A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

SNAP! Sharp s New s Alternative s Perspective Vol. 8 No. 1 Published quarterly by the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center, UC Santa Cruz Fall 2006 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words... Asian American/Pacific Islander Community Reception - Oct. 12, 2006 In this Issue... > Pacific Film Festival Review pg. 2-3 > Summer Internship Spotlight pg. 4 > Staff Spotlight - Jerry Lee pg. 5 > Meet the AA/PIRC Staff pg. 6-7 FILM REVIEW The Mass State: A Look Into the Mind of the North Korean State By Liberty Matias “A State of Mind” offers a rare and fascinating glimpse into the culture, ideology, and everyday life of North Korea. A nation of 23 million people, North Korea has never allowed media access in documenting footage of the National Mass Games, until now. Directed by BBC documentary producer, Daniel Gordon, the film shares much insight and experience into the lives of two young girls, who proudly train for an Olympic style ceremony in hopes of honoring their beloved “General,” also known as Kim Jong Il. Although at first glance the focus of the film is the actual training and process of the Mass Games, the film more so offers knowledge of the political, historical, and cultural state of North Korea. Using the lives of two girls, Pak Hyon-Sun, 13 and Kim Song-Yun, 11, Gordon reveals a versatile representation of the girlsʼ schooling, family dynamics, and the organization of systems in a country that has little to represent outside of its collective sphere. Only the best gymnasts are given the honor of performing before their dear leader, Kim Jong Il, and the two girls set their sights on winning that honor. Twenty minutes into the film, we see Hyon-sun practicing with her classmates for hours on end, showing how committed these carefully selected athletes is in the games. Moreover, we see the ruling philosophy of self-sacrifice Fall 2006 come into play because of the knowledge that is ingrained in these childrenʼs minds from the very beginning. With tens of thousands of dancers working together through synchronized precision, the Mass Games (Arirang) performance embodies the ideology, considered crucial to North Koreaʼs survival, that individuals must completely submit their desires into collective will of the nation. Not only was the footage of the strenuous training intense, but also these children were all so willing to do it with passion and discipline. Hands down, the filmʼs most groundbreaking moments occur in shots of the girlsʼ time with their family and friends. During a break from training hard midday, a teacher calls out to a young girl to sing and entertain the rest of the group. The girl eagerly stands up in front of the other girls and belts out an operatic song dedicated to praising Kim Jong Il and their countryʼs communist state. Although the strict routine of daily training represented an image of North Korea at its finest, the idea was still an extreme one nonetheless. In the neighboring seats, audience members spoke passionately saying, “Oh my gosh, that is insane. Why would they do that? I cannot believe this. That is the scariest thing I have ever seen.” These images of anti-Americanism displayed throughout the ceremonies were definitely raw, yet genuine at the same time, and the reactions from some members in the audience should not have been a surprise to me at all. Inevitably, Americans will naturally perceive ideas that are foreign to them as scary or uncivil. Obviously, the remarks were reSNAP! 2 ferring to the ways in which North Korea is so different from that of America, the political state being one of them. But despite these blatant distinctions, the movie did an outstanding job in showing that North Koreans are real people with real values, goals, aspirations, and ways of living. Fortunately, that in it was the underlying theme the director wanted to share with the audience, as opposed to a documentary strictly about the Mass Games. The film represented what the Mass Games were, why they were held, who was involved, and what the games meant to the country as a whole. Given the various angles of the film, Gordon offers a modern depiction of the state of North Korea and its people. Considering the plethora of various parochial commentaries of North Korea in the media today, it is only safe to say that this film is quite representative in every aspect, and a must see movie. � Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center Internship Opportunities AA/PIRC Internships are a great way to get connected with UCSC’s Asian American/Pacific Islander community, plan small and large scale events, and gain experience in publications and outreach. Student internships are for the 2006-2007 academic year. Interns can earn 2 units each quarter of independent studies course credit, which requires 5-7 hours a week committment along with the completion of a final course paper. Students will work with other interns as well as the AAPIRC Director and Program Coordinator. If you are interested to apply for Winter or Spring 2007, please contact the AA/PIRC at aapirc@ucsc.edu or call 459-5349. Heritage Month Planning Committee