Vassar College Asian Students' Alliance

ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME SPREE

2010-04-12T22:20:00.002-04:00

In the past week or so, Brooklyn has been experiencing a spree of Anti-Asian hate crimes, at least five elderly Asian women have been assaulted in the borough in the last ten days. The perpetrators have been apprehended, two girls, one of which is only 12 years old. The children are African American and this incident as a whole has brought up questions of racial strife amongst minorities in mixed-race neighborhoods and the long standing tension that has existed between African Americans and Koreans. Also, this spree has also brought to light the problem of underreporting of hate crimes by Asian Americans. Even though many police departments are set up to investigate hate crimes, incidents of hate crime reporting involving Asian Pacific American victims is seriously underreported to the police. Reasons for this include:

- Immigrant victims may face language and cultural barriers to filing police reports.

- Immigrant victims are often unfamiliar with American law and fearful of law enforcement.

- Some victims are afraid that by reporting hate-related attacks, it will draw attention to them and make them vulnerable to further attacks.

- Some victims believe that their complaints will not be taken seriously by the police, or worse, that the police will persecute them for reporting incidents

Original articles can be found here and here

postsecret

2010-03-23T05:56:00.001-04:00

Hmmm...what seems to be missing?

2010-02-12T15:06:00.008-05:00

This article sums up the cover of the new Vanity Fair Hollywood 2010 Issue clearer than Superman's x-ray vision.

Why, why, why, why, why? Is there a lack of diversity in Hollywood, or do all the up-and-coming stars just happen to lack pigment and be skinny? Maybe there's something, oh I don't know, like a glass ceiling that is preventing the upward mobility of DIVERSE talent. I don't know, it's just a guess. Or maybe I'm just overreacting. Naaaaah.

LU GUANG

2010-01-17T17:07:00.002-05:00

Last October, Lu Guang won the W. Eugene Smith Award in Humanistic Photograph for a four year project, in which he documented the deleterious effects that pollution has had on the places and people of China.

Recently, Lu Guang has begun to show some of the findings from his trips around the country and the images are vivid, gripping, and haunting. Guang reveals to us the front-line victims of China's rapid industrialization and rise to the global stage of power.

MORE HERE

YouTube Talents

2010-01-16T02:43:00.006-05:00

Procrastination is one of the finest skills that we have honed as impeccable students. It is an artform that everyone practices in every walk in life, from elementary school children to PhD professors who'd rather go to a bar than read the 10 page paper glory that manifested itself in a matter of hours. So, let us add to your arsenal (DRUMROLL) the amAsians of YouTube:

Jen Suk

AJ Rafael & Cathy Nguyen

Lydia Paek and Victor Kim

Gabe Bondoc

and countless others including:

Artists
Passion
David Choi
Kevin Lien
Jr Aquino

YouTube Stars
NigaHiga
Ice1cube
HappySlip
CommunityChannel
Kev Jumba

Sweet Voices.

2010-01-15T20:04:00.003-05:00

Check out these Asian/Asian-American singers. Their voices are glorious.

Sam Tsui---

Kina Grannis---

Jennifer Chung + Legaci--

Asian Sportsmen

2010-01-14T21:33:00.003-05:00

So here's another stereotype - Asians can't do sports. Is it our physique or is it the relative lack of interest in non-academic pursuits? Or are we just playing into the existing stereotypes once again? Maybe participation in sports is not a primary survival skill therefore, it is not valued? Regardless, here's one dude who broke out of the stereotype.

One more thing!

2010-01-09T20:11:00.002-05:00

I found this very interesting link on angry asian man that I want to share with everyone.
Chen Haiwen is a Chinese photographer who traveled around China and took pictures of every ethnicity, all 56 of them.
This link has one photo of each group, with them wearing their traditional clothing.

http://www.chinahush.com/2009/12/06/family-portraits-of-all-56-ethnic-groups-in-china/

Check it out when you guys have time, or simply want to procrastinate on work, since second semester is starting soon...

