freshman liaisons of the 2005-06 school outreach co-chair to years and years from now…I think it’s year at the AASA senior banquet in spring 2006. and was an AASA even safe to say that I’ll hold these peo- freshmen liaison ple as friends even longer than forever. during her fresh- men year. Christine loves homemade goods. The Asian American community at Yale was my foundation. During Bulldog I feared that college would change me. I Days, I met several Yalies that I loved was scared of exposure to new ideas that immediately and they are still my close could contradict my beliefs and values. I friends. They introduced me to the Asian was content with who I was and I wanted American Cultural Center through an to retain my identity. But in retrospect, it event called Fusion. Little did I know, seems that many years have gone by in Bulldog Days and Fusion were the be- just one, and they have gone by way too ginning of my involvement with the Asian fast. I learned more about myself in this American community on campus. Be- past year than I ever learned in the past ing an active member of the community 18 years; my strengths, my weaknesses, helped me embrace my Asian American what I’m passionate about, and what I identity and strengthened my leadership freshman reflections 35 senior reflections Kean Hsu, ES ’06, graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Psychology. During his time at Yale, he held officer positions for the Chinese American Students’ Associ- ation, Taiwanese American Society, and the Vietnamese Students Association. He served as an Ethnic Counselor for Asian Americans his senior year. Kean is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Southern California.

honestly had no idea what to expect limited chance to learn about my own community service oriented, cultural, when coming out here to Yale, hailing culture and interact with people of my own and other experiences that are available I from a relatively small public school ethnicity, I was interested but slow to get in it, is always worth consideration. For out in the middle of the suburbs of Littleton, involved with an ethnic group. I joined the myself, the Asian American community Colorado. For many students, including Chinese American Students Association taught me leadership, imparted a greater myself, Yale was a university of mythical (CASA) to see what sort of things they had awareness of important issues surrounding proportions. I didn’t know how I would fare to offer and was pleasantly surprised at the our community, gave me experiences here, amongst what was (and still is) quite variety of opportunities available. From organizing and working with others to arguably the cream of the crop. However, having a CASA family that gave me the achieve higher goals, inspired passion to upon my arrival, I realized something else. chance to learn from upperclassmen and contribute more back to the Yale experience, Despite everyone being amazing in so many get free food and good company in the allowed me to better understand both different ways, students were exceptionally process, to participating in the Chinese grounded and down to earth. The single Adopted Siblings Program at Yale (CASPY; where my job as a big sib was to play with For me, the Asian little kids and have fun) I was able to be American community... The single unifying involved in a number of different ways. thought that students The great experiences I had with CASA inspired passion to expressed throughout convinced me to join CASA board so I could contribute more back contribute back. So it was only an added to the Yale experience, that first year was bonus that my experiences with the board that they thought they taught me so much, including about myself. allowed me to better From my time on board I was exposed to understand both were an admissions other cultural organizations and became mistake, having arrived interested in learning about their interests my strengths and and cultures as well. Learning from the weaknesses, and here out of pure luck. other students around here is perhaps the most important thing that makes Yale great. most cherished of all, Where else in the world, or in your lifetime, gave me friends that will you get an opportunity to interact with will last a lifetime. unifying thought that students expressed so many quality people of such a diverse throughout that first year was that they range of perspectives? As a result of the thought they were an admissions mistake, different styles of groups around campus, my strengths and weaknesses, and most having arrived here out of pure luck. This no experience is the same and there is cherished of all, gave me friends that will inherent sense of modesty on the part of always something new to be learned. I last a lifetime. There is no possible way for students and the supportive atmosphere joined other boards like the Taiwanese me to fully express my thanks to the Asian that Yale continually fosters create a place American Society (TAS) and the Vietnamese American community at Yale, including where you can learn just as much outside Students Association (ViSA) with this in those before me who helped build and the classroom as you can inside. To this mind and gained a richer perspective on strengthen the community, as well as end, one of the most important realizations life and wonderful friends along the way. those after who bring perpetual energy I have had here is that at Yale you ought and new perspectives and ideas. As an to give everything a chance if only because At Yale, countless choices and opportunities outgoing senior I still cannot believe that you do not know what sorts of things you await you. It is up to you to pick and my time here has come to a close. But as might learn from it. Although I learned choose from the plethora of organizations I depart, I leave the door open to you and a great deal from a number of different around campus to find something that others with the hopes that you will make activities I’ve engaged in, none might have piques your curiosity and suits your the most of your time here and the joy helped me grow and learn more than my interests. And whatever your interests that you will have a chance to learn from time within the Asian American community. may be, the Asian American community, those around you. Be well and take care. Coming from Colorado, where I had a through the wide variety of social, political,

