Asian Americans at Cornell University are calling for their own residential area.
According to the Cornell Sun, the Residential Student Congress at Cornell has called for the creation of an Asian and Asian-American cultural residential area.
The proposed dorm area would consist of one floor in a residence hall that would provide a “living learning unit” where “Asian & Asian-American individuals [can] connect with their peers, their heritage, and their cultural community.”
Shivani Parikh, president of the South Asian Council and resolution sponsor says the resolution must be approved by the vice president for student and campus life Ryan Lombardi. President Martha Pollack recendly endorsed a SA resolution for a queer-inclusive program house.
“President Pollack and the administration were very supportive of the queer community’s passage of legislation [for] their residential space,” Parikh said. “So I do believe that she will support the Asian-American community as well.”
Freshman representative Savanna Lim said, “I feel like Asian-American-related issues get pushed aside sometimes [or] are not really put in the spotlight.”
RSC president Kianna Early said recent racial incidents on campus inspired them to call for an Asian dorm. “We have been planning this for a long time. With the upcoming north campus expansion and the racial incidents last semester, we feel like now is a good time to introduce it,” Early said.
“There’s not really a big difference between the Asian house and the current Asian-interested fraternities and sororities,” Early added. “The only difference might be living on or off campus.”
Student Steven Li said the proposal is a “good idea” because “Many Asian societies don’t let people join until the fall, so it’s definitely hard for spring-admits to bond with their peers.”
However, the proposal has not been supported by everyone. Student Emily Lin she “wouldn’t want to live in a bubble.”
Neetu Chandak described the concept as “wrong” in an article on The College Fix. “Segregation, particularly by race, has consequences,” Chandak wrote. “We do not get the opportunities to understand people’s backgrounds and perspectives. In addition, we teach that it is acceptable to make judgments about others based solely on their skin color or cultural background.”