Jackie Chan and the Karate Kid

2010-01-09T20:04:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5LC6VnzQDw
Above is the trailer for Jackie Chan and Will Smith's son's remake of The Karate Kid.
I don't really know what to say about this movie because I couldn't tell whether I was mad or upset or just confused. For one, not every Chinese person knows kung fu. Secondly, the background makes China look like some crazy place where every single kid beats up foreigners. I particularly like how even though the whole movie takes place in Beijing, the Chinese are the enemies and Jackie Chan trains Jayden (?) to fight them off. Jackie Chan is selling out -.-

Then again, I might be overthinking this whole thing. Comments on this movie anyone? Maybe someone can enlighten me and let me see the good in this...

The Importance of Bone Marrow

2009-11-14T16:20:00.002-05:00

Did you know that there is a nation-wide shortage of bone marrow donors for asian-american and other people of color groups?
well, ASA is planning to host a bone marrow drive at the end of November in the College Center.
and even though we've been planning for this event.. it hasn't really hit me how severe of an issue it is until I read this post on Angry Asian Man
Stacy Walker is a young woman of half-Korean and half-Caucasian descent who had been suffering from leukemia. However, she hadn't been able to find a bone marrow match and has passed away this Friday morning...

So, c'mon guys, sign up to be a bone marrow donor, and you can SAVE A LIFE.
-- more info about our bone marrow driver coming soon-- check your emails.

LIU BOLIN

2009-11-09T10:36:00.003-05:00

Liu Bolin is an artist from Shandong, China whose amazing art is a commentary and form of protest against China's censorship and persecution of artists. I think he tackles a lot of interesting questions about citizenship and community. Where do we belong in this modern world?

2009-11-02T20:26:00.002-05:00

Check this out!

Just before the end of the Vietnam war, the US decides to "evacuate" thousands of babies and children because they were either orphans or their situation was too dangerous. So that American families could adopt them. In the process, a plane carrying 154 people including babies crashed.

I freak out about internships, but at least i wont go to this extent...

2009-10-30T00:51:00.006-04:00

So for the past couple of weeks I have been going crazy looking for internships. I have no idea what to do for the summer, let alone my life, but this article, semi-brightened up my day.

http://dealbreaker.com/2009/10/jeffrey-chiang-will-be-receivi.php

He is a weird weird man and at least I won't sink to that level.
I just thought it'd be interesting for people to read, and well, good luck for internships/work/future!

APA'S TOP TEN BEST OF 2008

2009-10-28T10:43:00.002-04:00

So often there seem to be silences in giving Asian/Asian American artists the recognition that they deserve. Asia Pacific Arts' TOP 10 list showcases some of the upandcoming artists you should know about who put out some really respectable work in 2008.

I was particularly struck by the Korean American rapper Cool Calm Pete, who along with M.I.A. and Rob wall won Hip Hop Site's Rookie Award in 2005 for his debut album Lost. His rapping style is characterized as a " slow, resonant, and deliberate style of rapping, which functions as a smart critical commentary on the postwar U.S. consumer culture"

ch-ch-checkitoutttttttt///

cool calm pete + top 10

PSYCHED FOR HALLOWEEN? I'd better not see you in one of these...

2009-10-27T01:43:00.004-04:00

Halloween is quickly approaching, and everyone's undoubtedly coming up with smart and witty costumes-- afterall, what's Halloween without dressing up?
I don't know what to categorize these things that I've found online... but they are definitely nothing close to witty. I mean, REALLY?! have some creativity people, if you genuinely want to dress up as an asian, at the very least be realistic. we DON'T look like that-- not even back in the dynastic periods of many hundreds and thousands of years ago.
What's even more outrageous is that "Asian costumes" are listed under the heading of "History costumes".
Get your history right!

Check out this website, featuring: The Asian Oriental Princess, The Teen Asian Dragon Lady, The Red Dragon Geisha Girl, The Japanese Madam Butterfly, The Pink Dragon Girl Ninja, and many inflatable sumo wrestlers.

a break from studying, but not a break from racism

2009-10-22T15:47:00.002-04:00

So, finally I have free time to look at awesome blogs like AngryAsianMan and Disgrasian, and again, I am surprised to see how many racist stuff is still out there.

