Finding Community Within the Asian-American Association
Upon walking into the Asian-American Association (AAA) multicultural suite in the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center (JRC), you feel the warm colors swirl together to embrace you. On the left-hand wall are rows of envelopes with flashes of vibrant, neon colors scribed into the names of AAA members. As per AAA tradition, members slip short, sweet notes into their peers’ envelopes to show appreciation throughout the school year.
The AAA suite is often home to delightful community moments, hosting weekly, members-only community hours and meetings with structured activities or discussions. Inspired by the International Student Organization (ISO), “community hour” is unstructured time to socialize with other AAA members in person. Because the AAA multicultural suite is one of the coziest spots in the Midwest, AAA members love to gather in the suite to eat, chat, and play games. In the past community hours, members enjoyed playing Mario Kart and Go, a strategic Chinese board game rumored to be the oldest game in its original form. Some members choose to relax, read, or catch up on schoolwork – most notably, one member wrote an essay about boba!
A Sense of Community
Though community hour sounds fun, don’t be mistaken – formal AAA meetings are just as lively and close-knit! Meetings are either discussion or activity-based, designed to make new ideas come true. For Valentine’s Day week, members decorated valentines together and decorated small fabric pieces to sew into a patchwork pillow.
During discussion-based meetings, AAA takes on more serious projects, like revamping their existing AAA suite library. So far, the library is composed of a small book collection gifted by professors over a decade ago. Today, AAA is looking to acquire new pieces of Asian-American fiction, such as Last Night at the Telegraph Club by queer author Melinda Lo and Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi. To prepare for the upcoming school year, AAA is planning to request funds for art and craft materials, as well as for regular trips to Asian supermarkets in Des Moines and Iowa City. Even more ambitious, AAA is discussing plans of action to recruit an Asian therapist on campus for their members.
AAA’s commitment to community and teamwork has always been strong, but it deepened even further after one of the largest transformations of the organization yet – the COVID-19 pandemic. For co-leader Claire Burns ’23, the pandemic left her longing for friendly faces outside the virtual classroom setting; as a result, she started attending virtual AAA meetings. According to Burns, “It was nice to have non-familial connections during the pandemic.”
With in-person classes and student life in full swing, AAA planned several fun events. For Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AAA hosted a boba tea study break in collaboration with ISO. The organizations ordered 500 boba teas from Iowa City and distributed them to their members. The day before, AAA hosted a ramen study break with the Chinese, Japanese, and East Asian Studies SEPC (Student Educational Policy Committee). AAA also plans to host a Harris Party and an International Dinner, which are colorful events intended for members to enjoy music and familiar foods.
Ultimately, AAA is a safe, supportive community space for anybody – including you! – who wishes to attend. Although AAA has recently leaned towards the “Asian-American” label, co-leaders Burns and Kana Corley ’23 emphasize that students can interpret the label however they wish. Burns says, “Asian-American can mean multiple things, from being an Asian in America to being born in America as Asian. Both are welcomed experiences.” The co-leaders note that “Asian-American” also encompasses individuals from various generations, countries, and histories.
Information for Current Students
The Asian-American Association meeting times change every semester; for spring of 2023, community hour is 5-6 p.m. on Fridays, while formal meetings are 4-5 p.m. on Sundays.
