Asian Outlook Fall 2011 Issue #2 by Asian Outlook

ASIAN OUTLOOK volume XXV, issue 2

SPECIAL EDITION

Asian Americans in Higher Education

Volume XXV, Issue 2

contents

ASIAN OUTLOOK

18 | Asian American Studies at Binghamton University | By Diane Wong & Jonathan Yee

ASIAN OUTLOOK

letter from the editor...

Binghamton University, we want to leave our campus community with a special issue of Asian Outlook. For this issue, we have had the pleasure of working with various contributors, both students and faculty, from other college campuses. Our focus theme is Asian Americans in higher education, a topic that is largely related to the recent debates on the news, but often under-examined in our own community. As a magazine that has roots in student activism and social justice, it is important to interject our voices and stories into the larger national discourse on education. The topic of higher education is fitting and important to not only students and faculty members, but the larger community as a whole. In particular, we focus our issue on the Asian American Studies Movement that has gained momentum nationwide across college campuses. As Asian American Studies majors, we have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to introduce our own narratives into the curriculum by examining questions of identity, immigration history, diaspora, among many others. The importance of maintaining Asian American studies programs in the education curriculum is fundamental, and rooted in the importance of maintaining ethnic studies to better understand and advocate for the marginalized communities living in the United States. As compared to the percentage of Asian Americans enrolled in higher education, there is currently a lack of Asian American faculty members represented in academia who have both experiential knowledge and academic knowledge in liberal arts studies, particularly in Asian American studies. These circumstances are confounded by the cultural and systematic barriers are set in place that inhibit women or minorities of color to work in these very institutions. In these situations, many Asian American students find their needs unheard and unmet, not necessarily linked to a blatant disregard for Asian American needs, but as a result of the lack of representation, sharing of knowledge, and understanding of differences. Our interviews with both faculty and administrators, echo similar stories of crucial moments of identity formation, and how it always pointed back to some point of ethnic identity discourse. We hope that we can leave the reader with a more informed outlook on the importance of maintaining Asian American studies programs, and a broader sense of the obstacles, struggles, and triumphs of Asian Americans in higher educations. To conclude, we would like to thank Professor Lisa Yun. This project would not have been possible without her guidance and mentorship under the Community Engagement Program, as part of the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies. The amount of time and effort that she has dedicated to our project has been entirely out of her selfless dedication to community-building and student engagement. Additionally, we would like to thank our classmates in the Community Engagement Program who gave us invaluable feedback and support throughout the entire semester. We would also like to thank all of the faculty members who were kind enough to lend some time to meet with us for interviews. And of course, we would like to thank our staff here at Asian Outlook. All of our issues are a collaborate effort, and we are thankful for such a dedicated, creative, and talented team. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keep the good work coming! t the close of another incredible semester here at

Enjoy,

Diane Wong and Jonathan Yee

ASIAN OUTLOOK EXECUTIVE BOARD FALL 2011 editors-in-chief conscience editors copy editors

layout editors

secretary business manager publicity manager social chairs activism chair

Diane Wong Jonathan Yee Lillian Lai Simon Wong Ritesh Kadam Kayla Natrella Ricky Sosulski Johnny Thach Shenen Lee Aimee Mun Karen Tong Meng Zhu Roxy Dinh Kitrena Young Christopher Ng Ivan Yeung Michael Wong

EDITORIAL POLICY Asian Outlook is the art, literary and news magazine of the Asian Student Union of SUNYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Binghamton University. Originally conceived and created to challenge, redefine, re-imagine and revolutionize images and perceptions associated with Asians and Asian-Americans, Asian Outlook also serves to protect the voice of those in the minority, whether by ethnicity, gender, and/or political orientation. All matter contained within these b`eautiful pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Asian Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions and publish work as deemed appropriate. Prospective contributors are encouraged to discuss their work with the editors prior to submissions. Articles may be submitted as an e-mail attachment to ao.editor@gmail.com. All artistic and literary pieces may be submitted to aoconscience@gmail.com.

CONTACT POLICY Uninvited contact with writers and contributors is forbidden under punishment of pain. Please direct all questions, comments and complaints to ao.editor@gmail.com.

Editors-in-Chief, Fall 2011 interested in contributing?

E-mail us at:

ao.editor@gmail.com

Or come to our weekly meetings held in the Asian Student Union office (UUW-329) every Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

A Plea to the Administration:

Expand South Asia Studies By Kayla Natrella

Warning: For those interested in the South Asia track of the Asian and Asian American Studies Department, be prepared with a back-up plan.

outh Asia is a region that includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and sometimes Afghanistan. This region is one of the most important, ever-changing, and dynamic regions in the world. India is the world’s largest democracy, as well as home to the world’s second largest population and eight major religions. Pakistan, the country which Osama Bin Laden was recently discovered and killed, has maintained a shaky relationship with the US— with periods of both cooperation and discord. The region is also home to one of the oldest civilizations, along with Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, as well as eight of the world’s major religions. South Asian countries are also very relevant in current events. Some recent headline stories include the discovery and death of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and controversy involving the exiled Tibetan government’s residence in India. For these reasons, as well as countless others, South Asia is a region that deserves more focus, scholarship, and funding from the University administration. At Binghamton University, the Asian and Asian American Studies Department is relatively new, however as the Korean, Chinese, and Japanese Studies Programs have been growing, the South Asian track remains relatively underfunded and overlooked. If students go to the Asian and Asian American Studies department site, they will see that an undergraduate student may major in Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Asian and Asian American Studies, which consists of four distinct

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tracks: (1) Asian American and Diaspora Studies, (2) Asian Specialization, (3) Asian Comparative, and (4) South Asia. As of Fall 2011, however, students can no longer choose the second track, as Korean, Chinese and Japanese have recently become majors. Although this is not noted on the website, the South Asia track is not a viable option either. Professor Maneesha Lal, a historian whose research interests include women, medicine and colonialism in India and South Asia, taught courses on Modern South Asian History, as well as other South Asia focused courses. Since Professor Lal left in Spring 2011, it is no longer possible to fulfill the requirements of the South Asia track. Despite the fact that, as Professor Lal said in an article, “It [South Asia] has a fifth of the world’s population, eight major religions and a large number of languages,” Binghamton University has little to nearly nothing to offer for students wishing to study the region. While recently, Korean Studies received a 1 million dollar grant, the South Asian track still lacks the funding and faculty, and continues to be ignored by the University administration. On the department website, there are four faculty members listed as part of the South Asia track. They include Manas Chatterji, professor of management, Monika Mehta, assistant professor in the English department, Mahua Sarkar, professor of sociology department, and Charles Goodman, professor in the Philosophy department with an interest in Buddhism. Of these four faculty members, only Professor Goodman will be teaching South Asian classes in Spring 2012 – Buddhist Metaphysics and Asian Philosophy.

Photo of South Asia

According to the AAAS department, the University is in the process of a faculty search to replace Professor Lal with another South Asian historian for Fall 2012. While this is a necessary step in the right direction, there still lacks a South Asianist faculty member in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies. By offering only classes about Buddhism that could be considered somewhat South Asian, Binghamton University falls behind fellow SUNY, Stony Brook which boasts close to 30 South Asian classes per year.

If students remain silent, then the administration will continue to assume that there is no demand and nothing will change. Furthermore, the city of Binghamton at large has a large South Asian population and many South Asians have expressed interest in the development of South Asian Studies on campus. When examining the demographics of Asian Americans community living in the city of Binghamton, South Asians are the third largest Asian ethnic-group after Chinese and Vietnamese. Especially post 9/11, South Asian studies classes are especially beneficial in fostering cultural or religious tolerance of South Asian peoples, as well as a better understanding of the people who make up the large and growing South Asian diaspora in the United States.

Some have suggested that there may not be enough interest in South Asian studies at Binghamton to hire an extra South Asianist to the DAAAS. To address this concern, Asian Outlook tabled at Frost Fest last winter and asked students who would be interested in learning Hindi language to sign a petition. From only one day of petitioning and gathering signatures, we found over 30 students with interest in pursuing either a major or minor in South Asian studies. I, as well as many of my fellow colleagues who are interested in South Asian studies, are anxiously awaiting the announcement of Professor Lalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s replacement and hopeful about future South Asian classes, we have been forced to choose alternative majors. If those of us who are really interested in studying South Asia and would like to work to improve our South Asian program, we need to show the administration that there is enough interest to warrant hiring another South Asianist faculty member. It is imperative that we gather support from both students and faculty members who are committed and interested in expanding South Asian studies at Binghamton University. If students remain silent, then the administration will continue to assume that there is no demand and nothing will change. We need to find a way to let the administration know that we want to expand South Asian Studies on campus. Sources http://www.binghamton.edu/magazine-archive/index.php/site/articles2/ the_asia_connection/ http://www2.binghamton.edu/aaasp/undergraduate/ http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/CAS/india.nsf/pages/courses

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Asian American Students are Most Bullied in the Education System By Michael Wong

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life. Define yourself." – Harvey Fierstein

studies have shown that Asian Americans are bullied far more often in American schools than members of any other race. A full 54% of Asian American teenagers have reported being bullied in the classroom, compared to a 31% of white teenagers, 38% of African Americans and 34% of Hispanics. In regards to cyber-bullying, over 60% of Asian American teenagers report being bullied at least once a month, as compared to only 18% of Caucasian teenagers. Of course, this study simply confirms what many of us already know to be true. But to delve deeper into these statistics, we must ask ourselves why this phenomenon occurs, and if there is anything Asian American students and parents can do about it. Bullying occurs in all forms. Most of us think of a scene in which a larger kid pushes a smaller one down in the schoolyard and takes his lunch money. But bullying can also encompass verbal abuse, psychological torment, and cyberbullying. The “model minority” image of Asian Americans tends to illustrate Asian American students to be studious, quiet, and introverted, to name a few. Most of these ecent

are more of a cultural way of being than anything else, yet it seems to prime Asian American students to become picked on more frequently. In accordance, bullies tend to pick targets that fit the prototypical Asian: a well-behaving person who won't fight back. In American culture, it would seem that the average Asian American is the perfect target for bullies. Just a few weeks ago, Private Danny Chen of the United States Army was found shot to death in a guard tower on an American outpost in Afghanistan. He was 19 years old at the time of death. There are two distinct scenarios: either Chen was killed by his comrades, or he killed himself. Either case is disturbing; officials revealed that Chen had been subject to physical abuse and ethnic slurs by superiors. In either scenario, Chen is deceased as a direct result of savage bullying. These negative stereotypes that are perpetuated in American culture as the norm, rather than an exception should not be tolerated. Because of these stereotypes, Asian Americans do not inspire the fear that students from other racial groups might. Is it fair that Asians get picked on because many aren't physically intimidating?

A full 54% of Asian American teenagers have reported being bullied in the classroom, compared to a 31% of white teenagers, 38% of African Americans and 34% of Hispanics.

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Because we have the fewest percentage of prison inmates? No, but that's how stereotypes work against us. Rather, standing up for oneself is the best option, one that I personally endorse, because it works and because it discourages further bullying. As an anecdote, when I was in the first grade, I got my first experience of in-school bullying. For background purposes, I live in a neighborhood with few minorities. Another kid in my class decided that it would be funny to torment the only Asian kid in class, by hitting me, taking my blocks, writing on my paper, and eating my cookies at snack time. I went home that day nearly in tears, as I told my father of what happened. I was afraid to fight back, because good Asians don't fight in school, and my parents would surely be disappointed. However, my father told me to return the next day, and if this kid hit me first, I had his permission to fight. He promised he would back me up to both my mother and the school, and to never be sorry for defending myself. Of course the next day, the kid hit me, and I took my father's advice. I was pulled off of him cursing and swinging, and the other kid was missing three teeth and his pride. My father and mother got called down to the school for a meeting with the principle. The principle told both our parents that we had gotten into an

altercation. My parents asked who had swung first, and the principle responded the other child had, but fighting wasn't the way to resolve issues. My parents told her that they would not teach their son to back down from bullies, and if the other kid didn't want more of the same, he should back off. Of course, word spread around the school pretty fast, and I wasn't even close to being bullied again. I would never advocate violence as the answer to anything, but standing up for oneself is of the utmost importance. Not only for bullying, but also to maintain one's self-confidence and pride. Showing that you are not intimidated is the best deterrent against bullies. It has been said a thousand times, but it still rings true: bullies are cowards who only pick on those who they think are weak and easy targets. Even if you are smaller, you can deter bullies by showing you will not sit idly and take their torments. Sometimes it doesn't matter as much about the size of the dog in the fight, as it does the size of the fight in the dog. Sources: http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/issue-24-survival/ face-bullying

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let bullies beat you down. Takes a stand.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Meet Mr. Hyphen 2011:

