SNAP!SNAP!

Here is what you can do:

- If you’re not registered to vote:1) pick up a registration form at the Asian American/PacificIslander Resource Center (AA/PIRC) located at the end ofthe hallway on the 3rd floor of the Bay Tree Building.

2) a) opt to be a registered voter here in Santa Cruz and voteat the polls on-campus (you’ll be able to vote on issues inSanta Cruz). b) OR opt to be a registered voter in your home town andvote at the polls at home or request an absentee ballot be sentto your Santa Cruz address (you’ll be able to vote on issuesrelated to your home town).

- If you’re already registered to vote:a) go home during the voting period and vote at the pollsb) OR you can request an absentee ballot by filling out theabsentee ballot request form (which should have already been

sent to your registered ad-dress).

Note: absentee ballots areballots that allow you tovote outside of the polls aswell as allow you to sendyour ballot in by mail.

Published quarterly by the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center, UC Santa Cruz Fall 2004Vol. 6, No. 1

recent survey has shown that there are

By Libby Lok

A

In this Issue...

> Student Awards Established pg. 2-3> Staff/Alumni Spotlight: Leon Wann pg. 4

> Meet AA/PIRC Staff pg. 5> Calendar of Events for Fall Quarter pg. 7

War II dehumanized the Japanese; in1790, the Naturalization Act denied citi-zenship to all APIs. Through determination and joining to-gether in the API community, we havefought back against alienation. The Japa-nese were finally granted reparations in1988 for their internment during WWII.The Chinese challenged and eventuallychanged the judi-ciary system to ex-pand their rights. In1968, studentswent on strike atSan FranciscoState University todemand programsin ethnic studies. Solidarity hasled to change. Weas Americans haveturned around ourfate; it is throughour numbers thatwe will be able tocontinue to influ-ence our futures. Even if you areonly a first genera-

tion U.S. citizen there is a long historyof ambition, courage, and protest thathas made it possible for you to be acitizen and have the ability to vote. Thepeople who came before us, thoughthey might not be ancestors of yours,have paved a road for us. It would be ashame to disrespect their struggles andnot embrace our right to vote.

DATES TO KNOW:

>> October 18thLast day to register to vote for this election

>> October 26thLast day to request an absentee ballot

>> November 2ndGET OUT TO VOTE!

For more information www.areyouregistered.com &www.apiavote.org

nearly 5.4 million Asian/Pacific Is-landers (APIs) eligible to vote in the U.S.;of these, only 2.5 million are registered.Because this population is underrepresentedamong voters, issues of importance whichaffect minorities are not being properly ad-dressed. Your vote can influence the seri-ous issues affecting minorities such as:minimum wage, hate crime laws, afford-able and accessible health care and hous-ing, and the availability of resources inschools and the community. APIs are not fresh off the vote; we havehad a political voice. Throughout historywe have fought to change policies and lawsconcerning minorities. When I think aboutwhy I am going to vote, I think about thechallenges APIs had to face to be able tohave the opportunity to make their votecount. APIs have a long history of immigra-tion into the United States, dating back to1763 with the first recorded settlement ofFilipinos in the United States. From themoment we set foot on American shores,APIs have experienced and endured theracism and discrimination that is so deeplyrooted in the foundations of this country.The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 wasthe first act passed by Congress that ex-plicitly excluded people based on race; theJapanese internment camps during World

FRESHoff the

V O T E

Sharp � New � Alternative � Perspective

Student Award

2 SNAP!Fall 2004

in Southern California. Her father hadpreviously studied in the US and the fam-ily had the good fortune of having hisdoctoral advisor immediately agree tosponsor them in the U.S. The familymoved to Rolla, Missouri, where Christyarrived in late May 1975, speaking not aword of English. As they began settlingin, her family decided that given the factthat most Americans could not pronounceher name, she needed to choose an En-glish name. She initially chose Cathy, butafter meeting a charismatic young girl onthe playground named Christy, she camehome and informed her parents thatChristy was to be her English name. Over the next several years her fam-ily moved between Missouri and Okla-homa until they finally moved to South-ern California in January of 1980. In1985, Christy began her undergraduatestudies at Cal Poly Pomona and in 1987she transferred to the school she had longwanted to attend, UC Santa Cruz. Heryears in Santa Cruz gave her the oppor-tunity to develop several interests that shewould pursue for the rest of her life. Froman early age she had been interested ineducation, particularly of immigrants,refugees and low-income students whofaced challenges in the classroom. Priorto moving to Santa Cruz, she worked asa bilingual teacher’s aid helping new im-migrants at an elementary school in

