No Excuse for UC Irvine’s Failure to Offer Asian-American Studies
I share the extreme frustration of the Asian-American students who demonstrated at UC Irvine (“An Unfulfilled Promise Spurs Protest at UCI,” April 23) demanding the immediate creation of an Asian-American studies program for the following reasons:
1. Forty-three percent of the current student body at UCI is Asian-American, the highest percentage among all universities in the continental United States.
2. Among the nine UC campuses, UCI is one of the two that do not offer an Asian-American studies program.
3. After years of discussion with the administration, and two demonstrations, the students were met with lame excuses such as the lack of funds (even in the ‘80s?) or the difficulty in recruitment of qualified faculty. (Two qualified scholars in Asian-American studies were allowed to leave UCI two years ago to join Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz.)
Asian-American studies have been in existence since 1969. Is it conceivable that UCI really cannot find the right people to fulfill the students’ reasonable and modest demands?
If UCI is successful in attracting nationally renowned scholars for other disciplines, how is it that it has failed so miserably in recruiting suitable scholars for Asian-American studies?
Of course, the university sets its own priorities, but the time has come for it to take definitive action on the development of Asian-American studies.
As a public institution supported by taxpayers, UCI must pursue this honestly and diligently. As part of their education, the Asian-American students want to learn about and are entitled to know and receive an objective assessment of the contributions and experiences of their ancestors in this country.
I sincerely hope the university will discontinue insulting the intelligence of its Asian-American students and the Asian-American communities by stonewalling and handing out unacceptable excuses as tactics of delay.
LINDA LAU
Irvine
Linda Lau is a founder of the Historical and Cultural Foundation of Orange County.
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