Call for Chapter Proposals for Book on Asian Americans in Higher

According to Census data, Asian Americans comprise the second fastest growing racial group in the nation and will constitute approximately one of every ten American citizens by the year 2050. Moreover, despite commonly held stereotypes, those students face unique and important challenges. Because of the rapid growth and unique struggles faced by Asian Americans, it is the responsibility of higher education researchers to include this population in postsecondary education research and discourse, as well as the duty of practitioners to better understand and be equipped to serve this group. Yet, Asian Americans remain largely invisible in higher education research and discourse, with their inclusion in discussions in this field largely limited to critical analyses that debunk the inaccurate and misleading stereotypes that drive contemporary thought about Asian Americans' lack of struggle and universal academic success. While these analyses are crucial for dispelling stereotypes and educating people about Asian Americans, it is time for higher education researchers and practitioners to also develop an authentic understanding of the Asian Americans working on and enrolling in their colleges and universities.  

Samuel Museus, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Massachusetts  oston, and Dina Maramba, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at State University of New York Binghamton, are seeking proposals for chapters to be included in an edited book on Asian Americans in higher education. This book will be focused on moving discussions of Asian Americans beyond analyses of the aforementioned stereotypes to developing a better understanding of the realities, struggles, and successes of Asian Americans in postsecondary education. Anyone interested in contributing to this volume should email a list of (co)authors, tentative title, and 1-2 page double-spaced abstract to Samuel Museus at sam.museus@umb.edu   by December 15th, 2008. Dr. Museus can also be contacted with any inquiries at sam.museus@umb.edu   or 612-287-7649.  

Samuel D. Museus, Ph.D. 

Assistant Professor of Higher Education 

Graduate College of Education University of Massachusetts Boston 

Boston, MA 02125 

sam.museus@umb.edu 

Office: (617) 287-7649 Fax: (617) 287-7664

Calling all LGB Asian Americans

Hey all, Some friends/researchers at Western Michigan are looking for some students to participate in a study on self-identified LGB Asian Americans. See a copy of the email below for more details. Hopefully, you can help them find participants. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are excited to be launching a new research project entitled: Negotiating the complexities of being self-identified as both Asian American and lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). This project has two parts: (1) a web-based survey that will be distributed widely through listservs and Facebook sites like this one, and (2) about 10-12 open-ended telephone interviews about students’ experiences. We need your help finding as many participants as possible across the United States! Please forward this email to students who might be interested in participating in this study. The purpose of this study is to gather some preliminary, baseline data about the breadth of the community identified as Asian American and lesbian, gay or bisexual LGB), as well as some of your/their experiences in higher education. Right now, we are looking for currently enrolled students in higher education to complete a short web-based survey (about 10-12 minutes) about their identification as Asian American and LGB and their college experiences. Participants must be between the ages of 18-24 years old, enrolled in a degree-seeking program at any level in higher education (including grad school, and professional programs). While we understand that these terms (Asian American and LGB) are far from inclusive of all the complexities and preferred self-labeling that the community embraces, we are using these terms in an effort to cast a wide net to capture the broadest group of participants. The Human Subjects Institutional Review Board at Western Michigan University, the home institution of the primary and student investigators, Dr. Donna M. Talbot and Mr. Sean Pepin, has approved this study. The third researcher on this team is Dr. Wanda Viento, an administrator in student affairs at Boise State University. All three researchers identify with or consider themselves strong allies for the social groups identified in this study. If you are interested in participating in the survey portion of this study, please click on the link below. It will transport you to a Zoomerang (web-based) survey. At the end of this survey you will have an opportunity to choose whether or not to volunteer for the interview portion of the study. More details about the study are available in the introduction of the survey. Thank you. To begin the survey, click on the link below: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228DCWHVQVY

