I see Asians.

In lecture hall around you, outside the library, in the Engineering quad …

All the time. They’re everywhere.

Although the term Asian refers to an eclectic group of individuals tracing their origins back to over 26 nations, Asian students at Cornell do indeed share a common experience. This was documented in a 2004 Cornell task force report, commissioned by Provost Biddy Martin and Vice President of Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy, to examine the campus climate for Asians.

Among these issues are a disproportionately high suicide rate (11 of the 20 suicides at Cornell between 1996 to 2004 were committed by Asians), bias-related incidents targeting Asian women, under-representation among staff and underutilization of mental health services among Asian students. The task force’s two “highest priority” recommendations were the establishment of (1) a centrally located pan-Asian student community/cultural center or space, and (2) a staff position dedicated to Asian student support.

It has been three years since these alarming findings were published, yet it wasn’t until this past month that the University approved and funded an Assistant Dean position for Asian support that will fall under the Dean of Students Office of Student Support. While we commend the University for taking this initial step to the improvement of Asian student life, there is still a gaping void in the social fabric of Cornell’s Asian community: a physical non-academic space.

Comprising nearly 20 percent of undergraduates and over half of international students on this campus, Asians are the largest and most rapidly growing minority group at Cornell. Still, we are a very fragmented community. Although student-led efforts aim to unite different groups, they have proven temporary and inadequate. According to Mark Law ’08, a student from Hong Kong, “What could help is not a one-night event but a continuous effort to connect everyone together, and that should come in the form of a community center. Right now, there are students trying to connect with one another but without a central space it is virtually impossible.”

Although college is intended to — and indeed does — challenge comfort zones for all, the value of a physical or social space over which different groups on campus can feel a certain sense of ownership should not be underestimated. This can be seen in the fraternity and sorority scene where houses are similar on ethnic and social levels, at Hillel on the religious level and with the Cornell Democrats and Cornell Republicans on the political level.

A community center will enable Asian students to be inclusive by sharing their culture with Cornell, in the same way that the Jewish Student Union successfully unites a larger Jewish community and provide ample opportunities for others to immerse themselves in their unique religious and cultural experiences. As Daniel Baer ’08, JSU Campus Relations Chair said, “In shear magnitude, the Jewish and Asian-American student bodies are very similar and therefore have many of the same issues. As a minority group on campus we understand how difficult it can be to find a comfortable place to be.” Indeed, Shabbat 1000 is a great example of what we envision: by offering common space and purpose to Cornell’s socially, politically and racially diverse Jewish population, as well as non-Jewish participants, social ties are strengthened and a broad sense of commonality is reinforced. A center for Asians at Cornell, likewise, would unify Asian students by fostering common interests.

Such Asian cultural or community centers exist at 28 schools nationwide; they were long ago made permanent additions to campus life at Stanford and Yale. Asians at Cornell would find in this center a space for empathy and inclusiveness. Moreover, with upwards of 100 Asian-focused organizations on campus, this center would help Asian students understand and navigate campus life and activism.

The Student Assembly is presently considering Resolution 8, a “Resolution for the Improvement of the Well-Being of the Asian and Asian Population of Cornell,” which calls for the establishment of a physical, non-academic space for Asians and Asian Americans at Cornell. Resolution 8 also calls for continued support of the aforementioned Assistant Dean position, further research regarding the state of Cornell’s Asian community and the creation of an Asian American Studies major.

Resolution 8 has gathered over 350 petition signatures from students, faculty, and staff. It also has the support of over 30 student organizations, including major umbrella organizations: African, Latino, Asian, Native American Programming Board; Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union; Black Students United; La Asociación Latina; and Jewish Student Union.

Please join us in supporting Resolution 8.

Rebecca Lee ’08 is co-president of the Asian and Asian American Forum. She can be contacted at ral38@cornell.edu. Linda Yu ’08 is co-president of the Asian and Asian American Forum. She can be contacted at ly49@cornell.edu. Guest Room appears periodically.