Terry Park

Terry Park is a mentor to inmates at San Quentin with the Prison University Project (PUP). He taught Asian American Theater from January to May 2011. I talked with Terry about winning Mr. Hyphen earlier this semester and also his experiences teaching. Congratulations on winning Mr. Hyphen 2011 for APSC! Could you briefly talk about your motivations in entering the contest? Thanks, primarily it was to represent APSC (Asian Prisoner Support Committee) to get them more visibility, because they are the only national API (Asian and Pacific Islander) prisonfocused organization in the nation. You know, they are a really small group. They do not have a lot of money, so when I was thinking of an organization to represent I thought of them first. What kind of performances did you do to win the hearts of the audience and the judges? For the talent portion, I did this. It is kind of difficult to explain. Well, at first, I was thinking of doing a scene from my solo show. I used to be an actor before I went into grad school at UC Davis and I did a solo show off Broadway in 2006 in New York City, so I was thinking about just doing a scene from my solo show, but I heard that last year’s winner did something “really-out-there.” Basically if you want to win Mr. Hyphen, you really have to push the envelope. So I decided to do air guitar, which is something I have never done before, but I had seen some Youtube clips and always thought it was pretty awesome. I constructed this narrative where I had a Tiger Mom played by my friend, Tiffany Eng, and she was dressed up as a tiger with a little tiger hat and tiger paws. And I played her son, but not a Tiger Son. I tried to pick a different kind of animal to express sort of the Asian American who thinks of himself and is unique, so I thought of a unicorn. I dressed up as a unicorn where I got a horn, like a unicorn horn that I bought online, and then I borrowed Tiffany’s wig. She had this glam rock, straggly, black wig. I found one of those ridiculous unicorn t-shirts with lots of bright colors with a rainbow and a castle. And then I wore Tiffany’s daisy dukes. So that was my uniform. Oh, and leggings—I had pink, purple leggings. I had a theatrical interlude where my Tiger Mom walks on stage and sees her son rocking out, dressed up as a unicorn, doing air guitar, and then I recorded this dialogue with my

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voice doing both parts, me and my Tiger Mom, and she says, “What are you doing? You look like an idiot. I’m disappointed in you. We immigrated to the U.S. so that you could follow your dreams, so you can either be a doctor or an engineer.” And he says, “No, I don’t want to be a doctor or engineer. I want to be a unicorn. I am a unicorn. I want to do air guitar. This is what I want to do.” Basically, I used air guitar and the unicorn as figures to talk about Asian Americans who do not fit the usual mold, who go against the model minority myth. And then eventually, the Tiger Mom is so overwhelmed by her son’s passion and moves that she start to dance and go crazy. Both the Tiger Mom and the son come together at the end and it’s a triumphant ending. Besides the talent portion, was there anything else? The second event was Q&A and the third event was sleepwear. There is a new Asian American t-shirt company called Bok Choy Apparel. I think they are based here in the Bay Area. During the sleepwear portion, we were supposed to somehow creatively use their t-shirt logo and incorporate it into our own sleepwear costume. I went in the opposite direction of the other candidates. A lot of them kind of showed off a lot of their muscles and skin. I did not show off anything. I completely covered up. I wore pink pajama bottoms that said, “I love you,” all over with lots of hearts, and then I borrowed Tiffany’s Christmas sweaters, one of those ridiculous Christmas sweaters with a chimney and a Santa Claus sticking out. And then the main thing for this sleepwear uniform was the visor. I bought three visors. I bought like a mini-visor, a medium visor, and then this super-deluxe visor, so when I came on onstage, I had all three visors on, but you could only see the super-deluxe visor so it made it look like I had only one visor on. And then I kind of danced around and I did this, well, not a strip tease, but I took off the super-deluxe visor and then I still had another visor on and then people thought that was funny. I took off the second visor and I still had another visor and then I had the Bok Choy Apparel on the brim of the visor. Oh, and then I had a shake-weight, too.

When you won, what was the first thing that came to mind? I think the first thing that came to mind was: “You gotta be kidding me!” And that is what some friends of mine said when they saw my expression. It was one of shock. I mean I really did not think I was going to win. I mean I knew I had a shot, but the other guys were really great. They gave great performances, great responses during the Q&A, you know, good-looking guys. I thought: I’m this short, weird, unicorn, air guitar playing, visor wearing guy; so I didn’t think they would go for that, but they did, so I was shocked and really happy for APSC and actually Eddy was in the audience. When they announced that I had won, he jumped up on stage and grabbed the monster check and held it up and was really, really happy and I was happy to see him that ecstatic. For the Q&A, could you talk about a few questions that they asked you? They asked all of us the same two questions and then we each got a wild-card question. The wild-card question was: “What was the most pressing issue facing Asian Americans today?” I talked about the prison-industrial complex, which made sense for me. I talked about API prisoners and how they are an invisible population within the API community. And especially how many Southeast Asians are incarcerated as youths. What are the effects of prison-industrial complex on low-income people of color, including the growing number of Asian Americans? Just in general, looking at the prison-industrial complex and forms of incarceration as state violence and a way in which resources get diverted from education, mental health, other sources of social services to various forms of policing and incarceration, which affects low-income people of color. But then, right, most people do not think about how Asian Americans are included in that and those forms of incarceration, because they are usually not thought of as working-class. But, because of APSC, I know that the API prisoner population has increased something like 30 percent from 1999 to 2004 and has continued to rise and specifically Southeast Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as well as some Chinese and South Asians as well. And I think what is specific to the problems of incarceration of API youth is, well, one major factor I think is the legacy of war on Southeast Asians so looking at the ways in which the Vietnam War and/ or genocide in Cambodia have continued to haunt Southeast Asians; so there is issues of trauma that circulate within the Southeast Asian communities and how that trauma translates into drug use, alcohol abuse, fractured families, communities, language difficulties, just you know, general problems of adapting to American life and how those problems get placed on these shoulders of Southeast Asian youths. And then that leads to certain kinds of criminal activity or illegal activity. And even during the arraignment phase, not having translators to help these API youths understand what kinds of sentences they are facing. I know a lot of the students that I have had at San Quentin, when they were first arrested, a lot of them did not speak English, so it is really amazing how their efforts in conjunction with programs like the Prison

University Project that they have been able to learn English, take college classes, get an Associate [of Art] degree, and you know, learn about the different conditions and forces that have led to their incarceration in ways that they can improve themselves and their communities once they get released, if they get released. How was it like teaching or working with prisoners? What was your role as a teacher and did you face any limits or specific difficulties? Probably the biggest limitation was when there was a quarantine that hit San Quentin and that pretty much disrupted not just my class, but also a bunch of classes for three weeks. I had to quickly re-do my syllabus and move things around and, you know, slip messages to PUP employees to give one prisoner who then could give the message to the other prisoners in my class. I mean it was hectic. Once the quarantine was over, it was never exactly the same again, but, man, I think it was a testament to the students. They are so bright and so committed to the class, and to the readings, and just to their education in general, that things, despite what happened with the quarantine, things were still okay. Students, for the most part, were on top of their homework, they still turned in their papers, the papers were really strong and you know, I tell people this, that that class was better than any class I have ever taught. They were super smart, very bright, lots of insightful comments. Could you talk about what classes you taught at San Quentin? It was a general overview of different kinds of plays so the overall theme of the class was permanent war, which is something that then informs my own work and my dissertation. I thought that [theme] was applicable to looking into Asian American Theater and Asian American History, because of the legacies of the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Philippine-American War, the wars today in Iraq and Afghanistan and how that has shaped the way in which these playwrights produced a certain vision of Asian America through theater. And I felt like permanent war was a theme that a lot of the students could wrap their heads around, because of their own lives and how the conditions that led them to being incarcerated to be described as a kind of war, whether it is a street war, growing up as a Crip or a Blood, or growing up as a refugee from Vietnam. What is one common misconception that you see for APIs in prison? The misconception was that there are no API prisoners. I would want to shift the conversation or the language from that API prisoners are not capable of committing crimes to API people, in general, suffer from a lack of resources or a lack of access to resources just like other people of color and low-income people of color.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Talking About the Asian and Pacific Islander Prisoner Population By Johnny Thach Take a moment and think about Asian and Pacific Islanders in higher education. Would the first thing that comes to your mind be an Asian and Pacific Islander prisoner behind bars taking college-level courses for an Associate of Arts degree? Probably not. In fact, the grim reality is that Asian and Pacific Islanders in the prison-industrial complex have become an invisible population.

hey are shuffled away inside the system and isolated from the outside world. A startling lack of attention and coverage by mainstream news media, legal studies and scholarship has marginalized them. Our own community needs to examine and address the growing numbers of Asian and Pacific Islanders behind bars. Most of them do not even have a voice and their stories and experiences are left unheard. Some fundamental questions needed to be asked are: Who are the Asian and Pacific Islanders incarcerated inside prison? What led to their increase in the prison population? What are their stories and experiences? What kinds of resources are available for them in and outside of prison? But first let us analyze how the prison population today relates to the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The United States has over 2.3 million people behind bars, more than any other country in the world. While the United States has less than 5-percent of the entire worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population, it represents an astounding one-fourth of all prisoners in the world. What is perplexing is that more than 60-percent of the incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities. It has been a common notion that Asian and Pacific Islanders experience the lowest incarceration rates. They also are viewed as model minorities under the model minority myth. Asian and Pacific Islanders now represent the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the civilian population. However, the number of Asian and Pacific Islander prisoner population, in both the federal and state levels, has been increasing in dramatic numbers as well. Just in the past ten years alone, Asian and Pacific Islanders have experienced their incarceration rate quadruple. Between 1990 and 2000,

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the Asian and Pacific Islander prisoner population also increased by 250-percent. Similarly, in 2004, the Asian and Pacific Islander prisoner population in the United States totaled 12,799, a noticeable increase from 9,825 in 1999. In California, one study found that 64.6-percent of the API prisoners were made up of immigrants and refugees. In addition, over the recent years, the criminal justice system and pressing immigration policies have increasingly criminalized Asian and Pacific Islanders and other communities of color. Between 1998 and 2006, there was a 61.6% increase in total deportations of people of Asian nationalities. In spite of the increasing prison population of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States, there has not been a plethora of established information and awareness across the nation. Particularly, the model minority myth presumes that Asian and Pacific Islanders are success stories that overcame discrimination with excellent academic achievement and low crime rates. The myth subsequently creates this mainstream fantasized image of Asian and Pacific Islanders not as criminals, but rather as law-abiding citizens. However, what has continued to be overlooked is that not all Asian and Pacific Islanders are the same. Many have diverse backgrounds and continue to face unique struggles, especially when an overwhelming number of those incarcerated include refugees and immigrants. Even in crime statistics about arrest and incarceration rates, Asian and Pacific Islanders have been lumped into either one category as “Asian or Pacific Islander” or have been listed as “Other” races. The latter represents a kind of Otherization, a type of marginalization and separation much attributed to the criminal subculture misconception. This misconception entails that the criminal justice system has been dominated by only whites and blacks, and in some statistics, with Hispanics as well. Evidence of this can be found from the two main crime measures, the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). These crime measures frequently disregard Asian and Pacific Islanders as Others by stating: “The ‘Other’ category is composed of Asian Pacific Islanders, and American Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos, if only one of these races is given.” The Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC), recently re-established in 2005 in California, has been one of the very few prisoners’ advocacy organizations in the nation that addresses specifically on the needs of Asian prisoners in the United States. As it stands, these issues have been even less talked about and focused on the east coast. With the absence of dialogue, there remains an ambiguous space that incorporates Asian and Pacific Islanders.

To date, Eddy Zheng is an Asian and Pacific Islander community leader, motivational speaker, social justice activist, and an advocate for at-risk youth, the poor and undereducated in California. Yet, only nine years ago, he was incarcerated behind bars, passionately fighting for his release from prison. Eddy spent 21 years behind bars for a crime that he did not even understand. When he emigrated from China with his family in 1982, he did not have a choice as to whether or not to stay or immigrate as a child. His parents, although affluent and considered middle-class in China, decided to start anew in the United States for better education and opportunities for not only Eddy, but also his brother and sister. Much unbeknownst to his family, immigrating to the United States translated into many difficulties and problems. In order to support the family, his parents had to work and could not take care of Eddy. Without much parental support, it soon became increasingly hard for him to adjust to the American school system, culture, and being on his own. Just

“It was difficult, because of the fact that we didn’t understand,” he said. “I didn’t understand the language; I didn’t understand the criminal justice system.”

