ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The New York City Asian American Student Conference is an annual gathering dedicated to promoting awareness of APA issues and history among college students.
This year, we have chosen the theme "Redefine" for our conference. Our theme explores the evolution of the APA community, highlighting its past, present and future.
Through our conference, we hope to bring all our voices - new and old, heard and unheard - into dialogue with each other, while acknowledging the differences and conflicts that are rooted in divergent experiences and shape vast and rich histories. Over the course of the day, we plan to showcase the stories of APA artists, activists, professionals, scholars, and more. We invite you to join us in our celebration and struggle, so that we may not forget our responsibilities to each other, but empower each other to redefine our identities.
NYCAASC's committee is comprised of students from Columbia University, New York University, Hunter College, Baruch College, and Fordham University. As a committee, we strive to reflect the spirit of celebrating and unifying the Asian American voice in all its forms and representations, perpetuating the presence of a vibrant community.
Panels, workshops, and performances by: Regie Cabico, Heather Park, Timothy Huang, Taiyo Na, Gary Okihiro, and Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man), and many more!
Registration page can be found here.
2008 CONFERENCE PLANNING PARTICIPANTS
New York University
Asian Heritage Month Planning Committee
Asian Heritage is a theme month committee at NYU through the Office of Student Activities. The purpose of Asian Heritage Month is to empower -- to appreciate the strength, honor, beauty, and wisdom of various Asian cultures. We are dedicated to unifying the diverse Asian and Asian American groups on campus as well as in the surrounding communities. We are looking forward to providing the NYU community with a spectacular array of educational, social, cultural, and political programs that will heighten the awareness of Asian and Asian American issues. website
Asian Cultural Union
Established in 1972 as one of the largest and most prominent clubs on campus, our mission is to celebrate and promote Asian cultures through cultural, social, and community service events. Because of our diverse membership, ACU seeks to promote an open environment for learning about individual heritages, as well as creating unity among students of all nationalities. Through networking with professionals and various organizations, ACU also provides its members with extensive resources and connections beyond the NYU community. ACU represents a place for students to voice their opinions, develop community, and explore ideas that are especially relevant in an increasingly diverse world.website
Columbia University
Asian American Alliance
Founded in the Spring of 1995, the Asian American Alliance is designed to represent the Asian American community at Columbia University. AAA functions as both a comprehensive umbrella organization for Asian groups at Columbia as well as the main programming body for Asian American activities on campus. AAA's purpose is to bring together the many voices of Asian American students within Columbia University. AAA fosters understanding and respect for the diverse cultures of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in America. We also strive to improve understanding among the wide variety of political, social, academic, cultural, and artistic interests of Asian Americans. The Asian community at Columbia University is in a perpetual state of growth. AAA encourages an atmosphere of continuous creation by actively promoting the diverse composition and interests of the Asian American community. website || aaa political committee website
Asian Pacific American Awareness Month
Asian Pacific American Awareness Month is an annual celebration at Columbia University dedicated to promoting awareness of APA issues and history among the Columbia student body.
Unscripted refers to an ongoing dialogue without a predetermined plot or resolution. Where novel conflicts are discussed and new actors take a leading role, while still leaving plenty of time for soliloquy. It refers to an ending still waiting to be written, reflecting the ongoing multi-dimensional development of the Asian Pacific American identity. The APA cast just encompasses so many characters that a single common theme merely feels convoluted and any active verb catch-phrase feels cliche'. By leaving our theme Unscripted, we allow for constant improvisation and unlimited self-definition. Though without an outline, APAAM is not without structure or purpose. We want you to play a role in APAAM and be real.
With an Unscripted theme, we as individuals of the APA community can hold the pen and write our own parts. Whether free, unbounded, spontaneous, open, polycultural, multifaceted, transcendent, new, limitless, or any other term is your word of choice ¡V express yourself.
NAASCON
NAASCON
Since 2001, the National Asian American Student Conference (NAASCon) has been an active Asian Pacific American (APA) student political organization with the mission of educating, fostering dialogue, and mobilizing students through proactive campaigns across the country on issues of importance facing the APA community. NAASCon strives to achieve its vision through issue advocacy, coalition building, and leadership development.
NAASCon's first national conference at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, November 2004 was an unprecedented meeting of student leaders that reflected the diversity of the APA student community nationwide. To that end, students of different ethnic groups, regions, and types of school systems, came together to network, socialize, empower each other and themselves, perform, dialogue, plan and organize campaigns and projects, and educate each other, to CREATE CHANGE, and to EMPOWER ASIAN AMERICA. website
Fordham University
Asian Cultural Exchange
Since its foundation in 1999, the Asian Cultural Exchange (ACE) has been committed to spreading the awareness of Asian culture and heritage at Fordham University. We are dedicated to unifying the diverse Asian, Pacific Islander, and Asian American students of Fordham at the Rose Hill campus as well as in its surrounding communities.
ACE strives to provide opportunities for others to learn about the social, cultural, historical, and intellectual pursuits of the Asian community. Through our efforts, we work towards an improved understanding of the wide variety of political, social, academic, cultural, and artistic interests of the various Asian cultures. Website
Hunter College
CRAASH
CRAASH is dedicated to rejuvenating the Asian American Studies Program of Hunter College, as well as expanding the program to include a greater variety of courses. CRAASH aims to organize the Hunter community and spread awareness about the inadequate conditions of the AASP. Through petitioning, meeting with faculty, and promoting AASP events, we hope to educate the Hunter community about Asian American issues. To find out more, please contact us at HunterCRAASH at yahoo.com. Website