Rice Paper - Spring 2016

Rice Paper A semi-annual publication of Indiana University’s Asian Culture Center a unit of the Office of Diversity, Equity & Multicultural Affairs

Spring 2016

Acknowledging the Role of Asian American Voices in Cultivating Inclusive and Equitable College Environments Written by: Samuel D. Museus, PhD

1. Racial Harassment: Participants discussed experiencing overt racial harassment from peers on their campuses.

2. Vicarious Racism: Some also talked about vicariously experiencing racial harassment and violence. In other words, racist incidents that happened to others had a chilling effect on the broader population by diminishing feelings of safety and inducing fear.

3. Racial Isolation and Marginalization: Participants discussed experiencing isolation and marginalization from the mainstream cultures of their campuses. Specifically, students discussed feeling isolated and marginalized in both academic and social environments on their respective campuses.

On July 4th weekend in 1999, a White supremacist went on a random drive-by shooting spree in Illinois and Indiana, targeting members of racially minoritized populations. After shooting six Orthodox Jews, killing a Black former Northwestern University basketball coach, and shooting a Black minister in Illinois, he shot and killed Won-Joon Yoon, a 26 year-old Korean Indiana University graduate student who was leaving his church in Bloomington, Indiana.

Although this event is one extreme case, it does reinforce the notion that racism shapes the lives of Asian Americans and other marginalized populations. In 2015, a colleague and I published the findings of a study about the continuing significance of racism in the lives of Asian American college students. The article was based on our analysis of 46 interviews that had been conducted with Asian American college students throughout the nation. Although participants in this analysis did not share any experiences with mass shootings, they did tell stories about the ways in which racialized views of Asian Americans shaped their daily experiences in college.

They experienced racism in 9 distinct ways.

4. Pressure to Racially Assimilate: Several participants discussed how they felt pressure to assimilate to the predominantly White environments on their campuses. This pressure to assimilate included feeling pressure to dress, talk, and act in ways that were congruent with the White majority on campus.

5. Pressure to Racially Segregate: Participants underscored how the unwelcoming environments of their campuses diminished their desires to interact across racial lines and resulted in their immersion in Asian American subcultures, such as Asian American Studies programs and predominantly Asian American student organizations.

6. Racial Invisibility and Silence: Several participants also discussed the lack of visibility and voice that Asian American students had in campus spaces and curriculum.

7. The Perpetual Foreigner Myth: Regarding the perpetual foreigner stereotype, participants shared several instances in which their peers made categorized and characterized them as foreigners, or not real Americans, despite the fact that almost all of them had grown up in the United States or

immigrated as young children.

8.The Model Minority Myth: Participants also discussed being stereotyped as model minorities. On the surface, the model minority myth may not appear to be a negative stereotype, but participants described how it is associated with several negative assumptions about Asian Americans. Some assumptions associated with the model minority stereotype included assumptions that Asian Americans are nerdy, socially inept, have a genetic predisposition toward math and science, have an unfair advantage because of that genetic predisposition, shouldn’t need help because of that predisposition, and are abnormal if they do seek academic support.

9.The Inferior Minority Myth: Although Asian American participants were generally stereotyped as model minorities, some Southeast Asian American students also discussed being stereotyped as an inferior minority, who originated from “ghetto” and from substandard social classes.

This is not an exhaustive list of the ways in which racism functions to dehumanize Asian Americans in college. For example, other research that colleagues and I have conducted have illuminated the ways in which racism and sexism converge to emasculate Asian American men and sexually objectify Asian American women thought the perpetuation of pervasive gendered racial stereotypes. Yet, these findings both reinforce the notion that racism is still a reality on college campuses and highlight the importance of engaging Asian American voices in larger conversations about race, diversity, and equity in higher education.

If colleges and universities want to minimize the toxic effects of racism on their Asian American and other minoritized student populations, they have to create more inclusive and equitable campus cultures.

(Continued on page 6)

Film Review...p3 * Student Group Updates..p4 * Feature Article...p5 * Photos...p7

Rice Paper From the Corner of 10th and Woodlawn: A Message from our Director “There is a high level of participation and collaboration on diversity efforts among all IU Bloomington’s divisions across the campus, including the large majority of the academic schools and departments. This level of participation is rarely seen at other universities.”

Like any other resource office on campus, a typical day at the ACC starts by responding to emails and voice messages that contain a mixture of inquiries about our programs and requests for co-sponsorships, program or project support, and event collaboration.

There is a genuine desire among many organizations to address and improve the climate of inclusion on campus through programming, and the critical part is always in the early stages of the planning.