Kenneth Yamaoka and Barack Obama

A few winters ago I was in San Diego and hanging out with some friends. One of my friends needed to go to a comic book store, and so I spent a little time wandering around and looking at toys and stuff. On one of the shelves was a few of the books for a 5-book manga series called Eagle: The Making of an Asian American President. I looked at it for a little bit, but didn’t make the purchase at the time. I went back to Ithaca and re-thought my decision, and started ordering the books from Barnes and Noble. I had read a little bit on the internet. The series was written by a Japanese national who clearly has an awareness of the American political proces and the politics of American culture. I got my books in no particular order…kinda whatever order they could be located in. I read them really quickly…I hate to read books, and while I realize that these are “picture books”, I was impressed that I could finish them in a few nights. I also kinda wanted to stay up to read. There was no “good” place to stop because I wanted to know what happened next. Like I said, I read these a few years ago. At the time, I was encouraging friends to read them and borrow the series. A few people took me up on the offer, and I was able to get them all back to make the trip back to San Diego with me. With the upcoming election and historic candidacy of Barack Obama, I was reminded of the series. I’m not sure, but I had kinda thought that the author of Eagle was supposing that an Asian American would be the first American president of color. His president, Kenneth Yamaoka, was an American former soldier who during his experience in war became determined to become president. And it all becomes convoluted from there. He marries a white woman from a wealthy and powerful family…and it seems strange that as the story unfolds every life-decision he makes is towards this goal. I doubt Barack Obama’s path was quite so intentional. But perhaps that’s better. It’s not that Kenneth Yamaoka didn’t come across as sincere, but it seems to me that perhaps Obama’s candidacy is more sincere and noble. Life decisions were made regarding his heart and perhaps independently from his career decisions. But it makes me wonder, from time to time, what all is going on behind the scenes. The kind of strength of character that a person has to have to stay true to themselves but gain favor of those with different levels of power who have their own interests in mind while being strategic is beyond my comprehension. And perhaps that’s what I found so amazing about Kenneth Yamaoka. In the world of fiction that the series was written, his desire to stick to his goals and noble ideas and make decisions strategically were fascinating. Anyhow…in the spirit of patriotism, I think people should read the series. If you’re in the San Diego area, you can borrow my copy. And remember to vote. Every one counts.

Where's our MLK?

A question about who our Asian Pacific Islander leaders are who can really gather us as a community... who gets us riled up? Who can speak about the API experience and make sure it's inclusive? Where's our Barack Obama? Wondering if people have opinions about who this is and why because right now, I'm not seeing it...

Asian-Americans: the Unbearable Whiteness of Being?

Asian-Americans: the Unbearable Whiteness of Being?
By MICHAEL OMI

In his memoir, the author Eric Liu reflects on being the bearer of a strange new status — "white, by acclamation." He writes in The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker (Random House, 1998), "Some are born white, others achieve whiteness, still others have whiteness thrust upon them."

Asian-Americans, it seems, are experiencing the last fate. Just as previous "outsiders" — such as the Irish and the Jews — have been incorporated into our collective notions of who is white, some scholars and policy makers believe that Asian-Americans are following such a trajectory of inclusion under an expanded definition of "whiteness."

The sociologist George Yancey, in Who Is White? Latinos, Asians, and the New Black/Nonblack Divide (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003), argues that Asian-Americans, along with some Latinos, are undergoing significant levels of structural, marital, and identificational assimilation. He draws upon survey data to illustrate that the social attitudes of Asian-Americans on a number of issues are closer to those of whites than blacks. Yancey believes that a black/nonblack divide is emerging in the United States as Asian-Americans and Latinos become "white" and blacks continue to endure a specific form of what he calls racial "alienation."

Read the rest of this story at: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i05/05b05601.htm

Celebrate Citizenship Day

[Note from Howard Wang]  Rep. Mike Honda, along with other members of the CAPAC, was instrumental in getting the legislation that designate colleges and universities serving a large percentage of needy Asian American and Pacific Islanders as AANAPI (or Asian American Native American Pacific Islanders) Serving Institutions last year.


Please read H.R. 6617 and S. 3334 (see links below) and support this legislation. Please pass this on as you see fit. Thanks.

Celebrate Citizenship Day

Washington, DC – This evening, Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, will deliver a speech on the House floor celebrating Citizenship Day. Please find below his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Madame Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I rise to celebrate Citizenship Day.

“Today, we celebrate our allegiance to the United States of America, a country that honors freedom, opportunity, and justice for all, whose promise of opportunity has inspired people from around the world, throughout our history, to leave their homelands to take part in the American dream. Citizenship Day gives us the opportunity to reflect upon our country and its dream.

