hardboiled

the great schism: student action versus calserve

It is that time of year again--blue Student Action "DONE" flyers have appeared above chalkboards across Dwinelle, in contrast to CalSERVE's bright green flyers, and SQUELCH candidates have... well, what haven't they done upon the mouth of Sather Gate already? That's right, we are in the midst of campaigning season for the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) elections. For the next couple of weeks, Sproul will play host to a momentous array of flyering, huge cardboard cutouts with beaming faces of the candidates, and some (questionably) good-natured ass kissing.

Yet, along with the festivities of campaigning, lending support, or avoiding Sproul for the more apathetic, comes the question of who to vote for. Friendship loyalties aside, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is divided over several different priorities such as environmental sustainability, progressive agendas and Greek life. This causes an electoral apartheid within our vote towards Senators and Executives, especially for the position of President. To be frank, it really comes down to deciding whether to vote Student Action versus CalSERVE, the two main political parties of the election (though there aren't any rules against switching back and forth between candidates). The 2008 Democratic presidential ticket between Obama and Clinton is, after all, already splitting the Asian American vote; what factors, then, are contributing to Berkeley's own Great Schism?

Some find that the defining factor is each party's past achievements and proposed contributions concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Staring up at the three "DONE" flyers in 125 Dwinelle, I see that Student Action has made it a point to emphasize "ASUC Bookswap," "Spring Welcome Week," and "Greek Philanthropy Fund" amidst their maxim of "Expect More. Get Results." Anything close to touching base upon ethnic-specific issues and points of racial intersectionalities greets me ten minutes later upon my walk to Sproul--a flyer for the upcoming "From All Perspectives" diversity show. Scouring through The Daily Californian, however, I come across news on the front-page of the four newly slated CalSERVE executives--three of whom represent the Asian American and Pilipino American community. Having focused this past year on initiatives such as the Count Me In campaign, which successfully fulfilled its plan to disaggregate Asian American and Pacific Islander data on University of California applications, these candidates showcase a need for understanding the heterogeneity within the population coined under the "Asian" umbrella term.

While this progressive mindset might not appeal to the overall Asian American or Pacific Islander population, there are many who support CalSERVE because the intentions of the candidates reflect that of their constituency. Melvina Thai, a second year student majoring in Political Economy of Industrial Societies (PEIS) speculates, "Student Action's slate seems to advocate for more funds to support more entertainment and social outings... For me, that just isn't that important. I feel like a student government's job is to protect me, to make sure that I am being represented on my campus, to make sure that people are safe." She adds, "Just imagine our political system advocating for more television and concerts for all citizens while ignoring economic and social concerns. The thought of that is absurd. Likewise, a student government should be concerned with real problems that students face."

A third year student adds, "Folks associated with CalSERVE really push for making stances and thus show support for Count Me In or issues on immigration ... whereas, Student Action is hesitant to affiliate themselves with 'taking positions' on issues because they find it divisive. Like their understanding of Asian American issues are about bringing awareness but not taking action beyond that awareness."

Many of CalSERVE's Senate candidates see the space as a forum to create the changes that underrepresented Asian American and Pacific Islanders feel like they have no power over. Jenabi Pareja, a third year Development Studies major running for Senate under CalSERVE, says, "Not only does this space have the potential to increase awareness and build empowerment amongst the Asian (American and) Pacific Islander community, but create cross-cultural collaborations as well." Pareja, who is also a coordinator for the REACH! Recruitment and Retention Center and the Count Me In campaign, presses that CalSERVE embraces the interests of all ethnic identities, as well as that of the Asian American and Pacific Islander constituency.

Still, there are those who find the CalSERVE party too "militant" or "ethnically exclusive" for their taste. There have even been blogs such as "CalSUCK," dedicated to the "Homeless Guys On Sproul" party, cajoling that the candidates have "nearly ZERO years of ASUC experience," and only succeed in "perpetuat[ing] the Berkeley stereotype: let's all smoke weed and fight the man." A third year student said he chose Student Action because “not everyone here identifies with a race-based club. Some of us prioritize other extracurricular [activities], such as sports, film... instead of focusing on small problems that we like to blame on race. They [Student Action] keep things to general interests and reflect the non-radical Berkeley you don't always see on the news."