Through the generous donations offamily and friends of Christy TrinhMalarney, a student award was estab-lished in her name. The Christy Anh-Thu Trinh-Malarney Student Awardseeks to reward the achievements of aUniversity of California at Santa Cruzgraduating senior who, in his or herundergraduate years, has combinedacademic excellence with a commit-ment to increasing the understanding

or improving the welfare of people ofVietnamese heritage in the United States,Vietnam, and abroad. The award particu-larly seeks to recognize those whoseUCSC education will provide a founda-tion for a career that will continue to fur-ther serve the goal of improving the livesof people of Vietnamese heritage or en-hancing the public awareness of theirsociety, culture and history in all com-munities worldwide where people of

Christy Anh-Thu Trinh-Malarney Student Award EstablishedVietnamese heritage live. The studentaward will be administered by theAsian American/Pacific Islander Re-source Center.

Christy Anh-Thu Trinh-MalarneyApril 25, 1967 - April 29, 2003 ~ Merril College 1990

Rosemead. While in Santa Cruz she worked part-time at a Montessori school and alsoworked as a University of CaliforniaSAA/EOP tutor helping minority andlow-income students with political sci-ence and history coursework. During herlate teens she had also become interestedin Asia. She took a double major at UCSCin Politics and East Asian studies and re-ceived honors in politics. Finally, heryears of living as an immigrant in the UShad sharpened her interest in her Viet-namese identity and the Vietnamese com-munity in the U.S. After moving to North ern California, she became involved withthe Walk for the People Walk-a-Thon inSan Francisco to raise money for Viet-namese refugees and in Santa Cruz shebecome a member of the university’sVietnamese Student Association. Shelater served as the association’s presidentfor two years. Christy graduated from UCSC in 1990and in the autumn of 1991 she moved toHong Kong to find work in the colony’sVietnamese refugee camps. She spentover two years working in Hong Kongfor Save the Children, UK, where sheserved as a pre-school coordinator forrefugee children living in the Argyle andWhitehead Detention Centers. Her expe-riences in the camps re-kindled her in-

Malarney continued on pg. 9

hristy Anh-Thu Trinh-Malarney was born Trinh Ngoc Anh-Thu on April25th, 1967 in Saigon, Vietnam. Thedaughter of a family of northern and cen-tral Vietnamese ancestry, she spent herearly years growing up in both Saigonand Hue. As with thousands of other Viet-namese of her generation, her childhoodin Vietnam came to an abrupt end onApril 29th, 1975 when her family fledSaigon by boat as the North Vietnamesearmy approached the city. Although shewas only eight years old, she vividly re-membered her mother taking her and hersister to the side of the boat and tellingthem to take one last look at and remem-ber the Vietnamese coast as it faded inthe distance. After several days at sea, she and herfamily were picked up by a United StatesNavy vessel and, after several stops, wereultimately transported to Camp Pendleton

CBy Shaun Malarney

3 SNAP!Fall 2004

Student Award

Victor MasatoKimura Student

Award EstablishedThrough generous donations by fam-ily and friends of Victor Kimura, a stu-dent award was established. The Vic-tor Masato Kimura Student Awardseeks to reward the achievements of aUniversity of California at Santa Cruzgraduating senior who through theirpolitical and social activism has dem-onstrated a commitment to human andcivil rights for all Americans. The Vic-

tor Masato Kimura Student Awardshall be based on academic achieve-ment and active involvement in theAsian American/Pacific Islander com-munity. The award shall be adminis-tered by the Asian American/PacificIslander Resource Center.

