Dear MAASU members,

MAASU would like to invite you to apply for two awards that will be recognized at the SC banquet:

Charles Chang Leadership Award: In honor of the founder of MAASU, this award is given to an individual student who has demonstrated leadership and dedication to the APIA community. The recipient will receive a $500 scholarship and plaque.

Board of Advisors Award: Each year this award recognizes one APIA student organization or school that has made great accomplishments and efforts on their campus and in the MAASU community.

Click the links for more information about the awards, the selection criteria, and how to apply for the awards. The deadline for all applications and nomination forms will be due February 26th March 12th, 2010 and to receive the awards you must be present at MAASU 2010 SC.

We look forward to receiving your applications...and look out for the SC website soon! :)

This was written by D’Artagnan Scorza, the Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute.

African American students at UC San Diego were shocked and demoralized by a “Compton Cookout” that took place this past Monday February 15.

According to the Facebook invitation, students from several fraternities organized this party in honor of Black History Month, inviting guests to “experience the various elements of life in the ghetto.”

Males were encouraged to wear oversized clothing, chains, and display tattoos. As “ghetto chicks,” females were “to speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger.” They were also supposed to imitate other so-called characteristics of “ghetto chicks” such as having a limited vocabulary, using vulgarities, and smacking their lips.

After protests from the Black Student Union and African American students on campus, on the evening of February 18, 2010, several students broke into the university-funded television station SR-TV in support of the Compton cookout, calling the African American community “ungrateful niggers.” Upon investigation of the program host’s media offices, the campus discovered a note on the studio floor with the words “Compton lynching.”

The students involved with the initial event are currently planning a “Compton Cookout Part Deux” in March. This is in defiance of the frustration of African Americans and other underrepresented students of color.

These events have caused UCSD to earn the reputation of being a racist school and is a blow to recruitment efforts for Black students and other underrepresented minorities to the UCSD campus. Currently, UCSD’s African American student body comprises 2% of the total population, despite a much larger presence statewide. Our tax dollars are supporting an institution that has a reputation for tolerating such offensive behavior against Black students.

Responses

UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox issued a statement condemning the initial event as did the Associated Students (AS) organization. In addition, several hundred students have led protests on the UCSD campus. Fox agreed to a list of demands on the part of students and members of the community including the creation of a task force to improve the university climate for underrepresented students and launched an investigation into criminal activity and violations of the Student Code of Conduct.

What Is Needed

We need to raise awareness and apply pressure to the entire University system. As unfortunate as this circumstance is, it is not isolated to just one campus. Campuses such as UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz have faced similar problems in the past.

These types of events occur in part because of the small numbers of students of color. Without a critical mass of people of color, White students feel emboldened to allow their most base racist views manifest itself into incidents such as the “Compton Cookout.”

Organizers ask that letters of support and expressions of disapproval be directed to the UCSD Chancellor, Marye Anne Fox at University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093 and to the UC Board of Regents at University of California 111 Franklin Street Oakland, California 94607.

Furthermore, you can support the students by attending any sponsored event both on and off the campus. Finally, you can call on UCSD to explore disciplinary actions against perpetrators of hate and intolerance.

For the 18th consecutive year, the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) will award three (3) scholarships and nine (9) paid internships to college students who CAPAL identifies as future civic, community, or professional leaders in public service with demonstrated commitment to public service, including service to the Asian Pacific American community and have a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher.

CAPAL Scholarship recipients will have secured an internship of their choice, spend the summer at a public service internship—for a federal government agency, a Capitol Hill legislative office, or a non-profit organization—and gain firsthand knowledge of the workings of American government. The $2,000 scholarship supports the successful completion of an internship in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

CAPAL also partners with four federal government agencies to award nine paid internships to college students interested in public policy and in gaining valuable experience working in the federal government. Two interns will be placed at each of the following United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies: Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Rural Development (RD); Forest Service (FS); and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Each intern will be assigned mentors and will receive a $2,000 stipend.

For application forms and additional details, visit the website.
Inquiries may be addressed to scholarships@capal.org.
The early application deadline is March 15, 2010. All other applications will be reviewed and decided upon on a rolling basis. Only top candidates will be contacted for phone interviews.

