First off, a huge thanks to all of you who came out to cultureSHOCK this year. We had an amazing turnout yet again and a lot of positive feedback for the show that was formed from the persistent efforts and unwavering commitment of the entire AAA board and the cultureSHOCK ad hoc committee.

Although our biggest event of the year has passed, AAA still has many exciting events planned for the spring semester, so check our website and facebook page for periodic updates.

This past weekend, four members of AAA traveled down to Durham, North Carolina to attend the 2012 ECAASU Conference at Duke University. You can read about their experiences on our official Twitter and The Blaag. We are also very excited to announce that Columbia has won the bid to host next year’s conference, which will undoubtedly be a massive undertaking run by several student groups on campus.

The API Caucus at Columbia’s School of Social Work is hosting APIA U: Leadership 101 on Saturday, March 3rd, from 8 AM to 7 PM in Lerner Hall. A description from the website:

“Knowing that cultural influences impact how one leads, our mission is to provide Asian/Pacific Islander American student leaders and activists with a unique training opportunity which keeps in mind the viewpoints and experiences of APIAs and students of color. The program focuses on the development of leadership and organizational skills that are relevant to APIA campuses and communities.

What is APIA U: LEADERSHIP 101? The interactive college leadership training program involves hands-on exercises, small group discussions, and presentations led by two qualified APIA facilitators. The one day training assembles 60 students from each region and focuses on self-awareness, team-building, and direct action organizing. Participants will be asked to challenge themselves, share their experiences, and develop leadership tools in order to effectively serve as catalysts for change.”

If you are interested, we encourage you to apply at this link: http://www.formsite.com/leadership/APIAURegistration/index.html

The event that you’ve all been waiting for is finally here! cultureSHOCK is AAA’s annual charity performance showcase and fashion show that highlights Asian American talent and art through music, spoken word, dance, and fashion. The theme of this year’s show is “evolution,” signifying the continuously developing Asian American identity and experience.

If you don’t recognize many of the names in our lineup this year, don’t worry. The aim of cultureSHOCK is to showcase the talents of up-and-coming Asian American performers and fashion designers, who may not get enough attention in mainstream American media. In addition to student performances by J-Tang & W.I.L.F., Onyx, Melaku, Lambda Phi Epsilon, and CU Generation, our headliners this year are Mitchell Grey, Brownstar Revolution, Aesthetics Crew, Hari Kondabolu, and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai.

We invite you to join us for an unforgettable night of dinner, performances, and fashion on Saturday, February 4th, from 7 - 10 PM in Roone Arledge Auditorium in Lerner Hall (doors open at 6:45 PM, show starts at 7:30 PM). Tickets are $10 each and can be bought from the AAA table on the Lerner ramps from 12 PM - 5 PM on January 23rd to February 4th or online at this link: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9591145

The first 100 guests to arrive will receive $5 McDonald’s gift cards, so get here early! All guests will be treated to a buffet-style dinner in addition to drinks and snacks provided by PopChips, New Leaf, and DreamWater. We will also have some surprise giveaways from our corporate sponsors that you don’t want to miss out on!

All the proceeds from cultureSHOCK will be donated to the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV), which is a community-based grassroots organization that organizes initiatives for justice for Asian Americans in New York City, specifically those from immigrant, working-class, or refugee backgrounds. By attending cultureSHOCK, you are also supporting CAAAV’s initiatives and thus giving back to the Asian American community.

But wait, cultureSHOCK is only the beginning! We invite you to join us for afterSHOCK, the official cultureSHOCK after-party, at M Lounge in Tribeca. Bring your cultureSHOCK ticket stub for discounted pricing, and be prepared for a special night with the members of AAA that worked relentlessly on all the details of the show.

Please RSVP on Facebook for specific details:

cultureSHOCK: http://www.facebook.com/events/167067486732323/

afterSHOCK: http://www.facebook.com/events/155656221211931/

We hope to see you there!

As a precursor to cultureSHOCK, our largest and most anticipated event of the year, we invite you to attend our cultureSHOCK 2012 Hype Event on Saturday, November 12, from 8 PM - 9:30 PM in the Broadway Room in Lerner Hall. We will be serving free homemade food prepared by the AAA board and $1 bubble tea. New Jersey indie band Fish for Bears will be performing live, and we will also be raffling off cultureSHOCK tickets and other goodies! Check out the Facebook event page for additional details: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134140426689931

Come support AAA and our fellow campus clubs at the events they’re hosting and we’re participating in!

