60 Things I Learned At Bing By Mike Messina
Hello! My name is Mike Messina, I’m a senior double majoring in physics and political science. I’ve been very involved on campus since my freshman year and would like to share some of the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the past four years. I have been president of the Asian Student Union and president of Asian Outlook Media. I have also been an officer for the Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers, the Cinema Society of Binghamton, TaeKwonDo Club, and Explorchestra. I worked as an events center employee, tour guide, and tour guide supervisor. I tried and failed to start a Self Defense Club. I tried and failed to become the Student Association’s VP of Multicultural Affairs (but ran a damn good campaign). I helped organize a rally to combat Asian hate crimes and our administration’s gross neglect of racist incidents. I have been in countless rooms of activists, some of which have survived, others have fallen apart. I made my way to Washington, D.C. on two separate occasions, and a third occasion virtually. I was named the 2020 Trailblazer by the East Coast Asian American Student Union. I have hosted, produced and written for four different podcasts and been featured on WHRW radio. I discovered a love of story and screenwriting. I have written stories that I’ve seen come to life on stage and on screen. I wrote an Asian horror film that I thought would never be made. Then, I co-founded a small production group that made it into a short film a few months later. I have made friends here. I have seen these friends either drift away, move away, or pass away. Other friends, I’ve managed to hold onto. I like to think that I’ve changed this campus for the better but it’s too soon to tell. I do know that this campus has changed me for the better. Below, I share 60 lessons I learned from my four years here. Please reach out to me if you want to chat about what’s written. I would love nothing more than to talk through some points with someone!
For My Activists
1. Solidarity is key. 2. All the issues are connected. 3. Really listen to and consider the other side. You will either change your position to a more informed one or keep the same position and be better equipped to debate the other side. 4. Administration knows that students get busy and graduate every four years. Their strategy is to change nothing and wait you out. 5. Two things will influence a school administration: money and press. 6. Money comes largely from alumni donors and new students. 7. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Film it, write it down, keep those records for future generations to consult. 8. LEARN FROM HISTORY! It will inform your plans and fire you up. 9. Know the differences between protest methods. The wrong strategy can send a completely wrong message. 10. Students CAN make a difference. In fact, the term “Asian American” came from the student activists of the Third World Liberation Front in the late 60’s. 11. To get people engaged, Trojan Horse those social issues. Promise a concert, a cultural show, a movie, anything fun, and deliver social issue discourse through them. 12. “Cultural” programming and “political” programming for college clubs don’t have to be separate. In fact, your cultural background has a lot to do with the current political world. They’re one and the same.
22 ASIAN OUTLOOK
Photo from: Daily Photo - Binghamton University
