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ECAASU Weeklies - 3/10/08
(Response to CU, Voter Reg, ECAASU2009 Dates, VASCON)
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ECAASU |
ECAASU’s Official Response to Colorado University Op-Ed |
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MISC |
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ECAASU’s Official Response to Colorado University Op-Ed
Recently, one of our members and former MAASU President Annie Guo shared with us a troubling op-ed article in the Colorado University student newspaper. The ECAASU National Board responds with the following statement of support:
We, the members of the National Board of the East Coast Asian American Student Union, join with the students of the University of Colorado, and all fair-minded students around the nation, in condemning Max Karson's Opinion article of February 18, "If It's War the Asians Want...," which appeared on thecampuspress.com.
We are profoundly disappointed by the article's jabs at race as well as by its failure to contribute meaningfully to any larger discourse on race. Of course, we recognize and respect Mr. Karson's right to free speech, and we use that same right to point out that his satire (if indeed it was satire) was hurtful and insulting to many people in numerous ways.
Speech that denigrates entire ethnicities only fuel misunderstanding and intolerance. Though Mr. Karson and his editors may not think words like this will contribute towards intolerance, it may to others reaffirm historical stereotypes and negative attitudes that we have fought against. We do understand, however, that it is difficult to gauge how every single reader will interpret an article, and how one's words will affect every single reader. Thus, we urge Mr. Karson and like-minded people to consider more carefully how their words will affect the lives of all others in our collegiate and national communities. We hope that one day we as a national community can move beyond such incidents towards a more tolerant and understanding society.
For more information on this incident and to learn about the “In Solidarity Campaign” (to take place May 9, 2008), check out their website and their Facebook group.
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ECAASU/APIA Vote Registration Drive
Want to participate in shaping America’s future?
To register or find out more about voter registration, go to APIA Vote (http://www.apiavote.org/registertovote.htm) and click on "Start Now." It's that simple.
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ECAASU 2009! The Legendary Conference Continues
Rutgers University proudly announces the dates for the next ECAASU Conference:
February 27 to March 1, 2009
The legend continues…
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Vietnamese American Student Conference (VASCON)
CONTACT:
Pha-Le Le
Communications Director
301.905.2380
Vietnamese American Student Conference Plants Seeds in D.C.
Fourth Annual Vietnamese American Student Conference (VASCON) Launches in East Coast and Unveils Strongest Program Lineup since Inception
WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2008) – The national Vietnamese American Student Conference (VASCON) has unleashed its astounding lineup of keynote speakers, workshop topics, and performers to take place on the historic grounds of Georgetown University in Washington, DC from April 4-6th, 2008. As stated on its official website, VASCON seeks to share and showcase the “beating heart and soul” of Vietnamese America.
With a selection of over twenty workshop topics tied to the theme of “Planting Seeds”, attendees consisting of college undergraduates and young professionals from around the nation will have the chance to engage in dialogue about domestic issues such as the recent murder of four children by their desperate father in Alabama, the US and Vietnam repatriation act that could potentially result in the deportation of over 1,500 undocumented persons, to international issues such as the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa island dispute with China in Vietnam (Spratly Islands) and understanding the causes of labor exploitation and human trafficking conditions of Vietnamese migrant workers.
“This looks to be a very impressive conference” says Newton Hoang, a community worker from the Broadway Youth Resource Center in Vancouver. “I don’t think I’ve seen a better lineup of workshops.”
This year, Duy-Loan Le from Texas instruments (TI) will be one of two renowned keynote speakers. Mrs. Le is the first woman and Asian American to hold the Senior Fellow rank at TI and has overcome and traversed many adversities since her arrival to America in 1975. Adrian Hong, the other keynote speaker, is the Executive Director of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a non-profit organization founded at KASCON (Korean American Student Conference). Mr. Hong served as Executive Director of KASCON18 and helped found VASCON while a student at Yale University.
In addition to shedding light onto pertinent issues of the Vietnamese American community, VASCON will host the highly-anticipated VASCON LIVE, a concert that brings together a multitude of feature artists from across the nation. There will also be an “open mic” the night before to serve as a platform for aspiring artists to perform in front of a national audience.
Bao Phi, a frequent VASCON performer, recalls his past performance at VASCON LIVE. “[VASCON LIVE] was truly amazing, in terms of the audience and the fellow artists who hit the stage, you could not believe the energy and love in that room,” he writes in the liner notes of his album Refugeography. “So many raucous Asians, most of them Vietnamese, full of spirit and pride and laughter and love - it was one of those nights that made everything seem perfect.”
Seriously, an emerging pop band from Orange County, CA will be kicking off the start of their “HEART” tour at VASCON. Local favorite Carol Bui Band is also expected to blow crowds away with her eccentric flavor with such influences as Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Khanh Ly. Other acts include Applesauce Tran, Nam Ninja, and Magnetic North, among other local talents.
VASCON pushes the envelope this year to include the emergence of the Vietnamese film wave, aka “Viet Film Wave”, catching like wildfire across the globe. While offering exclusive screenings such as “Owl and the Sparrow”, “Dust of Life”, and “Oh, Saigon”, VASCON will also host a panel with the films’ very own globe-trotting filmmakers, including Stephane Gauger, Jenni Trang Le, and Ham Tran, to personally dialogue with attendees about the past, present and future of film within the Vietnamese American community.
Sponsors of VASCON4 include: Beyond Bouquets, Boat People SOS, Catholic University of America, Chaos Theory Music, Lee’s Sandwiches, National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, SBTN, Storyline Designs | Events by Kym Pham, VATV, and the Vietnamese Professional Society, Wells Fargo, alongside other small businesses, private donors, and community organizations. VASCON would not be possible without the help of such generous sponsors and friends.
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VASCON is an annual conference co-founded in 2004 by students at UT Austin and Yale University, which has since gathered over 1,000 students and young professionals to engage in open dialogue about the state of Vietnamese America with distinguished guests from a spectrum of disciplines.
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For further information, or to schedule an interview, please contact VASCON4 Communications Director Pha-Le Le via phone at 301.905.2380 or via email at vascon.comm@gmail.com. Visit the website at: www.vasconlove.org for conference information. Online registration ends March 28th.
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Absolutely Nothing to Do with ECAASU
My sister recently got a Wii. Wii are all very excited. So I share this: http://www.adingvalue.com/2007/05/29/best-wii-games-never-made/
-- Nancy
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