about

ASU History
ASU Mission

A Brief ASU History

          ASU is a young club on Penn's campus. It was established by Jenifer Wana in the Spring of 1994. There was a need for a club to provide activities for all Asian Americans. ASU achieved recognition and funding from the Student Activities Council (SAC) in the Spring of 1995. The Asian Student Union is the only Penn Asian club to be a college affiliate of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) in Washington, D.C. The OCA is one of the stronger voices on Capitol Hill for Asian Americans. ASU is also a link to ECASU (East Coast Asian Student Union) and to the Harvard AAA (Asian American Association).


ASU Mission

          The Asian Student Union programs activities to promote unity, the Asian American identity, awareness, voice, and community.

U N I T Y

          ASU programs events that are condusive to unity. What distinguishes this club is that it does not differentiate between different Asian ethnicities, but instead recognizes the Asian identity as a united whole. ASU is pan-Asian and seeks to break down the barriers between Asian ethnicities. Our club hosts dances, parties, international dinners, banquets, trips, study breaks, sports and entertainment activities, and many other events in order to bring Asians from all backgrounds together. In our events, members are given the opportunity to meet and grow closer to each other, and most importantly to appreciate each other. And finally, ASU strives to attain unity with other minority races as well as with the general community.

I D E N T I T Y

          ASU addresses the issues of the Asian American. What does it mean to be an Asian American? What is the Asian American identity? There can be no singular definition on this matter. In ASU, we try to show each other what it means to be who we are, and we try to illustrate to the larger community who we are. Through awareness, we address issues such as stereotypes and race relations, immigration, violence, political activism, affirmative action, and even such issues as sexuality. At the same time, we try to give a little of our history, our culture, and who we are to others. Each year, we have a Talent Show, to give ourselves as well as others the opporunity to appreciate our identity, who we are. And each year, we release a publication, the Asian America magazine. This is our voice, our expression.

C O M M U N I T Y

          ASU recognizes that UPENN Asians are part of a larger community. By way of community service, we strive to contribute whatever we can to others in need and help to make the community in which we live a safer, better place to be. ASU has established relations with the Asian American Youth Association in Philadelphia (AAYA). In the past, we have developed a Mentor program and tutoring sessions with Asian children affiliated with AAYA. ASU also recognizes other Asian organizations, other minority organizations, as well as organizations from area schools. In our annual Talent show, we invite participation from each of the other Asian organizations on campus as well as that from other minority groups. Our most recent venture has been to establish relations with groups from the graduate program as well as with groups from Drexel university.