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

four years later, the police arrested the then 16 year old Eddy for kidnapping and robbery of a family and put through the criminal justice system. “It was difficult, because of the fact that we didn’t understand,” he said. “I didn’t understand the language; I didn’t understand the criminal justice system.” His incarceration had been induced by a number of unwarranted factors that could have been prevented if he had access to appropriate resources. Eddy’s family could not afford proper legal representation. Other relatives did not even know that he had gotten into trouble because of the shame that it brought to his family. The translation services provided by the judge had been inconsistent and failed to help Eddy understand the exact charges he faced. As a matter of fact, Eddy could not understand all the legal terms and terminologies, and the overall criminal procedure. Even after his sentence, he didn’t know that had been sentenced as an adult to life. “And I was even in the precondition that I didn’t know I had been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole until I got into prison,” Eddy said. “I was under the assumption that I was only doing nine years and I would be out; they told me that I actually got a life sentence and explained to me what that meant.” Higher education in prison did play an immediate role in his life. Established in 2002, the Prison University Project is a non-profit organization that works behind the college program at San Quentin, a state prison in California. In brief, the organization provides prisoners with an education and an opportunity to receive an Associate of Arts degree with the completion of their college-level courses. Even before the Prison University Project had been established, Eddy continued his education in San Quentin and started to undertake English-language classes. In our discussion about his education and what had empowered him, Eddy highlighted that he wanted to challenge and better himself. He also wanted to understand what other people were saying; as a result, he started to learn how to speak and communicate in English. Education, for him, became a source of empowerment that translated into confidence for him to transform and change his life. One part of his outstanding activism in his incarceration was that he organized a petition for ethnic studies courses to be included into the curriculum inside the prison. He continues to attribute a lot of his support from encouragement by the professors and other teachers that taught inside the prison. Eddy’s story is just one story about an Asian and Pacific Islander’s incarceration in prison. He has taken the initiative to publish the first-ever anthology of works by Asian and Pacific Islander prisoners entitled, Other: An Asian and Pacific Islander Prisoners’ Anthology, in order to illuminate the different stories and perspectives of the growing prisoner population in the United States. However, there still remains to be a lack of knowledge about the different topics that led to their incarceration and also what kinds of people are being placed into prison. In reality, many Asian and Pacific Islander prisoners suffer from language barriers and also cultural and generational differences. The predicament remains that many of their troubles are not made public. Not knowing that these issues exist is extremely problematic as it

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Eddy Zheng

paves a path for Asian and Pacific Islanders to be neglected, to be disproportionately represented, and to be victimized. More awareness needs to be made towards Asian and Pacific Islanders incarcerated in prison in order to encourage more dialogue, legal studies and scholarship about these prisoners. In particular, higher education in prisons has not been often talked about, especially from an Asian and Pacific Islanders’ perspective. In fact, education can be used as a vehicle to examine how college classes affect Asian and Pacific Islanders incarcerated in prison. It allows not only a valuable opportunity for the prisoners to express themselves, but also for people outside of prisons to also experience what kinds of people they are, some of the circumstances that led to their incarceration, and their background and stories. Resources have not been readily available for Asian and Pacific Islander prisoners as there is a lack of awareness and attention. Perhaps through recognition that these individuals exist, we can undertake our own initiative to learn from and address the growing number of the Asian and Pacific Islander prisoner population. Sources: Table 43 - Crime in the United States 2009.” Crime in the United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation, n.d. Web. 24 June 2011. <http://www2.fbi. gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_43.html>. The Sentencing Project News. The Sentencing Project, n.d. Web. 24 June 2011. <http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=107>. National Crime Victimization Survey.” Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2005 Statistical Tables. U.S. Department of Justice, n.d. Web. 24 June 2011. <http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/cvus05.pdf>. http://apscinfo.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/stat-api-prison-population-us/ http://apscinfo.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/ca-api-prison-population/ http://apscinfo.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/stat-asian-deportation/

Queen of Seoul: I am Majoring in Gaysian Studies By Bunch of Kimbap

Anyone who is gay and in college knows that feeling… that feeling when the topic of homosexuality comes up in one of your classes. The sudden raised heart rate and sweating that occurs at the mere mention of the word “gay”. It indicates how the subject of homosexuality remains in the realm of taboo in certain college settings.

ne of these settings just so happens to be the classrooms and courses of Asian Studies. When one reasons it out, it is no surprise that an uncomfortable atmosphere exists when the topic pops up. That is assuming if the topic even does pop up since being gay and part of Asian society is a big no-no. Many Asian Studies courses do not even bring it up within the classroom. When it is introduced, there are strange looks and furrowed brows along with silence. This is a result of most people not having the courage, knowledge or understanding to speak about such a thing. On the other hand, there are also discussions in which people pity those who are gay and Asian because of their forced closeting and lack of voice in Asia.Then there is the language classroom. This classroom has the opportunity of being a little more comical at times for those who are gay. Yet, it is still as sad as the regular Asian Studies classes. Depending on the language you are studying, attitudes towards the gay community will differ. Without any doubt, if you study an Asian language then you will face difficulties in numerous situations. One of these situations is the discussion of the type of person you like; who is your ideal boyfriend or girlfriend? If you are honest and say ‘I like this type of guy,’ and you yourself are a guy, then those strange looks will once again appear not just from your peers, but also from the teacher. Now, if you

can experience the comedy if you lie. I know that this has happened countless times in the various language courses I have taken. When the question is asked, "YEAH, I like this type of girl *wink wink.*" If the teacher finds out you have never had a girlfriend and asks why then there is always the good old, "I am really busy" or "I have REALLY high standards." Then, there is all the fun you miss when discussing your favorite actor or musician. As much as you want to be like, “OMG 2pm is like sooooo hot” or “That Rain drives me crazy,” there is just no real option to do that without being ostracized from the class, which really sucks. Although this is a sad fate for the gay student, things will get better. Though I’m sure it will not happen in the near future, maybe decades down the road there will be more of a voice for the gay student in Asian Studies. Maybe the topic of homosexuality will become an important subject of discourse in Asian Studies. Maybe there could be whole courses offered just about gays in Asia. One thing is true, though- if it is never discussed in the classrooms of Asian Studies courses then the development of any sort of education about gay Asians will never occur. Who knows? Maybe it will even be possible to major in Gaysian Studies.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

The Struggle for Asian American Studies at Syracuse University

2010 was a breakthrough for us here at Syracuse University. It marked the creation and admittance of an Asian and Asian American Studies minor, also known as the AAA minor. The AAA minor is rooted in a history of constant struggle. The idea of the AAA minor was conceived following the April 11, 1997 Denny's Incident, where a group of Asian and Asian Americans were denied service at a local Denny's and were beaten by White patrons. Following this event, a 13 year long struggle ensued for a program that would cater to what would soon be the largest minority group on the Syracuse University campus. While the passing of the minor is indeed a large step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to be done. The minor that was finally put into place still requires review and care. In fact, there is still contention among students about the nature of the AAA minor. Many students feel as though the program was merely â&#x20AC;&#x153;tossing us a bone,â&#x20AC;? while others feel pring

ASIAN OUTLOOK

By Tim Huynh as though there is not enough student involvement, though it was a student-lead front from the start. While there are many issues to be discussed with among students, faculty, and administration, we must not forget the triumphs we have accomplished thus far. Just recently there was a new hire for an Asian American focused professor in the English Department, and there is still a national search for a true director (as of present, there is only an interim-director) of the AAA Program. Even though things may look grim, we must always keep our heads high and work as best we can. The future of Asian and Asian American studies on this campus, and many others, is in the hands of the students who really strive for it. We must never dwell in our setbacks, or ever expect instant change. As long as the effort is passed on from generation of students to generation, change will eventually come. There is a need for education and if we want it, we have to fight for it.

Asian American Studies at Williams College By Melinda Wang

College is my home. The minute I stepped on campus as a freshman, Williams and everyone in it became my family. Although I went through most of my first year oblivious to blatant racial slurs and discrimination, due to my background I didn’t even think people in college would stoop so low as to judge people based on the color of their skin or origin. I loved my home and there was no safer place than with my fellow peers – I was blissfully ignorant of my surroundings, but that all quickly changed. A wise owl pointed out the sort of little, harmless phrases people sprinkle in their conversations—discriminatory, but not obvious enough to make a big deal out of – microaggressions. But I looked at it a little differently. The term microaggressions was not a harmless phrase, and in fact it was a mirror into the soul of what my friends and peers really thought about people who were different from them. So as a slightly more seasoned freshman, I looked around and suddenly realized my life wasn’t all cotton candy and lollipops. Now, this story is not about me, it’s about what a group of students have accomplished and will accomplish in the years to come. Fast forward to my sophomore year, a lot has changed. For me, it was not just about feeling constantly judged by friends and peers for being Asian American via microaggressions. An unbelievable hate crime that involved a racist death threat written in a dormitory wall gave students an even greater motivation to bring a sense of solidarity, mutual understanding and ethnic studies to our campus. We understood that the whole reason Williams allowed an atmosphere where such threats can be openly made was because there was not enough awareness of differences. A racial threat targeted at black students quickly catapulted into a school-wide discussion of the lack of sensitivity that the Williams community has created for students of different racial groups, sexual identities and personal experiences. Such an ignorant culture motivated us to push harder for an Asian American Studies Program on campus, in efforts to a bring a united stance by the students of Williams to address the insufficiencies of our school when dealing with such issues, and a truly wounded campus. This statement is not to say we have learned our lesson and have changed, because we are still constantly fighting every day to make our campus illiams foot

safe once again. For Asian American students, these events meant that having access to understanding Asian Americans was essential to the beginning steps of reducing the chances of misguided jokes, angry statements, etc. The hate crime brought more meaning and more momentum to our goals. At the beginning of the year, a group of students and faculty members hoping to bring Asian American Studies into our curriculum found each other, and we began a committee towards our goal. Within three months, we went from ranting on the phone with a friend about not being able to study such an interdisciplinary study so important to American history, to creating a committee with a plan and leading well-attended, campus-wide discussions about the need for Asian American Studies. How? Well, passion seems to be a word thrown around very often, so I won’t describe it as just passion. Instead, I’ll use priorities. Enough of us have been frustrated about the fact that a school hailed for academic superiority has not given us a wide enough curriculum to understand and survey Asian American studies. While there are classes here dedicated to Asian American history, English, race relations, etc. , they all do not give a complete enough understanding of Asian American identity. Almost all students who are part of the Asian American Studies Movement at Williams are rightfully busy, but we want this goal enough that we will take the time to dedicate ourselves to this cause. I hope to graduate knowing that I have had the opportunity of learning more about what it means to be American – not just the Eurocentric understanding of “American.” If America is truly a melting pot, how can this aspect of America be glanced over with just a few classes? As a group just starting to find its roots and motivations, we hope to bring Asian American Studies as a concentration to Williams. Although the percentage of Asian Americans on the Williams campus is pretty small, we are confident that our movement will transcend racial boundaries, as we are a group of Williams students independent of race, united by a love for our home and desire to preserve our heritage for future students. Call us crazy, but at the end of the day our efforts, no matter how small, will make a mark on this school and we refuse to give up.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

of Reflections a Korean Studies Major By Clara Kitrell

at Binghamton University

I tell people my major, I am commonly met with reactions ranging from confusion to interest to absolute amazement. I am not an engineering student nor am I a bio-chem major. In fact, my major has absolutely nothing to do with mathematics, science, or anything else of the sort. I am a senior majoring in Korean Studies under the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies (DAAAS) here at Binghamton University. I am also a white female. After the initial reactions, I usually have to answer one of two questions, why I picked that major or what I plan on doing with a degree under such a major. I answer the questions patiently, and then make sure to slip in that it is a major just like any other. If I am to be totally truthful, I am proud to be one of a very few students who are part of this major here at Binghamton University. Though the Korean Studies major was just implemented this past spring 2011 semester, it has already received a 1 million dollar grant from the Academy of Korean Studies. I think it is a given to say that this generous grant will only aid in the expansion of the program here, and I only regret that I could not be an undergraduate a few more years down the road when some of that money has been put into use. Even now, with the program so new, there is a large range of courses available for me to take, covering subjects from Korean history, to politics current and past, and even cinema. One of the major factors in my decision to come to Binghamton University as a freshman was the size and scope of the school’s DAAAS. I had known since about my sophomore year of high school that whatever university I ended up at needed to have some sort of East Asian studies program. And even though Binghamton University did not have a full blown Korean major at the time, there was still a Korean concentration major here that I could declare – my choice was made. As I went through the process of picking schools though, I remember being somewhat surprised at the sheer lack of specific programs at schools. Sure there was the general ‘East Asian Languages and Cultures’ program or even just the ‘Eastern Asian Studies’ if you hen

ASIAN OUTLOOK

wanted a really big umbrella program. But I already knew what I wanted, and what I wanted was to study Korea. During my time here at Binghamton University, I have been fortunate that there was an increasingly large number of courses offered based around or pertaining to Korea. I feel that I can say confidently that I am well versed on a number of aspects such as history, culture and politics in the country, and I have had and continue to receive great resources and connections available to me here that I would not have elsewhere. I see the expansion that the Korean Studies program has gone through here, and it makes me wonder if this is not possible elsewhere. I know that at the present moment, if a student wanted to really find a good program for Korean studies, their options are few and far between. In fact, I cannot think off the top of my head any other schools besides Binghamton University that offer a specific major in Korean studies, and would need to go delve into research to find other schools. I am sure the list would be short. If I go based on what I have seen happen here during my undergraduate career, it would seem that not only Korean Studies, but Asian and Asian American studies as a whole are on an upwards trend. That is, the programs seem to be expanding, growing larger and more prominent, with more students interested in declaring such majors. The continuance of this trend not only here at Binghamton University, but at other college and university campuses around the country would be a very positive step forward. As a non-Asian who has declared a major dealing specifically with an Eastern Asian country, I feel comfortable in saying that having the opportunity to be exposed to the classes I have taken and the people I have met as a result has led to a much better understanding and appreciation for cultures different from my own. Not only in respects to a classroom standing, but just in terms of teaching sheer tolerance and respect for those different from myself. If other universities continue along such a path as Binghamton University has, then maybe in the future not only will Americans have better understanding for other countries, but with each other as well.

