Letters to the Editor | Without continued action, Ethnic Studies will face uncertain future

What is Ethnic Studies? There appears to be much conversation about it, yet at the same time, there seems to be little or no actual understanding. Perhaps the best place to start would be at the University of California at Berkeley, considering it was a pioneer in the field and continues to produce the finest curriculums around. According to the website (ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/): “Ethnic Studies encourages the comparative study of racialization in the Americas, with a focus on the histories, literatures, and politics of Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, Native American Indians, and African Americans. Ethnic Studies seeks to situate these core groups within national and transnational contexts, and to understand how racial and ethnic formation articulate with other axes of stratification such as class, gender, and sexuality.”

We were asked to read and sign literature, particularly Vassar College’s Mission Statement, before finalizing ourselves as students. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to look at certain sections that pertain to this issue. It is essential. It is our duty and that of the college to consummate the values and objectives stated in the Mission Statement. Whereas our Asian-American, Latino/a, and Native American courses continue to remain meager, non-existent, and precarious, therein lies the failure of ourselves and of the College to whole-heartedly uphold the words of its purpose. (Think about what courses you’ve heard of or what faculty member you know who teach any of the above. Note: It is important here, for example, to distinguish between Asian Studies versus Asian-American Studies and so on, though these categories are increasingly fluid, a course on ancient Chinese history has little relevance to a person with intellectual interests in Asian American history.)

There has been a year-long discourse between faculty, students, and the administration. Problems have been identified and solutions have been formulated. The consummation of the mission statement depends entirely on the creation of and buttressing of new curriculum by hiring new faculty.

We are pleased that the Vassar Student Association Council as well as numerous other organizations have pased resolutions in support of Ethnic Studies, but now it is time for administrators and faculty to address the gaping needs of its students. We talk about commitment, and that is something Vassar apparently is really good at doing, talking a good talk, but this is a no-brainer, it is time to turn those words into action. A professor of Ethnic Studies who was denied tenure told us that it was a shame that Berkeley made changes in 1968, and it’s now 2006 and we are still fighting for the same things; and it’s a shame because students like ourselves will continue to fight and never reap the benefits of the desired education, and it’s a shame because, if we continue at the pace we’ve been going, ten years from now we’re going to have to tell Vassar students that it’s still a shame in 2016.

—Mikey Velarde ’09,
Jason Wu ’07