“...it’s betterthat I openedmy eyes than tokeep themclosed and havemy head in thesand for myentire career.”

hat you don’t know won’t hurt you.

starting two positions below clerk level. Thirteen years later, Victor emergedas Assistant Accounting Officer and wenton to becoming Campus Budget Direc-tor, in the wake of massive state budgetreductions that translated into painful cutsfor the campus as well. Still, he faithfullyperformed his duties as Campus BudgetDirector for the next thirteen years. Upto that point, Victor had been the mostreclassified, most promoted staff mem-ber at UCSC. He fulfilled his post andtrue to his father’s wishes, “kept his noseclean,” until one day an incident occurredthat changed his life forever. In December 1988, Crown Collegeplanned a Filipino College Night thathappened to fall on the anniversary of thebombing of Pearl Harbor. After realizingthis, Crown staff canceled Filipino Col-lege Night, rationalizing that a celebra-tion of Asian food and culture on thatnight may anger those with family mem-bers who fought in the war. Many stu-dents at the time believed the act was in-dicative of the racism that pervaded thecampus. In a gesture of solidarity with the stu-dents and in an effort to follow his convic-tions, Victor composed a letter voicing his

Kimura continued on pg. 8

Staff Spotlight: Victor Kimura

W

Reprinted from 2000 Spring Newsletter

By Angie Chen

For some, those words act as amantra easing them through the ins andouts of each day. For others, seeking outtruth is the key to knowledge. I had theprivilege of interviewing Victor Kimura,the first Asian American staff member atUCSC, about his career before he retiresthis year. For him, the truth is the onlyway to go. His career demonstrates hisconvictions and his example is one thathas been celebrated by students, faculty,and staff. What proves to be vital in shar-ing his story is his courage in speakingout against racially insensitive acts. Victor was born in Tooele, Utah,around the time when the American gov-ernment incarcerated over 120,000 Japa-nese and Japanese Americans in intern-ment camps during WWII. He explains,“My father said that no son of his wouldbe born in an internment camp, so theymoved from an internment camp inPoston, Arizona to a work camp inTooele, Utah.” He recalls his father’swords to him and the pervading sentimentof Japanese Americans at the time: “I wasdeeply affected by a lot of things that myfather said to me as I was growing up,for instance, don’t create waves, don’tcreate any problems, be a model citizen.”His father, no doubt driven by the politi-cal climate at the time, told him to re-spect authority, to withhold feelings, tonot complain, and certainly to not speakout. Victor grew up amidst this uniquetime. While attending Cabrillo College, hefell in love and soon after, started a fam-ily. In order to make money, he workedon a certificate of completion in account-ing while holding down three jobs, oneof which was for the UCSC Library thatwas temporarily housed at Cabrillo Col-lege. He moved the entire UCSC Librarycollection from Cabrillo to UCSC with apick-up truck. On February 1st, 1965,Victor formally received his first job oncampus making 372 dollars per month,

Victor Kimura when he startedworking at UCSC.

climbed the steps up to the SOAR

process of helping to rework SOAR’s mis-sion statement, specifically to emphasizethe aim to promote and expand peoples’notions of education. He believes that someof the most meaningful learning does nottake place in the classroom, but out in thecommunity. “I am always looking to learnthings,” he says, mentioning the personalmeaning SOAR has for him, not just asextra curricular or co-curricular activities,but “just as significant a part of educationas going to class.” He continues, “It’s apity that so many gothrough UCSCwithout openingtheir eyes to newexperiences.” I getthe impression thatLeon treasures histime here; I see hissunny dispositionshine through thechanges he has witnessed on campusthrough the years, united by the hope ofcreating something better for students ofthe future. We played 20 Questions, thetranscript of which follows.Sonya: Funny stories, insights, anecdotes?Leon: I’ll eat just about anything exceptfish--allergies--and hard boiled eggs--childhood trauma. I don’t want to talkabout it!!Sonya: Ok. So what are you reading rightnow?Leon: (smiles) A novel called Lamb: TheGospel According to Biff, Christ’s Child-hood Friend by Christopher Moore.S: Wow.L: (sarcastic, playful) It’s amazing!S: (laughs) A song that describes you?L: I can’t cuss, can I?S: Well, it is my article…

