Yuki Lin ∙ Elisa Mao ∙ Min Yoo ∙ Matty Wise

>> An effective gauge on the campus climate of the 5 Claremont Colleges is the material that is being printed in student publications. The issues that the colleges are unwilling to publicly address and engage in at a visible level are often carried by the student body. Through the use of student publications, one is able to briefly glimpse into the life of a student at the Claremont Colleges. By surveying the subject matter written by and about Asian Americans and their affiliated organizations, we may notice certain trends about how the Asian American community establishes itself as well as how the rest of the 5-C community chooses to accept them. Asian Americans are always dealing with many of the present Asian American issues, and problems on campus. In March of 1992 during winter recess, a group of students-possibly under the influence- went to Walker Wall of Pomona College and scribbled “Asian Americans Die Now!” over a 25- foot poster that originally said “Asian American Studies Now!” Offended students wrote a memorandum for demands and asserted the following:

>> Students and the college can no longer remain complacent in the thought that the needs of Asian American students and the awareness of the Asian American experience is adequately addressed (March, 1992)

>> The faculty of Pomona College responded by asking the administration to consider the demands made by the students and the administration unanimously agreed. As such, publication of newsletters and writings by Asian American student organizations is a key tool that determines how “successful” an Asian American student’s treatment is at the 5 campuses, as well as their transitions from high school to one of the Claremont Colleges. The Asian American organizations which release newsletters or publications on a regular basis include the Asian American Mentor Program (AAMP) based at Pomona College, the Asian American Student Union (AASU) based at Scripps College, and the Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS) based at Pitzer College. These three organizations strive to establish communities which are comfortable enough for members within to publicly express their opinions and emotions.

>> The publication by CAPAS is called “Voices from the Margin,” and includes pieces by writers who voluntarily submit their works. The subject matter covers topics ranging from the hardships faced by Asian Americans to the threat of environmental issues that impact them. “Voices from the Margin” has grown in the last three years from being an article just about CAPAS and a few Asian American issues to a newsletter where students can submit all sorts of things ranging from politics to cooking instructions to student art. As far as students attitudes on the campus went, there was a mix of feelings. For instance, one student commented on the Asian American community saying,“I’ve never understood why we discriminate within our community when we already have more than enough problems with others discriminating against us.” Another student wrote “these [hate incidents during the spring of 2004] opened our eyes to the fact that although many [Asian Americans] may distance ourselves from the many problems that affect our community, they can hit us right at home. When and what will it take to finally get ourselves mobilized and active?” This student was clearly voicing his sentiments that Asian Americans at the 5-C’s have been very quiet politically, even in the events of the hate incidents that happened in 2004. Another student wrote about being a vegetarian, and then alluding to how a certain experience as a vegetarian was similar to being Asian American. “But I’ll be silent. Because I’m angry. Because I’m misunderstood. So silence. Silence is my only solace.”

>> While there aren’t many articles about students and their sentiments, perhaps the growth of the magazine can explain the status of the Asian American community at Pitzer College. Considering that the newsletter began as only a six page publication, and has now grown to be 15 pages, it could be said that the voices of Asian Americans are growing as well. The newsletter helps to show the many things that Asian Americans are interested in writing about, and that there is a continuing and growing interest in letting their voices get heard. However it should be noted that perhaps the growth of the newsletter is reflecting the growth of CAPAS and not necessarily the growth of the Asian American community. It is hard to tell which is which, or perhaps they are closely tied.

>> The AAMP publication is called “AAMPlified” and it covers mostly AAMP events. Generally, the newsletter was not particularly helpful in determining the campus climate because it mainly targeted the recruitment of Asian American first years at Pomona College and was simply a promotion of the program. The subject matter mainly consisted of a few articles on various events and introductions of the mentors in the program. However, the AAMP program of 2002-2003 had a number of noteworthy political agendas in their newsletters. In “AAMPlifed” Vol. 9 Issue #3, three issues were discussed regarding the proposal for a 5 College Asian American Student Center, the AAMP spring retreat being opened to all ethnic groups, and the overwhelming number of East Asians among the Asian American student body at Pomona.

