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MONDAY, MAY 22, 2023

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 33 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Looking back at UF’s Asian American Pacific Islander history

AAPI students journey of advocacy and education By Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writer

Emma Hayakawa // Alligator Staff

‘Unsettling’: Asian American locals criticize Florida bills targeting China DESANTIS SEEKS TO LIMIT INFLUENCE OF ‘COUNTRIES OF CONCERN’ IN LAND, TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

By Jacob Sedesse & Amanda Friedman Alligator Staff Writers

Han Yi, who immigrated to the U.S. from China, feels betrayed by the state she’s called home for roughly 10 years due to a bill

Baseball

Gators secure SEC championship. Read more on pg. 11

restricting Chinese citizens from purchasing real estate in Florida. “This bill legalized discrimination, and it’s absurd,” she said. Yi, the vice principal of the HuaGen Chinese School in Gainesville, is one among the many frustrated Asian American and Pacific Islander locals speaking out against three bills signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis aimed at limiting the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on

SEE DESANTIS, PAGE 5

Y.K. Wong arrived at the port of San Francisco from Guangdong, China, on Nov. 9, 1902. Thirteen years later, he enrolled as one of the first Asian American students at UF. Wong attended UF during a period marked by anti-Chinese sentiment across the U.S. Intolerance towards Chinese Americans resulted in the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred the immigration of Chinese laborers to the U.S. and made it significantly harder for Chinese students to study at American universities. Despite widespread prejudice, Wong graduated from UF with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and was held in high regard by his peers. On May 26, 1916, The Alligator reported that Wong presented a paper

to the Agricultural Club “on ‘The Agriculture of China,’ which he read to the enjoyment of all.” Wong attended UF when the total number of Asian students remained in the single digits. Over a century later, UF is home to nearly 5,500 AAPI students, an Asian American student union, and an Asian American studies minor. UF alumnus Phillip Cheng examined Wong in the history of Asian American UF students in his 2019 thesis. The research for his thesis began with a question. “If I was a brand new student at UF [walking] down the halls of the Reitz Union or some other high traffic area, and I saw images of Asian American students on the walls from the 1900s, from the ‘30s, from the

SEE AAPI, PAGE 4

UF Asian American Pacific Islander students connect with their cultures on campus STUDENTS’ IDENTITIES OVERLAP INTO THEIR EDUCATIONAL CAREER ASPIRATIONS

By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

Sharika Khondaker always searches for a sense of fulfillment in her extracurricular activities, especially when she honors her Bengali and Muslim roots. “I feel like that’s kind of how my culture is instilled in me,” Khondaker said. Khondaker, a 20-year-old UF student, has

OPINIONS: Alligator managing editors, former editor reflects Columns share perspectives on AAPI month, pg. 6

noticed that AAPI representation around campus is growing. Outside the classroom, students have made an effort to celebrate and understand their identities amongst their extracurricular and curricular commitments. Khondaker, the internal vice president of Society of Asian Student Engineers, has met other Bengali and Muslim students through the UF SASE, she said. “I’ve met a lot of people that are like minded to me,” Khondaker said. Having the opportunity to associate with Bengali

SEE ON-CAMPUS, PAGE 4

Locals feel represented with ‘Gainesville’s Chinatown’ Residents and students make frequent visits, pg. 7

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