NEEDS YOU! Help to… Represent the diverse Asian American/Pacific Islander community. Combine our roots with our identities of today Get involved in > creating events > organizing events > publicizing > designing logos and themes Asian American/Pacific Islander YEAR END CEREMONY Planning Committee Come help plan this annual event celebrating the achievements of AA/PI graduates! Join a committee in entertainment, food, programming, publicity, emcee, and more! Interested? Contact: Liberty Matias Email: lmatias@ucsc.edu or call (831) 459-5349 If you have any ideas or want to join the planning committee, contact: Tran Nguyen at trhnguye@ucsc.edu or call (831) 459-5349 Fall 2006 3 SNAP! Summer Internship Spotlight A Summer Well Spent PPIA: preparation for graduate school and beyond By Libby Lok ublic Policy and International Affairs Fellowship (PPIA)...Translation: taking more classes but with amazing people and with life long benefits. For over 20 years, PPIA has been committed to promoting diversity in public service as well as fostering young people as active citizens, public servants, and agents for change. It is a national program that prepares young adults for a masters, and ultimately for a career, in serving the public. This summer I was accepted to be a fellow and completed the Junior Summer Institute at UC Berkeley. When I arrived at UCB and began to meet the other 30 fellows from around the country, I began to realize how lucky I was to be there. All the students and the staff I met had a community and/or a cause that drove them to be committed to creating social and political change. A student from Wesleyan worked at an abortion clinic as an escort. He provided women with emotional support and protected them from protesters. My roommate was from the University of Michigan and recently began a campaign against current anti-immigration legislation. A fellow student from UCSC spent a couple of years in Chiapas, Mexico working with the Zapatistas. It was amazing living with these people for six weeks. I learned so much about their struggles for justice as well as reflecting upon my own. Over the past four years, I have been heavily involved with the Asian American community at UCSC. Iʼve worked on programs and campaigns to educate and empower people to take action in their communities. I am very passionate about deconstructing and organizing around identity poliFall 2006 P Photos Courtesy of Libby Lok (Libby Lok on far Right) tics, stereotypes, education, and racism. Even though my goals and concerns for change were different from the other students, we all shared that same burn – the burn to make a difference for the better. The program itself revolved around three classes: policy analysis, economics, and quantative analysis. These are the three core courses that you take when getting a masters degree in public policy (MPP), public administration (MPA), or international affairs (MPP). Ouch! At UCSC I take a lot of classes centered on critical race theory and tend to stay away from anything with numbers, so all of these classes seemed way out of my league. But even at PPIA, I found a core group of people that was in the same situation as myself and we worked through it together. What was great about our classes was that each week we had a guest lecturer who linked class material to everyday political debates. For example, one week we learned about renewable energy, which overlapped into policy and economics. Another week we learned about social psychology, racial profiling, and hate crimes which overlapped into policy and quantative analysis (statistics). In addition to classes, we also went on field trips to the State Capital, Oakland City Hall, a few non-profit organizations, and other related government and financial institutions. The field trips gave us a better idea of what kind of work we could do with a MPP or MPA. What was great was being able to connect with a former PPIA Fellow at every stop and ask them valuable questions. One of the main benefits of PPIA is the network you become associated with. There are hundreds of PPIA fellows around the world as well as right here in northern California. Once you complete the Junior Summer Institute, you become a part of the network where you can search for jobs and internships, or you can search for people doing work that you are interested in. Other benefits include free Kaplan preparation classes for the Graduate Record Exam, free graduate school application fees, and at least $5000 a year for graduate school. A lot of people just like you are qualified for this program. Even if you are a science major and have never touched policy analysis, you can be eligible for PPIA as long as you have a strong drive to uplift a community and be an agent for change. Every summer there are five universities that host the PPIA Junior Summer Institute: UC Berkeley, Princeton, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, and University of Maryland. Approximately thirty students are accepted from each university. The deadline for Princeton is November 1, 2006. The deadline for the other campuses is March 1, 2007. For more information visit www.ppiaprogram.org/app/ or feel free to contact me at lalok@ucsc.edu. This is a great opportunity and I would love to see more UCSC students thrive through this program. � SNAP! 4 Staff Spotlight Jerry Lee: Staff Spotlight Social Action Through Therapy By William Lee n two months, he will have worked at UC Santa Cruz for 25 years. He is licensed as a Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, and is one of nine psychologists in the Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) Department on campus. