1. SGB? I’m a Pre-Med neurosci-
ence major who is planning to
take his MCATs in January, I
don’t have time for SGB!...
Continued on Page 10
“Instead of relying on my ties and
affiliations with influential people, I
am relying on myself to be a leader.”
Jacky Chen ranks supreme
as one of only eight mem-
bers elected for the 2015
Student Government
Board after the voting on No-
vember 11th. A whopping
693 Pitt students voted for the
only independent member,
running unaffiliated, of all the
candidates. The new Board
will take office in January and
serve until the end of the
spring 2016 semester. The
current Board passed a refer-
endum in early October to
change the SGB term from a
calendar year to an academic
year, so the newly elected
Board will serve for a year and
a half to transition between the
two term lengths.
Chen said he was
“ecstatic” after hearing the
results of the race. “I am so
grateful! I would just like to
thank all the students, volun-
teers, and endorsing organiza-
tions that believe I can be this.
Someone who is not about all
the politics, but just someone
who cares.” We interviewed
Chen on his new success:
Q: It's amazing for some-
one from the Asian com-
munity to seek leadership
at such a public and trans-
parent scale. Were you
scared running? What
finally made you decide to
run?
J: I’m not going to lie.. I was
very scared of running! Run-
ning for Board has been a
dream of mine since freshman
year, but a number of ques-
tions and doubts ran through
my head. Will I have enough
time to campaign? Will I have
enough support? Will I be able
to even hold my position on
CHEN FOR CHANGE AN INTERVIEW WITH JACKY CHEN
CALL TO ACTION BY KEVIN PANG
We’re the only
m i n o r i t y
that gets
made fun of
while we’re still in the room,
right? No one hesitates, people
just go right into it: ‘Asian
guys smell like fish, see, I was
at this store and this guy walks
in – no offense, man – any-
way, the Asian guy…’
It’s like what the hell, no one
does that with black people
right? Someone makes a black
joke and everyone’s like,
‘Shhhhh. Hey man, there’s a
black guy right there…He’s
gonna beat our ass or start a
march or some shit, shut the
fuck up!’”
This bit, from comedian KT
Tatara, stuck with me for
months after I watched it for
the first time. It’s true, isn’t
it? It’s pretty much impossible
to grow up looking like me in
America and not get bullied –
especially in the Midwest…
Continued on Page 11
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH — ASIAN STUDENTS ALLIANCE
DECEMBER 1, 2014VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
VOICES OF ASA
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
Letter from the Editor
Meet the Boards
Freshmen Spotlights
Recipe of the Month
Music
Health
Editorials
Holiday
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
BAIYU 7
BLINDED BY CUL-
TURE
8
CHEN FOR
CHANGE
1
10
CALL TO
ACTION
1
11
SINGLES DAY 13
THIS AMERICAN
LIFE
14

2. Continued from Page 1 Not to mention,
when was the last time an East Asian was elect-
ed onto Board? Ask any senior or even people
who graduated Pitt, they couldn’t tell you. It’s
been a very, very long time. So... I came into
the semester not wanting to run and wanting to
focus more on my academics.
The idea of running sat in the back of
mind, occasionally surfacing now and then. But
it wasn't until a weekly meeting at
Asian InterVarsity Christian Fel-
lowship (AIV) did I decide to run.
What changed? God and communi-
ty. At the weekly meeting, we
talked about leadership and what
that meant to God and the commu-
nity. I realized that serving God
and the community meant sacri-
fice. In my case, that would mean
sacrificing sleep, studying time,
opportunities to meet up with
friends. But this was a sacrifice
worth taking. Just because I was
“busy”, didn’t mean that should stop me from
doing something I have always wanted to do. If
you are passionate and if something is im-
portant to you, you MAKE time. So, I made
time. I added a 5th year to my college plan,
pushed the harder classes in my major to other
semesters, and took other measures to priori-
tize service to the community.
Q: Given the odds of winning as an
independent, you have essentially done
a Herculean feat. How does that feel?
J: [Laughs] It’s a combination of shock and
excitement. As the only independent candi-
date not affiliated with a slate, historically my
chances were not high. It meant I had to beat
candidates on slates who had more money to
use, larger networks to pull from, and more
support as a group. Only a few independents
have been elected in the past 10 years. Also,
within those 10 years, an East Asian has not
been elected. Elections night, where the re-
sults were announced, was a
very emotional night for me.
The news did not quite hit me
and still has not fully soaked in. I
am excited though; excited to
serve the community that sup-
ported me and allowed for me
to be where I am now. I want to
get to work as soon as possible!
Q: You’ll be working in a
new environment with new
people on very rigorous
matters? Are you prepared?
J: I know a majority of the Board through
my Professional Pre-Medical International
Fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon. Graeme Meyer,
SGB President-Elect, and I are both founding
fathers and helped charter the Fraternity.
Board Member Elect Lia Petrose is part of
Alpha Class, and Board Member Elect Natalie
Dall, rushed this semester and was initiated in
the Beta Class! I am so, so excited to work
with my brothers, as well as the rest of the
new Board. This year’s election was a lot
more heated than last year’s and I think be-
cause of that, a more motivated Board result-
ed from it. I truly believe that everyone on
Board are not only leaders, but have the drive
and motivation to back it up.
Q: You’re an influence to the Asian
community and now with jurisdiction.
What do you hope to contribute to the
Asian community as an SGB member?
J: Being a part of the Asian community, I
want to properly represent our community
and push for our needs/wants in Student
Government Board. Historically, the Asian
community has not been as involved in SGB.
This is something I want to change. As stu-
dents here at Pitt, who contribute to the $2.6
million dollar Activities Fee Fund through our
tuition, I believe that we have a right to say
where that money goes. It should ultimately
benefit us as a community and student body.
That is why I want to work closely with exist-
ing cultural organizations to guide them
through the Allocations process, as well as be
open to any ideas or suggestions for ways to
improve our University from the community.
Also, as someone who was on the execu-
tive board of a cultural organization, CASA. I
believe that I can bring this unique perspective
that no other Board member has. I have been
appointed to the CCLD Planning Committee
and SGB liaison to CCLD. I hope through
these positions I can work closely with the
cultural community, as well as the rest of
CCLD, to create more opportunities to spread
awareness of Asian culture.
Q: Finally, do you had any lasting
words to say to your fellow friends and
voters?
J: I can’t wait to take my position on Student
Government Board next semester. I look
forward to serving everyone! Remember, I am
still your friend Jacky and a part of the com-
munity. My job is to represent YOU; essen-
tially I am working for you. So please take
advantage of that! Feel free to message me any
time on Facebook, text, call, or just go up to
talk to me if you see me. Tell me about your
annoyances, your concerns, or any problems
that you feel SGB could fix. You never know,
we could be working on a solution that you
could be apart of! This is our University, our
community, our home; let’s make it a better
one. Hail to Pitt!!
CHEN FOR CHANGE CONTINUED
“I AM EXCITED
THOUGH;
EXCITED TO
SERVE THE
COMMUNITY
THAT SUPPORTED
ME AND ALLOWED
FOR ME TO BE
WHERE I AM
NOW.
PAGE 10 VOICES OF ASA
Proud member and founding father of Pre-Medical
Honors Fraternity— Phi Delta Epsilon
Jacky Chen is a member of the Reserve Officers’
Training Corps