Asian-Americans at Harvard Tell Of Diverse Experiences, Cultures

Third in a series of features examining Harvard's minority communities

Angelica D. Pizzarro '94 was born in the Philippines and came to America at the age of 10. She grew up in California, in "a barrio with a lot of Filipinos," and she was one of relatively few in her high school to go to college.

At Harvard, she has encountered widespread ignorance about her ethnic group, which will soon be the largest Asian-American population in the U.S.

"I have to say, 'No, I'm not Chinese, I'm not Vietnamese, I'm not Hispanic. No, I don't eat with chopsticks,'" she says. And she has to explain that the "model minority" stereotype of Asian-Americans does not hold true for the neighborhood she comes from.

The relative ignorance of Asian-American cultures that Pizzarro has encountered and the belief that Asian-Americans are a "model minority" are widespread, Asian-American students say.

Many people tend to view the huge variety of Asian cultures as "monolithic," they say, and miss the diversity of experience and history the term "Asian-American" encompasses.

"People who don't know much about it tend to assume they [Asian cultures] are very similar," says Dat T. Lu '95, president of the Harvard Vietnamese Association.

Different groups have "different cultures, different languages, different emigration patterns, different economic patterns," says Selene S. Ko '93, president of the Taiwanese Cultural Society, and no generalization can cover all of the groups.

Asian-American students also say they have seen widespread acceptance of the "model minority" stereotype among Harvard undergraduates.

People think that "Asian-Americans are somehow all educated, all fairly wealthy, don't cause trouble," says Mark H. Kim '94, co-president of the Asian-American Association (AAA). "Most Asian-Americans don't fit thatmodel minority mold," Kim says.

Some students said they see Asian-Americansthemselves perpetuating the stereotype.

"A lot of Asians themselves tend to assume thatAsians are pretty well-off," says Jim W. Cheung'95.

In addition, Asian-American students say theyoften encounter the "pre-med, scienceconcentrator" stereotype.

Amy E. Kadomatsu '94 recalls that in herexpository writing section, which contained manyAsian-American students, the teacher said, "Mostof you, being Asian, are science majors, notliterature majors."

"Things like that really shock you," saysKadomatsu.

Although many students speak strongly againstthe "pre-med myth," some said it is not entirelyfictitious.

"I think it has a lot of basis in fact," saysDaniel H. Choi '94, editor of the Korean-Americanmagazine Yisei.

He has researched the question, he says, and"Asians tend to go into sciences," partiallybecause barriers of language and "glass ceilings"that keep minorities from advancing are seen asless prevalent in science fields.

But even as many Asian-American students rejectthe stereotypes others hold of them, some say theycontinue to face questions of self-definition.

These students say they feel they are in aunique societal position, caught between majorityculture and the consciousness of being a minority.

The perception is that Asian-Americans haveachieved economic success, which in America isequated with societal success, says Eunice Yoon'93, co-chair of the AAA political committee.

"Once you have achieved economic success, youdon't feel as compelled to assert yourself as aminority with minority needs," she says.

David H. Sohn '93, co-president of the KoreanStudent Association (KSA), says he sees peopleforced to make a choice between "being whitewashedand having to be a minority."

"What I'm afraid of is, the 'model minority'stereotype makes people think we're accepted bywhite America when perhaps we really aren't," hesays.

Closely tied to the question of being aminority in American society is the crisis somestudents say Asian-Americans face as members oftwo cultures.

Kim says that in his experience mostAsian-Americans at Harvard are first orsecond-generation immigrants with close ties tothe nation of their family's origin.

"Certain people identify with the Korean sideof it, others identify more with the American sideof it," he says.

"Sometimes I feel that I have been out of touchwith my own culture...usually people have thatcrisis in high school, when they try to decide ifthey're Chinese or American," says Lawrence C.Cheung '94, president of the Hong Kong Club, whohas grown up both in Hong Kong and the U.S.