4 SNAP!Fall 2004

By Sonya Grayson

SOAR - ingback to

Santa Cruz

L: “Planet Rock.” It’s by AfrikaBambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. Itcame out in ’82, one of the first oldschool rap songs. I was sold on hip-hopthe first time I heard it.S: Favorite season?L: Summertime. I like the heat, and there’sless work. More time for leisure; I’m al-ways running around.S: Favorite thing about Santa Cruz?L: (without hesitation) The beauty. Thereare no ugly days in Santa Cruz—everydayis a beautiful day.S: How do you stay connected to the APIcommunity outside of work?L: Friends connect over being Asian inthe United States, and Santa Cruz. Wecommiserate and share grievances. Weidentify and celebrate together.

Sign: AriesHometown: Oakland, CALikes: Red Hot Cheetos (at least, on day of

interview!)Hobbies: Singing, Tennis and Kung FuCurrent Job: Student Organization, Advising, and

Resources (SOAR) Program Manager

I

LEON WANNProgram Manager

Student Organization Advising and Resources

WARREN MIKAWAComputing Director

Chancellor's Office Administrative Systems and Technology

Welcome New Staff and Congratulations to Staff in New/Promoted Positions!

RAUL EBIOAssistant Director

San Jose’s California Student Opportunities and Access Program

KIMBERLY SIDESUndergraduate Opportunities Coordinator

Educational Partnership Center

Staff/Alumni Spotlight

SAYO FUJIOKADirector

Student Organization Advising and Resources

office seeking an interview with LeonWann. I track him down and he suggestswe move outside his office for fresh air, sodown the steps I go. He looks like he isready for the beach in a brightly coloredHawaiian shirt and floppy fisherman’s hat. Leon is a UCSC alumnus, Merrill classof 1990. He graduated with a BA in psy-chology and then went on to spend two“miserable” years in a Ph.D program in An-thropology and Sociology at the NewSchool for Social Research in New YorkCity. I teased him, saying at least he got tospend time in NY. Apparently the allure ofSanta Cruz was too much for him, how-ever, because he moved back in ‘93 andsince then has been moving up the staffranks at the university. During his breakfrom life in SC, he earned his Masters inmulticultural counseling at San DiegoState. Leon’s various positions here on cam-pus have included parking officer, work-ing in the American Studies Department,being the Oakes Activities Coordinator,and the resident Preceptor at Kresge,Oakes, and Cowell colleges. Currently, heis a SOAR Program Manager and enthu-siastic about working with students, espe-cially ethnic organizations. SOAR, located in the Student UnionBuilding, is home to 100+ student initiatedorganizations on campus. Leon is in the

AA/PI Resource Center Staff Biographies

5 SNAP!Fall 2004

Alexander LeeIntern

Alexander Lee is a 4th year who trans-ferred to UCSC last year. Affiliatedwith Stevenson and majoring in psy-chology, he is a native to St. August-ine, Florida, but now calls San Fran-cisco his home. He is co-chair for the Chi-nese Student Association (CSA), is a SSTOC Mentor, a coremember of the Asian/Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC), andthe Community Unified Student Network (CUSN). Lookingforward to interning this year the song that connects his life, itschallenges, and friends is: “Through it All” by One Voice.

Natalie Chan is a 3rd year, CollegeNine student majoring in sociologyand minoring in education. She is aSSTOC peer mentor and a core mem-

ber of CUSN. She is interested in theissues that affect youth, especially elemen-

tary school age children. This is Natalie’s first year as a stu-dent intern at AA/PIRC. She is looking forward to organizingevents that will bring individuals together in a friendly, sup-portive community. A song featured on the soundtrack to herlife would be “Feels Like Today” by Rascal Flatts.