While the Student Action slate has not been as vocal in their pursuit of ethnic-specific causes, individual candidates have voiced their hopes towards more on-campus collaborations within the Asian American community. David Li, a first year pre-Business major running for Senate under Student Action, uses his past experience in several different Asian American clubs to generate his vision. Li said, "Although I realize that each club is different ... a massive joint event from the different Asian American clubs would not only promote unity among the cultures, but also show the key differences among the different Asian cultures." Looking towards a culture show that the Chinese Student Association will host on April 13th, for example, Li proposes the inclusion of other "Chinese speaking clubs (Taiwanese, Hong Kong, etc.) to hold a joint culture show. That way, the culture show would have different aspects of Chinese culture in it, not just CSA's."

While individuals on both sides take notice of the homogenizing pan-Asian label, there is also the issue of each party's definition and stance towards "multiculturalism." Considering CalSERVE Senator Maurice Seaty's concern in early March over the Student Action-endorsed "From All Perspectives" diversity show being held the same weekend as bridges' Senior Weekend, it is safe to say that each party pursues "multicultural activity" on campus through different forums. Student Action works respectively within the social scene, attempting to celebrate the differences and similarities amongst the vast cultures of Berkeley's student groups. Such examples include the aforementioned "From All Perspectives" diversity show, as well as its promotion of various ethnic-specific fraternities and sororities on campus, which attempt to create communities out of common identity.

CalSERVE, on the other hand, prioritizes cross-cultural activity on campus by taking a more political stance that promotes social justice and increased representation. The proof is in the resurfacing of third world Liberation Front (twLF), which most of CalSERVE's candidates and community members have played an active role in. Uniting to reclaim the space from the university's belated promise for a multicultural center, the organization has not only stayed true to the revolutionary fervor it once possessed during its run in the late 1960s, but its purpose in creating solidarity amongst all people of color as well. Hence, this may be CalSERVE's appeal to many students on campus--an inclusive space within all intersections (sexual orientation, social class, ethnicity, and so on) of individuals--not just race.

Perhaps this will deconstruct sentiments that Student Action is purely "social," or that CalSERVE is an "exclusive, minority party."

Still, there are those who even find it disturbing that individuals from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community have subjugated themselves along the lines of partisan politics. One anonymous third year student suggests, "The rivalry has become so engrained to the point sometimes that it's not even about making change together but seeing who's going to win between the parties... which is sad."

I grimly think back to the ASUC Senate meeting that I sat in on Wednesday, March 19th, where votes were split between the two parties in regards to increased funding for the Pilipino American Alliance's 32nd annual Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN). During the session, Senator Dan Galeon remarked that it was "ironic how one party would not vote for this [PCN] culture show, yet support their own culture shows with increased funding and still say they support 'diversity.'" It is easy to see, then, what gridlock can emerge out of petty group loyalties. More importantly it is clear how these barriers could have consequences for various student groups who simply need more funding.

It is the product of mass-partisanship, rather than individuals, that is at fault for the tension, as well as the creation of such "our space" and "their space" rhetoric. As one Executive candidate has confessed, he would like to get to know certain spaces within the Asian American community more, but feels as if his party's reputation has already earned him an unfavorable image within its members.

Still, there is hope for more amiable skies within the ASUC's party tensions. An insider from the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) mentions, "We have organizations affiliated with different parties, but we're still able to unite on common issues. [For] the APAC Food and Culture Fair, our bill is co-written by Senator Duong (CalSERVE) and Senator Wong (Student Action), so I think it's doable. It's hard for some folks to put it past them."

After all, the two parties ultimately work towards the similar goal of its students' well being. It is important that we voters not only remind ourselves to transcend above party lines, but to remind the candidates to do so as well. Who knows, Wednesdays in the Senate Chambers might not even have to run into the wee hours of the morning anymore.