Why can't Asian people ever be normal in commercials? Why can't we just eat skittles, or chicken, or hamburgers like normal people? Last time I saw an Asian person in real life they weren't dressed up like a geisha, samurai, shaolin monk, rice paddy worker, or sushi maker. Actually I did see guys in sushi making attire, but that was at a freakin SUSHI RESTAURANT!!! For once, I'd like to see a regular Asian dude or dudette being normal in a commercial. No more stereotypical, racist caricatures on steroids plz. Thanks.

It's really not helping our case....

2009-09-16T16:52:00.003-04:00

So recently, I was looking through some sites and I came across a video called "date an asian" by jen kwok. Generally, I'd be down to support said tagline, but after watching the video and hearing the lyrics, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think this video, while it may have the right intentions behind it, is only making the situation worse and perpetuating the stereotypes we have to face. Just thought i'd share.

Here's the link:

http://bit.ly/f3Vfw

I do occasionally enjoy slot machines, but certainly not this one....

2009-08-29T21:04:00.003-04:00

So I was reading angry asian man the other day and came across these two pictures...This was apparently spotted at a casino in a Royal Caribbean Cruise. I will admit that I do enjoy playing the slot machine, its fun, and colors just zoom around, but this is just offensive. I definitely won't put money in this machine...

I Mean, Where are you really from?

2009-08-27T10:04:00.005-04:00

So, We've probably all had those conversations that goes like this:
"So, where are you from?"
"I'm from here."
"No, I mean, where are you really from?"
well, whether you are annoyed, offended, or simply desensitized by these types of conversations, here's a neat little comic strip that I came across. It's funny, it's kind of random, but I think it speaks the truth--It's a scan from this book that I have, Angry Little Girls by Lela Lee. Check out her website!
Her comics are hilarious and subtly insightful. Relax, laugh, and enjoy what's left of the summer!

When "Funny" ain't so Funny

2009-08-27T00:04:00.003-04:00

When do you draw the line between “haha, that’s funny!” and “WTF…that’s effin racist!”? Well, when comedians like Kat Williams or Danny Cho drop racial slurs or depict stereotypes during their acts it’s funny right? But how come when other people use racial stereotypes for humor, it’s not funny, but actually hurtful and demeaning?

Well, these thoughts were buzzing through my head when I was watching NigaHiga’s “Rant on Stink People,” specifically around 1:09 when he talks about the “Indian” guy.

Here’s the video:

Don’t get me wrong, I think NigaHiga is hilarious and I still love him, but how do you respond to offensive stuff like this video? I went through the Text Comments section and I was blown away by what some people said. You know, there was the usual response from non-offended people “it’s supposed to be funny, stop getting hurt so easily” to racist stuff that I don’t want to repeat, while the offended people responded with stuff like “you’re racist, I hate you”. Well, good riddance. That kinda talk is gonna get people to No-whereland.

I’m no expert in resolving these kind of disputes, but I’m pretty sure the first thing to do would be an apology from the maker of the video (yes, it’s an old video, he was young, he didn’t mean it, but an apology and editing the video would be cool. Why? Because that’s how we learn to be respectful to other people). The second part is harder, and it’s more of something to think over and chew on. How do you get the non-offended group of people to see why the video is so offensive? Do like Micky D’s and recruit Mr James? Well, that's another story.

DAS RACIST

2009-08-23T21:31:00.004-04:00

This Brooklyn rap duo is making waves with their sharp hip-hop parodies that tackle race issues in a "Harold and Kumar existentalism" fashion.

"They are responsible for the song 'Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,' which deftly locates the fine line between stupid and clever, and snorts it. It consists, essentially, of two guys repeating the line "I'm at the Pizza Hut/I'm at the Taco Bell/I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" until it passes from grating to absurd to hilarious to poignant to transcendent. It is either very, very meaningful or completely meaningless. Put it on repeat while you think it over."

[music]
[interview]

GETTING IN: THE SOCIAL LOGIC OF ADMISSIONS

2009-08-12T00:29:00.007-04:00

A few years ago, 2005 to be precise, the New Yorker ran a really interesting article giving a history of how exactly we got to where we are now. It's a bit long, but I think it does a really great and thorough job of explaining what admissions offices really consider when looking at an applicant.

