The common perception of Asian American students as the "silent minority" is being broken down by student responses to some questionable comments made by students at a conference held two weeks ago.
After attending this year's East Coast Asian-American Student Union conference at Cornell University, students at Penn have started an e-mail campaign to raise awareness about remarks made about the Asian-American community by senior administrators at Cornell.
According to numerous students who attended the ECAASU conference, Cornell's Dean of Students Kent Hubbell and University President David Skorton "orientalized" the group of about 1,200 Asian-American students.
ECAASU conference organizers could not be reached for comment.
This year's conference was entitled Push Forward, focusing on reflections, progress and opportunities.
But, students say, University officials made them feel like no progress had been made at all.
Skorton began his speech stating that he has long had a "love affair with Asia."
The phrase raised the ire of some students because it brought up issues of identity that Asian Americans have had to deal with for a long time - issues dealing with their place in society not as Asians or Americans, but as Asian Americans. "We're supposed to be at a progressive conference," said Emmelle Israel a Sarah Lawrence senior who was in attendance.
Hubbell's speech, on the other hand, was inappropriate because of the emphasis he put on Cornell's business and economic efforts in Asia, said some students.
"I don't think he said the word 'Asian-American' once in his speech," said Nina Panaligan, Nursing junior. "The reason we were coming together at ECAASU was because we were trying to connect with our Asian American identity, not just because we all have ties to Asia," she added.
"I was honored and excited to welcome ECAASU students to campus and am sorry my remarks were not well received by some members of the audience," Hubbell said.
Benjamin Alisuag, College junior and chairman of the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, said Hubbell often seemed to forget that the students were primarily from American hometowns.
The e-mail campaign students in APSC started has been gathering attention on the Internet.
Angryasianman.com, a blog that discusses Asian American issues, responded to their campaign and ran an entry that voiced similar criticisms.
The next step, says Alisuag, is to go to the ECAASU National Board.
Alisuag said his efforts to contact the Cornell board have been unsuccessful. "I'm going higher up now," he said.
Still, he thinks the "one positive in [Hubbell's] speech is that he opened up an important issue in our community that needs to be addressed - the divide between Asian and Asian American students," Alisuag added.
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