“From our founding and at our very core, America has always been a nation of immigrants, documented and undocumented, who have made great contributions to our nation. They built our transcontinental railroad that injected new life and industry into the American West, and their entrepreneurship and labor spurred the economy in our early American cities. By now, we should know that 'immigrant' is not a dirty word.

“In 2006, the Boston Globe reported that immigrants started one in four venture-backed companies since 1990, and two in five in high technology. Foreign born entrepreneurs have certainly made their mark in my district in Silicon Valley, helping to found companies including Intel, eBay, Yahoo and Google.

“Their contributions are also felt in the small business sector, as immigrants are one of the fastest-growing segments of small business owners in the United States. According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, immigrants far outpace native-born Americans in entrepreneurial activity.

“Looking toward our future with our aging workforce and our social security crisis, we need their contributions, now more than ever.

“And despite this tough economy and in this tough economy, their entrepreneurial spirit is helping to keep our American dream alive. After all, generation after generation of immigrants has taken oath to become American citizens with love of country and commitment to America’s promise. The faster we embrace each generation, the faster they become integrated as new Americans, and the stronger we are as a truly united country.

“That is why I introduced The Strengthening Communities through Education & Integration Act. The Act would invest in adult education programs for English language learners, including civics programs that teach newcomers about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

“As a former principal and school teacher, I know the importance of investing in our youth. This bill would ensure that our nation’s children and schools have adequate funding and resources for vital literacy programs for English language learners. It would assist schools with teacher recruitment for English language learners.

“It would also provide tax incentives for employers to offer training and ESL programs to their employees, and would support state and local initiatives in English language and civics education.

“My legislation is supported by a broad coalition of business groups, labor unions, literacy and education coalitions, immigrant advocacy organizations, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic advocates, and faith based organizations, all who realize the importance of integrating new American communities. In the spirit of Citizenship Day, I invite my colleagues in Congress to join me as a cosponsor of H.R. 6617 and S. 3334. Thank you.”







###



The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Since 1994, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life. For more information on CAPAC, please call (202) 225-2631 or visit http://www.honda. house.gov/ capac.

OCA Lauds House Decision to Honor Asian American Service in Civil War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

31 July 2008

CONTACTS

Hope Chu
Senior Communications Manager
202 223 5500
hchu@ocanational. org

Sarah Smith
Communications Manager
202 223 5500
ssmith@ocanational. org

OCA LAUDS HOUSE DECISION TO HONOR ASIAN AMERICAN SERVICE IN CIVIL WAR

WASHINGTON DC—OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization with over 80 chapters and college affiliates around the country, applauded the decision of the US House of Representatives to recognize Asian Pacific Americans who served in the US Civil War.

Historians have uncovered documentation of APAs serving during the Civil War on both sides, in both the Army and the Navy. Because of discrimination and laws such as the Naturalization Act of 1870 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, many of these soldiers were denied US citizenship, pensions, and benefits, even after their service. HR 415 will honor two men of Chinese ancestry, Edward Day Cohota and Joseph L. Pierce, who fought in the Civil War.

“Asian Pacific Americans have struggled to have our contributions recognized. This resolution highlights the participation of APAs in one of the most iconic times in US history,” said Ginny Gong , OCA National President. “OCA thanks the House of Representatives, and especially the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus under the leadership of Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), for their action, which will ensure that the history of Asians in America is remembered fully and correctly.”

“HR 415 is the result of years of effort by many individuals to bring recognition and justice for these soldiers,” said Michael C Lin, OCA Executive Director. “In addition to the continued efforts to gain full recognition and benefits for Filipino soldiers serving under US command during World War II, this measure will continue to establish Asian Pacific Americans as an integral and important part of US history.”

Founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA is a national organization dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States .

OCA Lauds House Decision to Honor Asian American Service in Civil War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


31 July 2008

CONTACTS

Hope Chu
Senior Communications Manager
202 223 5500
hchu@ocanational. org

Sarah Smith
Communications Manager
202 223 5500
ssmith@ocanational. org

OCA LAUDS HOUSE DECISION TO HONOR ASIAN AMERICAN SERVICE IN CIVIL WAR

WASHINGTON DC—OCA, a national Asian Pacific American organization with over 80 chapters and college affiliates around the country, applauded the decision of the US House of Representatives to recognize Asian Pacific Americans who served in the US Civil War.