"In 1905, Harvard College adopted the College Entrance Examination Board tests as the principal basis for admission, which meant that virtually any academically gifted high-school senior who could afford a private college had a straightforward shot at attending. By 1908, the freshman class was seven per cent Jewish, nine per cent Catholic, and forty-five per cent from public schools...The administration and alumni were up in arms. Jews were thought to be sickly and grasping, grade-grubbing and insular. They displaced the sons of wealthy Wasp alumni, which did not bode well for fund-raising...The difficult part, however, was coming up with a way of keeping Jews out, because as a group they were academically superior to everyone else. Finally, Lowell—and his counterparts at Yale and Princeton—realized that if a definition of merit based on academic prowess was leading to the wrong kind of student, the solution was to change the definition of merit. Karabel argues that it was at this moment that the history and nature of the Ivy League took a significant turn."

The article goes on to say that:

"The admissions office at Harvard became much more interested in the details of an applicant’s personal life. Lowell told his admissions officers to elicit information about the “character” of candidates from “persons who know the applicants well,” and so the letter of reference became mandatory. Harvard started asking applicants to provide a photograph. Candidates had to write personal essays, demonstrating their aptitude for leadership, and list their extracurricular activities."

Whether or not the candidate was admitted depended on whether or not they fit the image that Harvard was trying to perpetuate.

"They are in the luxury-brand-management business, and “The Chosen,” in the end, is a testament to just how well the brand managers in Cambridge, New Haven, and Princeton have done their job in the past seventy-five years. In the nineteentwenties, when Harvard tried to figure out how many Jews they had on campus, the admissions office scoured student records and assigned each suspected Jew the designation j1 (for someone who was “conclusively Jewish”), j2 (where the “preponderance of evidence” pointed to Jewishness), or j3 (where Jewishness was a “possibility”)...The admissions directors at Harvard have always, similarly, been diligent about rewarding the children of graduates, or, as they are quaintly called, “legacies.” In the 1985-92 period, for instance, Harvard admitted children of alumni at a rate more than twice that of non-athlete, non-legacy applicants, despite the fact that, on virtually every one of the school’s magical ratings scales, legacies significantly lagged behind their peers...In the nineteen-eighties, when Harvard was accused of enforcing a secret quota on Asian admissions, its defense was that once you adjusted for the preferences given to the children of alumni and for the preferences given to athletes, Asians really weren’t being discriminated against. But you could sense Harvard’s exasperation that the issue was being raised at all. If Harvard had too many Asians, it wouldn’t be Harvard".

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/10/10/051010crat_atlarge?currentPage=1

LUNAR NEW YEAR

2009-02-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

CRASH COURSE

2008-12-02T19:17:00.003-05:00

VINCENT WHO??? SCREENING

2008-11-14T15:51:00.003-05:00

Back to School Concert

2008-10-04T16:58:00.000-04:00

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival

2007-09-26T19:46:00.000-04:00

Big Sib Lil' Sib BBQ

2007-09-23T12:42:00.000-04:00

Big/Lil Sib BBQ!

2007-09-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

mission statement

2006-08-29T06:36:00.000-04:00

Section I. Statement of Purpose

The creed that all men are created equal is a fundamental pillar of the United States of America. While this foundation rests on a principle of equality, the Asian Students' Alliance of Vassar College recognizes that it is an ideal that does not exist within the frames of this society. With this in mind, the Asian Students' Alliance, hereafter abbreviated as ASA, wishes to establish an organization of social, cultural and political awareness at Vassar College. Our goal is two-fold. First, we will strive to overcome and eradicate the existing racial inequities of this society. Second, we will educate Vassar and the greater public about Asian and Asian American culture and situations within the borders of the United States and overseas. To this end, ASA will satisfy the following objectives:

A. ASA will program and hold events that further advance cultural, social, political and historical awareness.

B. ASA will promote and represent the distinct cultures of Asia to the best of our ability.

C. ASA will support and encourage coalition building between ASA and other student organizations on campus.

D. ASA will consist of an Executive Board that will carry out the terms in this Constitution.

E. ASA will keep records of activities for ASA’s archives. This includes but is not exclusive to event evaluation sheets.

Section II. The Executive Board

A. Officers

1. The Executive Board of ASA will consist of six members. In the event that two people wish to run together as co-presidents, the board will consist of seven members. To qualify as co-president, the decision to run jointly must be announced prior to elections.

