The SSCC’s Rimando said that, although the group is reticent about naming their alliance, AAPI leaders are moving in the direction of forming an organization on behalf of the AANAPISI schools much like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) represent Hispanic-Serving Institutions and how the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) advocates for historically Black institutions.
“There is a lot of excitement, a lot of hope, and a lot of expectation that this will be a hallmark in the growth in force around AAPI issues,” Mitsui said. “But there is anxiety, too.”
AANAPISIs are working to be formally welcomed into the minority-serving institutions (MSI) family. Rimando said that, without full recognition, private foundations will be reluctant to fund AAPI initiatives the way they have for other underrepresented groups.
Data is also an issue, Teranishi said, because research lumps Asian Americans into one monolithic group and is not disaggregated according to the diversity of the AAPI community’s 30 or more sub-groups.
Finding funds will continue to challenge AAPI advocates, who held the first higher education summit Wednesday in Washington. Raising awareness and refuting the fictions about their population, however, take precedence.
“People believe that there is some truth to all stereotypes, and it surprises me how pervasive these mischaracterizations are. Even when you present data that shows large sectors of the population with low educational attainment, people have a tough time believing it,” Teranishi said. “They just don’t know what to do with that information.”
- Community College Jobs