Asian-American Dean pairs individualism with unity

When she assumed her position as Yale's new Dean of Asian-American Cultural Affairs on Mon., Aug. 7, Saveena Dhall brought to the job a lifetime of greatly varied experiences.

DAVID GEST/YH Despite questions about her South Asian descent, Saveena Dhall hopes to break down barriers in the Asian-American community.

Having lived, been educated in, and worked in a plethora of settings, Dhall came to Yale in search of a place where she could work closely with more young people. Envisioning a wide range of goals for her tenure at the University—which should last at least five years—Dhall says that Yale offers her the "perfect combination of working with students, [improving] race relations, and [staying close to] education."

Despite Dhall's excitement about her new position, though, there are some in the Yale community who are concerned about having a South Asian-American dean leading the Asian-American Cultural Center. She is replacing Dean Mary Li Hsu, SY '80, and Christopher Pan, DC '99—both of East Asian ancestry.

Because the majority of Yale's Asian-American community is of East Asian descent, some students are questioning whether a South Asian Dean can appropriately address their needs.

Such a concern, though, saddens Dhall. She feels it indicates that some students define being Asian-American only as being East Asian-American. "Asian America is diverse, with various shades, cultures, sub-ethnic groups, and migration patterns that we all need to acknowledge and own as our collective history," Dhall said. In that respect, she sees Yale's decision to hire her as a "move forward."

On the other hand, the new dean acknowledges that self-definition is two-pronged—the Asian-American community should see itself both as a unified whole and as many separate, individual groups.

The Asian-American community at Yale is, "a unified, strong voice, but we are also really diverse and often we need [to devote] special attention to specific aspects of ourselves," she said.

To achieve that goal, Dhall hopes to improve ties within the Asian-American community. "I am very interested in getting to know student groups and ethnic counselors, learning about what their goals are and how they can be used to form more unity," she said.

The new dean spent much of the first two weeks of school meeting with students and group leaders. She also sent out an e-mail to Asian-American students in the senior class, calling on them to share their thou-ghts and ideas on how she can help to enhance the experiences of Asian-American Yalies.

Dhall encourages all students to view the Asian-American Cultural Center as a "second home." For those students who have never been to the center, she plans on educating them as to what it and its affiliated organizations have to offer.

Dhall's past experiences in trying to create more links between ethnic groups bodes well for her in doing the same with Asian-American students at Yale. Indeed, Dhall herself comes from quite a diverse background.

Growing up in the racially mixed community of Brooklyn, she did not see herself as outside of the ethnic majority until she matriculated at the highly homogeneous Milton Academy in Massachusetts. Surrounded by her white classmates, Dhall "suddenly realized that [she] was a minority."

Dhall later attended Connecticut College, where she served as president of the student government. While there, Dhall continued to face difficulties due to the lack of a South Asian community in which she could root herself. She worked to overcome that challenge by becoming involved in the Interracial Collaborative Program, an organization with which she still works. The group focuses on cross-cultural race relations and has been implemented on the high school, college, and community levels.

Drawing on such a wide range of experiences, she feels the Yale minority community currently lacks the close-knit feling that minority organizations had at Connecticut College, where all of the ethnic organizations operated out of the same Unity House. After graduating from college, Dhall worked at the Local Employment Action Program in New York, interacting with about 100 African-American, Latino, and Middle Eastern students.

Another problem Dhall wants to address at the University are racial and ethnic stereotypes—especially Asian stereotypes—by creating awareness through speakers and other planned events. "There are uniquenesses to each group," Dhall said. "But there are also common [bonds] that link us all."

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