2. The members of the Executive Board will consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Administrative Liaison and Committee Chair.

3. At the onset of each year, the Executive Board will draft a set of goals for the year to be publicized to the General Body.

4. Each executive board member has one vote in executive decisions. In the case of a tie, the President will break the tie.

B. Officer Responsibilities

The Officers will hold weekly Executive Board meetings and weekly General Body meetings when feasible.

1. President

a. The President will serve as the main contact person of ASA.

b. The President will direct the programming of events.

c. The President will be a liaison to Vassar College’s administration, the Vassar Student Association (VSA), and other student organizations on campus.

d. The President will preside over all Executive Board and General Body meetings. He or she may choose to relinquish his or her position as facilitator at General Body meetings if he or she so chooses.

e. The President will have an agenda for every Executive Meeting. He or she will send the agenda to the Executive Board prior to Executive Board meetings.

f. The President will guide, direct and oversee the Executive Board and ASA to the best of his or her ability.

2. Vice-President

a. The Vice-President will facilitate the programming of events in every aspect. This incorporates but is not inclusive to filing appropriate forms with Campus Activities, negotiating contacts, and managing publicity.

b. The Vice-President will be the liaison between ASA and ASA’s Campus Activities Intern.

c. The Vice-President will serve as the President’s authorized proxy when the President cannot be present.

3. Secretary

a. The Secretary will keep the Executive Board informed of ASA’s activities. This includes but is not exclusive to keeping copies of the Constitution, contracts and forms, VSA Organization Reports, Event Evaluation Sheets and Executive Board meeting minutes.

b. The Secretary will be in charge of sending out e-mails to the General Body. This includes appraising the General Body of ASA, ALANA Center and Vassar events.

c. The Secretary will be responsible for copying and distributing pertinent documents and information to Executive Board members and, when necessary, General Body members.

d. The Secretary will fill-out VSA Organization Reports.

e. The Secretary will make a sign-in sheet at the beginning of every General Body meeting. He or she will keep the sign-in sheet as a part of ASA’s official records.

f. The Secretary will maintain a list of active ASA members as well as the Asian student population at Vassar.

4. Treasurer

a. The Treasurer will oversee and maintain the ASA budget. He or she will be responsible for keeping paper accounts of all of ASA’s monetary transactions. This includes copies of all receipts.

b. The Treasurer will serve as the liaison between ASA and the VSA Treasurer.

c. The Treasurer will be responsible for the submission of reimbursements, cash advance requests, checks, purchase orders and all other necessary financial transactions.

d. The Treasurer will serve as the financial consultant in matters regarding contracts, rentals, booking speakers and events, and so forth.

5. Committee Chair

a. The Committee Chair will coordinate and guide all event-oriented and special interest committees.

b. The Committee Chair will oversee the Asian Students’ Council (ASC) in order to ensure that the ASC is successful in its purpose.

c. The Committee Chair will represent ASA on the Multi-Cultural Awareness Week committee.

6. Administrative Liaison

a. The Administrative Liaison will serve as ASA’s liaison to the Asian Pacific Alumni/e of Vassar College (APAVC), the Admissions Office, and the Asian Studies Department.

b. The Administrative Liaison will coordinate ASA’s Big Brother and Big Sister Program. He or she will match incoming freshmen with already matriculated ASA members. He or she will program events for the Big Brother and Big Sister Program over the course of the year.

Section III. Terms of Office

Each officer shall hold his or her office for the length of the school year. ASA Officers are eligible to run for office more than once. Terms will officially begin the day after elections.

Section IV. Nominations and Elections

The ASA Executive Board will be newly elected every spring by the end of classes in May. To oversee the elections processes, an Elections Committee will be chosen by the General Body.

A. Elections Committee

1. The Committee will be responsible for distributing, collecting, and counting the votes at the election.

2. The Elections Committee shall be chosen at a General Body meeting at least one month prior to the election. The process of election will be random—for example, drawing straws.

3. The Elections Committee will be comprised of three seniors who satisfy the following conditions:

a. The senior may not be an active Executive Board member.

b. The senior must be on the current ASA mailing list.

c. The senior must volunteer to serve.

