(NAME-MCE) Asian students and your college's response to the recent tragedy

[Anselmo Villanueva]

From: Jonathan Kaplan [mailto:jkaplan3 at pratt.edu]
Sent: Thu 4/19/2007 7:13 AM
Subject: Asian students and your college's response to the recent tragedy

Dear Colleagues,

In the wake of the recent tragedy, we have been overwhelmed by
sadness, grief, and disbelief.  The members of our campus community at
Pratt have expressed much concern and support for our friends and
colleagues at Virginia Tech.  Along those lines, Chris, please do not
hesitate to reach out to me or others within AUCCCD.  We are here to
support each other, and we would like to help in whatever way we can.
Even if you are overwhelmed by offers of support to manage the recent
crisis, we can help in other ways, like taking more mundane matters
off your plate (e.g., editing a brochure, researching a policy, etc.).

As we consider our own college's response to the crisis, I wanted to
make others within AUCCCD aware of the fear and shame that have
surfaced within the Korean and Asian communities.  Here at Pratt, I
have heard reports that our Korean international students are worried
about a possible racial backlash against them.  Despite the fact that
Cho Seung-Hui was not an international student, members of this group
of students also have expressed a deep sense of shame.  Other Asian
and Asian American students might be experiencing some of these
feelings as well.  To help provide some information and background
about these issues, I have provided some useful links below:

"Let it be some other Asian"—News article by Andrew Lam of New American Media

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=e3b9c4941f9d849f9358ddb3dbbbe5a3

NPR story about the reactions of Koreans, Korean Americans, and Asian Americans

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9647417

Touching commentary by NPR's Robert Siegel who expressed that Cho was
"one of us"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9658225

Press release by the Asian American Psychological Association

http://www.aapaonline.org/conventions/news.htm

Thanks for considering these issues as you provide support for your
own college's students in response to the Virginia Tech. tragedy.  At
Pratt, we are planning a specific outreach program to our
international students—most of whom are Asian—co-facilitated by our
Office of International Affairs.  If others are planning similar kinds
of workshops or activities, please e-mail me so that we might share
our expertise and thoughts for coordinating the discussion.

Thanks,

Jon

Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Counseling
Health and Counseling Services
Pratt Institute
215 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 115
Brooklyn, NY  11205
Phone:  718-399-4542
Fax:  718-399-4544