Historians have uncovered documentation of APAs serving during the Civil War on both sides, in both the Army and the Navy. Because of discrimination and laws such as the Naturalization Act of 1870 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, many of these soldiers were denied US citizenship, pensions, and benefits, even after their service. HR 415 will honor two men of Chinese ancestry, Edward Day Cohota and Joseph L. Pierce, who fought in the Civil War.



“Asian Pacific Americans have struggled to have our contributions recognized. This resolution highlights the participation of APAs in one of the most iconic times in US history,” said Ginny Gong , OCA National President. “OCA thanks the House of Representatives, and especially the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus under the leadership of Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), for their action, which will ensure that the history of Asians in America is remembered fully and correctly.”



“HR 415 is the result of years of effort by many individuals to bring recognition and justice for these soldiers,” said Michael C Lin, OCA Executive Director. “In addition to the continued efforts to gain full recognition and benefits for Filipino soldiers serving under US command during World War II, this measure will continue to establish Asian Pacific Americans as an integral and important part of US history.”



Founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA is a national organization dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States .

Time Magazine: Family Conflict and Suicide among Asian Americans

Time magazine published an article based on research finding that family conflict is a strong predictor in suicide and suicide ideation among Asian Americans.

Here's the link: http://www.time.%20com/time/%20health/article/%200,8599,1833971,%2000.html?cnn= yes

Please share this information with your Counselling Centers and with others who have a lot of contact with Asian American students.

NCAPA: AAPI Serving INstitutions Program Became Law!

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2008

CONTACT: Soumary Vongrassamy, Education Advocate, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, at mailto:soumary@searac.org or 202-667-4690

Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions Program Became Law!

Washington, D.C.—On August 14, 2008, the Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AAPISI) program—as a provision of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137)—became law! Aligned to the goals of other minority serving institution (MSI) programs, the AAPISI program will expand the capacities of higher education institutions to better serve college students, particularly those with low-income and/or Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) ethnic backgrounds. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) applauds Congressman David Wu (D-OR) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), as led by Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), on marshaling the AAPISI program into law. “Too often are our AAPI students overshadowed by the model minority stereotype—as if they have no needs whatsoever,” says NCAPA Chair Floyd Mori, “This historic program is a giant step forward to addressing those neglected needs.” Under H.R. 4137, the AAPISI program will be extended through fiscal year 2013, and allow schools to expand services such as tutoring, counseling, collecting data on AAPI populations, outreaching to AAPI communities to encourage youth to pursue post-secondary education, and partnering with community-based organizations serving AAPI populations.Furthermore, federal agencies will be able to use the AAPISI designation to target grants and programs to AAPI students and communities. For example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has provided millions of dollars in grants to MSIs under the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) designations so that they can expand their capacities to serve low-income and under-represented African- and Latino American students. With a similar designation, AAPISIs will be able to reap comparable benefits, which can further support low-income and underserved AAPI students and communities.

To monitor the implementation of H.R. 4137's provisions including the AAPISI program, please visit http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html#dcl.

Founded in 1996, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) is a coalition of twenty-six nationwide Asian American interest organizations that advocate for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. ### To maintain consistency with past information and to prevent confusion among community affiliates, NCAPA will continue to use this shorten name instead of the longer “Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions.”

LEAP: The State of Asian America: Trajectory of Civic and Political Engagement

Please save the date for a limited series of roundtable discussions about the release of LEAP’s 5th public policy report: The State of Asian America: Trajectory of Civic and Political Engagement.

What: An engaging panel with writers to discuss findings from the report, discuss the issues, and Q&APanelists:
-Paul Ong, UC Los Angeles (editor)
-Taeku Lee, UC Berkeley
-Richard Hung, UMass Boston
-Yen Le Espiritu, UC San Diego
-Jerry Kang, UC Los Angeles
-Pei-te Lien, UC Santa Barbara
-Julie Park, UC Los Angeles
-Claire Jean Kim, UC Irvine
-Terry Ao, Asian American Justice Center
-Marlene Kim, UMass Boston
*Each roundtable will have 3-4 of the above writers present

Who: Anyone interested in learning more about the increasingly powerful voice of Asian American voters and the future possibilities of Asian American civic engagement in this nation

Where:
Washington, D.C. September 30
New York October 1
Boston October 2
Los Angeles October 7S
an Francisco October 8
Seattle October 9
Chicago October10

*Please call 213-485-1422 for more details on the event near you!