>> The discussion of the need for a 5 College Asian American Student Center has been around - even before the publication of this article. But students have yet to have a proposal approved. The argument for the 5 C student center revolves around the idea of a physical, tangible Asian American community among the colleges, and a desire to feel more comfortable with other Asian Americans at any of the Claremont Colleges. In a response letter to the most recent proposal for a Asian American Student Center, the Council of the Claremont Colleges stated the following as one of the reasons for refusing to create the center:

>> While retention rates may vary at individual colleges, proportionately Asian Americans retain and graduate in high numbers and are successful in their academic programs of study (http://www.geocities.com/aascnow/response.html)

 

>> This justification is based on the “model minority myth,” the belief that Asian Americans are the “ideal immigrant,” hard working and successful. This unjust expectation for Asian American students is a sensitive issue that must be addressed, for many of students in various publications.

>> The opening of the AAMP retreat to all ethnic groups is a noteworthy issue, because it indicates a rather revolutionary step by AAMP to improve relations among those in the non-APA community. AAMP has been heavily criticized, in many cases by white students who claim that AAMP practices lead to exclusivity and racial cliques. It is known to “undermine diversity.” These issues will be discussed further in this presentation, but it is important to note that AAMP is actively reacting to the negative campus climate in regards to ethnic-specific student organizations. It is taking large strides in improving the social and racial climates at Pomona College that may seem to be taking downturns.

>> The article dealing with the ethnic breakdown of the Asian American student body is a reaction not only to the invitation of Asian Americans of low income levels to MSAP week (Minority Student Action Program- geared towards attracting minority students to the 5 colleges), but also a criticism of what it means to be Asian American. Linda Hahn ’05, in a letter sent to the admissions office in charge of the program, states the following:

>> All Asian American students should be invited to the weekends regardless of socioeconomic status because class is not a proxy for race.

>> The exclusion of Asian American students during MSAP week was once again based on the model minority myth, the justification being that Asian American students did not need extra “assistance” during the college application process because of the preconceived notion that they are intelligent, they are wealthy enough to fund their own educational paths and their parents have “don’t this before.” This may be true in some cases, but in its entirety, it is an unjust assumption and proves to be false for many Asian American families.

>> The second level of this article dealt with the Asian American identity, a common theme throughout many of the student publications. Although not as explicit as many other articles, this AAMP article demonstrated the lack of South/South-eastern Asians. Often times, the definitions of Asian American excluded these less represented demographics, demonstrating the need for not just a diverse student body, but also a more ethnic diversity which can be broken down even further within each racial category.

>> The Scripps College publication, named “Unbound,” generally deals with issues of identity and political climate on the campus. Common themes include the model minority myth, the myth of self exclusion, and lack of support for the Asian American community on the 5 Colleges.

>> Like the other student publications at the Claremont Colleges, the women at Scripps make their powerful voices heard regarding current issues of Asian American retreats/bonding and its importance, clashes between whites/ Asians at the colleges, and racism encountered on a subliminal level. The following is an excerpt taken from Volume 3, Issue 2 of the Spring 2004 edition regarding the importance of Asian American retreats/bonding:

"We all look forward to this time spent [2003 Fall retreat] among friends, not simply among peers. While our daily routines at Scripps cause our lives to weave in and out of each other’s, this is a time where classes, meetings, and work are put on the backburner and, and a riveting game of “Taboo” takes precedence. The true significance that lies in these retreats is the friendships that are secured and bonds that are strengthened. Hopefully, this fundamental tradition will be carried on by classes to come."--Victoria Tsoong

>> Victoria’s desire for future generations to carry on this tradition is conveyed powerfully through her message. She explains how members of the Asian American community are not always their true selves when thrown into academic environments, but rather, they must experience more casual, social environments to engage and interact fully.