36 foundations senior reflections Suraiya Anita Jetha, MC ‘06, graduated with a B.A. in Anthropolo- gy. During her time at Yale, she worked with the South Asian Conference Council, the Asian American Cultural Center, and the Asian American Students Alliance as Co- Moderator in 2004. She served as Head Ethnic Freshman Counselor of Yale College (2005-2006) and has been a member of Jook Songs since 2004. Her favorite color is red.

left Yale from the same place I arrived to fill my life with more knowledge and watch their achievements is truly inspiring. as a freshman—Phelps Gate. Very with the in-betweens that had the power There’s a picture on my bureau from I symmetrical and parallel, although I to do things like make Tuesday nights sophomore year; I took it with a disposable won’t pretend I planned it that way. To my worth looking forward to. From the Asian camera while standing in the middle of mother’s chagrin, I have no pictures to American Cultural Center to the Asian Crown Street a little after dusk. It’s a bit prove this. I’m not too concerned about American Students Alliance, I struggled noticeable that it was taken in a hurry, that though—my arrival and departure to work solely for the community, not especially if you’re familiar with the broken from Yale was not so important as the realizing that by virtue of having such pavement and crazy New Haven drivers. a goal, my understanding of “the People sit, crowding the front steps of The Asian American community” itself would change with time. the Asian American Cultural Center, holding chopsticks, and cradling oversized community... exists in I doubt anyone could give a comprehensive bowls, while more people stand in line the voices of students, rundown of what specifically the Asian to get in the front door. Not very artistic alumni, faculty, and American community is—it transcends or well-taken, by “objective” standards. cultural shows, political events, and staff; voices which I publications. It exists in the voices of This picture of one of ViSA’s pho nights learned to appreciate students, alumni, faculty, and staff; reminds me of my experience and of the voices which I learned to appreciate in a very special in a very special group of people. group of people. The fresh, eager faces Jook Songs, a writing and performance captured twenty years workshop for Asian Americans at Yale, was time in between, the span in which I made where I learned of Asian America. Every ago and those from some of my best friends, faced some of Monday night workshop began with a two years ago lie in the my most difficult challenges, and grew check-in and ended with Ivy Noodle; the in- more than I ever would have expected. between filled with voices that, despite their students, reminders of This education was not in the classroom; diversity, would find common ground with the growing legacy of it was the “in-between” before and after one another. Our similarities and differences Asian Americans at Yale. academics where I learned the most didn’t simply push and pull one another about the overlaps, not gaps, between on some black-white spectrum of ethnic people, and what “community” can mean. in America; they coexisted, layered and community’s own history at Yale. I can still tangled for us to sift through and exchange. hear the chatter of a Southern accent and During my freshman year I happened a Filipino accent, and I can taste the basil upon the South Asian Conference Council In these weekly