Let’s set the record:

AsianAmericans

H IGHER education

By Meher Farooq

Figure 1

I stepped into college, I couldn’t help feel like I was in a different atmosphere. To me, it seemed like there were Asian Americans everywhere. This naturally fostered many stereotypes of Asian Americans that we all know and have grown up with. Such stereotypes include: s

1.Asian Americans are “taking over” the United State’s higher education. 2.Asian Americans mostly study in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). 3.Asian Americans are more likely to attend private, four-year institutions rather than public two-year and four-year colleges.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Figure 2

Having grown up a South Asian, I am very much exposed to these stereotypes day-by-day. As I started the University of Florida, the most frequent statement I heard from others was something along the lines of “Let me guess, you are a biology/engineering/chemistry major in hopes of becoming a doctor or engineer, right?” In response, I usually just shrug it off and continue the conversation. Why make a big deal if I am in fact studying in the fields of science and math? Here is the thing though- falling under just one stereotype puts you in line to fall prey to the others as well. So let us assess the validity of the statements above and if they prove untrue, why they still persist as a stereotype in society today. The conventional wisdom by many Americans is that Asian American students are “taking over” United States’ higher education. Contrary to that belief however, the increase in Asian Americans enrollment in higher education institutions has mirrored the increase found in other racial groups during the same time period. Approximately the same amount of increase in enrollment can be seen in both African American and Hispanic American students alongside Asian American students. (See figure 1). Not only that, but because Asian American student population is concentrated in a small percentage of institutions around the nation, there is a false notion of greater enrollment in all colleges. In 2000, two-thirds of the APIA students attended only 200 higher education institutions in eight

ASIAN OUTLOOK

states, which is less than five percent of all title IV schools nationally. (See figure 2) In addition, nearly half of all APIA students attend colleges in just California, Texas, and New York. So when we think Asian Americans are “taking over” we only see what we want to see and conclude this is true because Asian Americans are the “model minority,” but we just proved that this fact is a fiction. Another very well-known stereotype is that Asian American students tend to study in fields of engineering, science, and math fields. While this notion is true to a certain extent, there are other trends that show a large amount of students who enroll and obtain degrees in humanities and social sciences. (See figure 3). In actuality, a high number of Asian international students attend college to pursue the fields of math and science. Data from the Eighth Annual Status Report for Minorities in Higher Education shows that about 86 percent of doctorate degrees in 2000 were actually given to international students from Asia rather than Asian American students. Because it is a natural human tendency to generalize things we see, we conclude that all Asians must study in STEM more so than other fields. However, that is not the case, so that fact is fiction as well. Also contrary to popular perceptions, it is believed that Asian Americans are more likely to attend private four-year institutions when in reality there are actually many more Asian American students who attend public two-year

Figure 3

Figure 4

and four-year colleges. The false notion is only supported by those success stories that focus on high-achieving students in the most selective private universities in the U.S, while ignoring the majority of APIA students who study at two-year and four-year institutions. (See figure 4). This has a direct correlation with the assumption that APIA families have enough money to attend these private institutions, but in reality, many come from low-income households that are struggling from poverty, language barrier, cultural differences, among other concerns. Thus, the belief that most Asian Americans attend private, four-year colleges is not a fact, but fiction.

Given all the generalizations and stereotypes discussed, there seems to be evidence disproving each and every one. Then why do these stereotypes still persist? They continue to grow because once the generalization has been instilled in a person, they look for examples to confirm that stereotype rather than examples that disprove them. As long as there are Asian Americans in higher education, studying fields in science, technology, engineering and math, in private four-year institutions, there will be generalizations that define us. It is a matter of educating others and building awareness of the facts that will set us free.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Oral Historiography Project: By Diane Wong and Jonathan Yee

Americans are acknowledged to be the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. While the population growth among Asian American communities continues to grow in traditional gateway states such as California and New York, the Asian American population has nearly doubled in nineteen states, many of them being situated in the south or south west including Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Georgia. Along with this population growth, the Asian American population has constantly been changing and diversifying in terms of national origin, ethnicity, geographic concentration, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, and immigration history. The growing number of Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and other South Asians highlight the increasing diversity of Asian Americans in the United States. More exigently, these growing numbers highlight the need for more socio-political, and higher eduction institutions, to focus more on incorporating these communities into the national discourse. sian

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Asian American Studies at Binghamton University Despite the community’s size and growth, the study of Asian Americas has failed to grow in proportion with its growing population. After the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, the number of Asian American students entering university programs has been on the steady increase. This, coupled with an increased awareness of the importance of studying the history and diaspora of Asians living in America, there has been a struggle to increase equal representation of Asian American students in the education curriculum. As Dr. Hu-DeHart, Director of the Ethnic Studies Department at the Brown University, states: “[Asian American students] are visible and invisible at the same time.” This paradox is manifested on college campuses with both small and large Asian American student populations, where many students find themselves struggling to find how and where their experiences as are interjected into the academic discourse. The importance of maintaining Asian American Studies programs in the education curriculum is fundamental, and rooted in the importance of maintaining an interdisciplinary study to understand the diverse under-represented communities living in the United States. The emergence of Asian American studies programs is rooted in the struggle for social justice, equal representation, and cross-ethnic solidarity. From sit-ins to take over of administration buildings, the Asian American Studies Movement has been founded on social activism. As a discipline, Asian American Studies emerged in the 1960’s,

as part of the struggles and triumphs of the Third World Movement. The Third World Movement gave birth to African American Studies, Latino/a Studies, and Native American Studies. And while African American Studies, and to a lesser extent, Latino/a Studies, have spread quickly to colleges and universities around the states, Asian American Studies has not spread as rapidly. Today, there are close to 43 undergraduate programs with college campuses that have established Asian American Studies Programs– twice as many as a decade ago. However, many of these programs allow undergraduates to earn minors in Asian American Studies, and only a few allow majors. This issue serves the purpose of bringing together the diverse narratives from students, faculty, and administrators who have been involved in the Asian American Studies Movement. This section focuses on the stories, commentaries, and recollections from faculty and administrators who were involved in the creation of the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at SUNY Binghamton. From gathering these oral histories, we hope to shed light to the journey, struggles and triumphs of creating an Asian American studies program. Most importantly, we hope that those reading this issue will keep in mind the students and faculty who are still tirelessly advocating for Asian American Studies programs nationwide, as the struggle is hardly over.

“From gathering these oral histories, we hope to shed light to the journey, struggles and triumphs of creating an Asian American Studies program. Most importantly, we hope that those reading this issue will keep in mind the students and faculty who are still tirelessly advocating for Asian American Studies programs nationwide, as the struggle is hardly over.” Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Personal

Lisa Yun is the co-founder of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas, and B.A. from Yale University. At Binghamton University she is a professor of English and Asian and Asian American Studies. Other titles she has held include former Associate Director and Acting Director of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton University. She is also the founder of the Community Internship Program, in addition to the Community Engagement Program, for which we have conducted this research project. D av i d S t a h l i s t h e A s i a n a n d A s i a n A m e r i c a n S t u d i e s D e p a r t m e n t ch a i r a t B i n g h a m t o n U n i ve r s i t y. H e r e c e i ve d h i s P h . D f r o m Ya l e i n J a p a n e s e l i te r a t u r e . H i s r e s e a r ch i n te r e s t s i n cl u d e J a p a n e s e l i te r a t u r e , J a p a n e s e f i l m , J a p a n e s e m e m o ry a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f A s i a P a c i f i c Wa r ex p e r i e n c e , t r a u m a s t u d i e s , a n d p s ych o a n a l y t i c c r i t i c i s m . H i s c u r r e n t c o u r s e s i n cl u d e P a c i f i c Wa r E x p e r i e n c e / J a p a n e s e L i te r a t u r e a n d F i l m . John Chaffee is a Chinese historian with a research focus on the social and institutional history of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). The undergraduate courses he teaches include a survey of East Asia, a year-long history of China, and a history of Sino-European interactions from 1200 to 1945. His past research undertakings have focused upon the educational and examination systems of the Song, and the Song imperial clan. Current projects concern the Muslim trade diasporas in Guangzhou and Quanzhou from the Tang to Ming dynasties. He is also co-editing the topical Song volume of the Cambridge History of China. His current courses include Chinese Civilizations and Maritime Asia. Robert Ku is the co-coordinator of Asian American and Diaspora Studies. He recei ved his Ph.D in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. In the Fall of 2005, he started teaching at Binghamton University. His research interests include Twentieth-century Amer ican literature and culture, Asian American studies, and food studies. His current book project Dubious Gastronomy: The Cultural Politics of Eating Asian in the USA is under review. His current courses include Korean American Lit & Culture and the AAAS Major Seminar.

Krishnendu Ray received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Binghamton University in 2001. He also holds a master’s degree in Political Science from Delhi University, India, and a master’s degree in Sociology from Binghamton University. He joined NYU faculty in 2005 and is now an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Studies. In addition, he was a student at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 199 6. He is a food studies scholar with interests in the social, historical and cultural contexts of food. He is currently working on his next book-length project tentatively titled “Taste, Toil and Ethnicity.” In addition, he serves on the editorial board of the journal Food, Culture & Society. Cynthia Marasigan is the newest addition to the Asian and Asian American Studies Department at Binghamton University. She received her Ph.D in History from the University of Michigan and is an Alumna of Binghamton University. Her research interests include U.S. imperialism in the Pacific, Philippine and Filipino American history, Immigration and foreign policy. Her current courses include U.S. - Philippine Relations and Intro to Asian American History.

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Biographies Nayan Shah currently teaches at UC San Diego in the History department as well as in association with Ethnic Studies Department and the Critical Gender Studies Program. His research and teaching investigates the paradoxes of democracy and inequality in the 19th and 20th century United States and Canada. He has taught at Binghamton University for one year prior to his time at San Diego.

Peter Van Do is Program Director for the Student Activities Office at Cornell University. His primary responsibilities include mentoring student leaders in producing a range of programs in the community centers and student union at Cornell. Other services provided to students include team leadership development, organizational and program development. Peter Van Do was awarded the Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award by the Cornell University Asian American community. Van Do is also a part-time graduate student in the Asian Studies Department at Cornell University. His primary research areas include the Vietnam War/South Vietnamese veteran experience, Vietnamese American immigration, and Vietnam Modern Colonial History. Other intellectual interests follow race, class, gender, social citizenship, and psychological oppression. Van Do is currently working on his second masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research on the study of Vietnamese-Japanese relations in 1945. During his undergraduate years at Binghamton University, Van Do was President of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) from 1998-1999, and President of the Asian Student Union (ASU) from 1999-2000. He was one of student leaders who lead a campus response to the anti-Asian attack/incident that occurred on campus in Spring 2000. Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong is an Associate Director at Cornell Public Service Center, where she supports students and faculty members that are interested in going beyond the borders of traditional classrooms, enhancing their civic learning and civic engagement activities. She received her Bachelor degree from SUNY Binghamton in History with a concentration in Asian and Asian American Studies. While attending BU, she was involved with the Asian Student Union (ASU), serving as the Academic Vice President for 1.5 years and a writer at Asian Outlook. Through her role as an ASU Board member, she worked collaboratively with Asian Studies faculty members, ASU members and communities at-large to include Asian American studies. She later pursued her Master degree in Industrial Labor Relations focusing on Collective Bargaining at Cornell University, School of Industrial Labor Relations. In addition, she is an avid dragon boater who co- founded the Ithaca Dragon Boat Program and organizes its annual Finger Lakes International Dragon Boat Festival through the Ithaca Asian American Association (IAAA), to bring various Greater Ithaca communities together for the love of community capacity building.

John Choe is an alumnus of Binghamton University. During his time as an undergraduate, he studied History and was the Editor-in-Chief of Asian Outlook magazine. He went on to receive his Masters in Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He was chief of staff for John Liu and is now working for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE).

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

What inspired your research interests? And as an instructor of several Asian and Asian American Studies courses on campus, what are your goal(s) for teaching these courses? John Chaffee:

My own inspiration for going into Asian studies came from a discovery of Chinese history and culture during my undergraduate years, though I should add that my childhood in Asia (especially Thailand and India) as the son of missionaries was undoubtedly what prompted me to take courses on Asia which in college. As a teacher, my goals include introducing students to the cultures and histories of China and other Asian societies; providing a global context for what they are studying; and encouraging students to approach their studies critically.

