3. BACKGROUND
▸ Interest in exploring the experience of an Asian /
Asian American student on campus
▸ Hypothesis: Asian Students do not access resource
spaces
▸ What inhibits students from finding a common
experience together?
▸ How can we get them to start accessing spaces?
▸ Initial Thoughts: Model Minority, Asian Culture,
Immigrant Families
7. SURVEY - BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE SURVEY RAN FROM APRIL 19-24, 2016.
51 STUDENTS RESPONDED; OUT OF THEM:
29%
71%
Female Male
4%
20%
61%
16%
2019/19E
2018/18E
2017/17E
2106/16E
8. ETHNICITY BREAKDOWN
51 respondents self-identified as the following…
‣ Chinese (16)
‣ Korean (14)
‣ Vietnamese (5)
‣ Indian (2)
‣ Bangladeshi (1)
‣ Bengali (1)
‣ Japanese (1)
‣ Taiwanese (1)
‣ Mixed:
‣ Chinese & White (1)
‣ Chinese & Mexican (1)
‣ Filipina & White (1)
‣ Filipina & Japanese (1)
‣ Filipina & Other (1)
‣ Japanese & White (1)
‣ Japanese & Other (1)
‣ Korean & White (2)
‣ Korean & Other (1)
9. WERE YOU BORN IN THE UNITED STATES?
No
39% Yes
61%
8 students identified purely
as an “international
student” here for College
3 students said they
immigrated to the U.S.
before College, but still
identified as “international”
7 students identified as first-
generation, immigrating to
the U.S. from ages 2- 10
10. SURVEY - MULTICULTURAL RESOURCE CENTER
No
51%
Yes
49%
MRC PROGRAMMING
UTILIZING RESOURCES
AFFINITY GROUP MEETING
JUST TO HANGOUT/DO HW
OTHER
0 4 8 12 16
HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE
MRC THIS SEMESTER
(SPRING 2016)?
IF YES, WHAT REASONS
BROUGHT YOU TO THE MRC?
11. 0
6
12
18
24
30
NEVER 1-5 TIMES 5-10 TIMES 10+ TIMES DAILY
1
57
12
26
HOW OFTEN, IF AT ALL, HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE MRC IN SPRING 2016?
12. HOW OFTEN, IF AT ALL, HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE MRC
DURING YOUR TOTAL TIME AT AMHERST?
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
0
3
13
17
10
(excluding class of 2019/19E)
13. DURING MY TIME AT
AMHERST, I HAVE…
SURVEY - OTHER CAMPUS SPACES
respondents were then asked to pick the choice
that fit best (from never to always)
in each category.
14. 0
5
10
15
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
6
9
15
1110
0
10
20
30
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
0
9
22
13
7
joined an
AFFINITY GROUP
on campus
attended
serious and/or
politically based
meetings and
events
15. 0
10
20
30
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
7
12
26
6
0
0
6
12
18
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
2
11
18
12
8
gone to
OFFICE
HOURS
utilized the
CAREER
CENTER
16. 0
10
20
30
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
0
4
108
29
0
10
20
30
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
02
1012
27
utilized the
COUNSELING
CENTER
utilized the
CENTER FOR
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
(CCE)
17. 0
10
20
30
40
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
215
12
31
0
10
20
30
40
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES FREQUENTLY ALWAYS
00
5
12
34
accessed the
WOMEN’S
AND GENDER
CENTER
accessed the
QUEER
RESOURCE
CENTER
18. INTERVIEW - BACKGROUND INFORMATION
INTERVIEWEES WERE ASKED TO EXPAND ON THEIR
CHOICES IN THE SURVEY & EXPRESS GENERAL
THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ON RESOURCE CENTERS
ON CAMPUS
IS THE MRC A SAFE SPACE?
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT RESOURCE CENTERS ON CAMPUS?
WHY DID YOU USE THIS SPACE MORE THAN OTHERS?
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE?
20. ‣ “I do think it’s a safe space but I don’t use it”
‣ “I’ve never had a compelling reason to go there”
‣ “I honestly don’t feel comfortable when I go there”
‣ Going to the space, you have to be very conscious of your identity
‣ Not even entirely sure what it offers; knows that there are a lot of students & staff there but don’t know
how they can help me
‣ “I honestly would feel intimidated as a non-black, non-latinx male when I walk in”
‣ It’s hard to enter in there by yourself because it feels like the people in there already have a clique in
some way, they all know each other
‣ Doesn’t like the seemingly exclusive culture of the MRC
MRC AS A SAFE SPACE
Most everyone expressed that it was a safe space, and made sure to preface that the MRC
is doing good things. And yet, most everyone also expressed some form of discomfort or
isolation when asked about their personal experience and said they just didn’t have a
reason to go in and engage.
They didn’t see it as a space they can and should access.
21. I’m so used to not using it that I’ve kind of navigated my life at Amherst by not having to use them
Asians are seen as a forgotten voice, on the side, only really recently much of the
discourse has included Asians- it’s been there but it hasn’t been talked about as much as
it should have
It’s really frustrating, honestly, seeing how little the college has come providing space
maybe because there wasn’t enough demand for spaces, classes, etc.
I think that the resource centers are an amazing resource and important for a college to have, in
providing support for students who felt marginalized in the past… I feel like I don’t utilize
them just because I don’t know how to include myself
What we attempt to do by making safe spaces is paint a lot of people with the same brush, put them under the same
space, which can work to maintain solidarity/ build community but there’s potential for something to be immensely
unsatisfying when something is supposed to be for you but does not understand exactly what you’re going through
I feel like it comes down to the amount of time a student is willing to put into these
resources… I feel that the centers are helpful and could be helpful to me but it feels
like going to these resources is almost sacrificing time for something else
24. EXPAND PROGRAMMING ON RACE DURING ORIENTATION
RECOGNITION OF THE DIVERSITY EVEN WITHIN THE
UMBRELLA TERM OF “ASIAN”
MORE VISIBILITY OF ASIANS IN PEER AND MENTOR ROLES,
MORE INITIATIVES TOWARDS CONNECTION
SHOULD WE TREAT AFFINITY GROUPS AT THE SAME LEVEL
AS A CASUAL, HOBBY BASED RSO?
FOSTERING THIS DUAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
COLLEGE AND THE STUDENTS IN TERMS OF PERCEPTION OF
THE MRC/OTHER SPACES BY THE STUDENT BODY