• Wednesday, October 26th, 2011: Liga Filipina - Halo-Halloween in Broadway Room
  (Come eat some delicious icy treats!)

• Friday, October, 28th, 2011: CSC’s Night Market on Low Plaza featuring our favorite Halloween tradition, Fear Factor
  (Not for the weak-stomached.)

Meanwhile… stay excited! We have BIG plans in the making for the month of November!

• First off, our Hype Event for our annual cultureSHOCK performance showcase is coming up very very soon! Enjoy free food and a wonderful performance by a budding musician!

• Crossroads is returning for its 4th consecutive year in the fall this year! Our board is working hard to make this year’s conference just as great as last year’s!

More information is coming soon, until then… we hope to see you at the events!

October isn’t over yet, but it’s been a busy month for AAA! Not only have we co-hosted many events from Ethnic Studies Week, to Lucha’s Immigration Week and ECAASU’s New York City Mixer, we also welcomed 12 OCMs with an exec-board-cooked dinner!

A huge congratulations to our OCMs!

Annie Chen
Darren Chu
Christopher Quan
James Wen
Jaclyn Fu
Jiawen Tang
Jordan Alam
Lauren Zou
Olivier Jin
Samantha Zeller
Tenaya Lee Izu
Weiduo Chen

List of events that have happened in the month of October:
Ethnic Studies Week: Tabling (Co-sponsored)
Ethnic Studies Week: Panel (Co-sponsored)
Lucha’s Immigration Week: 10 Years after 9/11: Immigration Enforcement (Co-hosted) - to see sound-bytes/live-tweets from the event, visit our Twitter page.
PDPsi’s Teach for America Event (Co-sponsored)
ECAASU’s New York City Student Mixer (Co-hosted)

Check out some pictures thus far:

On September 14, Asian American Alliance had its first General Body Meeting in Lerner Satow. More than 40 people were in attendance hearing more about AAA and enjoying soda and ice cream floats.

Click on the photographs for a better look. :]

Join me in welcoming AAA’s new executive board for 2011-2012!

Chair: Angel Wong
Vice Chair of CC/SEAS/GS: Derion Givens
Vice Chair of Barnard: Margaret Meng
Secretary: Melanie Gao
Treasurer: Gloria Chang
Social Chair: Susan Li & Kristen Lu
Political Chair: Cindy Gao
Service Chair: Angel Chen
Publicity Chair: Michelle See
Historian: Belle Yan
Webmaster: Victor Sheng
Event Advisers: Josh Lin, Lucy Wang
Senior Advisors: Yalan Wu, Ray Rogers, Tina Kit, Sahil Shah

We’ll be back in full throttle this fall! Until then, have an AAAwesome summer!

Join Asian American Alliance at Verizon’s Asian Pacific American Visionaries conference! We’ll have members attending this amazing event, and you should come with us too!

Conference Time & Location
Thursday, May 26, 2011 from 7-9:30pm
Grand Ballroom at Webster Hall
125 E 11th St
New York, NY 10003-5301

Visionary Speakers
Producer Teddy Zee
TV Correspondent Suchin Pak
Model and actress Jenny Shimizu
Martial artist Cung Lee

Hosted by internet personality Christine Gambito (HappySlip)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VerizonAPAHM
Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/VerizonAPAHM

Every year the Asian American Alliance at Columbia University holds an all-day leadership conference where we bring together high school leaders and discuss significant issues surrounding the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. By doing so, we hope to provide attending students with information, history, leadership skills, and a network of peers from which they can benefit from to become the next generation of leaders.

The Asian American Alliance at Columbia University is happy to present Crossroads 2011 which will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2011. This year, we have exciting and thought-provoking workshops to explore, including discussions on Asian American insularity, standards of beauty in the APIA community, stereotypes, and the invisibility of queer Asian Americans. Ruby Veridiano and Calvin Sun will be giving the opening and closing keynotes and Jen Kwok will be performing at the closing ceremony as well! The application to attend Crossroads 2011 can be found at www.tiny.cc/AAACrossroads2011. The deadline is on Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:59 PM.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at aaacrossroads@gmail.com We hope to see your students there!