About the Report: Nationally renowned educators in the field of Asian American Studies have come together to put forth the possibilities for the future of Asian American civic engagement in America. Especially important to recognize in this color-conscious election year, the report touches on issues such as the civic participation of immigrants and Asian American college students, the role of the internet in increasing Asian American civic engagement, and how civic engagement might serve as a pathway to political party identification.

About LEAP:LEAP is a national organization founded in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian Pacific Americans through leadership, empowerment, and policy. With original programs in leadership training, public policy research, and community education, LEAP raises the impact and visibility of Asian Pacific Americans in all sectors.

Buying the Book:Can’t make it to a roundtable? You can still order a copy of the book by calling 213-485-1422 or emailing leap@leap.org.

Huffington Post Article: Invisible Asians?

Are Asians the New Invisible Man? by John Ridley

The Huffington Post In the category of Things We Already Know, a new USA Today/Gallup Poll finds that most Americans believe "racism is widespread against blacks in the United States." As is to be expected, the degree that people hold this belief is dependent on their own race -- black, white or Hispanic. The survey in and of itself is worth taking a look at but, like I said, doesn't exactly stun with unexpectedness. Except for one thing... What was interesting to me was that a survey about how "most Americans" feel about racism and minorities didn't include responses from Asian-Americans. They're not minorities? They don't have views on racism?

Read the rest of this article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/are-asians-the-new-invisi_b_117825.html?view=print

ACPA Presentation Ideas?

Greetings and happy summer from Leilani Kupo and Jason Chan, the APAN Coordinators for ACPA Convention Programs!

We would like to encourage all of you to consider presenting a pre-convention workshop, general program, or roundtable at ACPA's 2009 Annual Convention: “Power to Imagine, Courage to Act”, to be held in the Metro Washington DC area.

Deadline for submission is Monday, September 8, 2008. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals of all levels alike are all encouraged to submit program proposals. To assist you with developing a proposal, both of us are available to speak with you to solidify ideas and connect you with others who may be interested in presenting on a topic with you. You may email Jason (mhtml:%7BC333F1B9-E8D2-4788-8DA0-5BD74617B249%7Dmid://00000027/!x-usc:mailto:jasonc027@gmail.com) and/or Leilani (mhtml:%7BC333F1B9-E8D2-4788-8DA0-5BD74617B249%7Dmid://00000027/!x-usc:mailto:lkupo@bgsu.edu) by Monday, August 11, 2008 if:(1) You have a program idea but need help recruiting some co-presenters;(2) You would like to brainstorm ideas with us and other interested individuals; or,(3) You would like some models of past programs and proposals. In addition, we would like to encourage everyone to consider presenting on the following topics:

• Desi/South Asian, Filipino/a, Pacific Islander, and multiracial/biracial student experiences
• APA mental health
• APA fraternity and sorority experience
• Undocumented APIA students
• 1st-generation APIA students
• Religious/spiritual diversity of APIA students

These are areas in which there has been expressed interest in seeing presented at annual conference, are currently “hot” topics in the APA higher education community, or are relatively new areas of exploration in the student affairs field. If you have suggestions for other topics you would like to see presented, let us know!

Please do not hesitate to email us if you have questions or want to chat about your program ideas. Information on how to submit your proposal can be found on the convention website: http://convention.myacpa.org/program.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Regards, Jason Chan and Leilani Kupo APAN Co-Coordinators for ACPA Convention Programs

New APIs in Higher Ed Listserve

Hi folks,

You should be getting an invitation in the next several days to join a yahoogroup called "APIs in Higher Education." PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS INVITATION. This yahoogroup was started as a collaboration between API leaders across higher ed professional organizations such as the NASPA, ACPA, NCORE, etc.