Robert Ku:

I know why I went into the field. I did my undergraduate in English major. I had no concept of Asian American, African American or anything. That was never on my radar. I went to NYU in 1987 as an MA student in English. Spent the first year just kind of lost taking all these classes that I enjoyed. Mostly classes in literature theory, classes in modernism, modern British, modern American. I was really enjoying those courses. And then I had to do my thesis during my second year. And I had a close friend who an Iranian graduate student at the New School and he was very political because he was in Iran, this is the 80s, he was involved in the revolution. And then he became exiled, came to America, studied Sociology, I became very close with him. And so I had no concept of Muslim, Arab, Persia, Iran. I was very much just unaware. But through his friendship he introduced to me Edward Said's "Orientalism" the book. And so I read it for the first time and really had me like asking questions for the first time about the subject of Orientalism. Then I came across Elaine Kim's book on Asian American literature just by accident. I just happened to be in the stacks in the library, at the Bobst library in NYU. I was in the American literature section looking for something else and I saw Kim, Elaine Kim. And I said who's Elaine Kim? And I picked up book. And I said she's Korean, and I'm Korean that interests me. Asian Americans in literature? I checked it out, took it home, and read it and it really blew my mind because I had no clue there was a whole discussion around looking at Asian American writers. Writers who wrote about the railroads, even poets and novelists and playwrights whose subject matter was Asians in the United States. [Elaine Kim] wrote this book in a criticism, so I just started to just get all

ASIAN OUTLOOK

the books that I could find that she referenced in her book and I started reading. And I knew that this is was what I want to do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Asian American literature. So I wrote a letter. Back then there was no email. I remember actually typing the letter to Elaine Kim. I didn't know her from anywhere. Sent it off to her address that I looked up somewhere. She wrote back immediately saying, I'm so glad that you like my book, whenever you're in town in the Berkeley area feel free to come by. I actually made it my business to be in Berkeley, so the next summer I just decided to go. I took my brother, and he and I drove up to Berkeley. I went to see her, and she became a real good, close mentor and advisor for a long long time.â&#x20AC;?

Lisa Yun:

This deserves a long answer, but for now, I can point to one obvious factor in my life. I was influenced by a close friend, Suzanne Ahn. She was a neurologist, a mother of two young children, and a tireless advocate of civil rights and social justice. She and her family came from Korea, highly educated yet impoverished. She ended up in a small town in Arkansas and then Texas. There were many obstacles in Suzanneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, especially as the only non-white kid in town, other than her siblings. She eventually went into a medical field dominated by men and encountered challenges there. Despite all that, her journey and accomplishments were amazing, and she managed to do much in a short time, at the local and national level. Despite her wealth and success, she was a deeply compassionate person, and this compassion extended to her politics. She dedicated her time to social justice and nothing bothered her more than exploitation, racism, and abuse of the poor. She had powerful political connections in Texas and in Washington, and she was not afraid at all about using these connections to bring attention to social issues. Suzanne was in the position to construct a national dialogue and bring people together from different backgrounds and parts of the country. She had Dale Minami and John Tateishi engaged in long dialogues with her, both long known Asian American activists from California, about holding yearly summits on Asian Americans and social justice. She brought me right these dialogues and one day we were all sitting in her living room and then talking walks, and I could see how social change happens not on the abstract, mass level, but first on the personal level and through exchange with people who are dynamic about what they do. Both Dale and John

were involved in civil rights and post-internment justice. Dale was the lawyer who took on the Korematsu case and John spearheaded the reparations movement that staged the testimonies before congress in the 1980s. In both cases, testimony emerged as the key to uncovering previously suppressed truths, and testimony has emerged as the key to many turning points in history. This feature struck me. Eventually I wrote my book on the testimonies of the first Chinese who arrived to this hemisphere in the 1800s, as part of the massive and brutal coolie system in the Americas. Their testimonies did result in a turning point, and maybe next time, we can talk about that story. Suzanne talked to everyone: her patients, fellow doctors, journalists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, congressmen, senators, millionaires, and regular everyday people. At one point, she had me give talks about Asian American history to local political candidates who were running for office, as she couldn’t stand the idea that these candidates would know nothing about Asian Americans in their midst. At another point, she had me give talks to the local Korean American community because it bothered her that Asian Americans were never taught Asian American history in school. She was voracious reader and learner of everything, and she was never a naysayer. She felt education was the key. If only people learned more about each other and about history, the world would be different. Unfortunately she died at a young age of lung cancer. When she knew that her cancer was inoperable, she toured the country and gave speeches, urging people to embrace humanity and act with their conscience. One of those speeches was to the AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association), which, upon her death, established The Suzanne Ahn Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice. This award continues to be administered today. I think of her sometimes when I feel discouraged or when I am on the verge of complaining about something. She would say, What are you going to do about it? Don’t be discouraged, do something.

Amy Kuo:

Asian American Studies is important to me because it provides a space for me, as Asian American woman an opportunity to learn about the history, culture, literature and etc. It is also an opportunity for me to rethink, reconfigure, reconstruct what is considered as “American” history, “American” culture and to enter into conversation about race, culture and ethnicity in the U.S. and globally. It is not simply about Black and white. It is difficult to pin down to one person as I was going through my journey in establishing Asian American Studies at Binghamton University. It begun with Alex Peng, staff writer for the World Journal who then introduced me to Peter Kwong, former Director of Asian American Studies at Hunter College; that led me to few Hunter College students: Minette, Suzanne and former Columbia Ph.D. student, Jane Bae. Jane Bae is an incredible Asian American woman. She currently serves as an Executive Director of Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence. She is someone that I admire tremendously and who inspires me about the importance of

being true to your passion. Through Jane, I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Yuri and Bill Kochiyama. Both of them have been inspirational to me as I continue to be engaged with community activism, reminding me that activism is not just on university campus; it must be connected with immediate community (off campus). I also hope that I continue to raise my children with the same consciousness as they will instill with all of their children.

David Stahl:

So, I was interested in philosophy, I didn't know what I wanted to study, so I just thought I should study a foreign language. At the same time of studying philosophy, I was thinking I really wanted to get access to a different way of looking at the world, a different worldview . . . I was trying to think about as different as a can, something as different as from English as could be . . . So I started studying Japanese. I really liked the teacher, I really liked the language, and from the language I became interested in the culture. And I began taking courses on Japanese culture. I declared my major in Asian Studies with an emphasis on Japan as a senior when I looked back at the courses I had taken. I went to Japan to teach English for two years, and while I was in Japan . . . I really fell in love with the country, the people, and I began reading literature there on my own. And decided, for a variety of reasons, that I wanted to study Japanese literature. Literature is a nexus of everything about a culture. The language, the worldview, the religion, the history, the expression, the emotion, the identity; it's all there, and I like that fact about it that you can have these historical works that would say so much about a people, individuals, and collectively . . . So, I am trying to really get students to understand what it's really like to be living in these cultures and times and what it's really like to be involved in extreme oppression, patriarchies, war, atrocities, what causes atrocities to be committed. So I teach about people trying to essentially to constitute and come to terms with trauma. And I think that carries over. These are traumas that are specific to Japan, China, Korea, etc. but they are also relevant to our own lives because there are a lot of traumas in our own lives. . . Whether it's direct, indirect, or transgenerational. So I feel that what I am trying to do is use art and artists to get students to know and understand and be able to respond to things they normally would not. And this means cross-culturally, cross-gendered, cross-time.

Cynthia Marasigan:

[speaking about how the first Asian American History class affected her career and research interests] The most immediate affect it had was that I changed my major. . . I changed a lot. I was every major you could think of. But I finalized my major in history. I think the combination of my history courses also influenced my research decisions but I think Asian American history made me realize the importance of understanding Asian American history as part of this larger diaspora from Asia at the same time learning how Asian American history is integral to U.S. History. It's

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influenced my way of looking at history in a transnational perspective. But more tangibly, it motivated me to do other things. Like I went on different study abroad programs, in the Philippines, I learned Tagalog. I was able to make connections with different scholars after that who had gone through similar processes. . . actually the Asian American history class helped me realize that there were a lot of histories that were not provided in the curriculum. So that was a big deal for us, that was the first time it was offered here. And then

that helped me realize that I could study something that's not in the curriculum. So I had an independent study with John Chaffee, and I did work on Philippine nationalism. And that wasn't on the curriculum but he helped me realize that I could study a topic I was interested in even if there weren't specialists in the department. And he helped me realized I could study whatever I want, it was just a matter of using my resources.

“[Asian American Studies] is also an opportunity for me to rethink, reconfigure, reconstruct what is considered as ‘American’ history, ‘American’ culture and to enter into conversation about race, culture and ethnicity in the U.S. and globally.” -Amy Kuo

ASIAN OUTLOOK

This research is looking to document the cyclic changes in Asian-American student activism on campus, do you recall what the student activism appeared to be when you were at Binghamton University? Nayan Shah:

Student activism made the position I was hired for possible. Undergraduate students – Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos and their supporters sat in on the President’s office and made demands for greater, permanent commitment to diversity knowledge and curriculum. There were acclaimed professors and courses in African American Studies, Latino (particularly Puerto Ricano Studies) and Women’s Studies at Binghamton but no courses or professors in Asian American Studies. The administration recognized how critical this was in a campus that had rapidly increased in Asian American Student enrollment in the 1990s and had a tremendous gap in teaching the history, literature, politics, social organization of Asian Americans. The History department chaired by John Chaffee responded to this need and first created a one-year temporary position filled by John Cheng and then set up a tenure track Assistant Professor search. I applied for the job and was hired in December 1994. I was often told that I was the last faculty hired before Governor Pataki’s hiring freeze went into effect on Jan 1 1995.

Krishnendu Ray:

Young Korean-American students were often in the lead at Binghamton University in those days, both in the Asian American student organization and the movement to institute Asian American studies, which was done in close proximity to Asian Studies in the departments of History and Sociology. It was understandable that the same students often were gravitating towards Japanese, Korean and Chinese histories and literatures that Binghamton was known for. In the spring 1995 before I arrived to teach on campus, I was invited to a symposium organized by the Asian Students Union as part of Asian Empowerment Week. I learned a great deal about struggles and aspirations for an inclusive education, social justice and their excitement for Asian American studies courses. In 1996 student activism came to the surface in the coalitions and amazing political theater in relation to campus police harassment of students of color. Asian American students joined in and the political activism and creative that was happening on campus came into our classroom discussions in Asian American history informed the debates about the different strategies and problems people faced combating the immigration exclusion acts and discriminatory laws in the 1880s and 1890s, labor struggles in

the 20th century, the Alien Land Laws and the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II, the different avenues of community empowerment and activism from the 1920s to the 1960s and 1970s in ethnic enclave neighborhoods and on college campuses. It was an exhilarating experience to have the passion and engagement of students connecting the present to the past in thoughtful and creative ways.

John Chaffee:

When I came to Binghamton in 1980, the Asian American student population was small and student activism on their part non-existent. That began changing in the late 1980s and came to a peak in the early 1990s, and proved to be a major factor in the creation of AAASP [Asian and Asian American Studies Program]; without the pressure from ASU, AAASP would not have be established, at least at that time. I agree that there has been a cyclical character to Asian American student activism since then. My sense is that it was low in late 1990s, fairly high following 2000, subsequently dropping off in the mid-2000s decade, and high again at the present.

Robert Ku:

Before I got here, I think the moment that the program was created, I was told that there was quite a bit of student activity. Students who were saw themselves as activists on behalf of the Asian American studies. When I arrived, that was already a few years into the department program's creation and often times it happens that kind of cyclically. There was sort of a lull I think in the 2005, 6, 7, 8. Now I think since you guy's arrival in the past couple of years I think there has been a noticeable uptick in just by my armchair observation, students who are active. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Lisa has this community empowerment program where she has encouraged a lot of you to do this and that's great. But then again maybe it would have been impossible to have her class 5 years ago. Because there wasn't that much interest but maybe 10 years ago it was. So it's not just here but I notice in other institutions there seems to be a kind of cycle. Also people in general are the most active when they sense a kind of crisis. So when there was a lack of a program or presence that was a crisis, I think that notion was somehow widely shared. When the program was created, I think there was a kind of moment of like "yay" we did it, we now have a

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program, we gained all these hires, we're doing all these things, and the focus is now about how to maintain the daily day to day nuts and bolts of trying to run a program as opposed to rally up the troops. And now, students themselves are seeing more and more courses. Before, say 10 yrs ago, when there were no courses in the books, students asked "What's going on, how come there no courses? Why isn't there a minor? Why isn't there a major?" Now there is a kind of a normalization where there is no hype or awareness of anything wrong, but there's a realization of "Is that it? Is it going to stall at this stage?" In many ways you guys are in a better position to know the level of student activism than me. But just from my classroom, I'm sensing that yeah, the past couple of years, students seem to be more self aware, politically engaged, have an interest than previously for instance. But that's all non-scientific, impressionistic recollection.

Lisa Yun:

On February 27, 2000, four Asian American students were assaulted in a bias attack by a group of wrestlers on campus. One of the victims ended up at the hospital with a fractured skull and internal hemorrhaging. A volunteer advocate from AALDEF (Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund) came up from NYC to help the most affected victim, John Lee. Student groups mobilized, particularly those on Binghamtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asian Outlook staff and those on the ASU E-board. Peter Van Do, Rizalene Zabala, Jason Kim, Sarah Lin, Elizabeth Wolterink, May Nazareno, Andrew Santa Ana, Arata Naito, were some of these student activists. The students ran a local and national campaign for awareness and call to action. The New York Times and Newsweek, among other publications, covered the incident. At this time, hate crime policies were not in place on campuses across the nation, and at Binghamton this was the case. The student campaign brought this issue to fore. In March 2000, they attracted 300 people to their rally and staged a sit in at the administrative building, eventually succeeding in meeting with the president. The activism by these students, and their peers, was sustained for two years 2000-2001. As a result of their activism, the university implemented a hate crime policy that is in place today, and several classes of Binghamton students have looked up this incident on their own and found inspiration from the activism of these alumni. Research projects, among pre-law students particularly, have come out of studying this incident.