Good Luck!

Want an opportunity to network with Asian American student leaders nationwide? A chance to tackle real issues in the community with professional, academic and social resources at your disposal? In one of the largest student collaborations to date, the East Coast Asian American Student Union, the Midwest Asian American Student Union, the National APIA Panhellenic Association and the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations has joined their resources and created the Asian American Identity Project. In an effort to create a louder voice for the Asian American collegiate community and create a youth initiative to many of the problems that have resulted in discrimination and prejudice, our alliance of national student organizations is looking for determined, capable student leaders to form the Identity Project Dream Team. The purpose of the Dream Team is to meet the goals set forth by the Alliance of organizations to positively impact the status quo. As a member of the Dream Team, you will have access to the combined networks of our organizations, professional development provided by our non-profit partners and funding from grants and sponsorships. The ultimate success and impact of this initiative will be determined by the drive and vision of those involved. So apply to the team and be the voice for your generation.

For all inquiries and interests, please send them to project.asam@unavsa.org
Deadline is March 21st, 2010 at 11:59pm PST

Application here.

Dear MAASU members,

The Ohio State University is hosting the MAASU 2010 Spring Conference in less than two months! This year's theme is "Make It Count."

The 2010 Census will define who we are as a nation. Knowing that Asian Americans have been underrepresented in the past, we want to ensure that this year we catalyze the change we want to see, in political representation and allocation of government funding. This year the MAASU Spring Conference will emphasize the importance of Making it Count: your identity, your voice, and your vision. It’s important to know and care about issues relevant to the Asian Pacific Islander American community. How can we make a difference if the Census Bureau can’t even accurately count our numbers? We will not remain complacent to the fact that we are underrepresented – it’s time to embrace our Asian heritage and American culture and realize the significance of our identity, our voice, our vision.

Be sure to become a member of MAASU today to take advantage of the Early Registration rate for member schools of $35 per participant! And it comes with a shirt!

Dear MAASU members,

It is time to start the next MAASU program! From now until March 31st MAASU will be helping an organization called Feeding America. This organization provides food for low income families in the United States for many years now. Participating schools will collect as many canned goods as possible. At the end of the program all canned goods will be donated to the Feeding America branches in your area. Last year, the University of Minnesota collected over 8,000 canned goods, which is an amazing feat.

This is another opportunity for you to compete against other Midwest schools for a free MAASU membership for one year! We highly encourage everyone to participate in this program to help others in need.

For more information about the program and Feeding American, please download the canned food drive proposal here. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to contact our Programming Co-Chairs (virixz@gmail.com & anthony.nguyen14@gmail.com)!

Dear MAASU members,

The deadline for the Habitat for Humanity Challenge is next Sunday, January 31st. Please get your pictures, hours, etc. to our Programming Co-Chairs (virixz@gmail.com & anthony.nguyen14@gmail.com) to be considered for the prize of free one-year MAASU membership for your school!

Hear what member school Mizzou has learned from their volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity:

Even if you're unable to participate in the program before the deadline, we hope you and your APIA organizations will volunteer in your local communities if you don't already. Be on the look out for another program from MAASU soon!

Dear MAASU members,

We know you are all eager to find out more about MAASU 2010 Spring Conference (SC) "Make it Count" at OSU, especially to set your budgets. Registration will start around $40 and hotel rooms will range $80-100. The website and registration will be up soon! Thanks so much for your patience.

MAASU would like to invite you to apply for two awards that will be recognized at the SC banquet:

Charles Chang Leadership Award: In honor of the founder of MAASU, this award is given to an individual student who has demonstrated leadership and dedication to the APIA community. The recipient will receive a $500 scholarship and plaque.

Board of Advisors Award: Each year this award recognizes one APIA student organization or school that has made great accomplishments and efforts on their campus and in the MAASU community.

Click the links for more information about the awards, the selection criteria, and how to apply for the awards. The deadline for all applications and nomination forms will be due February 26th March 12th, 2010 and to receive the awards you must be present at MAASU 2010 SC.

We look forward to receiving your applications...and look out for the SC website soon! :)