Being at Harvard can affect the sense ofcultural ties in different ways, students say.

For some, the experience of Harvard's diversityand its strong Asian-American community bringsthem closer to their heritages.

"I think overwhelmingly because of all thisP.C. [political correctness], people have lookedin the mirror and have asked 'What is myethnicity?" says Sandra Chang '93, president ofthe Chinese Student Association (CSA).

Harvard's many Asian-American organizations canbe a key part of this process. Kim estimates thatAAA's largest events draw around 600 of Harvard'sapproximately 1,200 Asian and Asian-Americanstudents.

The leaders of the organizations stresseducational, cultural and political roles fortheir groups. But many also say the groups servean important "networking" purpose, bringing peopletogether with others of their background.

Comfort in Numbers?

But the social function the groups fulfill canalso make them centers of the "cliques" whichstudents say exist in several houses.

Peter S. Park '94, co-president of the KSA,says he wants the group to be "an outlet or aresource for other Koreans to meet friends."

He says he perceives "cliques" but doesn't"think there's anything wrong with them."

"You choose friends who are similar to you," hesays, "[who have] similar parents, similarexperiences in high school."

Some Asian-American students condemnedexclusive cliques, but many pointed out that thephenomenon is not unique to Asian-Americans.

"Definitely there are people here at Harvardwho only hang out with their own minority group,"says one Asian-American undergraduate. "This isnot something limited to Asian-Americans."

Some Asian-American students say that allgroups form based on commonalities of one sort oranother, whether membership on a sports team orpublication, concentration or similar interests.

It's simply more noticeable when a group ofAsian-Americans friends are together because oftheir shared race, students say, and some feelthere is a tinge of prejudice in some people'sdiscomfort at seeing large groups of Asianstogether socially.

"I think maybe large groups of Asiansintimidate people, because they're not used toseeing it," says Park.

But such subtle feelings of discomfort aresmall manifestations of what many Asian-Americanstudents see as a more serious phenomenon.

Although most say they have not heard directlyoffensive remarks, many have seen anti-Asian slurswritten in public spaces around Harvard.

The most well-publicized of these was a remarkwritten on the Lamont Library poetry board lastyear. On a poem with an Asian-American woman'sname written under it someone wrote "Die, Chink."

Other students say they have seen similargraffiti elsewhere, in the Cabot Science Libraryand some house libraries. On the walls of Cabotstudy cubicles can be found numerous comments thatstereotype Asians as science nerds and makederogatory statements about Asian women.

Sohn says in one house library he saw a list of"the top 10 reasons to hate Asians."

The two that were filled in included "they'reall selfish and materialistic" and "they're allscience geeks," he says. "It enraged me," Sohnsays.

No Voices on Campus'

Though students are angered by suchmanifestations of anti-Asian feeling, they saythat in general Harvard is a comfortableenvironment for those of Asian descent.

Yet they are troubled, they say, by the lack ofAsian-Americans in Harvard's senioradministration.

"My biggest problem here is thatAsian-Americans have no voices on this campus,"says Yoon. "A lot of that is due to that fact thatthere are no faculty or administrators pushing forthem."

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, Harvard'srace relations coordinator, says he "does thinkthat we can make further efforts to bring youngAsians into administrative and tutor positions."

"I have promised to hold meetings with graduateAsian groups to bring opportunities to theirattention," he says.

Another concern for some students is the dearthof courses and study opportunities onAsian-American topics.

"I'm writing a thesis on Asian-Americans...it'skind of frustrating to know you can't get most ofyour information here," says Chang.

And a few students questioned Harvard'sadmissions process, suggesting that race-blindadmissions would enlarge the College'sAsian-American percentage significantly.

But admissions officer Lewison Lee Lem '89 saysthat the effect of race blind admissions cannot bejudged.

"It's hard to know what would be the result,"he says.