This yahoogroup serves as a general email list and a bridge across various professional organizations for APIAs in Higher Education. This list is an open list not tied to any professional organizations. The purpose of the list is to share information and make professional connections to one another. The list is to be used for general information, so as to prevent as much cross-listing between listservs as possible. While there may be some redundancy with email postings, the APIs in Higher Ed list is also intended to enable you to reach out to and stay connected with individuals beyond your own professional organization.

If you haven't received an invitation and would like to join, please visit or email:
Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/APIsinhighered
Group email address: APIsinhighered@yahoogroups.com
You can send a request to join through the website or email me directly at mhtml:%7BC333F1B9-E8D2-4788-8DA0-5BD74617B249%7Dmid://00000013/!x-usc:mailto:DTLEE@ucdavis.edu as I will serve as the administrator for this group.

On behalf of the leadership of the NASPA APIKC, the ACPA APA Network, and APINCORE, we hope that you will find this yahoogroup beneficial to all your professional endeavors.

Dawn Lee Tu
NASPA APIKC listserv administrator

DesiMommy.com

Welcome to Desimommy.com - your portal for everything and anything related to Desi mothers around the world. The average mother spends an average of 1.5 hours on the Internet daily shopping, learning, and sharing information. So, it is about time that we had a place we can call home. We have many things that bind us - our culture, our religions, our need for our children to grow in safe, enriching environments, our insatiable search for the perfect cup of chai. Check it out: http://www.desimommy.com/

Book: The Myth of the Model Minority

The Myth of the Model Minority: Asian Americans Facing Racism by Rosalind Chou and Joe Feagin. http://www.paradigm publishers. com/Books/ BookDetail. aspx?productID= 186966 "The authors show how the 'model minority' is a myth, too inaccurate to be useful. They reveal how it reflects invidious assumptions and is abused for political purposes. Anyone who cares about Asian Americans—indeed, who is interested in the dynamics of diversity—should be interested in this detailed critique. Very highly recommended. "—Frank H. Wu, author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White "Through a compelling analysis of white racism experienced by Asian Americans in their everyday lives, Chou and Feagin offer a powerful examination of the psychological and emotional burdens imposed by racism in contemporary society."—Leland T. Saito, University of Southern California "Most Americans believe Asian Americans are content, do not suffer from discrimination, and are all in the path to whiteness. Bravo to the authors for bringing to the fore the racial oppression endured by Asian Americans!"—Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Duke University "This book captures how individual Asian Americans encounter racial hostility and discrimination in a variety of social and institutional spaces, and the distinct ways they strategically respond to such treatment. Some respondents resign themselves to situations while others challenge and actively resist stereotyping, inequitable treatment, and harassment. But as Chou and Feagin convincingly argue, all are both blessed and cursed with the 'double consciousness' shaped by a pervasive 'white racial frame.'"—Michael Omi, University of California–Berkeley "As an often invisible and silent minority, Asian Americans can at last find voice in this brilliant book that recognizes the reality of their experience. The courage, nobility, and honesty of the authors will assist all involved in the struggle for equity and inclusion."—Edna B. Chun, Broward Community College

Inquiry Into Alleged Anti-Asian Bias Expands (from Inside Higher Ed Online)

Check out the conversation about this article online at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/06/11/asians! Some pretty interesting comments toward the bottom... Here's the beginning of the article to wet your appetite! by Scott Jaschik A complaint by an Asian American student that racial bias blocked his admission to Princeton University has been expanded by the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights into a broader “compliance review” of the issues involved beyond his case. The complaint, filed in 2006, has been viewed as significant by critics of affirmative action who argue — as does the rejected applicant — that highly competitive colleges’ commitment to diversity results in differential standards for members of different groups, with Asian American applicants held to tougher standards. Many college officials — most of whom strongly support affirmative action — have dismissed the applicant’s complaint as sour grapes, noting that Princeton each year rejects thousands of well qualified applicants of every racial and ethnic group. The Education Department, responding to an inquiry, acknowledged the shift of the investigation from focusing on one complaint to Princeton’s entire admissions system and its treatment of Asian-American applicants. A department spokesman stressed that converting the investigation did not mean that officials had come to any conclusions about the original complaint. But at the very least, the shift suggests that the government does not view the complaint as frivolous. OCR regularly shuts down complaint investigations, concluding that no violation of the law took place, and the agency has limited resources for compliance reviews. Compliance reviews cover much more ground than any single complaint, tend to take place on issues that the department believes are important, and are sometimes used to nudge other colleges to change policies when they see how one college fared in a review.