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology and his MS in Psychology at San Jose State University. After receiving his degree, he worked in various settings in the mental health field, but it is here in Santa Cruz that he stayed for more than two decades. His name? Jerry Lee. How it all Started: Jerry Lee describes himself as a 2.5 generation Chinese American. Although he was raised mostly by his first generation grandmother, he grew up in a household with values that were both Western and traditional. “I have a combination of very traditional role models and perspectives about family and at the same time Iʼm more than second generation,” Jerry said. Growing up in a small Central California community, he states he struggled with issues of cultural identity due to the lack of many Asian American peers and role models. He attended college during the late 60ʼs and early 70ʼs, and was impacted by the student movements in the Bay Area: the anti-war movement as well as the struggle for the establishment of Ethnic Studies at the various campuses in the Bay Area. I During his undergraduate years, he was involved in the development of Asian American Studies at San Jose State. This was an eyeopening experience for him, learning more about Asian American history and culture. Jerry was very idealistic in college, thinking that social change could occur. His interest in psychology was at first purely academic, with no interest to pursue it professionally. That later changed when he was accepted into the community/clinical graduate program. He began to learn about psychology as a form of social action that integrated culture, the family, the individual and the various systems we live in, rather than just purely as individual process. Beginning to Work:In addition to his wealth of experience at UC Santa Cruz, Jerry also worked as the field work coordinator at the psychology department and the Counseling Center at San Jose. From there, he worked for the Community Mental Health System in Santa Clara County. He was involved in the development of a mental health outreach program for the Asian Pacific population of Santa Clara County, which later developed into the first Asian Pacific treatment facility in the county. During this time he also served on the Board of the Bay Area Asian American Mental Health Training Program which worked closely with the Bay Area social work programs in developing appropriate curriculum regarding Asian American populations. He also worked for the county in outpatients and day treatment programs. Then in 1981, he applied for a temporary position at UC Santa Cruz. A year later he was hired in a career position as a Counseling Psychologist. UC Santa Cruz: Jerry says that one of the best things about working with students in a university setting is that “the students are more insightful, brighter, and more motivated, and at the same time more open to feedback.” Jerry believes that students are at their prime age to learn different skills and are more willing to take risks. One of the more fulfilling aspects of his job is receiving email or letters from past students remembering the impact he made in their life. “If it has a positive impact and you can see it and run into the students 20 years later, and they remember what you said to them, itʼs pretty exciting to me,” Jerry said. He believes that one of the best ways to affect social change is to help people change themselves, and they will have impact on social systems. Jerry Leeʼs office is located at Crown College, Room 207, (831) 459-2269. Appointments are free to all undergraduate and graduate students. Appointments are best made at the Cowell Student Health Center Building in Room 105, Mon-Fri. 8-5pm or call (831) 4592628. More information about CPS and staff can be found online at www2.ucsc. edu/counsel/index.html. � HELP ESTABLISH ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES AT UCSC! UCSC is the only UC without an Asian American Studies Program! Help establish a program by taking the first step – hiring a professor in American Studies. Become part of the student panel. Tell the university what kind of Asian American professor you want. Students from all majors and grade levels needed. If you are interested, contact the Asian American/Pacific Islander Professors Coalition at ucsc_aapip@yahoo.com. Fall 2006 5 SNAP! AA/PI Resource Center Staff Biographies For this edition of SNAP, we asked the AA/PIRC Staff if they could be on the MTV show “MADE,” who or what would they be made into? Nancy Kim Director Nancy In Kyung Kim is a 1.9 generation Korean American who grew up in different parts of Los Angeles County, but considers Claremont her hometown. She received her B.A. in American Studies from UCSC, and was affiliated with Merrill College. Before returning to UCSC to be the first Director of AA/PIRC, Nancy received her M.