The initial questions we ask ourselves when we receive partnership and collaboration requests are: “what learning outcomes should we expect?” and “what messages do we want to convey?” This has always been the guiding principle when we partner with any group. We actively work to avoid planning for diversity related events that This was one of the highlights of the report are tantamount to “ordering diversity”, shared by Halualani & Associates on their like ordering a pizza. We appreciate mapping of IU Bloomington’s diversity efforts from January 2010 through October 2015. Their assessment included an examination of 1,950 diversity actions, categorized into 27 types.

Page 2 the importance of collaboration, but we also recognize that a successful outcome requires work. An extensive amount of time in brainstorming and planning should be given priority to prevent a “quick and easy” or “show and tell” type of diversity initiative. Email inquiry is a good start, but a follow up discussion over a cup of coffee or tea goes a long way.

Of the 1950 diversity actions included in the assessment, Halualani & Associates identified the top four types of diversity efforts: Events (59%), Student Organizations (15%), Diverse Student Recruitment (6%), and Campus Resources.

For us, these percentages and numbers reflect thousands of hours of time investment, not only in conceptualizing and planning the program, but also in networking and connecting with the people around us. Collaboration, in essence, is a partnership and at its best is about building lasting relationships.

This finding made me reflect on the kinds of programs and initiatives at the Asian Culture Center that were born out of collaborative efforts with many organizations and departments. These partnerships helped create programs that promoted critical thinking, civic awareness, and conversations about and beyond differences. A few such events this year come to mind: Blending Cultures, Blending Cuisines; Exploring Race and Identity: Rachel Dolezal, Donna Chang, and the Social Constructs of Race; Themester on Labor: Voices of Economic Justice; Asian American and Pacific Islander Experiences in Higher Education: A Forum on Policies and the Model Minority Myth; the Movement: Asian American Film Series; Gauguin’s Legacy and the Construction of Polynesian identities at the Indiana Art Museum; and the Productive Differences: Reaching Across Divides conference.

These events were all the result of people sitting down together and enjoying the process of thinking and strategizing about how to approach a joint project with clearly defined goals.

Photos (from top): Our spring 2016 staff photo; ACC staff and visitors with Over a Cup of Tea “Permission to Narrate” presenters journalist Sarah Macaraeg and Prof. Jakobi Williams, IU Dept. of History

Rice Paper Giap’s Last Day At The Ironing Board Factory:

An AAPI Heritage Month Event On March 29th, IU Cinema showcased a documentary film created by Seymour, Indiana’s Tony Nguyen. The film, Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory, is a moving look at Asian-American struggles and family ties. It recounts the difficult journey from Vietnam to the US made

by Tony’s mother, Giap, in 1975, when she was seven months pregnant with him. Giap endured harsh conditions and emotional distress to seek refuge in America in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Once she settled in Seymour, Giap began to work in an ironing board factory.

Q: What is the “Part II” to this story?

Tony grew up emotionally distant from his mother but as he filmed her last day at work, his documentary transformed into something unexpected – a journey of selfdiscovery. Tony’s narrations throughout the film add humor, while allowing the audience to join him in his attempt to improve his relationship with his mother. Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory becomes Tony’s first step toward understanding himself and his loved ones.

A: In some ways. I’ve definitely learned a lot more about my mother. I have a greater appreciation of who she is and what she’s done. I can’t even imagine being in my late 20s or early 30s and having to leave the United States to move somewhere where they don’t speak my language. Let alone in the context of war.

My mother was pregnant with me and I do feel like there is this intergenerational trauma that can get passed down. But I didn’t live through war and I don’t know that. So in many ways, I feel closer to her in that sense.

The film screening was followed by a brief Q & A session with Tony himself.

The session was moderated by Ougie Pak, visiting lecturer at the School of Media.

Here are some highlights:

A: So it’s a continuation of the “why is Tony so messed up” type of storyline.

But it’s going to focus on the men in my life. I’m also looking at other VietnameseAmerican men around the country -- those behind bars, those that are doughnut shop owners, artists -- but with me again as the center.

Q: You brought it up in the film that you were hoping to improve your relationship with your mother. Would you say the film has helped bring you two together?

Q: Could you talk a little bit about the genesis of this project?

A: During the summer, we went to a farmer’s market and there was a stand where they sell cookies and sandwiches that you could eat on an ironing board. So my mother walked up to it and she was inspecting it and looking at it. I was a little embarassed but I asked her why she was doing that. She said, “This is what I make at work.” It made me feel like I’ve been a bad son this whole time; I had no idea what she did. And then she told me she was retiring and I asked her boss if I could film her last day at work.