The National Scene: An Update by Howard Wang

Dear colleagues, If you have cross membership on other listservs, you may have recieved this already. Please pardon the possibly duplication. Please feel free to forward the links to anyone who may be interested. I was invited to Washington, D.C. and make a presentation to CAPAC (Congressional Asian Pacific Americans Caucus) last week at its first Education Summit to raise issues and share ideas about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in education. In conjunction with this Education Summit, the College Board also lauched its first indepth study entitled "Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Facts, not Fiction: Setting the Record Straight." I was also invited to attend its press event on the same day as the Education Summit. In fact, Dr. Robert Teranishi, Principal Investigator with the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (or CARE), presented key findings from the College Board report and his presentation can be found in the link provided (http://honda.house.gov/capac/edforum/ see Panel I). The College Board report is one of its kind in re-shaping how education leaders, federal and state policmakers and the public view and understand the complex issues facing AAPI students in the U.S. educational system. This report helps the presenters at the Education Summit to continue the discussion of issues of race, class, ethnicity, culture, English Language Learners, bilingual education, NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act), and the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islanders Serving Institution legislations. Here is the link: http://honda.house.gov/capac/edforum/ to CAPAC's Education Summit, where one can read the abstracts, the presenters' brief biographies, and view the presentations, I am one of the presenters on Panel III. You'll need to have 2007 PowerPoint in order to see my presentation (you'll need to "un-zip" the file first) However, I just found out that Congr. Honda's IT staff has uploaded a pdf file of the presentation and you can simply click on the "Document" link to access and view the slides (do not click on "Presentation" ). You may also directly download the College Board report directly by clicking this link: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/08-0608-AAPI.pdf without going to the CAPAC link. If you have any questions, or if you are interested in H.R. 4137 (the latest legislation that would allow federal grants for AANAPI Serving Institutions to be used in community partnerships and community outreach activities and programs), please contact me directly. Howard Wang, Ph.D. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Executive Director, Student Health and Counseling Center California State University, Fullerton P.O. Box 6830 Fullerton, CA 92834-6830 Offc (714) 278-3221; Fax: (714) 278-1188 mailto:hwang@exchange.fullerton.edu

Chronicle Article on Asian Americans

Educational Problems of Asian-Americans May Be Overlooked Because of Stereotypes, Report Says By PETER SCHMIDT The popular image of Asian-Americans as academically successful ignores the tremendous amount of variation among different subsets of that population, according to a report released on Monday by a research collaborative involving the College Board and two institutes at New York University. The collaborative, called the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, argues in its report that "there is no such thing" as a composite for all of the ethnic groups that it studies, and figures such as the average SAT scores for that population mask how it is overrepresented at both ends of the achievement spectrum. Read the rest of this article here: http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=PM8qgfphwtbYmyrPJNY93SGjf6swxjdb

Political Hope?

