Vatuazenj Vang-

K-pop, TikTok, and anime are all things you’ve probably heard or seen before. Today in 2023 we consume so much Asian media most of us don’t even know their origins. Many of us join clubs like Asian Student Union, Korean Culture Club, Anime Club, and Hmong American Culture Outreach (otherwise known as HACO) to expand our knowledge and celebrate these cultures with other people who share a similar interest. However, from these clubs and organizations, you only get a limited amount of information. So why not have a dedicated program that expands the horizons of these different cultures?

At Gustavus, we are known for our inclusivity which is home to a small but growing community of people of color. This also includes but is not limited to our wide variety of International students who are attending Gustavus every year. From these communities, we have focused major and minor studies on many of these unique perspectives. Just to name a few: African Diaspora, Russian, Scandinavian, LALACS, and so on. Yet in the Asian department, we lack diversity besides Japanese studies and a handful of East Asian classes. Many of us students who attend Gustavus range from backgrounds of East, Southeast, South, and even NHOPI (Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders) regions of Asia. Yet, many feel as though there is a lack of exploration and awareness about us. That’s why some of us are advocating to begin the process of creating an East Asian/Asian Diaspora studies program beginning with creating a minor.

An advocate and supporter for East Asian studies at Gustavus Adolphus is Professor David Tobaru Obermiller. For over a decade he has promoted the idea but has either been ignored or faced roadblocks when it comes to the success of this program. Obermiller elaborates on the benefits of such a program: “These are just some ways of them understanding not only of their own experience but the long arc of various Asian American generations. I think it’s equally important to have such a course for the dominant culture, to step in the shoes of Asian Americans and try to understand the experience that they had and then recognize it. If there was an opportunity for students to take that course, it would allow them a greater sense of recognition and empathy. I do find it interesting that in all of the discussions about diversity and equity and inclusion, there’s a conspicuous absence of Asians,” Obermiller said. Obermiller stands as a strong proponent of seeking allies in students to get this program through. His colleagues and he have accomplished so much with their JET and Fulbright programs while lacking the resources and the recognition of the college. Yet only so much can be accomplished by a small handful of professors who lack influence in marketing and resources to continue this endeavor.

When exploring the different student perspectives on campus we reached out to the Co-President of Asian Student Union, Ellen Curtin, and Risk manager/International student, Jackie Len Patterson. Curtin explained her feelings of inclusivity on campus: “Gustavus itself could be making better attempts at being inclusive. The community groups at Gustavus, such as DEIB-centered orgs really pick up where Gustavus does not. A lot of the inclusivity at Gustavus comes from the students,” Curtin said.

Patterson also discussed her take: “I think cultural orgs have kind of a burden on them and responsibility for sure. We are a fun club where people with similarities come together and then people with the same interests. But also that burden of having to educate the community that you are in and not coming from a defensive standpoint,” Paterson said. Clubs try their best as ambassadors to the college reaching out to the incoming students. However, if they don’t have the support and resources from the college and the wider community, they can only do as much as the professors

Glancing back at COVID-19’s impact on hate crimes on the Asian community we can reflect on last year. In recent memory, Norelius dealt with an issue resulting in an Asian student getting caught in a bias incident. Curtin believes there needs to be more done about the Asian community on campus: “Something specific is the bias incident against the Asian student in Co-Ed. They should’ve taken more action to reassure the POC population at their school. People need to be able to feel safe where they live” said Curtin. Some people choose Gustavus Adolphus because it’s a small private school in the cozy town of St. Peter. However, if people are feeling uncomfortable and not safe on campus how does that reflect Gustavus’s ideals of justice and community?

So what does Gustavus Adolphus need to do? In the words of Patterson, “Why are they not putting us at the forefront? [If] you want to recruit more people of color, then you need to have the diversity orgs lead with admissions. I think if they know their demographic and who’s coming, admissions can be a bit more strategic.”

The same can be said from Obermiller who stated, “Japanese Studies is about an interdisciplinary program, then it shouldn’t also be interdisciplinary geographically. I think it just makes sense that we teach in a broader way, and offer those opportunities to our students.  But I would argue, undermined by the lack of administrative support. One of the things that my colleagues and I have done is try to bring Chinese language to this campus. And the administration’s handling of that has made those efforts rather futile. Practically, it just makes sense. It could increase the number of majors and minors that we have; that’s always a good thing, especially in declining enrollments.”

We have classes, we have people who are interested, and we have professors who are passionate about this subject. So what is impeding this initiative? Just taking the next step we have to do as a community is to organize the courses and add them to the curriculum.