Potsticker The column where we seek answers to one of those questions that just seems to stick around.

We asked a group of IU freshman: How would you like to see diversity on campus?

What does diversity mean to you?

Here’s what they had to say: • International student representation in campus leadership organizations.

• More panels and representation in terms of speakers at the panels.

• I would like to see diversity on campus by having many club and student orgs. to collaborate on a campus-wide project. Diversity to me, means different ideas and people being able to coexist freely.

• I would like to see more professors that are from different backgrounds • I would like to see people of different races, nationalities, cultural backgrounds, majors, etc come together and get to know each other.

• Diversity is extremely important to me because it allows for interesting discussions with people from a variety of backgrounds and a mixing of ideas.

Q: At what point did you realize your voice should be in there?

A: I think because I was the one that shot the footage, I felt compelled that it be from my perspective -- not only the lens, but the film from my voice.

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Written by Sushuma Yarlagadda (2017), ACC Student Assistant. Photos (top): Promotional photo for film; Giap, Tony and family at the Mar. 29 IU Cinema screening.

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Groups Scholars Program Expands Reach The Groups Scholars program at

as good as one would want to see, perhaps this has a direct correlation to the fact that they are non-native English speakers,” says Elaisa. “This partnership gives special considerations to this situation, and we are appreciative.”

Indiana University helps students, who are the first in their family to attend college, overcome barriers to success. The program provides tutors, academic advisors, specialized courses, financial support, and access to a comprehensive resource center.

In 1968, Groups welcomed its inaugural class of 43 students. Since then the program has grown, welcoming over 200 students a year. As it has grown in size, it has grown in diversity as well. According to Mary Tourner, who is in her third year as Groups Director, “It’s a really UN-type program, which I’m excited about.”

Recruiting directly from Indiana’s high school student population, the program now has Latino, African American and Native American students, as well as those from Haiti, Africa, and Arabic countries. Burmese American students, many of whose families relocated to Indiana as refugees, have also been part of recent cohorts. La Erh is one such student.

La Erh left his home country when he was just six months old. In 1997, his family fled religious persecution in Burma, headed for the border with Thailand. They arrived to find a barbed wire fence.

“They put the fence up with barbed wire but it didn’t stop the people from entering the country because they were trying to find refuge and the only place to go was forward,” says La Erh, recalling stories that have been passed on to him by his parents.

La Erh grew up in the Tham Hin Refugee Camp, east of Bangkok, where he went to school and learned things like basic British English, an English that would evolve as he started public school in Indianapolis.

“I left the camp on November 6, 2006 and I got here on November 8,” Erh recalls. “I

Groups has gone beyond special consideration of this fact, establishing an on-campus partnership to help non-native English speakers excel in the classroom.

started school at Spring Mill Elementary School, second semester as a fifth grader.

During those times, I had to get adapted to the languages, the culture, everything, in a short period of time.”

La learned of the Groups program several years later as a high-schooler. “[The Groups program] caught my attention because I have some older friends who were part of it and from their stories it was really interesting. And also my counselor was a big IU fan,” he says.

“After I applied and got in, I went to sixweek program over the summer. Classes met every day from 8:30 - 3:30, something like that. That helped me a lot with time management and getting to know the campus, getting to know what to expect in real college, when school actually started.”

La’s participation in Groups was made possible by its unique system for finding students, which relies on recommenders from across the state. Recommenders, who are often school counselors or community leaders, identify students that fit the profile of an ideal Groups scholar.

Elaisa Vahnie is a Groups recommender and the Executive Director of the Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) in Indianapolis. For her, the Groups program is important, because it recognizes students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend college.

“Our students usually have a high GPA, but the SAT scores are not

Mary Tourner explains: “We work with the Department of Second Language Studies (SLS) at IU and they test our students. It’s pretty intense, because we test them in their writing ability, their speaking ability and their reading ability. We want to make sure wherever their deficit is, we help them to overcome that.”

Second Language Studies now has a special fall class built just for Groups – not only for Burmese students, but for new Americans from all over the world. The class is further complemented by professional writing and reading tutors available to all students.

All of this means two important things, the first of which is a more diverse IU community.

“A diverse classroom is so important and I think higher education is now learning that: not just racially diverse but socio-economic, all of that,” said Tourner. “We all bring something different to the table and that experience helps us to learn more.”

The widening reach of the Groups program also means that more students are able to pursue their dreams and ambitions. Students like La Erh, who now wants to work for the UN. “When I was little, they would have the UNHCR or UNICEF personnel come into the camp and those people were my role models. Ever since I’ve wanted to work with the United Nations, especially with children and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees,” says La Erh who is pursuing a degree in International Studies, with a certificate in International Business.