Natalie ChanIntern

Introducing Jean Ho! Jean is a 2ndyear Merrill student majoring inFilm and Digital Media. She wasborn and raised in Los Angeles, in

the suburban nation of Walnut. No, notWalnut Creek. She was customer of the

month at Taco Factory 3 years ago; on top of that she iscurrently affiliated with the Vietnamese Student Associa-tion, is a Merrill Orientation Leader, and an aspiring jazzpianist for the UCSC jazz ensemble. The soundtrack to herlife would include “Double Bass” by Gorillaz.

Jean HoIntern

Nancy In Kyung Kim is a 1.9 genera-tion Korean American who grew up inLos Angeles county. A banana slug forlife, Nancy received her BA in Ameri-

can Studies from UCSC and was affili-ated with Merrill College. She later received

her MA degree in Asian American Studies at UCLA and occa-sionally teaches courses on gender and sexuality. She returned toSanta Cruz in 1999 to build AA/PIRC, married in March 2003,and recently had a baby, Jung Soo Jose “JJ.” A song on thesoundtrack to her life would be “So Happy Together” by the Turtles.

Nancy I. KimDirector

Ashley Uyeda is a 3rd year Crown stu-dent majoring in American Studies.Born and raised in the beautiful, roll-ing hills of Martinez in the East Bay,she is a 4th generation Japanese, Portu-guese, Swiss American. She is involved inCUSN, APISA, engaging education, and is a SSTOC peermentor. This is her first year working at AA/PIRC and is gladto be joining such a wonderful and caring community. Onesong that would be on the soundtrack to her life would be “Let’sDance” by David Bowie.

Ashley UyedaIntern

Sonya R. Grayson is a 3rd yearStevenson student graduating this yearwith a BA in modern literature. Bornin New Orleans and raised in Long

Beach, this second generation Japanese-American/Jewish-American Princess en-

joys writing, bowling, philosophy, and sleeping. She is a SSTOCpeer mentor, edits the AA/PIRC newsletter, core member ofJASA, and was involved in Motivation Conference X. She isexcited about interning and becoming a part of a very fun, tight-knit network of staff. Sonya’s song: “Displaced” by Azure Ray.

Sonya GraysonIntern

Libby Lok is the Chancellor’s Under-graduate Intership Program (CUIP)intern this year at AA/PIRC. She is asecond year sociology major from Col-lege Nine. This year, she would like toprovide resources to her campus commu-nity that will shed light on Asian Pacific Islander (API) issues,as well as embrace every aspect of our diversity while she ishere. She aims to make sure that our contemporary API identi-ties do not get lost in stereotypes and the “API” label. A songthat describes Libby is “She’s a Lady” by Tom Jones.

Libby LokCUIP Intern

Elaine Kam is a recent graduate fromUCSC, Crown College, with a BA inBusiness Management Economics.Born and raised in Hong Kong, shecame to the Bay Area six years ago. Asan undergrad, she was actively involvedin the Chinese Student Association (CSA), Asian/Pacific Is-lander Coalition (APIC), was a SSTOC mentor and an Educa-tional Opportunity Programs (EOP) peer advisor. She is ex-tremely excited to be back in Santa Cruz supporting the AA/PIcommunity. Elaine’s song: “Chase” by Leslie Cheung.

Elaine KamProgram Coordinator

6 SNAP!Fall 2004

met Asian American national lead-

Summer at the Capitol

The following organizations offersummer internships for students who are

interested in learning AA/PI- relatedissues, please check out their websites

for further details:Conference on Asian Pacific American

Leadership (CAPAL)www.capal.org

Asian Pacific American Institute forCongressional Studies (APAICS)

www.apaics.orgInternational Leadership Foundation (ILF)

www.ileader.orgNational Asian Pacific American Legal

Consortium (NAPALC) www.napalc.org

Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA)www.ocanatl.org

dean of Wayne State University’s LawSchool. I also participated in the WashingtonLeadership Program (WLP) on Wednes-days, organized by the Conference onAsian Pacific American Leadership(CAPAL). WLP was a workshop seriesthat engaged summer interns in critical

issues pertaining to the AA/PI commu-nity such as public sector careers, coali-tion building, and policy-making. Theseworkshops enabled me to meet othersummer interns from all around the na-tion, and also network with speakers whoare government officials and public lead-ers. Another valuable experience as anOCA intern was participating in the an-nual OCA national convention. Thisyear’s theme was “Education and Soli-