workshops, I found and hot sauce on my tongue. I brought this (SACC) through an upperclassman Cultural myself in people who quickly became photo with me when I studied abroad and Connections aide. In the conference I my family at Yale. The writing, sharing, kept it as remedies for homesickness along helped organize that year, I learned how to and critiquing made each of us grow as with others of my parents and brothers. call strangers on the phone, I learned how individuals as well as a group. I know I to work for better or worse with a team, would be a completely different person More importantly, this picture is one of and I learned about the places in between without Jook Songs, but I also know that many taken on the steps of the Center in the rifts made by national origin, religion, I would be a completely different person if the last twenty years. Comparing it, side by and class where a community exists. any member of Jook Songs were absent. side, with an older photo, the hairstyles and clothing vary greatly, but the in-between, Additionally, my increased awareness The bond I felt with JS members is the kind the similarity between the old pictures and about South Asian American issues made that forges a community. It pushed me the new is not only in the physical form of me realize the massive breadth of issues through four years of involvement at Yale. It’s the AACC. The fresh, eager faces captured about which I had not learned, especially difficult to live near people, work with them, twenty years ago and those from two years those pertaining to the Filipino and Asian befriend them, and not become a part of ago lie in the students, reminders of the American facets of my identity. I sought their growth as individuals, and to be able to growing legacy of Asian Americans at Yale. senior reflections 37 Established in 1973, the Ethnic Counselor Program has been an important part of the Freshmen Counseling system to help ease the transition of students of color to Yale. Ethnic Counselors serve as an additional resource ethnic‛ for their counselees and the freshmen of their residential college community on areas such as academics, extracurriculars, the counselors cultural centers, and student organizations. Born in India, Aditi claims New munities and postcolonial with WYSE (mentoring program York City as her home away studies, and she is returning to for teen girls). Recently, she’s from home even though her Yale from an amazing semes- been training in capoeira—a parents now live in Dayton, OH. ter in Durban, South Africa. Brazilian martial arts—and isn’t So don’t ask her where she’s afraid to kick butt in general. from because in the words of At Yale, Aditi has served as the Facebook, “It’s complicated.” special events co-coordinator Her loves in life include her Aditi is majoring in Anthropol- at the Asian American Cultural family, new media, revolution- ogy and Women’s, Gender and Center, coordinator of South aries, the arts, public transpor- Sexuality Studies and would like Asian Conference Council and tation and the food network. to go into the field of develop- cultural chair of South Asian So- Come find Aditi because she’s Aditi Anand ment…and open her own chain ciety. She also worked as a coor- always looking to procrasti- of tea cafes. Her academic in- dinator of the Yale Women’s Cen- nate, especially if it involves ES '07 terests include Diaspora com- ter and continues to be involved greasy food from the buttery.