This summer La Erh he will get his first chance to return to Southeast Asia, as a volunteer with GlobeMed at Indiana University in Cambodia.

Written by: Kayleigh Burgess, ACC Graduate Assistant.

Photos (from top): La Erh; Burmese Groups scholars visit ACC during their summer 2015 orientation.

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Student Group Updates The Indian Student Association had a busy semester holding cultural, social, religious, social justice and philanthropic events that showcase Indian culture. During spring semester, ISA’s focus shifts toward smaller events such as interfaith discussions and panels addressing major issues involving South Asian communities. They hosted “Speed-Faithing”, a play on speed-dating, in which participants of different faiths briefly interacted with one another and shared details of their experience in their religion. Throughout all of our events, ISA has not forgotten to have fun!

On March 25th, ISA held its 2nd annual Spring Formal. IU students of all backgrounds enjoyed a catered dinner from India Garden, before the dance floor opened up with Bollywood and Western music. ISA also celebrated India’s Republic Day, commemorating the day the Indian Constitution was instated.

Saturday, April 9, 2016 marked the day of the IUB Asian American Association’s 2nd annual Indiana Asian American Conference. We were fortunate to have Phil Yu, aka popular Asian American blogger “Angry Asian Man,” as our keynote speaker, as well as several workshops led by Professor Jennifer Lee, Mai Thái, and the AAA board.

We had a lot of fun and enlightening discussions about AAPI history, identity, and experiences, and are thankful for all those who could attend from IU Bloomington and other schools across Indiana and out of state as well! We would also like to thank our many sponsors, our faculty adviser -- Professor Lee -- and the ACC for their continuous support along the way. Nearly 60 people were in attendance, which is more than double from our first year. We hope to grow the conference even more in the coming year, and hope to see you there!

The Malaysian Student Association is an organization that aims to not only strengthen the bond between Malaysian Hoosiers, but to also make Malaysian culture more recognizable throughout IU. As an association on campus, we actively participate in events that are held throughout the university. One example is the annual IU World’s Fare. Recently, we organized an event called “Chinese New Year Celebration” where we all celebrated and brought Chinese culture to the night.

Samulnori Korean Percussion Ensemble (SKPE) is a student organization dedicated to raising awareness of Korean traditional percussion music. The group met every Monday evening at the ACC for weekly rehearsals and performed at several cultural events at IU and in Bloomington including: Korean Night (hosted by East Asian Studies), IU Homecoming Parade, IU World Language Festival (hosted by Center for Language Technology), International Evening (hosted by the Project School in Bloomington), Lunar New Year celebration (hosted by Asian Culture Center and the city of Bloomington). SKPE will be performing one last time this semester at AsianFest, hosted by the Asian Culture Center and the city of Bloomington, on April 16th at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market.

The Filipino Student Association hosted their annual Filipino Culture Night on Saturday, April 9 at Willkie Auditorium from 6pm-9pm. This year’s theme, “Two Worlds, One Heart”, celebrated the bilateral identity of Filipino-Americans. FSA consists of approximately 50 active IU student members, and the entire group had prepared for FCN for months. The night consisted of dance performances, singing acts, guest speakers, a Filipino martial arts demonstration, a fashion show, and of course, traditional Filipino cuisine. The event was free for IU students and $5 for non-IU guests. By the end of the night, FSA raised more than $400 that will be donated to The Purple Community Fund, an organization that provides quality education and resources to families in the Philippines that are victims of poverty.

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Venturing Nations: From Bloomington to Japan Eric Langowski is a sophomore IU student involved in many things. He’s a student assistant at the ACC, a member of the Hutton Honors College, and a Liberal Arts and Management (LAMP) scholar, to name a few.

Eric is also a fourth-generation Japanese American and a member of the Hoosier Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. Over spring break he traveled to Japan for the first time with an exchange program called The Kakehashi Project. The following is an excerpt from Eric’s reflections on his experiences, expectations, and realizations: “Over spring break, I went out to dinner with a group of preschool students and their accompanying mothers in a group about 20 strong, visited beautiful castles, temples, and gardens, went to a science museum, and rode in a bullet train. I talked with children at a sushi restaurant and was dubbed “Wasabi Kid” (I named him Tamago-san “Egg Man” in return).

(Asian American voices, from page 1) And, many higher education institutions are beginning to take such goals seriously.