By Elaine Kamdarity: The Road to Empowerment,”which took place in Boston, Massachu-setts. The four-day convention includedprograms for high school and college stu-dents. I learned about the importance ofvoting and voter registration in one of the“College Day” workshops. Toward the end of the internship, OCAwas able to schedule a meeting for thesummer interns with the Secretary of U.S.Department of Transportation (DOT),Norman Mineta. Mineta was a formerCalifornia Congressman, and the SanJose Airport is now named after him be-cause of his work and commitment to theBay Area! This two-hour private meet-ing was a memorable one. Mineta sharedhis personal struggle as a JapaneseAmerican in the internment camp andthen his rise to the secretarial position atDOT. He encouraged us to “always serveour community even though we may notend up working for the government.” This internship offered me an oppor-tunity to form new friendships with stu-dents from other states, and also learnmore history about the U.S. Capitol.Many of the museums are free of admis-sion and they are good places to spendleisure time. I am glad that I took thisopportunity in Washington, DC. It hasincreased my political awareness andconcerns related to AA/PI issues. At thesame time, I networked with many pro-fessionals who are working in my fieldas a way to better prepare myself for thefuture. If you would like to gain experi-ence in the public sector, don’t hesitateand apply for an internship!

Asian American/Pacific Islander

Heritage Month Planning Committee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEEDS YOU! NEEDS YOU! NEEDS YOU! NEEDS YOU! NEEDS YOU! Help to… - represent the diverse Asian American/

Pacific Islander community- combine our roots with our identities of today

If you have any ideasor want to join the

committee,EMAIL Libby Lokaapirc@ucsc.edu

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Get involved in > creating events > organizing events > publicizing > designing logos and themes

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I ers as a volunteer at a political eventduring my ten-week internship in Wash-ington, DC. Among them were prominentleaders such as California CongressmanMike Honda, Washington State Gover-nor Gary Locke, and one of the Presiden-tial candidates. This summer, I was anintern for the Organization of ChineseAmericans (OCA), a nationally recog-nized nonprofit/nonpartisan civil advo-cacy group for Asian American/PacificIslanders (AA/PI). Due to my growinginterest in urban planning and commu-nity development, I was placed at theU.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD) under the Office ofPublic and Indian Housing. Besidesworking at HUD, I was also exposed toa variety of resources for AA/PI’s at thenational level, which broadened my per-spective on various issues, leadershipopportunities and future career paths. During my ten weeks at HUD, Ilearned and assisted in the policy-making process by performing costanalysis. I also attended brown bagworkshop luncheons that were spe-cifically held for AA/PI interns. Oneof the speakers at the luncheons wasFrank Wu, author of the book Yellow:Race in America Beyond Black andWhite. At the session, Wu shared hischildhood experiences and strugglesas an Asian American in Detroit,Michigan. Wu was the first AsianAmerican to serve as a professor of lawat Howard University, and is now the

7 SNAP!Fall 2004

-23 Asian Baptist Student Koinonia (ABSK) Fall Reception @ Bay Tree Building Conference Room D 7:30pm

-26 Kuya Ate Mentorship Program BBQ @ Oakes Upper Lawn 2–6 pm

-28 Sigma Omicron Pi Info Night @ Bookstore or top of College 8 7pm

-28 Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Info Night @ Bookstore, Social Sciences 2 circle, or Oakes circle 7pm

-30 Filipino Student Association (FSA) Fall Reception @ Porter Dining Hall 8pm

SSSSSeptembereptembereptembereptembereptember

-7 Indian Student Organization (ISO) Fall Reception @ College 8 Redwood Lounge 7:30pm

-12 Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) Fall Reception @ Ethnic Resource Center (ERC) lounge 7-8pm

-13 Students of Color and Law School @ Bay Tree Conference Room C 12 –1:30 pm

-13 Asian American/Pacific Islander Community Reception @ Bay Tree Conference Room D 5-7pm