4. The Elections Committee will submit all votes to the residing Executive Board after the elections for ASA records.

B. Nominations Process and Eligibility

1. Nominations shall be submitted to the Executive Board prior to the elections.

2. Students may be self-nominated or nominated by other students.

3. Nominees must be a currently matriculated student at Vassar College.

4. Nominees must have attended at least four General Body meetings during the current academic school year.

5. Voters must be a currently matriculated student at Vassar College.

6. Voters must have attended at least three General Body meetings during the current academic school year.

7. Executive Board members may not officially advocate a nominee.

C. Voting Process

1. Candidates

a. Each candidate must prepare a speech to be presented at the election.

b. In the event that a candidate cannot make it to the election, he or she must request permission from the Executive Board for a proxy. Upon approval, the candidate must provide his or her own proxy.

c. Each speech will be followed by a question and answer session that will last at the discretion of the Elections Committee.

2. Tallying Votes

a. A candidate must have more than 50% of the votes in order to win. If there is more than one candidate for an office, and no candidate has more than 50% of the votes, the Elections Committee will hold an instant run-off between the two candidates with the most votes. Voters must vote again between the two candidates at that time.

b. In the event that a candidate is running unopposed, he or she must have two-thirds or more of the votes to win.

c. When tallying the votes, all abstentions shall be disregarded.

d. In the event of a tie, the Executive Board will break the tie. If an active Executive Member is running for the office that is tied, he or she must abstain from voting in the tie.

e. Votes submitted prior to the completion of all the candidates’ speeches will be invalid.

f. Ballots must be completely filled out in order to be valid.

g. Voting by proxy is not permitted.

In the event that an office is left unoccupied, the new Executive Board maintains the right to fill the office as it so chooses.

Section V. Vacancies

1. Resignation

a. Executive Board

i. In the case that an Executive Board member wishes to resign, he or she must first confer with the President. If the member who wishes to resign is the President, he or she must confer with the Vice-President.

ii. To resign, the Officer must then submit a formal resignation in writing. The written resignation should include the reason for abdication. The written resignation shall be submitted into ASA records.

iii. Resignations must be submitted two weeks prior to de facto abdication so that the Officer may complete unfinished business and give the Executive Board time to find a replacement.

b. Asian Students’ Council

i. A member of the ASC may resign after first conferring with the Committee Chair and the President. Resignations must be submitted one week prior to de facto abdication.

2. Impeachment and Removal

a. Executive Board

In the event that an Executive Board Officer is performing in a manner that is determined detrimental to ASA as a whole, the Executive Board may vote to bring this matter to the ASA General Body. The majority of the Executive Board must vote for such a motion. For an Officer to be removed from office, two-thirds or more of the ASA General Body present at the meeting must vote for the Officer’s impeachment.

b. Asian Students’ Council

In the event that an ASC member is deemed unfit to serve on the Council, the Executive Board and the ASC must vote for impeachment. The ASC member who is being impeached is allowed one vote. The ASC member is also permitted to submit a formal defense in verbal or written form if he or she so chooses.

Before the impeachment is put into official motion, the Executive Board must do everything in its power to avoid impeachment of the ASC Member. If after all possibilities and attempts have been exhausted, the Executive Board may put impeachment into motion.

3. Filling Vacancies

If at any time there is a vacancy on the Executive Board or the Asian Students’ Council, the Executive Board reserves the right to fill the position as it so chooses.

Section VI. Amendments

A non-Executive General Body member of ASA may propose an amendment to the Constitution. The proposal must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board. The Executive Board may then bring the proposal to the attention of the General Body at its discretion. In order for the amendment to pass, two-thirds or more of the General Body present at the meeting must accept it.

Section VII. The Asian Students’ Council

Each year, the Executive Board has the power to create the Asian Students’ Council (ASC). The council will be separated into three committees, hereafter known as the political committee, the community committee, and the entertainment committee. The Executive Board will choose the ASC during the first semester. Any person who is on the current e-mail list is eligible to serve on the ASC. Each committee will coordinate one event during the school year. Further responsibilities of the ASC will be decided at the discretion of the Executive Board.