Indeed, partially as a result of protests that have taken place over the last few years and garnered national attention, colleges and universities around the country are investing increasing resources in figuring out how to meaningfully address racial problems on their campuses. And, as college campuses become increasingly diverse, more of them will be forced to grapple with these issues. Unfortunately, however, Asian Americans are often left out of these conversations.

When Asian American voices are engaged, they can make a difference.

My research agenda has always been founded on the assumption that Asian American voices have much to contribute to larger conversations about race, diversity, and equity in education and society. For example, in 2014, I developed a new theory about college student success that outlines the 9 elements of optimally inclusive and

understanding, but also equally curious about my life in America. I found that the difference between the Japanese people that I met and myself was one of distance, time, and language instead of incompatibility or lack of understanding on a deeper level. I saw how hard Japan is working to better their society just as we are working to better ours and I thought about how we are all really the same in humanity struggling towards the common good.”

I experienced this through the Kakehashi Project, an exchange with the Japanese Government designed to “build bridges,” where I traveled with 55 Japanese and Asian Americans to Japan for nine days and was a welcome visitor everywhere I went.

Before I left, I was afraid that I might be impolite, or unable to communicate clearly. Everyone I met was not only

equitable environments that are necessary for diverse students to thrive in college.

The first 5 elements of such optimally inclusive and equitable environments include…

1.Cultural Familiarity: Campus spaces for undergraduates to connect with faculty, staff, and peers who understand their cultural backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

2.Culturally Relevant Knowledge: Opportunities for students to learn about their own cultural communities via culturally relevant curricular and cocurricular opportunities.

3. Cultural Community Service: Opportunities for students to give back to and positively transform their home communities.

4. Meaningful Cross-Cultural Engagement: Programs and practices that facilitate educationally meaningful cross-cultural interactions among their students that focus on solving real social and political problems.

5.Culturally Validating Environments:

Campus cultures that validate the cultural backgrounds, knowledge, and identities of diverse students.

Although this model was generated from research conducted on Black, Latinx, Multiracial, Native American, Pacific Islander, and White students, it was also heavily informed by the voices of Asian American research participants and my own Asian American students. Now, faculty and staff around the nation are utilizing this framework and these voices to guide their campus diversity and equity initiatives.

Similarly, colleges and universities need to do more to seriously engage the voices of Asian American students and other populations at the margins in constructing campus spaces, curricula, policies, and programs. In fact, this is the only way that they can cultivate more inclusive campus environments.

Samuel D. Museus is Associate Professor of Higher Education at IU Bloomington and Director of the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Project.

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Phil Yu: Activism and identity

Holi

Festival of Colors

Phil Yu is most widely known as the Angry Asian Man, but this isn’t how he always likes to introduce himself.

Sometimes, he says, making small talk with strangers, “I don’t want to explain that I run a website called Angry Asian Man. When you have to talk about race, ethnicity, culture with a total stranger you don’t know where the path will go.”

So sometimes he just says he works in web development, not letting on that his has been one of the most recognized voices in the Asian American community for the past 15 years. Phil Yu shared this as the keynote speaker at the April 9th Indiana Asian American Conference at IU Bloomington.

Yu tied his talk to the theme of the 2nd annual conference hosted by the IU Asian American Association, Taking Root.

He spoke about his almost accidental path connecting with his Asian American identity and becoming an activist. For him, Asian American Studies at Northwestern University were ground zero. They were where he first embraced Asian-American as a political identity. They were where he found himself in a class watching a documentary called Who Killed Vincent Chin?, which set him on a “journey of self-knowledge, struggle and community.”

Yu detailed for the gathered crowd how his own path would not have been possible without the activists who protested for Vincent Chin; without the student activists who went on hunger strike at Northwestern University to demand the establishment of an Asian American Studies Program.

“Who fought for you? For me it was the activists for Vincent Chin, the activists for Asian American Studies at Northwestern. Ask yourself, who planted the seeds that became the roots that became your story. And in turn, ask yourself, who will you fight for?”

Rice Paper Indiana University Asian Culture Center 807 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47408

IU ASIAN CULTURE CENTER A Unit of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs Director: Melanie Castillo-Cullather Program Associate: Sarah Moon Stamey Graduate Assistant: Kayleigh Burgess (812)856-5361 acc@indiana.edu http://www.indiana.edu/~acc/ Facebook: IU Asian Culture Center Twitter: @ACC_IU

HOW TO DONATE TO THE ACC The IU Asian Culture Center provides services, resources, and programming free of charge to the IU and Bloomington communities. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the ACC, please make your checks payable to IU Foundation and indicate “Asian Culture Center� in the memo.

Please send checks to: Asian Culture Center 807 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47408