-18 Chinese Student Association (CSA) Fall Reception @ 7:30pm Location TBA

-20 AA/PI Year-End Ceremony Planning Committee Meeting @ Ethnic Resource Centers (ERCs) 4:15pm

-20 Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) / Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) Fall Reception @ 7:00 pm e2 Lounge

-21 The East/West Canvases: Questioning Beauty by Sue Li Jue @ Merrill’s Cultural Center 7:30pm

-22 Ethnic Student Organization Council (ESOC) Fall Reception @ e2 Building (next to Student Union) 4-6pm

-22 Asian American Comedy Night with 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors sponsored by AA/PIRC & CUSN @ Montgomery Theater, San Jose 8pm. For more information, contact AA/PIRC

-28 Japanese American Student Association (JASA) Fall Reception @ the Student Union 8-10pm

OOOOOctoberctoberctoberctoberctober

- Chinese Student Association (CSA) Core Meetings Mondays @ Bay Tree Conference Room D 8:30pm- Japamese American Student Association (JASA) Core Meetings Mondays @ Student Union 8pm- Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) Core Meetings Tuesdays @ e2 Building (next to the Student Union) 8pm

Weekly Meetings

Fall Calendar of Events

8 SNAP!Fall 2004

Kimura continued from pg. 3criticism of Crown’s decision and subse-quent justifications. “I remember the dayI wrote the letter,” he recalls in that fate-ful moment, “I toned it down quite a bit.I remember standing above the ‘out’ bas-ket in my office. I remember putting it inand taking it out, putting it in and takingit out. I did that about four or five times.I decided I’m just going to put it in; itseemed like the right thing to do.” The letter turned out to have a veryprofound effect on his career. He was sub-sequently blasted for his statementagainst racism. From that moment on,there was no going back. Trust in theUniversity’s encouragement of speechagainst racism miserably crumbled when,later, a Crown administrator sued Victor,the former Chancellor, and the Regentsof the University of California for “defa-mation of character and intentional inflic-tion of emotional distress.” The University denied Victor legalrepresentation concluding that he ex-pressed a personal belief not associatedwith the University in any way - after theformer chancellor had formally imploredthe UCSC community to speak outagainst racist acts. A difficult and labori-ous three-year court battle ensued. Thecase went all the way to the U.S. SupremeCourt where it was finally dismissed. Fol-

lowing the lawsuit, the former chancel-lor decided that Victor was no longerqualified to be the Campus Budget Di-rector and demoted him. Presently, he isManagement Consultant for Planning andBudget. In the wake of the “Asian Food Af-fair,” AA/PI students passionately sup-ported Victor and mobilized their effortsthrough forums, rallies, and letters of sup-port. Victor’s action demonstrated amethod of resistance against racist insti-tutions to the AA/PI student community.His bravery empowered students in theirown journeys as they navigated throughUCSC life and beyond. Christina Salvin,former UCSC student remembersVictor’s bravery: “As a student, we feellike we’re invincible. We can say any-thing, write anything, and no one cantouch us. But as a staff person, the impli-cations are much greater. Now as a fac-ulty member myself, I can more appreci-ate what a big deal it was for him to writethat letter against other staff members.”Julie Noh, alumni and former APISAmember also recalls Victor’s lasting im-pact: “His situation launched a wholecampaign for things like Ethnic Studies,affirmative action, scholarship programs,and the need for an AA/PI Resource Cen-ter. He reminded us that not only can yoube a radical activist when you’re young,

but also later in life.” Although theknowledge that Victor has gained fromthe experience is in many ways painful,he concedes that he would do the sameagain: “I used to be very career oriented.Issues of diversity were not terribly im-portant to me, which I’m ashamed to saynow. So the letter that I wrote did a lot ofthings. I got to know a lot of AA/PI stu-dents here. They asked me to speak attheir graduation ceremony [API Grad1991] which was quite an honor. And itopened my eyes to how the university isreally run. What I learned is terrible, butit’s better that I opened my eyes than tokeep them closed and have my head inthe sand for my entire career.” He con-tinues to share his story at conferences,forums, and with anyone who is inter-ested in learning about a part of campushistory. As Victor approaches retirement, hestill remains active in community or-ganizations such as the ACLU ofNorthern California, Santa Cruz Com-munity Credit Union, and Asian PacificIslanders for Community Awareness(APICA). He continues to pursue hispassions such as motorcycle riding,and perhaps most importantly, spendstime with his family and nine-month-old son, Carter. For Victor, life is defi-nitely better seeking out the truth.