Found this interesting article written by Edward Lee in The Harvard Crimson. Check it out and comment! Overcoming “Impossible” Published On 6/4/2008 12:48:10 AM By EDWARD Y. LEE Before our swim meets, my high school swim coach would often say, “Close your eyes and just imagine.” Imagine crouching low on the starting blocks as you wait for the starting gun. Imagine standing on the winners’ platform with your medal draped around your neck. If it’s possible now in your mind, he’d tell us, it’s possible in the pool. It is our ability to dream that puts the impossible within our reach. Our hopes, our aspirations, our own narratives—they weave like strands into the very fabric of our life stories and our outlook on the future. For me, it is the power of these life stories that drew me to politics. My mother’s selfless sacrifice to provide her two sons with endless opportunities inspired me to service. Recently, Senator Barack Obama’s mission to change the way politics is run encouraged me to become involved in politics for the first time. Moreover, my own experience working on Senator Obama’s campaign showed me that our politics have the potential to inspire and empower rather than divide and discourage. My story begins with my mother’s improbably quest to achieve the American Dream. In 1985, my mother immigrated to the United States from South Korea. She knew very little English and had little money. The accomplishments, the status, the connections that she had back home meant nothing here. The college degree for which she labored so hard in Korea was useless. So, my mother started all over as she held on to a simple conviction—that with determination, she would be able to provide her two sons the opportunities these new shores had to offer. At the age of 29, she enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Washington and worked the evening shift at a retail jewelry store. She came home from school and work every day to take care of her family and to work on her own problem sets and papers. As she juggled her many responsibilities, she never failed to read my brother and me stories before she tucked us into bed. These weren’t simply fairy tales—they weren’t just Dr. Seuss, Disney, or Humpty Dumpty. She also read us biographies—stories about JFK’s hope for a better America, Abraham Lincoln’s vision for a unified nation, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fight for a nation healed and restored. And each night as I fell asleep listening to the dream of Dr. King, his dream became my own. His vision for the future seeped into my own understanding about what was possible. Just as my mother would go on to receive her Ph.D. and become a professor, she invoked these stories to teach me that with faith and determination, anything is possible. My mother’s example showed me that we must not become complacent with the world as it is, but rather we must envision the world as it should be. During the summer and fall of 2007, I took a leave of absence from college to work for the Obama campaign on the New Hampshire New Media team. As I blogged and edited videos of his daily events, I watched him draw people of all backgrounds. It was their stories that strengthened my faith in Obama’s ability to transform this nation. It was the wife of a war veteran who held signs at rallies so that no other solder would share her husband’s fate. It was the cancer patient who made phone calls to make sure that all Americans had affordable health care. It was the senior citizen who canvassed for hours in the pouring rain to ensure that his grandchildren would have a better future. Through them, I found that the things that bind us are greater than what divides us. Senator Obama is a leader who unifies this country around its common values. He is a visionary who will lead and reshape the nation rather than simply mend it. His candidacy is our chance to restore this simple dream for generations to come and imagine a better tomorrow. We imagine a future where our bold young men and women are no longer shipped overseas to fight a war that should never have been waged. We imagine a future in which senior citizens no longer have to cut pills and forgo medicine in order to afford their healthcare. We imagine a future in which we can save our planet and end our dependence on foreign oil. We imagine a future in which we can reclaim the American Dream for all people, of all religions, of all economic status, of all sexual orientations and all racial identities. Ultimately, Obama inspires us to realize that these desirable ends can only be accomplished if we come together as one nation. As graduates walk across the stage this week to commemorate their time at Harvard, they turn the page of their own life stories. They imagine the endless opportunities to change the world and write the next great chapter of American history. Society is sure to meet these hopes with cynicism. Pundits are sure to embrace a politics of “No you can’t.” They will surely posit that such dreams are naïve and irrational. But that’s what hope is for. The same hope that led my mother to cross an ocean to start all over. The same hope that millions of Americans continue to believe in as they imagine a brighter future. The same hope that Senator Obama has to offer all Americans. This is the hope that we as graduates must hold strong to. It is the ingredient that has brought us this far. And it is the fuel that moves us closer to the impossible. Close your eyes and just imagine; because if it is possible now in your minds, it is possible out there. Edward Y. Lee ’08-’09 is a government concentrator in Kirkland House. He is a member of Harvard Students for Obama. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=523800

Here Comes the BLOG!

Goals of the Blog:

Career / Job Posting : A venue for colleagues to inform others of jobs that are open that their institutions.

Current Events: A space to discuss current trends affecting our community, this could be things that are positive that celebrate us in Higher Ed and beyond or things that negatively impact the community.

Article/Research Facilitation: This is a space where individuals could share articles they’ve read/reviewed, individuals could talk about different research projects they are working on, ask for assistance or partners for presentations/research

So how will this work??

We want this to be pretty open so the blog allows anyone to really post, it just requires you to register.

Currently there are 6 people designated as Authors so if you don’t want to register but would like to post something you can also send your message to one of these folks to post for you. Feel free to send posts to Sara Furr (furr@msmary.edu) Bernie Liang (bhliang@u.washington.edu) Windi Sasaki (ws76@cornell.edu) if you would like something posted but don’t want to register (this list can grow if other folks are willing to serve as posters for others, I didn’t want to sign anyone up who wasn’t prepared)

Pretty much anyone can comment to already existing posts and it keeps the entire discussion thread together.

Please let me know if you have any questions, forward this widely and Happy Blogging!!