>> Earlier this year, Scripps College students were informed of a “white student scholarship award” (not specified where) exclusive only to students with white skin-this scholarship is interpreted as an attempt to battle affirmative action practices. An outraged Asian American community was asked to express their opinions regarding this matter. The following are strong examples of such, also from Volume 3, Issue 2 of the Spring 2004 edition:

“Color is an exclusionary factor, and most recently it seems it has been a means to exclude those who are white, regardless of race or achievements…To be a race other than white these days means that you are exclusively allowed to apply for scholarships that are based on your skin color first, your personhood next…When people look at this white scholarship, they will be outraged at the idea of exclusion of others based on skin color, but only because those doing the excluding want white. If this were an application for an ethnicity, no one would take notice. I am not a skin color, I am not a sexual preference, I am not a gender, I am not a stereotype. I am a person and deserved to be judged on who I truly am. And, on all those applications that ask for you to pick your race, I always decline to answer, because that outward trait DOES NOT and WILL NOT define who I am.” –Vanessa S., ‘05

Another similar account expresses the following:

“There is an unfortunate tendency in this country to treat ‘white’ as the unmarked, expected norm, which actually furthers the idea that ‘white’ (in which category many nationalities and ethnicities fall, as many ethnicities are considered “of color”) is not ethnicity or culture at all, but the lack of it. The idea of creating a scholarship for ‘white’ students reframes the issue and requires people to rethink not only the double-standard, but the ways in which ‘whiteness’ is perpetuated as the unmarked norm through the very systems which hope to fight this.” –Kristina W. ‘06

>> According to Kristina W., the struggles we cope with include the “social norms” we must follow. Such a scholarship reinforces racism, segregation, and marginalization-all issues that should be eliminated from all intellectual and academic environments.

>> In another section of the same article, two women found it necessary to address the passiveness of the administration at the time of the hate crimes in 2003-2004.

“The fact that the administration at the colleges looked upon this incident with little regard and addressed the Claremont community in a tone of dismissiveness is, in and of itself, an act of ignorance. Rather than placing the blame on ignorant and careless students, perhaps the administration should have taken some time to re-evaluate their own stance and their own responses to an act of symbolic and tangible significance to many." --Wendy Liang and Diana Ming Yin

>> Hopefully the above accounts of Scripps students portray a general feel of the stances students take when the opportunities, or problems arise. Each of the above examples prove to be powerful examples of their genuine opinions. The name of the publication, “Unbound” is appropriate in that the women at Scripps hold no limits to their expressions in these real, and intimate publications.

>> “The Student Life” (TSL), although not released by an Asian American student publications, is another publication (website) that exposes many ongoing battles regarding marginalized groups. Because TSL is based at the Pomona College campus, AAMP is most often unjustly targeted for any TSL criticisms. A few of the common trends discussed in the articles include creation of racial cliques, undermining of diversity, the model minority myth, and issues published that were meant to be funny, but in reality offensive and obtrusive. During the 97-98 year, an article published in TSL openly mocked the AAMP program, by establishing a proposal for a student organization called the Caucasian American Mentor Program (CAMP). The following is an excerpt from the article:

" Rather than forcing the students to interact with members of other races, we feel that it would be more beneficial if they were allowed to stay within the framework of their childhood/teen years, sheltered in a familiar world of Caucasian Americans."( TSL 97-98)

>> Following this publication, there was a flurry of angry responses as well as justifications for the publication of this piece. In fact, the editor for TSL later wrote the following:

"Offensiveness is relative to the reader. Whereas Dan T. was mortified by its publication, many Pomona students found the piece humorous, thoughtful, and wholly consonant with their views… For us to kill it when it represents the opinions if many – if not most – Pomona students is downright absurd." (TSL 97-98)

>> Judging from these accounts, the campus climate at the time expressed hostility towards the idea of an Asian American student organization, and white students openly criticized student of color organizations without consideration of the mainstream white culture that prevailed on the Pomona campus.

>> Such acts of subtle “hatred” are what undermine the Asian American population as a whole. We are felt less welcome at such institutions when people continue to mock, or do not care to understand what these organizations fight for. These “mockers” continue to marginalize our place in schools, at the workplace, and in society. This is why there are established Asian American organizations at each Claremont College-to help combat such prejudices. This is also why students need an outlet that takes the form of writing and expression through publications-for Asian American communities and the entire academic community to know. In many ways, Asian American student publications are the only lenses that convey what Asian Americans actually encounter at an institution that may superficially preach a no discrimination policy, and “equality and open-mindedness.” Student Publications prove to be one of the few genuine, critical lenses that depict our experience as Asian Americans in “White America.”

 

>> All research was conducted at the AARC of Pomona College (one archive drawer)

>> For some sources, dates were unavailable. They were not printed.