Friday November 5th - Sunday November 7thUniversity of Southern California ~ Los Angeles

Register Online Now!usc2004.naascon.org

Returning to our Roots:The Past, Present,

and Futureof the Asian American

Student Community

First National Asian American Student Conference

Malarney continued from pg. 2terest in continuing her education and inDecember of 1993 she left Hong Kongto begin a Masters degree in East AsianStudies at Harvard University. She fin-ished her degree in 1995 after writing athesis on refugee policies applied to Viet-namese asylum seekers fleeing Vietnamin the post-1975 period. While at Harvard she met her futurehusband and they married at the end of1995. In early 1996 she moved to Tokyoto join her husband who had already be-gun a job there. She later described thenext seven years as the happiest of herlife as she devoted herself to her familyand to being a mother to her two sons,Liem and Kien, born in 1997 and 1999.Her interest in her native country, how-ever, did not fade. While in Tokyo sheoccasionally worked for the UNHCR asan interpreter for Vietnamese asylumseekers in Japan. Then, in 2001-2002 she

and her family moved to Hanoi for herhusband’s sabbatical leave. When shewas a graduate student, Christy--whowas a skilled cook with a mastery of awide range of Vietnamese dishes--hadbecome interested in the culture andhistory of Vietnamese food. During heryear in Hanoi she began a researchproject on Vietnamese food culturesthat she hoped to turn into a series ofarticles and a book that would explainto a popular audience the historical andcultural dimensions of Vietnamesefood. Sadly, a month after returning fromHanoi in the summer of 2002, Christybegan to experience a series of debili-tating health problems. These intensi-fied to the point that she required hos-pitalization in October and by earlyNovember she was diagnosed with anadvanced cancer. She bravely foughtthrough four rounds of chemotherapy,

paralysis, and spinal surgery, but thecancer proved intractable and shepassed away in Tokyo early on themorning of April 29th, 2003, twentyeight years to the day after her familyfled Vietnam. As those who survivedher noted, she had lived an extraordi-nary life in those twenty-eight years. The Christy Anh-Thu Trinh-Malarney Student Award seeks to rec-ognize a graduating UCSC student whoshows a similar commitment to edu-cational achievement and to Vietnamand the Vietnamese. From her lateteens onward, Christy had devoted her-self to her native country and itspeople, but her potential contributionsto them were never fully realized dueto her untimely death. It is hoped thatthe winners of the award will carry for-ward in their lives and work the samespirit and commitment that Christy hadin hers.

Wednesday October 20th

4:15 PM@ Ethnic Resource Centers Lounge

Informational sessionCome help plan the event: entertainment, food,

programming, publicity, emcee, and more!

Asian American/Pacific Islander

Year End Ceremony

First Meeting○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

9 SNAP!Fall 2004

Thursday Oct. 21 - 7:30 pm

Cultural Center at Merrill

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DanceDanceDanceDanceDance ~ Multimedia performance with:

Sue Li Jue

The East/West Canvases:Questioning Beauty

“...expertly balancing language andmovement, music and storytelling”

- SF Bay Guardian

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Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center

University of California, Santa Cruz

339 Bay Tree Building

1156 High Street

Santa Cruz, CA 95064

Phone: (831) 459-5349

Fax: (831) 459-2469

www2.ucsc.edu/aapirc

SNAP! StaffAdvisorCopy EditorLayout EditorProductionsContributors

Nancy I. Kim

Sonya Grayson

Ashley Uyeda

Elaine Kam

Angie Chen

Sonya Grayson

Elaine Kam

Libby Lok

Shaun Malarney

Come

Visit

Us

visit www2.ucsc.edu/aapircfor questions and info, e-mail: aapirc@ucsc.edu