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and taught Asian American Studies courses at CSU Northridge, UCLA, and Scripps College. She feels privileged to work with such committed students and colleagues in Santa Cruz. Nancyʼs research interests include Asian American feminist pedagogy, coalition building, social movements, and leadership and student development. She lives in Watsonville with her husband and 2 year old son. If Nancy could be “MADE,” she would want to Tina Fey when she was the head writer for Saturday Night Live. Program Coordinator Robert Imada Robert Imada is a fourth generation (yonsei) Japanese American who grew up in Sunnyvale, CA. He graduated from UCSC in 2002 with a B.A. in Psychology and was affiliated with Merrill College where he was also a Residential Assistant. As an undergraduate, Robert was active in various student organizations such as the Japanese-American Student Association, Queers of Color, and the GLBTI Network. After graduating, Robert worked at a community non-profit organization as a program coordinator for Queer Youth HIV Prevention Programs and was a program director and instructor for a high school colorguard arts program in Santa Clara County. Robert returned to UCSC to work in university affairs/services and feels privileged to serve students and the greater campus community through the AA/PIRC. If Robert could be “MADE,” he would want to be a professional dancer in a modern dance troupe. Tran Nguyen CUIP Intern Tran is a fourth year Psychology major from College Ten. She is a second generation Vietnamese American who grew up in San Jose. Tran is currently a Success Strategies Opportunities Collaborative (SSTOC) mentor, president of the UCSC Badminton Club, and a member of the badminton team. This year, Tran is returning to AA/PIRC as the Chancellorʼs Undergraduate Internship Program intern and is looking forward to working with both new and returning members of the AA/PI community. If Tran could be “MADE,” she would want to be a concert pianist. Fall 2006 Annie Tran Intern Annie Tran is UCSC fourth year student born and raised in San Francisco. She is a second-generation Chinese American and the first in her family to attend college. After studying abroad in China for half a year, she decided to major in East Asian Studies. She hopes to attend grad school to pursue a teaching credential. She is looking forward to working in AA/PIRC, meeting new people and leaving UCSC with a sense of accomplishment. If Annie were to be “MADE,” she would like to be a break-dancer. 6 SNAP! AA/PI Resource Center Staff Biographies Liberty Matias Intern Liberty Matias is a third year at UCSC currently majoring in Politics and minoring in Sociology. Liberty is a Sacramento native, and the second child in her family to attend a UC. As a Filipina American, she feels that itʼs important to educate oneself of their cultural background. She has been actively involved with the AA/PIRC since spring quarter of her sophomore year. If Liberty could be “MADE,” she would be Angelina Jolie, post UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, to see what it was like to work closely with the United Nations and experience a day in the life of the worldʼs sexiest woman! William Lee Intern William Lee is a fourth year Oakes student majoring in Intensive Psychology. He is a second generation Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco. He is a core member in Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) and a SSTOC leader. William has been with the AA/PIRC since last spring. This year, he plans to provide resources regarding psychology and mental health issues to the AA/PI community. If he could be “MADE,” he would be made into a bass player of the Canadian Indie rock band to jam with Emily Haines. Song Seto Intern Song Seto is a fourth year Economics major from College Eight. As an undergrad at the University of Southern California, she was actively involved in CIRCLE, a seminar that features a diverse panel of community leaders to discuss issues of race, class, and gender. She wanted to participate in AA/PIRC internship because she believes it will expand her organizational expertise and afford her the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight. If Song could be “MADE,” she would want to be made into “McDreamy” on Greyʼs Anatomy to experience a day in a life of a guy and a renowned brain surgeon. Yumi Chu Intern Yumi Chu is a senior majoring in Sociology and is affiliated with College Eight. She is a second generation half Japanese and Chinese American from Los Angeles. In the Sociology department, her main interests are racial inequalities with emphasis in the Asian American community. It is her first time being involved on campus as an intern with AA/PIRC. In addition to the internship she is a core member of the STOCC leadership program providing mentorship for other students. If Yumi could be “MADE,” she would want to be a professional chef. Teresa Tran Intern Teresa Tran is a third year Oakes student double-majoring in Psychology and