David Stahl:

[speaking on the lack of student activism and constant student turn over due to graduation] I've been generally appalled by the lack of much political activism at all during a war that's dragged on for years and years. . . and a pretty complacent student body . . . There's a systemic problem that needs to be addressed . . . People get really upset, they try to do something about it, they get stonewalled, or rejected, or insulted, and the things just go on. And then you have the problem each time of you know, four years, and then the next group of people. And summers people aren't here. So it's hard to sustain this [student activism] when you have a constant turn over. . . I saw the

ASIAN OUTLOOK

students when I first came here as much more engaged and much more connected to the department - at that time, it was a program - The Asian student, say, sororities, would seek us out, and ask us to organize workshops on our specialties. Representations of Asians in film, for example. Racism, inter-Asian racism. The Asian Empowerment Week wasn't about just entertainment, it seemed to be more about raising consciousness, talking about issues, involving faculty. And we did like 4 or 5 workshops with the students either connected with the sororities, or connected to Asian Empowerment Week. So that stopped, and it wasn't because the faculty that I know of were not interested in it. It was because the student's interests changed. And what I've seen, increasingly, is more of a focus on entertainment. On even cultural shows. And to me that shows a turn away from engagement. It's a turn away from activism. It's just more of "how can we entertain ourselves" which often times involves, perhaps, a turning away from things that are happening.

Cynthia Marasigan:

When I was at Binghamton, the idea of activism was new to me. I was involved in different groups and I think that helped me realized the multifaceted-ness of activism. For example I was involved in the Philippine-American League (PAL), the Students of Color Support Center, and the Greek council. So I knew that activism, or I knew that there was several channels through which I could promote different social justice issues. One thing I did notice with PAL was that there was definitely a cycle there. Depending on who was on the e-board, sometimes it would be very educational oriented. We would have a lot of workshops discussing issues of identity, of language, of history. Those I thought were very productive. And other times it would be a lot more social based, where there would be more focus on getting together socially which is also important in building community. I've also seen those [cycles] in other schools that I've worked at like the University of Michigan. So I see those kinds of changing dynamics as well.

Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong:

This is a fascinating question as I reflect back on my time on campus. I now have a different understanding and perspective on activism when I was on campus. Typically we see activism as someone who goes out and protests which thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I did. I was politically engaged with other cultural and minority organizations like BSU, LASU, LGBTQ and others protested against Public Safety Officers for having guns on campus. I unfortunately, was one Asian American that participated in the sit-in and took over the Provostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. At the time, I did not see any Asian American student activism at all or what I would considered activism at the time when I arrived on campus. In hindsight, reflecting back to my time, the cultural activism was very strong on campus. China Night and Barrio Fiesta were all very strong, well attended and participated. This type of activism is not what people typically identified as but now I do see it as a vehicle to challenge mainstream about what is American culture. In addition, this is the opportunity when identities are being formed and affirmed for many of us then. A year before my arrival, I heard about political activism

on campus. Campus Dining Hall had some stereotypical caricature of Asian type decorations during ECASU conference at Binghamton. Since Binghamton students held a protest and was trying to involved ECASU and conference attendees, it created a huge issue for ECASU Board member. I was warned that our relationship with ECASU or the perception of Binghamton was that we are renegades. So I had to be careful when I became an ECASU Representative.

John Choe:

At the time I joined the Asian Student Union, a great deal of effort had already been invested in bringing together the various Asian American cultural groups and developing unity around issues of common interest. I saw my role as furthering this unity agenda by highlighting areas that still needed work, like the need to establish Asian American studies and oppose anti-Asian bias on campus, as well as building greater solidarity with other people of color. At the time, the lack of equity in SA cultural funding, the failure to provide real office space to the Asian Student

Union, and the Administration’s inability to incorporate Asian-American studies into the curriculum were all issues that helped galvanize Asian-American students on campus. External events, like the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles and the first Gulf War, were divisive and polarizing moments for many groups on campus.

Peter Van Do:

[speaking about his experience with student activism] We did a lot to really outreach, and also trying our best to unite the Asian American community at SUNY Binghamton. And that process educated us, with the guidance of Professor Yun, to guide us to understand more about the Asian American identity and the issues in the Asian American community. I think things got more solidified was through the hate crime experience with the three white wrestlers who attacked four Asian American male students. When people started saying that we were activists. . . you were pretty much in the moment and didn't have time to be labeled.

What are your hopes for the future of the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton? And in a larger context, what are your hopes for the national Asian-American Studies Movement? John Chaffee:

DAAAS is probably the most dynamic and rapidly growing department on campus, and I certainly hope that that growth will continue. As for specific areas where growth is especially needed, I would list: continued expansion of South Asian studies and the development of a Hindi/Urdu language program; faculty expansion for Asian American studies; and the development of a Ph.D. program. Nationally, Asian American studies has a bright future. Fueled by the growing prominence of Asian Americans in all areas of public life, faculty positions and programs in Asian American studies have been rapidly growing, and I suspect will continue to do so. I also believe that Binghamton’s program (and DAAAS as a whole), with its emphasis on the transnational aspects of Asian American studies and on the linkages between Asia and Asian America, has an important role to play in the national development of the field.

Cynthia Marasigan:

I think I would like to see at least four things in the future. Briefly, I would like to see more collaboration between Asian studies and Asian American studies, like we are doing in this department. I would also hope to see more comparative work done between Asian American studies with African American Studies, Chicano Studies, Native American Studies, but not only comparative work, but looking at them relationally . . . like what is the relationship between Asian American Studies with African American Studies. That’s a different approach that will give rise to seeing more of a global framework. Another thing I hope to see [for the Asian American Studies Movement] is, we discussed this a lot in Michigan, but to extend that Pacific Islanders are relevant to Asian American History. I find it important to the field to see more work on Asian American groups that are understudied like South East Asians. There is a growing Filipino American scholarship, but there is always more work to be done.

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What were some of the obstacles that you or other faculty had to encounter in the creation of the Asian and Asian American Studies Department? For instance, was there lack of support from administration, students, or were there external factors? John Chaffee:

Let me answer this question in two parts. The creation of AAASP in the early 1990s followed a decade-long process of developing East Asian Studies (EAS), a development that was absolutely essential to its transformation into AAAS. The growth of EAS was generally praised by the administration, but that praise was seldom accompanied by resources (as in the creation of new faculty positions). Much of the growth was achieved by securing outside grants for faculty expansion: two positions in Chinese language, one in Japanese language, and one in Japanese history.

California. Compared to them, after having just spent a day there, thinking we have so far to go, how is it possible that the Illinois system was able to create something that New York State hadn’t managed to do? They just have and put in a lot of resources. So the question is there a lack resources, a lack of support? Are we struggling, is there obstacles? Yes and no I would say. Now that is a different question from do I personally want this campus to be more Asian American focused - absolutely. We can certainly use that. Are there barriers to that? Yes. And what are the barriers? It’s very complicated.

Robert Ku:

Lisa Yun:

I think there’s a lot of moral support. Whether or not our program, the Asian American component, is large or small, thriving or not, it’s all relative because we have to compare it to something. Now if you compare us the Asian American studies people here to UCLA, it’s like night and day. We’re like two and a half staff and they’re like thirty or something. But if you compare us to say a vast majority of institutions outside of California, we’re better than average. Now compare us to regional places like Cornell. Cornell and us might be comparable in terms of the number of faculty and in terms of number of classes offered, comparable, but sometimes it’s like comparing apples and oranges because they have an Asian American studies program. We were a joint program, never a standalone program, and now we’re a department but not standalone department. They don’t have a department, they have a program. So in some sense, in terms of curriculum, we actually have a major track. They don’t even have that. Because the national scene, compared to other programs, is so small, just having the three of us here already makes us competitive in that regard. Now this past weekend, last Wednesday when I took a trip to Chicago, I drove down to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was invited by their Asian American studies program for a talk. Now they have a huge faculty. They have an entire house actually where they have their offices. So all their faculty members are in the same structure. They have a director that rotates every couple of years, and a number of senior people. I think they are the largest Asian American studies outside of

ASIAN OUTLOOK

In 2000, a small multi-disciplinary group of us came together to submit a proposal and win a Freeman grant of $1.75 million in 2001. John Chaffee, a Chinese historian was the principal investigator and I was the co-principal. A combination of circumstances allowed for this group to brainstorm a new kind of program: “Asian and Asian American Studies.” With no institutional precedents and no entrenched departmental obstacles, and due to collegial relationships among us, we thought of a forward-looking program that was transdisciplinary and went beyond area studies. We wanted a global approach to “Asia” that would help students examine Asian formations, cultures, and concepts as they have taken shape and transformed around the world. Contrary to assumptions that this was an administrative marriage of convenience between Asian and Asian American Studies (it wasn’t), our approach was about looking ahead to intellectual trends and being more innovative about how we study the world. With input and lively discussions, I wrote the mission statement, which became the mission statement for the eventual AAAS program and the department that followed. There is some irony to my answer. On one hand, while we were smaller and more mobile, and because there was the excitement of building something new, the creation of AAAS was about being open to possibilities. Once we won the grant, we went into a frenzy of hiring, developing curriculum, library acquisitions, and building a program. I worked with graduate students to launch the first graduate certificate

in Asian and Asian American studies in the SUNY system. Over ten years, the nascent program became a department. Students were excited about this growth and classes always filled. With the grant as a jumpstart, the administration was supportive of this growth and invested in it. Now, the department has several distinct tracks and majors, and over 20 faculty personnel to manage. In the midst, however, the Asian American studies component, which at one time had five faculty (English, History, Sociology, Anthropology, and AAAS), has dwindled to three faculty members and now is the least staffed of the department’s tracks. There is a Chinese major, Japanese major, Korean major, but there is no Asian American Studies major. The rate of hiring in the other tracks continued to increase, while hiring in Asian American Studies decreased. On several levels, the original mission is an ideal but obstacles have slowed our progress. Resistance to hiring in Asian American studies came from within departments. This answer is probably unexpected to you, because over the history of Asian American studies, students and faculty around the country faced the intransigence from the top administration. But here is an example of mid and micro-level obstacles. In the ranks of faculty, there were groups that had concerns and desires different from those in Asian American studies. To understand this, one has to take stock of the very distinct genealogies of Asian studies versus Asian American studies. The fact that we have put these two fields together at Binghamton was highly unusual compared to the national picture at the time, and to pull this off at the intellectual level, there would have to be sustained and supported dialogue. Asian American Studies arose later than Asian Studies and emerged during the 1960s and 70s, as a direct outgrowth of civil rights, campus unrest, and revolutionary movements of the period. The field is political by nature of its genealogy. The study of colonialism and imperialism, race, war, migration, resistance, cultural hybridities, and critiques of authority and power, are all cornerstone topics of the field. Working hand-in-hand with student groups and community groups is one of the hallmarks of Asian American studies as a field. With this in mind, department groups were eager to partner up to hire and retain Asianists, but were not as keen on pursuing and retaining Asian Americanists. Now that AAAS is a department and can hire without inter-departmental partners, perhaps this might change. We’ll have to see what happens over these next few years.

David Stahl:

One of the biggest problems was being a program, we just became a dept three years ago. Having a program status means that you don’t really have any faculty, you have faculty that are in other departments who are contributing time towards that, and program status means that you don’t have space, faculty … you don’t have very much. Professor Yun was in the English Department, and all of the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, faculty teaching language, literature, and culture were in Russian, German and East Asian Language. Why? This is an obstacle, and question asked by many people. What do we have in common? That was a problem because just being a program – and I of course Yun, Chaffee, Chen – were instrumental to get this going.

We faced internal obstacles in the fact that many of our faculty were in a department that was very heterogeneous and had competing politics and perceptions of what was important. Funding was an issue because we had to gradually bring in faculty members one by one. Because the administration at the time under Deflur was talking a lot about internationalization, but doing little in practice to facilitate it, they were not funding adequately as something like foreign language studies. If anything is connected to internationalization, it is studying diaspora – studying China, Japan, Korean. They liked the label, and used it a lot but did not put money where their mouth was. What we ended up with was adjuncts and we did not know semester to semester whether or not we would have the funding to maintain the adjuncts. This was a huge obstacle for us – the money was not really being put there. The department has developed to the point where it is now is due to primarily, outside funding. Some of these observations will apply to Asian American Studies as well, when you have a place that is European and American oriented, and is thinking in those terms, they don’t know or understand the value of Asian and Asian American studies. It’s hard to convince people the value in what you do. That’s another problem, people tend to make assumptions that are wrong, the don’t know how difficult Chinese, Japanese, Korean language is, and tend to think of them as if they were similar to European languages, when they are significant differences. There were financial obstacles, political and structural obstacles in terms of organization of the studies that we faced there.

Krishnendu Ray:

Both the number of students who signed up for the first course (as a result it had to be a large lecture) and the enthusiasm of students were unparalleled. The limits were that this was the first hesitant steps both for the university and for me.

