Hi all,
Two entries in one night! I wanted to pass along an e-mail I received from the Asian Caucus. This e-mail was sent to me as well as other members of different organizations and through their Facebook group last week regarding the recent developments in their campaign to name the Asian American Scholarship.
To the Boston College Community,
As you know, our scholarship is the only AHANA scholarship currently without a name, and has remained so for the past 14 years. This is an imperative issue for the Asian American community as an unnamed scholarship speaks poorly to the recognition of Asian American role models and the status of our scholarship. This year, the Asian Caucus community came together in support of Aung San Suu Kyi, an advocate of nonviolent resistance and leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma. To date, she remains the only Nobel Peace Prize winner to remain under house arrest as a prisoner of conscience.
The Asian Caucus community was given suggestions by the administration as to how we could go about naming the Asian American scholarship. These guidelines included being a woman, having Pan-Asian ties, and being inspired heavily by faith. In line with those suggestions, the Asian Caucus community, through a yearlong struggle, garnered support for Aung San Suu Kyi by educating our campus about the importance of the issue as well as the breadth of her influence. We called this the “ASSK” campaign. To demonstrate student support for the issue, over 200 letters were collected from the student population expressing the need to name the scholarship. In addition, two separate resolutions supporting the ASSK campaign have been passed by the UGBC Senate and the AHANA Caucus.
Today, after speaking with Father Leahy, we have been informed that the criterion for the naming has been changed. We were told that the scholarship candidate must be someone that could be described as an activist and an advocate for social justice. We feel that Aung San Suu Kyi fits this criterion. In addition, we were also told that the candidate must have an institutional connection to Boston College. Although we believed that an institutional connection was embodied by the student support for Aung San Suu Kyi as well as her documented service to others, we were informed that an institutional connection must include a Catholic, Jesuit, or Christian background. Finally, we were told that this would ultimately be a decision made by the institution.
The meeting with Father Leahy concluded with us being given a list of five possible candidates from the administration that the student body should research. Aung San Suu Kyi was not on that list. This is the current status of the ASSK campaign.
Sincerely,
The Asian Caucus Executive Board
The Asian Caucus Cabinet
For those who are not familiar the Asian American Scholarship has been given out for the past 14 years but is the only remaining out of the three (Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King Jr) to not be named.
First and foremost, I would like to commend the Asian Caucus, AHANA Leadership Council, AHANA Caucus and the other organizations who participated in raising awareness around the ASSK Campaign. The work that you did in generating awareness for the campaign was phenomenal. I can understand the disappointment that you may have regarding this initiative (especially seniors) but I want to say that your efforts did not go unnoticed. It is disappointing and frustrating to hear when a group of students rally behind a cause, put in countless hours of work and preparation only to have their efforts fall short of their goal. This initiative is something that means a great deal to the Asian American Community and I certainly can understand and empathize with any disappointment that you may have.
Secondly, I want to say that Alex, myself and the rest of UGBC will be fully committed to assisting the Asian Caucus in working yet again to name the Asian American Scholarship under the new set of principles and guidelines. After learning of the history of all the campaigns to name the Asian American Scholarship and observing and taking part in the ASSK campaign it is of our opinion that this is an important student issue that needs to have as much support as it can get. A concern of the students should be a concern of the student government, and I want to ensure that we can do whatever we can to support this cause.
Thirdly, I want to call on all students to learn more about this issue and the history of the Asian American Scholarship. Any issue on campus is only as strong as the students that support it, making it imperative for any successful student initiative to have backing and support behind it. It is only when we take the initiative and ownership as students of issues that we feel are important will we begin to see the changes that we envision will be best for the student body. Therefore, I highly encourage you to read up on this issue, ask questions, talk about this with your friends and hopefully support the cause.
Lastly, to end on an optimistic note, I just want to say that despite the setback and the disappointment it is imperative to not back down or lose the fire and passion. Like any good idea or initiative there will always be setbacks and roadblocks along the way, and it is imperative to not get too down or lose the fire and morale that has carried it so far. Sometimes it takes a few setbacks in order to finally push through, and success in any initiative is made even sweeter if you are able to overcome roadblocks and adversity.
OK, so its late and I am exhausted, but I wanted to post my thoughts as well as give my support regarding this initiative. If you have any questions please e-mail me, and look for an additional update later this week regarding some initiatives we are working on.
Peace,
Al
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