The admissions office's main concern, he says,is to make sure that students from allbackgrounds, including blue-collar, recentimmigrants, and smaller Asian-American subgroupsget to Harvard.

"It's important to have diversity within racialgroups as well as among racial groups," he says.

Lem says presently the largest Asian-Americangroups on campus are Chinese-Americans andKorean-Americans, while other groups, such asFilipino-Americans, have smaller presences.

Some Asian-American students have becomeinvolved in admissions office activities in orderto ensure increased representation ofAsian-Americans form all backgrounds, which theysay they hope will ultimately result in a greaterpresence--and voice--for Asian-Americans oncampus.

Pizzarro has worked to recruitFilipino-Americans in high schools and junior highschools in California, and says she believes hervisits have been useful.

"Definitely telling them early helps a lot,"she says. "Sometimes it's too late to talk toseniors and juniors."CrimsonDavid E. Rosen

Some students said they see Asian-Americansthemselves perpetuating the stereotype.

"A lot of Asians themselves tend to assume thatAsians are pretty well-off," says Jim W. Cheung'95.

In addition, Asian-American students say theyoften encounter the "pre-med, scienceconcentrator" stereotype.

Amy E. Kadomatsu '94 recalls that in herexpository writing section, which contained manyAsian-American students, the teacher said, "Mostof you, being Asian, are science majors, notliterature majors."

"Things like that really shock you," saysKadomatsu.

Although many students speak strongly againstthe "pre-med myth," some said it is not entirelyfictitious.

"I think it has a lot of basis in fact," saysDaniel H. Choi '94, editor of the Korean-Americanmagazine Yisei.

He has researched the question, he says, and"Asians tend to go into sciences," partiallybecause barriers of language and "glass ceilings"that keep minorities from advancing are seen asless prevalent in science fields.

But even as many Asian-American students rejectthe stereotypes others hold of them, some say theycontinue to face questions of self-definition.

These students say they feel they are in aunique societal position, caught between majorityculture and the consciousness of being a minority.

The perception is that Asian-Americans haveachieved economic success, which in America isequated with societal success, says Eunice Yoon'93, co-chair of the AAA political committee.

"Once you have achieved economic success, youdon't feel as compelled to assert yourself as aminority with minority needs," she says.

David H. Sohn '93, co-president of the KoreanStudent Association (KSA), says he sees peopleforced to make a choice between "being whitewashedand having to be a minority."

"What I'm afraid of is, the 'model minority'stereotype makes people think we're accepted bywhite America when perhaps we really aren't," hesays.

Closely tied to the question of being aminority in American society is the crisis somestudents say Asian-Americans face as members oftwo cultures.

Kim says that in his experience mostAsian-Americans at Harvard are first orsecond-generation immigrants with close ties tothe nation of their family's origin.

"Certain people identify with the Korean sideof it, others identify more with the American sideof it," he says.

"Sometimes I feel that I have been out of touchwith my own culture...usually people have thatcrisis in high school, when they try to decide ifthey're Chinese or American," says Lawrence C.Cheung '94, president of the Hong Kong Club, whohas grown up both in Hong Kong and the U.S.

Being at Harvard can affect the sense ofcultural ties in different ways, students say.

For some, the experience of Harvard's diversityand its strong Asian-American community bringsthem closer to their heritages.

"I think overwhelmingly because of all thisP.C. [political correctness], people have lookedin the mirror and have asked 'What is myethnicity?" says Sandra Chang '93, president ofthe Chinese Student Association (CSA).

Harvard's many Asian-American organizations canbe a key part of this process. Kim estimates thatAAA's largest events draw around 600 of Harvard'sapproximately 1,200 Asian and Asian-Americanstudents.

The leaders of the organizations stresseducational, cultural and political roles fortheir groups. But many also say the groups servean important "networking" purpose, bringing peopletogether with others of their background.

Comfort in Numbers?

But the social function the groups fulfill canalso make them centers of the "cliques" whichstudents say exist in several houses.