Nayan Shah:

It was just lonely and demanding being the only faculty member teaching Asian American Studies and attending and participating in all the student activities and coping with the high demand for mentoring from a range of students – Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, LGBT students. There was a lot of terrific energy, enthusiasm and passion from the students. It was great when Lisa Yun was hired and began teaching courses in English Literature in 1998. After I left in 2000 for UC San Diego, it was really amazing that through the Freeman Foundation Initiative and Binghamton University support that they a half–dozen hires across many departments in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies. I wish that community had been there when I was hired! It was however terrific to have the support of faculty across campus.

Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong:

For me, it was important to find allies in the academic arena, Professor John Chaffee is one of them and important in the founding of Asian and Asian American Studies; recruit students (your peer), host teach ing sessions such as the Asian

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American Empowerment Conference, and gain support from National organizations such as National Association for Asian American Studies, and prominent faculty members like Dr. Gary Okihiro, Dr. Elaine Kim, etc. Obstacles include the lack of knowledge to fully articulate what Asian American Studies was, so that it can better convince the academic departments why Asian American Studies is important, not only for students but also as a scholarly recognized field. Majority of Asian American students did not actively involved but they do support the idea of having Asian American studies program. I remembered when Dr. John Cheng first offered Asian American History course, over 30 to 50 students signed up for the class. It was quite popular. I believe that people were curious to find out what was it about. It is no longer a workshop or a speaker event, it is actually developed into a class!

As the instructor of one of the first Asian American Studies courses on campus, what was your initial goal(s) for the course? Do you recall what texts you used to teach the course and the degree to which students were engaged in the course? Krishnendu Ray:

My initial goal was two-fold (a) to address students’ interest in Asian American history and sociology as it was the students who had demanded such a class and (b) teach myself new ways of looking at the U.S. and at myself, and learning about groups I had never studied earlier. Some of the texts that were pivotal for my teaching at that time were: (1) Asian Americans: An Interpretive History by Sucheng Chan; (2) Quiet Odyssey by Mary Paik Lee; (3) The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston; (4) Strangers from a Different Shore by Ronald Takaki; and (5) America Is in the Heart: A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan.

Nayan Shah:

I taught two courses my first year. In fall of 1995 Asian American History – I wanted to provide an introduction to the comparative histories of Chinese American, Japanese American, Filipino American, Korean American and South

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Asian American History. Students were active and engaged and read and asked questions. It was very challenging to teach the course the first time since there was a lot to cover and it was the first lecture course I ever taught, but I was both challenged and inspired by student enthusiasm. In spring of 1996 Asian Diaspora and Cultural Politics – this small seminar compared the experiences of Asian British and Asian American political and cultural activism from the 1960s to the 1990s. The class was small but I got funding to do a public film series on Asian American film and video and invited some amazing filmmakers and artists to campus. Lots of students, faculty, staff came to the events. It was amazing to share great, visionary film that you would never see at the Town Square Mall with an audience that was hungry to see representations of Asian Diasporic artists and their creative visions. We created a great film and video collection in the History Department. The VHS technology may be dated but the collection is invaluable and a great resource I was happy to have developed.

Just recently, Binghamton University received a $1 million grant from the Academy of Korean Studies that will help support research and education in Korean studies. While the department is advancing forward, students have expressed concern that other areas in the department still remain stagnant. As a key figure in the department, do you feel that such concern is warranted? And if so, how would you suggest the department address these institutional concerns? John Chaffee:

I would not agree with the characterization of non-Korean studies parts of DAAAS as stagnant. It is true that Korean studies is in the midst of a remarkable growth spurt, the result primarily of outside grants (not only the new $1 million grant but also the Korea Foundation grant that led to the hiring of Prof. Sonya Kim). But other areas have been growing as well. Professor Strippoli in Japanese literature came two years ago, the result of a second Freeman grant; Professor Song in Chinese language and linguistics was hired when a new line was created by the university; and the has added lecturer lines in Chinese and Japanese as well as Korean. It is true that we have not seen similar growth in Asian American studies and South Asian studies, but last year’s hire in Asian American history and this year’s recruitment in South Asian history (in the History Department), even though replacement positions, nevertheless provide evidence of the university’s commitment to those areas as well. We certainly need more faculty, especially in Asian American studies (a field for which there are fewer grants available than in Asian studies). For that, departmental and student lobbying will be important.

“We certainly need more faculty, especially in Asian American studies (a field for which there are fewer grants available than in Asian studies). For that, departmental and student lobbying will be important.” -John Chaffee Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Robert Ku:

The answer is both yes and no. I think having autonomy is always a good thing, but then again having affiliation with others is a good thing too. Now historically the Asian American studies was not partnered with Asian studies but with Ethnic studies. I think that's what makes it difficult to answer these questions. Because I come from a background from my own training as a graduate student and as my early career of seeing Asian American studies in locking arms with African American studies, Chicano studies, Latino Studies, American Indian studies and so forth. To be truthful, I always thought of Asian studies as sort of the anti- Asian American studies. So it's interesting that here at Binghamton, even before my arrival, that those two that I always believed to be fundamentally, philosophically, intellectually opposite force found a partnership. Which is not surprising given that Asian American studies, was throughout the 1990s looking beyond an American frame of what it was but looking at the diasporic, and transnational connections. Asian American studies was very capable of seeing what happens in Asia as an important part of thinking of Asian American. Asian studies on the other hand as a field I don't think ever made that leap. However, where it didn't meet intellectually, or academically, or scholarly, or in terms of curriculum, from the perspective of Asian studies, I think the people here saw an opportune alliance that was first and foremost institutional. Like building an academic unit.

David Stahl:

I know one of your concerns is how to grow the Asian American and Disaporic studies. One of the programs – this is an obstacle – is where do you get funding for that? And I think everyone in that knows that this is a difficult area to find outside funding for. One of the problems has been that when people left, we had difficulty with the administration of rehiring them. We have no one in the department that is teaching [South Asian Studies] other than Charles Goodwin. We have an under developed, or under development South

Asian studies program, that we're going to have to make a decision soon on what to do. Do we continue to expand, people have even mentioned South East Asia, and how important that is, so should we include that? And should it be us? One of our most pressing areas, I think, right now is Asian American Diasporic studies. Now that we have Cynthia Marasigan, we have two full time faculty and one half time person, two and a half, at least in terms of where we are in the department. With the addition of another faculty member, there could be a stand along major in Asian American Diaspora studies, it would become possible. The question is where do we get the money. Now that things are healthier in the funding because increase in tuitions, there will be quite a bit of hiring over the next five years. We are in a position to not depend on outside funding but to make arguments to the dean about the necessity and the need for another Asian American Diasporic professor. Once again, we have to convince them that this is a high priority. We are distinctive that we combined Asian and Asian American Studies Department, very few are like us, and some have imitated us. Of course, it is a ongoing endeavor, that needs like most things, development. We're coming together nicely, and there are areas that can come together more. We are starting to learn much more about each other. I do japanese studies, and of course I am aware of Japanese American experiences, but never studied it formally. We depend on our colleagues, kind of mutually, to understand what we are doing and to see those places where there are commonalities and places where there is room for collaboration. In principle, in the philosophy of the department, this is a good thing we committed ourselves to. We are requiring now that even our majors take a course on Asian American Studies – we are staying consistent to that vision. However, the question could be asked the other way: How much do our colleagues in Asian American Studies understand about East Asia/East Asian countries? I think we still need find places to collaborate as faculty, but the growth of the department is still moving forwards with all of these things in mind.

“We are distinctive that we combined Asian and Asian American Studies Department, very few are like us, and some have imitated us. Of course, it is a ongoing endeavor that needs, like most things, development. We’re coming together nicely, and there are areas that can come together more. We are starting to learn much more about each other. ” -David Stahl 34

ASIAN OUTLOOK

How has your time at Binghamton University shaped aspects of your current career? How has influenced your academic interests and your current vocational choices? Krishnendu Ray:

In fact it radically altered the direction of my inquiry and career from broad issues of development and underdevelopment that I had come to study at SUNY Binghamton’s famous Sociology Department were now reconfigured as quotidian concerns of the Asian diaspora. That is, I ended up changing my dissertation topic towards the current field of expertise which is Food Studies of the South Asian diaspora. I was teaching the first Asian American course at Binghamton University as a graduate student. I finished by dissertation titled “The Migrant’s Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households,” and moved on to teach at the Culinary Institute of America and now at New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health.

Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong:

My time at Binghamton University greatly influenced what I did afterwards. Professor John Chaffee was a phenomenal support for the Program. He insisted upon hiring a faculty member in a tenured track line so that the Program can continue to exist after my graduation. After I graduated from Binghamton University, I moved to Ithaca New York to work with Dr. Gary Okihiro and Anita Affeldt to support the National Association of Asian American Studies’ annual conference. From there, I also got involved with the local labor union to support the Asian American union members. The experience at Binghamton helped me and guided me to work in a higher educational setting. I

want to be able to continue to work with college students that are interested in social movement, social justice and social change works. I also work and advise Asian American student organizations.

Cynthia Marasigan:

[speaking about her participation in the first ever Asian American History class at Binghamton University] The first ever Asian American History class was offered by Professor John Cheng. So, it wasn't a program yet, but Amy [Kuo] and her organizers had pushed for that class. My participation was basically as a student in that class, with many other students. I'm pretty sure we had that class in one of the big lecture halls . . . the numerous, numerous students in that class showed that there was a need for Asian American studies. Because that's what Amy Kuo [Somchanhmavong] was fighting for, to show that all of these students were looking for a history that they could relate to, that they could find personal meaning. And it was really transformative for all of us because it was the first time we could see, have some kind of personal identification with an American history class. So it kind of showed us that Asian American history was a legitimate part of United States history.

Peter Van Do:

I've been to a lot of institutions. I've been to Binghamton, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts Boston, Harvard, and Cornell. And I think that Binghamton has been one of the environments where I have felt the most challenged intellectually. And that's something I appreciate the most out of Binghamton. And I really appreciate the diversity of Binghamton too. . . [speaking about why Asian American studies is important] I think that the most important thing is that American culture tends to imply that to be American you need to erase your history. And there's an investment in that, and that investment is to disempower you in a way because if you lose your history, you kind of lose any type of before experience or learning and you submit to the American ideal. And in the American ideal, especially if you aren't considered part of the mainstream, you're very vulnerable. I feel that it's important for specifically Asian Americans to learn about these things, because it is a process to really learn about yourself but also about your history in a system that has already marginalized you since the day you came over here or since the day you were born.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Life is Sweet By Yizhou Su

This narrative was written for an ESL class. The assignment was to write about a lasting memory. The author writes about a memory of her mother when she went through a medical crisis. Thank you for submitting to Asian Outlook! As the old saying goes, “Every man is the architect of his own fortune.” I did not understand the meaning of this saying until I was 10. Before that year, I thought I lived an insipid life which I was unsatisfied with. I hoped to experience something exciting and risky rather than those boring days. That idea was totally changed when suddenly my Mom became ill. That year I was only 10 years old. The life I was used to was interrupted because of her illness, and all those changes made me afraid and lost. These kinds of feelings lasted a long time until my Mom recovered and life returned to being peaceful. When I look back on this difficult period, I find the normal life is also full of sparkles if you have a thankful heart. My Mom had frequent serious headaches during winter and the situation got worse and worse. One morning she was suffering too much to do anything and had to be sent to the hospital. Then the doctors found a tumor in her brain and they had to do an operation to find out whether it was malignant or benign. The next time I saw her she was in a deep coma lying in bed. I was so shocked and afraid that I could not say a word. Although treated carefully by doctors, Mom did not regain consciousness and needed a machine to breathe. The operation on the brain was too important and difficult to be done in such a terrible situation, so we had to wait for Mom to get better. It was the longest wait of my life. We did not know whether Mom would be better or worse the next day. All we could do was treat the tumor, observe it and wait. Sometimes we felt depressed and helpless because of the situation. Our peaceful life was destroyed by the hated illness.

