Executive Co-Chairs: Yadira Alvarez and Nicole Beach
Political Co-Chairs: Aretha Choi and Andrea Russell
Events Co-Chairs: Takako Kono and Destiny Sullens
Campus Liasons: Nancy Trujillo and Jia Ahmad
Communications Chair: open
Funding Co-Chairs: Maggie Jiang and open
Public Relations Co-Chairs: Wendy Bermudez and Alise Green
Webmaster: open

USCC Elections!
Tuesday, April 13th @ 9:15pm
Intercultural Resource Center (IRC) 552 W. 114th

All are welcome to come, vote, and/or run!

The United Students of Color Council (USCC) aims to act as a switchboard for students of color and student of color groups on campus. We advocate and program to: build community, foster collaboration, raise consciousness, create safe spaces and mobilize and empower students of color and student of color groups on campus.

Please come prepared to speak for no longer than 2 minutes about why you want to be on the USCC board, why you are best suited for the position, your vision for the coming year, etc. Feel free to reach out to uscc@columbia.edu with any questions/comments/concerns.

Elections are drop-down, in the following order:

Executive Co-Chairs (2)
-organize/facilitate meetings
-keep track of deadlines, send out reminders, step up/delegate responsibilities
-act as the default public voice for USCC
-meet with OMA advisors on a regular basis

Political Co-Chairs (2)
-organize Making the Connection: Building a Unified Community of Color (MCBUCC), a series of events that encourages coalition building
-keep USCC up-to-date on current issues within the community of color
-respond to political events that occur on and off campus

Event Co-Chairs (2)
-hold approximately 2 events per semester (filling in the gaps by doing events other student groups are not doing)
-support political co-chairs

Campus Liasons (2)
-organize at least one general body meeting per semester
-reach out to students of color not necessarily involved in student of color organizations
-maintain communication with student of color organizations

Communications Chair (1)
-send out executive board meeting notes
-send out weekly newsletter to general body

Funding Co-Chairs (2)
-handle logistics of co-sponsorship requests
-handle all e-form requests, reimbursements, etc.
-provide executive board with monthly budget updates
-plan a co-sponsorship information session at the beginning of the year (in conjunction with the
campus liaisons)

Public Relations Co-Chairs (2)
-increase awareness of USCC
-in charge of tabling at Activities Fairs
-in charge of flyers/advertising campaigns

Webmaster (1)
-maintain USCC website (including the calendar and blog)

Update: here are the results

Top story in the New York Daily News:

New Jersey-born actor Kal Penn, who played a stoner Guantanamo Bay escapee in the movies and a doctor on TV's "House," has scored a job in the White House. Way to go, dude!

Penn, 31, will become associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison, administration officials confirmed Tuesday. The Indian-American film star will be an emissary to the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, along with arts and entertainment groups.

Penn campaigned extensively throughout the country for President Obama last year and was a hit on college campuses.

WHAT! Does this mean that we'll expect Kal Penn vlogs from the White House? Or some Presidential grass burning rituals? Also, there's a spoiler for House, and it's related to this news, but I won't tell it, because I don't watch House.

But you're not invited, because they're closed. Sorry, general body. This year AAA is doing it a little differently, and, like any other major board election, there is probably some drama involved. We'll keep you posted on the results. Here are the results.

Update: I underestimated the e-board. Not only are elections closed, but they're even closed to senior advisers and PC members! Boo. Elections are at 5:30, somewhere in Lerner, if you care to watch through the tiny glass windows.

In Florida, an Initiative Intended to End Bias Is Killed

"An obscure ballot initiative in Florida intended to end a legacy of bias against Asian-Americans was defeated Tuesday, apparently because voters incorrectly assumed it would prevent illegal immigrants from owning property."

Also, in my home state of Nebraska, they banned affirmative action. And we all know about Proposition 8 in California. There were similar referenda in Arizona and Florida. Obama is President-elect, and the symbolism (and potential) in his presidency is very potent, but there is obviously much more to be done, especially in light these setbacks. As I have been reminded by various blogs and commentators, progress is not linear, and we can't stop now.

Corinne Manabat (Filmmaker), Brian Redondo (AALDEF Employee... and Dancer?), and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai (Spoken Word Artist and Powerful Yellow Woman), spreading the word about the elections and the Asian American vote. Watch this shit, it's good.

For those of you who aren't casting absentee ballots... find out where your polling site is at Vote411.org.

In other news about the Asian American vote: the Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund has created a Facebook group called "Protect the Asian American Vote!", three Blaaagers will be volunteering on election day (as dispatchers, poll monitors, and supervisors), and Kal Penn (one of the biggest Obama celebrity-campaigners) has made a Get Out the Vote vid.

I don't want to touch this one, but somehow I think that I might have to. The race argument is such an overused, ignorant one that I barely feel like talking about why Powell, who is a Republican, an advisor and friend to McCain, and an initial supporter of the Iraq occupation, was and always has been likely to endorse McCain. I can't be the only person out there who saw the New York Times article that basically quoted Powell verbatim that the tipping point for his endorsement, after what must have been a serious weigh-in of both candidates, was (not race but) the atrociousness of McCain's campaign tactics and the unlikelihood that McCain's administration would help our nation.

I also don't want to talk about the fact that even while it seems likely that Powell would have endorsed McCain, he has always been viewed as a moderate Republican with liberal leanings. He is, for one, pro-choice, has admitted to the errors in evidence pointing towards a need to invade Iraq, has served and dissociated himself from the Bush administration, and has, in the end, shown a stance that in many ways aligns with Obama's.

Since Powell's initial likelihood to endorse either McCain or Obama seems to have stood on equal footing, and other tipping points (besides race) have been put on the table, I don't want to finally talk about the fact that it doesn't matter if Powell factored race into the equation, but it matters that Limbaugh suggests that this factor was a primary reason for Powell's decision. It's a gross misrepresentation of Powell's experience as well as his political background.

After a few hours straight of midterm-writing, I don't care to write extensively about this. In fact, I don't even think that I'm making a coherent argument. so I'll just let you read other blogs that actually say something less roundabout and vague.

Well, it's true. But now we have a whole site devoted to it. Perhaps this is to dissuade the 2/3 of Vietnamese Americans who support him.

The New York voter registration deadline is this Friday, October 8th! If you haven't already done so, please register here.

If you are from out of state, please check your local deadlines. Google has this handy map interface that can help you determine your local voter registration information. All you have to do is type in your address! You can find it here.

Copied & pasted from the AAA website:

After a 2 hour election deliberation marked by tears and laughter, I would like to congratulate the new AAA board of 2008-2009:

Chair - Aretha Choi (BC 2010)

CC/SEAS Vice Chair - Shilpa Vadodaria (SEAS 2010)

BC Vice Chair - Katie Wang (BC 2010)

Secretary - Daniel Nisball (SEAS 2009)

Treasurer - Jeremy Tapp (CC 2011)

Political Chair - Jia Ahmad (CC 2011)

Community Chairs - Lena Fan (CC 2010) & Mei Li Zhou (BC 2011)

Social Chair - Patrick Chang (SEAS 2011)

Publicity Chair - Corinne Fukayama (SEAS 2010)

Historians - Eddie Kang (CC 2011) & Lizzie Shen (CC 2011)

USCC Representative - Evan Omi (CC 2011)

You all have my love. Stay classy.

- Calvin, former Chair

Stay classy... San Diego?