Karla was born in Singapore Yale. She majors in English, fo- career in journalism. She wants and grew up in Hong Kong. Af- cusing on contemporary global a prestigious newspaper or ter eighth grade, she left years of fiction. She is the editor-in-chief magazine to pay for her to travel school uniforms, 40 people per of Yellow Pages, an art and liter- around the world and write about a classroom and rote memori- ary magazine about Asian and different minority communities. zation of Chinese history text- Asian American issues; she is the She is eager to meet Yale’s class books to attend boarding school Pierson Coordinator for Tutoring of 2010, and after seven years of in the US. Between high school in Elementary Schools (T.I.E.S); dorm life, she would like to pass and college, she took a year she plays club squash and works on her knowledge about sharing off, working in an orphanage in for the Yale World Fellows Pro- bedrooms, arranging furniture, Thailand and studying Mandarin gram. After college, she may or late night snacking and pack- Karla Ch'ien in Beijing. After a year away from may not attend graduate school, ing clothes. Also, she is addicted PC '07 school, she was excited to get to but she does hope to pursue a to bubble tea from Oolongs.

Iris was born and raised in Los An- Outside of the classroom, Iris year fall term abroad in Taiwan, geles, California. Her first loves has devoted most of her time to studying Mandarin Chinese and are and will always be snowboard- the Asian American community. developing an addiction to milk ing, surfing and Mexican food. She is the founder and president tea Boba. As a member of In- of LiNK@Yale- a nonprofit orga- strumental Connections (IC), she Iris entered Yale interested in en- nization striving to raise aware- loves teaching violin to elemen- gineering, and ended up double ness about human rights viola- tary school kids. In her free time, majoring in Religious Studies and tions in North Korea. She also she spends the fall/spring sea- East Asian Studies. After Yale, she served on the executive board son playing ultimate frisbee and hopes to pursue a career in social for Korean American Students at the winter season snowboarding. Iris Shim entrepreneurialism and figure Yale (KASY) and has contributed Year-round, she can be found out some way to become an in- to the Korean American Jour- chomping on burritos from SY '07 ternational “banker to the poor.” nal (KAJ). She spent her Junior the Burrito Man at Yale (BMY).

so my ethnic counselor is... Stiles, Morse, JE* Aditi Calhoun, Trumbull, JE** Christine TD, Silliman Karla Branford, Berkeley, Davenport** James Saybrook, Pierson, Davenport* Iris *First half of the alphabet **Second half of the alphabet ? 38 foundations e c s for‛ the‛ class‛ of‛ 2010

Christine is from the one and only action publication), Steppin’ Out, spent her summers doing political Bend, Oregon--where Kevin Cost- YTV News, LDSSA, Rumpus, and canvassing and voter registration ner’s unfortunate “The Postman” was YCouture. She has participated in the Seattle area and language filmed. She is a double major in East in FOOT, FOCUS on New Ha- study and research in China. Asian Studies and Ethics, Politics, ven, and tutored in local schools. and Economics, which means she Sophomore year, she and a group Christine fancies all things culi- is basically majoring in everything. of friends went “Trading Spaces” nary, culture, and design. She is on the Calhoun Buttery, and or- particularly fond of traveling, fresh During her time at Yale, Christine ganized the project to remodel the produce, box dvd sets, sleeping, has dabbled in activities such as space. She also loved working at big earrings, gummy candy, and the Asian American Students Alli- the Asian American Cultural Cen- listening to music. She is an all- ance (AASA), the Political and Edu- ter her junior year, planning events star procrastinator, and knows her Christine Tsang cational Committee (PAEC), Five like the Asian American Film Festi- New Haven Thai food. Feel free Magazine (a progressive, call-to- val and Arts Exhibit. Christine has to email Christine about anything! CC '07

Born and raised in Connecticut, Majoring in History, but frequently his friends to attend the team’s two James loves the Northeast (includ- procrastinating, James spends most or three home meets every season. ing the weather) and thinks the cold of his time and energy either at work James is still active in the Chinese makes people feel alive. Before any- in the library or fencing at the gym. American Student Association, having thing else is mentioned, it must be He works at the Sterling Circulation previously served as the Social Chair known that James loves to eat. May- Desk three to four nights per week to and, later, the Vice President. For the be this comes from his mom’s great support his late night addictions and past few summers, James has studied home cooking, or possibly his hollow is always willing to help students nav- and worked in Beijing, China. When left leg, but either way, he frequently igate the dark and dreary stacks. Var- this was written, his summer plans eats out late nights, indicated by his sity Fencing is the other activity that for 2006 had yet to be solidified, seemingly perpetual lack of cash. consumes most of James’ time. He but there was no question that they James Yin James’ other interests include movies, practices daily on the seventh floor would be equally spectacular. James cars, and hanging out among others. of Payne Whitney and encourages all is looking forward to meeting you! BR '07

so how do i Christine Tsang find my ec? [email protected] B A21

Aditi Anand Iris Shim so what can they do? [email protected] [email protected] One thing to remember is that ethnic L A22 LW C21 counselors are freshman counselors, too, so feel free to talk to them about Karla Ch’ien James Yin anything — what classes to take, how to cope with a noisy roommate, even [email protected] [email protected] what foods are best for late-night suste- TD H43 V C11 nance. You can reach them by phone, e-mail, or just swing by their suite! ethnic counselors 39 AASA the asian american students alliance www.yale.edu/aasa second edition two thousand six