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These unusual events became the norm during those days. I had to always stay alone at home since my Dad had to look after Mom at night. After I came back home from school, nobody was waiting for me with questions of what had happened at school. When it got dark outside, the house seemed so big and empty for a 10-year-old girl. Frightening stories and characters I had heard of before all came into my mind. Plots in horror movies, such as a female ghost staring at you in the dark, went on in my mind continuously. I was so nervous and scared that I turned on all the lights and television in the evening. However, I still could not fall asleep with those lights and noise. I could not help worrying about Mom although Dad told me not to be influenced by Mom’s illness. All thoughts about the future and fear of losing my Mom made me sleep restlessly, which always led to a nightly cry. Fear surrounded me during the daytime, too. I could not focus on what the teacher said. I could not finish my homework in time. My studying became poor and I even failed one math test. The math teacher criticized me for lack of concentration, but I just felt annoyed about it because I didn’t care about studying at that time. Sometimes I felt that I could not breathe with so many fears and worries. I did not know what to do during those dark days. I did not feel like studying. I did not feel like playing, either. There was no way for me to release the strain and the anxiousness. I picked up a book to read and gave up in five minutes. I turned on the television and changed the channels quickly. I did not even want to talk to my friends. The only thing I was looking forward to was visiting Mom on weekends. But I was also afraid of the visits because most of the time she did not

Misfortune is a good teacher because it teaches us what fortune is. In that freezing winter I learned something I seldom thought about before. get better and with so many unknown machines she seemed so unfamiliar. She could not smile at me like she always had in the past 10 years. She could not listen to my complaints and encourage me. The sickroom was silent, but there were a lot of messages from my heart. I wanted to tell her how afraid I was these days. I wanted to tell her I could not live life without her. I wanted to tell her that I was really sorry for annoying her so many times in the past. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. I wanted to tell her that all I wanted was her recovery, but she could not hear. All I could do was stand in front of the bed, staring at the person I loved most in the world. Life must continue no matter what happens. I had to get used to the lonely life since Dad was busy both working and looking after Mom. I did not want to be another trouble for him. He was so tired. I tried to do some housework but I failed. When I did not know how to operate the washing machine or how to cook a meal for myself, I regretted my incompetence. Even then, my parents had not ask me to do any housework. I did not practice those skills. I could do little to help my Dad. What was worse, I could not ensure the basic necessities of my own life when I was left alone at home. My Dad was worried and finally he decided to send me to a friend’s home so that I would be better cared for. The days in another person’s house were uncomfortable though they welcomed me and cared for me sincerely. Dad came to see me two or three times a week. I missed the life with Dad and Mom. I missed them. The memories became so vivid when I was in a strange environment. The dialogue between the mother and her son reminded me of the same thing which had happened between Mom and I. It was six months before Mom’s illness. I wanted a new schoolbag which was popular among my classmates. But Mom rejected my demand, and gave a long lecture to tell me not to use such boring and useless standards to compare myself to others. At that time I was impatient and just wanted to run away from her tedious words. But now when Mom could

not deliver a sermon, I started to miss her words of “You should not… ” and “You should…”. When I was at home, I had often complained about my Mom’s cooking and insisted on not eating any carrots. We often quarreled with each other about this. But during those days I thought the meals my Mom cooked were the most delicious food in the world. I was afraid of never having a chance to eat her meals again. The longer I stayed in another’s home, the more I missed my own family. Almost two months passed, Mom was better and sometimes woke up for a while. The doctors decided that it might be an appropriate time to do the operation. I remember it was a freezing day when Mom had the operation. During the operation, I was at school. Although I wanted to wait for the result in the hospital, Dad did not allow this. I was too nervous to do anything at school that day. The day seemed to be so long and I counted every minute. Eventually the good news came. The operation was successful and the tumor proved to be negative. After the operation, Mom recovered slowly, but the world was already bright again. Those things I missed came back after the long, unbearable and lonely winter. Misfortune is a good teacher because it teaches us what fortune is. In that freezing winter I learned something I seldom thought about before. The things and people I missed most in that winter were what I took for granted without treasuring them. Once I lost them, I found how stupid I was to ignore those really important things in my life. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. Many unexpected factors, like illness, can destroy a family and one’s life easily. Maybe we cannot fight against those damaging factors, but we can value daily life. If we do not pay attention to ordinary, everyday life, we will have less happiness in our lives. If we appreciate the life we are experiencing with a thankful heart, life will give us more joy. When we are all old, the little memories of happiness in our busy lives will all become our treasured memories.

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

the

death

Danny Chen

n early October, Army officials entered the household of Su Zhen and her husband, Yan Tao Chen, and informed them of their son’s death. Their son, 19 year old Pvt. Danny Chen, was found with a fatal gunshot wound in the guard tower of an American output in Afghanistan. Once aspiring to be a policeman, Chen joined the army for valuable experience. He has now joined a group of American soldiers who have fought and died in Afghanistan under strange circumstances. In 2002, Pat Tillman, a gifted student and talented football player, gave up a promising sports career in order to serve in the United States Army. He later died in an intense firefight in Afghanistan. However, further investigation revealed accidental friendly fire caused his death. While Tillman was killed by his fellow soldiers in an accident, similar investigations on Chen’s unusual death revealed that his own battalion may have maliciously driven him to suicide. During his time in the military, Chen suffered repeated physical and verbal abuse. Official reports and snippets from his journal detailed the disciplinary actions he underwent. While judicious use of punishments can maintain discipline, the military has stated it “does not tolerate hazing of any kind” in response to past incidents of suicide. Furthermore, Chen spoke of the casual racism he experienced from his peers. An excerpt from the Times revealed that Chen said to his parents, “I get made fun of for being Asian/Chinese everyday but it’s not hardcore.” All of this was exacerbated by the military’s lack of communication with Chen’s family in the aftermath of their son’s death. They have only released three pages of Chen’s journal to his family. The contents of the journal were in sharp contrast to the gregarious messages and phone calls they received from their son. The scattershot narrative of the abridged journal chronicled Chen’s pessimism over the reprimands he received over minor incidents. Understandably, the military can withhold information, especially in an on-going investigation, if its release held a clear and present danger to public safety. Nevertheless, the United States Military has not answered why the

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By Ritesh Kadam

journal of a mere private soldier has warranted such censorship. Most of the soldiers and officer in Chen’s battalion have refused to comment or be interviewed. Chen was not the only Asian-American soldier driven to suicide in recent memory. Earlier this year, Lance Cpl. Harry Lew killed himself in Afghanistan after prolonged abuse from his squad mates and squad leader. After he was found repeatedly sleeping during guard duty, Lew’s officers made him perform debilitating exercise in full combat gear while sand was thrown at his face. While dereliction of duty is a serious offence and danger to the rest of the platoon, members of Lew’s platoon have testified that his punishment went past discipline and fell well into the territory of hazing and humiliation. They also believed Lew’s race may have been a factor in the severity of his discipline. The deaths of Lew and Chen signify the status of Asian soldiers as an alien presence in the United States military. Asians have been an uncommon sight in the American military. Certainly, the highly decorated 442nd Infantry Regiment was comprised of Japanese-American enlisted men. Likewise, Japanese-American Eric Shinseki, four star General and former Chief of Staff of the Army, currently serves as United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Nonetheless, relatively few Asians pursue a military career over white-collar jobs. While they represent 5 percent of the United States’ population, Asians only compromise 3.2 percent of military recruits. In spite of concerns raised by his mother, Chen wanted to pursue the life of a soldier. The United States military has regularly faced disapproval for the lack of diversity in each echelon of its organization. The lack of racial diversity may alienate minority soldiers in an organization that needs teamwork and camaraderie. It also raises a rhetorical barb against the military; how can a military bring tolerance and stability to a region engulfed in conflict when the organization itself faces continual issues of bigotry and discord? As the military continues its investigation, Chen’s friends and family in Chinatown mourn his untimely death.

“During his time in the military, Chen suffered repeated physical and verbal abuse. Official reports and snippets from his journal detailed the disciplinary actions he underwent. While judicious use of punishments can maintain discipline, the military has stated it “does not tolerate hazing of any kind” in response to past incidents of suicide. Furthermore, Chen spoke of the casual racism he experienced from his peers. An excerpt from the Times revealed that Chen said to his parents, ‘I get made fun of for being Asian/Chinese everyday but it’s not hardcore.”

“They have only released three pages of Chen’s journal to his family. The contents of the journal were in sharp contrast to the gregarious messages and phone calls they received from their son. The scattershot narrative of the abridged journal chronicled Chen’s pessimism over the reprimands he received over minor incidents.” Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/nyregion/after-soldiers-death-a-chinatown-family-seeks-answers.html http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/09/13/my-momdeserves-to-know-the-truth/ http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_19202112

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

Travel Review/

Food in Korea: By Clara Kittrell

A Different Flavor

ou never really realize just how big of an impact that food has on a culture until you have experienced it for yourself. During my year spent abroad in South Korea, the food culture there entranced and intrigued me. From small street vendors selling bbundaegi (fried and seasoned bug larvae) to high end restaurants selling fusion Korean food, every dish of food seems to have its own special meaning and own time and place. One of the first things I noticed in Korea was the abundance of banchan, or side dishes, that one is served when they go to any restaurant. In America, if you want a side beyond the traditional bread with your meal you generally have to order it- not to mention it will not be free either. In Korea, almost as soon as you sit down in a restaurant anywhere from 5 to 10 small dishes of snacks are set down for you to sample free of charge. Refills are free as well. The side dishes themselves are as varied as can be, from kimchi to dried anchovies to pickled greens. They do not stop once the main meal arrives either. As long as you are sitting and eating, if you ask for a side dish refill they will bring it to you free of charge. If you did not watch how much you were eating, you could be half-full from side dishes before you even got to the main course. Another interesting bit of food culture I discovered was that whenever I went to visit a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. It did not matter what time of day, the host would always be sure to offer me some sort of snack to eat, most commonly fresh fruit cut up and served on a small plate. If you finish the fruit, more is brought and they will keep providing you with fruit until it was time to leave again. The variety of the fruit was impressive as well. One platter would generally include slices of apple, asian pears, peach, orange, or a number of other combinations. The style of many of the restaurants in Korea was something that I found unique- like nothing I had never seen in America. Granted, that could be because I am a small town girl, but I still thought it was very fun. Many of the restaurants you would go to in order to eat meat, called a gogi jip in Korean, had you cook your own meat right at the table. The table is constructed in such a way that the center is sunken down, and hot coals are placed in the middle and then covered with a grate. After you order your meat (pork, beef or chicken, various cuts) it is brought to you raw on a plate along with a pair of tongs and scissors. I thought it was quite ingenious. You never have your meat cooked too rare or too overdone for

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you. Not to mention that for some reason sitting around the table cooking meat with friends just felt more personal and relaxed than having to sit and wait for our food to come to us. Interestingly enough, some of what, to me seemed to be the most traditional food came from the small street side vendors. Delicious Korean dishes such as ddeokbboki (spicy rice cakes), soondae (a Korean sausage), and twigim (deep fried seafood and vegetables) could all be bought in these little street shops. Almost like a Korean version of fast food, you could walk up and order your food to go and the vendor would wrap it up for you so you could take it to eat wherever you pleased. Sometimes they had small stools and a little counter in case you wanted to eat there as well, but many people commonly buy it to take and share with their friends a little later on. Compared to food culture in America, I found Korean food culture be much more communal and a lot more social. It was very common to share from one large communal dish when you went out to eat with friends. In fact, most places did not give each person a full-sized personal plate. At most you received a small platter for little portions of food, but the general idea was to just share with everyone. Out of all the new things I learned and experienced in Korea, I have to say that the food culture there was one of my favorite memories. Not only was the food itself delicious, but the way it was eaten made the experiences I had so much more memorable and highly enjoyable.

Clara enjoying a meal of Gogi Jib

AO Conscience

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time Machineâ&#x20AC;? by Barjesh Barjesh

The very first glance of mine made me nauseate squinted at the clamping of the umbilical noose my delivery - an abortive tussle to stay in the oasis nobody cared, sobbing perceived otherwise During the final hours I sat beside the creator to acknowledge the last breath passing through the bod at the bank of Ganges, the funeral was smelling like a barbecue and I witnessed the spirit moving through the hazy smoke. Mom, I adore you more than anything else and in parallel, I am scared of you like a kid. It's only your love that I accept with open arms, otherwise It simply makes me sick and uncomfortable. Right from the prenatal stage to the next couple of months, almost all of your do's and don't's regarded me. How could I forget that when I shout at you for a little extra tinge of salt. So mean of me. A couple of times, I tried to figure it out, how much I owe you? But easily, I could not. It would be a drop in the ocean to reciprocate your love, affection and myriads of sacrifices.

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Conscience Cover by Susi Ngo

from the album “The Beauty of Dragon” by Susi Ngo

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

I + You

by Ivan Yeung Before, your smile Made a smile appear And any stress Wither away to the winds. Before, your voice Made my heart flutter When I + You Were spoken together. Before, you Made me believe Love can be real And forever was only beginning. Now, your smile Makes my heart pain And my patience Empty like bottles on the beach. Now, you voice Makes my blood boil When sorry Becomes your only spoken word. Now, you Make me understand Our memories, our smiles Were only for my storybook. A storybook where I + You Will never be Connected by â&#x20AC;&#x153;loveâ&#x20AC;?.

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Thirst by Jonathan Yee

Vol. XXV, Issue 2

epiphyllum oxypetalum a.k.a. the “Night Queen.” by Jeff Hwang

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Snow

by Michael Chung A perfect snow flake falls freely Thousands follow, making it less lonely Insignificant alone but grand in number Even the night couldn’t make the scene dimmer A man arises from the distance Mesmerized by the beauty but wary of the silence He ponders whether he should stay Instead he let his memories take him away The coldness vanished and the air became warm Vibrant flowers and the lush greenery soon took form The sky was bright and the comfortable air didn’t stir But he was still searching, searching for her He thought deeper and began to remember The countless hours they spent together Even the undesirable moments became pleasant reflections Because of her, he felt no inflictions Dancing with her was effortless Moments of laughter were countless Yet she was troubled for reasons he didn’t know Her destiny was calling, and she had to follow She promised to meet him after each first snow Stating their bond will be easy to regrow So he waited at the same place each year But she never showed to his deepest fear Scanning the emptiness he proceeded to walking But soon, he found someone behind hugging He knew it was her But his anger and joy made his speech a slur All these years she left for a reason Her family’s disapproval of him she couldn’t outrun So she left before he was hurt And returned when she no longer needed emotions to be covert He asked, how long have you waited for me? She replied, as long as you have for me

Vol. XXV, Issue 2