Economics. Originally from Louisiana, her family relocated to Garden Grove, CA, which has a large population of other Vietnamese Americans like herself. She is currently president of Sigma Omicron Pi, a sorority that promotes Asian American awareness. In her spare time, she likes to relax and enjoys reading books. If she could be “MADE,” she would want to be made into a competitive swimmer because she does not know how to swim. Fall 2006 Rachel Okazaki Intern Rachel is in her fourth year and last quarter at UCSC. She is a member of the Womenʼs Lacrosse team and is majoring in Biology. Before transferring to Santa Cruz, she participated on the Womenʼs Tennis team at DeAnza College for two years and was the historian for Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for junior colleges. If she could be “MADE,” she would like to be made into a star of a musical. 7 SNAP! Food Review The Culinary Guru Review The Thai Noodle House Reviewed by Song Seto & Annie Tran Name of Restaurant: Thai Noodle House Address: 2106A Mission St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Phone: (831) 457-0238 Hours of Operation: 11am-9:30pm, 7 days a week Directions from campus: Take any of of the buses that go down on Bay (including 12, 13, 15, 16, 19), get off at Mission St. then walk two blocks towards Safeway. Pass KFC, Longʼs and the restaurant is directly across from Safeway; right next to a tanning salon. Food Reviews For appetizers, we ordered the Tod Man Plan which was deep fried fish cakes with vegetables inside and a special avocado spring roll that was not on the menu. The fishcakes were good and the avocado spring rolls were awesome: nice and filling with some sweet and sour sauce to dip in. We ordered a spicy and sour soup with tofu called Tom Yum. The soup was delicious with many veggies like mushrooms, baby corn, and onions. It had the right amount of spicy and sour flavoring. I also ordered a Thai Ice Tea that was pretty good with the right amount of sweetness. For the entrée we ordered the Pad Thai noodles with tofu. It was a bit too sweet for my taste and it was a bit blander than the other foods we had, but its flavors might have been overpowered by all the other food we had. Overall it was a nice dining experience and Iʼd recommend going there to reward yourself from cooking or the dining hall on a Friday night (which is what we did). SNAP is looking for restaurant reviewers. Are you interested in covering your favorite API eatery? Contact AA/ PIRC at aapirc@ucsc.edu or call (831) 459-5349. � Annie Tran enjoys a delicious bowl of Pad Thai noodles. Fall 2006 8 SNAP! Fall Calendar of Events September: 29 Success Strategies and Opportunities Collaborative (SSTOC) BBQ 4pm @ Oakes Lower Field October: 5 AA/PI Student Leadership Mixer 4:30pm @ Ethnic Resource Centers Lounge 11 Filipino Student Association (FSA) Fall Reception 7:30pm @ Stevenson Event Center 12 AA/PI Community Reception 4:30pm @ Bay Tree Conference Room D 12 14 24 Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) Fall Reception 7:30pm @ e2 Redwood Lounge Chinese Student Association (CSA) Sports Day 12-4pm @ OPERS Field 23 Applying to Graduate School Workshop 3pm @ Ethnic Resource Center Lounge Chinese Student Association (CSA) Fall Reception 7:30pm @ Merrill Cultural Center 25 Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) First Meeting of Fall Quarter 7:15pm @ Oakes Guzman Room 26 Community Unified Student Network (CUSN) Meet & Greet 7:30pm @ e2 Redwood Lounge 28 California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education @ Mills College in Oakland (www.ucop.edu/diversityforum) November: 1 Coalition for Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies 2pm @ Bay Tree Conference Room A 3 Madeleine Yue Dong Lecture, “When the Chinese Modern Girl Marries” 5-7pm @ Oakes Mural Room 4/5 Fostering Racialized Ethnic Student Healing Through Action (FRESH) Conference 10am @ Porter College Contact Jorge for more information: JLMartin@ucsc.edu. 7 8 16 Renee Tajima-Peña “My Journey Home” Film Screening Noon @ Bay Tree Conference Room D AA/PI Transfer Student Reception 5pm @ Ethnic Resource Center Lounge AA/PI Women in Leadership 4-6pm @ e2 Redwood Lounge Fall 2006 9 SNAP! Welcome and Congratulations Faculty and Staff! BRIAN ARAO Coordinator for Residential Education College 8 SAM BERSOLA Chief Operations Officer Colleges and University Housing Services ROBERT IMADA Program Coordinator AA/PI Resource Center NUBUHIKO KOBAYASHI Associate Professor Electrical Engineering KIMBERLY LAU Associate Professor American Studies ASHISH SAHNI Assistant Chancellor YIMAN WANG Assistant Professor Film & Digital Media New Positions LYNNE WOLCOTT Coordinator of Academic Advising Congratulations on Your Retirement! JACQUELINE KU Professor Chinese Language Studies JANE TAKANO Business Manager Educational Opportunities Program CHIEKO YOSHIKAWA Copy Cataloger McHenry Library SNAP! Staff Map Advisor Copy Editor Layout Editor Productions Contributors Nancy I. Kim Tran Nguyen Robert Imada Annie Tran William Lee Libby Lok Liberty Matias Song Seto Annie Tran visit www2.ucsc.edu/aapirc for questions and info, e-mail: aapirc@ucsc.edu 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