Minus permanent dean, AASA keeps crusading

On Mon., Jan. 27, the Asian-American Students Association (AASA) sponsored a teach-in, with teachers and students speaking on various Asian-American topics. "If Yale doesn't teach us about Asian-American studies, we'll teach ourselves," AASA moderator Betty Gee, TD '01, explained.

CAYTE PUSHKAREVA/YH Christopher Pan, acting director of the Asian-American Cultural Center, has been helping out, but AASA wants a permanent dean.

The aim of the event, acquiring more Asian-American professors and programs at Yale, has been an "ongoing effort"—a perennial priority on the AASA agenda. The event itself was one of many put on by AASA, which works for greater awareness of Asian-American subject areas and culture. But despite continuing success and the substantial efforts of an interim dean, Gee still thinks AASA would benefit from someone who permanently filled the position."We need to have a dean who knows about what efforts and problems we've had in the past, someone who has a contextual [understanding] of how far we've come."

According to Gee, student political action requires an "advocate in the administration" for petitioning those in charge. Such a position exists—Dean of Asian Cultural Affairs—but the position has been vacant for the past semester. Christopher Pan, acting director of the Asian-American Cultural Center, has been carrying out the dean's duties since August, representing Asian student interests at meetings with Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead, BR '68, GRD '72, and advising the AASA officers. Pan has also been working with the more than 13 Asian groups not under the aegis of AASA.

If it sounds like a big job, that's because it is, as Pan is first to admit. "It's a huge job, and can get tiring," he said. While Pan loves serving as the interim dean—"Everyone is so amazingly talented. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything"—giving AASA the attention it needs is no easy task. Pan is forced to divide his time between this work and being a full-time graduate student at the University of Chicago, which requires him to commute back and forth regularly.

Pan's enthusiasm explains why the void hasn't been acutely felt, but it does not explain why the search for a new dean only got underway two months ago. The committee for selecting the new dean—which consisted of Brodhead, University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, various faculty members, and two AASA student representatives—is currently accepting applications, but the reason it wasn't set up earlier is unclear. "There was talk about forming the committee in October," Gee said, "but it wasn't done until December."

According to Gee, a new dean is a key step toward cementing AASA's role as an umbrella organization. She feels that expansiveness makes it well-suited for taking on challenges affecting the entire Asian-American student body. "What AASA can do uniquely is political action," she said. "When you unite all these groups, you can really act on behalf of all the Asian students."

Along with special events like the teach-in, AASA's routine duties include meetings every other Monday with the presidents of seven Asian-American ethnic groups. AASA's officers, Gee, and seven others decide how funds are apportioned among the various groups and handle any situations that group leaders bring up.

This year, AASA celebrates its 30th anniversary. Gee feels tha[[exclamdown]]t further anniversaries are contingent on finding a dean who can of-fer "powerful advantages" for the long term.

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