Peter S. Park '94, co-president of the KSA,says he wants the group to be "an outlet or aresource for other Koreans to meet friends."

He says he perceives "cliques" but doesn't"think there's anything wrong with them."

"You choose friends who are similar to you," hesays, "[who have] similar parents, similarexperiences in high school."

Some Asian-American students condemnedexclusive cliques, but many pointed out that thephenomenon is not unique to Asian-Americans.

"Definitely there are people here at Harvardwho only hang out with their own minority group,"says one Asian-American undergraduate. "This isnot something limited to Asian-Americans."

Some Asian-American students say that allgroups form based on commonalities of one sort oranother, whether membership on a sports team orpublication, concentration or similar interests.

It's simply more noticeable when a group ofAsian-Americans friends are together because oftheir shared race, students say, and some feelthere is a tinge of prejudice in some people'sdiscomfort at seeing large groups of Asianstogether socially.

"I think maybe large groups of Asiansintimidate people, because they're not used toseeing it," says Park.

But such subtle feelings of discomfort aresmall manifestations of what many Asian-Americanstudents see as a more serious phenomenon.

Although most say they have not heard directlyoffensive remarks, many have seen anti-Asian slurswritten in public spaces around Harvard.

The most well-publicized of these was a remarkwritten on the Lamont Library poetry board lastyear. On a poem with an Asian-American woman'sname written under it someone wrote "Die, Chink."

Other students say they have seen similargraffiti elsewhere, in the Cabot Science Libraryand some house libraries. On the walls of Cabotstudy cubicles can be found numerous comments thatstereotype Asians as science nerds and makederogatory statements about Asian women.

Sohn says in one house library he saw a list of"the top 10 reasons to hate Asians."

The two that were filled in included "they'reall selfish and materialistic" and "they're allscience geeks," he says. "It enraged me," Sohnsays.

No Voices on Campus'

Though students are angered by suchmanifestations of anti-Asian feeling, they saythat in general Harvard is a comfortableenvironment for those of Asian descent.

Yet they are troubled, they say, by the lack ofAsian-Americans in Harvard's senioradministration.

"My biggest problem here is thatAsian-Americans have no voices on this campus,"says Yoon. "A lot of that is due to that fact thatthere are no faculty or administrators pushing forthem."

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, Harvard'srace relations coordinator, says he "does thinkthat we can make further efforts to bring youngAsians into administrative and tutor positions."

"I have promised to hold meetings with graduateAsian groups to bring opportunities to theirattention," he says.

Another concern for some students is the dearthof courses and study opportunities onAsian-American topics.

"I'm writing a thesis on Asian-Americans...it'skind of frustrating to know you can't get most ofyour information here," says Chang.

And a few students questioned Harvard'sadmissions process, suggesting that race-blindadmissions would enlarge the College'sAsian-American percentage significantly.

But admissions officer Lewison Lee Lem '89 saysthat the effect of race blind admissions cannot bejudged.

"It's hard to know what would be the result,"he says.

The admissions office's main concern, he says,is to make sure that students from allbackgrounds, including blue-collar, recentimmigrants, and smaller Asian-American subgroupsget to Harvard.

"It's important to have diversity within racialgroups as well as among racial groups," he says.

Lem says presently the largest Asian-Americangroups on campus are Chinese-Americans andKorean-Americans, while other groups, such asFilipino-Americans, have smaller presences.

Some Asian-American students have becomeinvolved in admissions office activities in orderto ensure increased representation ofAsian-Americans form all backgrounds, which theysay they hope will ultimately result in a greaterpresence--and voice--for Asian-Americans oncampus.

Pizzarro has worked to recruitFilipino-Americans in high schools and junior highschools in California, and says she believes hervisits have been useful.

"Definitely telling them early helps a lot,"she says. "Sometimes it's too late to talk toseniors and juniors."CrimsonDavid E. Rosen