The isolation of being different (Part 1)
By Jonathan Gramling, Editor
The Capital City Hues
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A look at the campus climate for Asian American students on the University of Wisconsin-Madison
campus
The February incident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School where it was alleged that Professor Leonard
Kaplan offended several Asian American law students when he used stereotypes about Hmong people to make a point in
class, acted as a catalyst for Asian Americans on campus and in the community to reflect on their position in American
society like no other incident had in recent memory. On March 1, dozens of Asian American students and community
leaders attended a forum on the incident that was held at the UW Law School. It was a sign that the Asian American
community, particularly the Hmong community, was going to be the "invisible" minority no longer and was going to engage
the community at large over the place that Asian Americans hold and the position they find themselves in on campus and
in the community.
While there was much ado made about the incident in the local and national press, the public discourse provided little
context to understand the climate that Asian American students face on the UW campus. Was the Kaplan incident a blip in
an otherwise excellent climate for Asian American students? Or was it an extreme and visible symptom of the conditions
that Asian American students face?
The Capital City Hues conducted a focus group with six Asian American UW students comprised of five graduate and
one undergraduate students in March whole the memory of the Kaplan incident was still fresh. While the insights that
these students offered should not be viewed as the definitive, scientific view of the conditions that Asian American
students face -- none of the students professed to speak for the students as a whole -- their insights do offer some
understanding of the context of the lives of Asian American students on campus. We offer the results of this focus group
as an issue-oriented observance of Asia Pacific Heritage Month, both on campus and in the community.
The position of Asian American students is pretty unique on the UW campus. While they have attended the same high
schools, listened to the same music, and have been bombarded by the same mass media that any other individual born
and raised in the United States has been exposed to during their formative years, Asian American students are often
times treated as an "other" or as an international student because of their outward appearance.
"When you're the only Asian American, you start to wonder if there is anyone else around," Linda said. "I've gone through
that for a number of years. I think some departments also kind of put Asian international students and Asian Americans
together and see them as one group. You might feel as if you are the only one whereas your department is seeing you as
in a group of many. And it's a misunderstanding that we are all the same. I know there are others who have expressed
similar concerns, especially when they come from outside of Wisconsin."
Linda recalled an incident at the Farmers Market that highlighted the misunderstanding. "There was a politician at the
Farmers Market shaking hands and saying 'Hi' to everyone," Linda said. "I was anticipating him doing this to me. I didn't
really want it. As soon as I got up there, he looked away. I thought 'That's weird.' But as soon as I passed him, he was
shaking hands again. It was one of those rare times. I had never had that kind of experience, so I didn't know what to think
of it. It wasn't until later that I thought he ignored me because he thought I was an international student and I wouldn't be
voting. And why should he waste the effort."
Marlene is a first-generation Filipino American. Yet she encounters misunderstandings on the streets of Madison. "As
far as trying to represent ourselves, I have had a couple of experiences where I've been walking down the street," Marlene
recalled. "Someone said 'Hey Chinatown' in a very rude and very out of the ordinary, random call. Again, I meet certain
people who are just not used to meeting Asian Americans. It also deals with the communities that people come from. I
can't fathom this because I come from a city with millions of people. Some people come from a town of less than 500. I
feel like a walking example of what an Asian is. And if I don't speak with an accent or wear certain clothing that signifies
that I am a Madisonian and I hate to say this because it stereotypes, if I don't wear North Face or Hug Boots and have
sunglasses on, I feel uncomfortable. I'm just representing myself because this is how I feel comfortable. I don't think
anyone should have to validate their personality or style when they just exist in a multifaceted community."
Mai has also picked up on negative vibes walking down the street. "I think this idea that Marlene touched upon earlier,
the idea of the 'forever foreigner,' I feel that, especially here for some reason," Marlene observed. "Like walking down State
Street, I feel that when people look at me, they think 'She's not really a part of this. She is outside and we are letting her
walk on our space.' I don't know if that's me perceiving it? There is a large Korean international undergrad population, but
that doesn't give anyone the right to automatically assume this person is 'foreigner,' and not as privileged as I am to walk
on this space. They're the 'gatekeepers' of citizenship here."
Jackie is working on her Ph.D. and is an instructor on campus. She runs into incidents where her ethnicity seems to be
the overriding factor in the encounter. Jackie tries to incorporate multicultural issues in her curriculum. "I've had students
confide with my TAs," Jackie said. "In one particular session, I had a student who reacted very, very strongly against some
of the stuff I was teaching. And it wasn't anything. I was mentioning traits of other racial backgrounds. But no, I couldn't go
there. He went and confided to my TA who was a White male. He said, 'You and I understand each other. She won't get
what we are saying.' And they started building alliances outside of the control of me as a teacher. And so, it was
fascinating."
"On another note, when I was teaching, on one of my Student evaluations -- it was at the end of the class -- this particular
student wrote 'Jackie spoke English so well,'" Jackie continued. "She had class with me everyday. I talk about my
background. I'm very open. I was born in the United States to refugee parents. Every time the timetable is published and
my last name is published, I immediately get 5-10 students dropping the class. I don't know why that is. I've gotten really
good evaluations as an instructor. So I don't think it is my teaching. I don't know what else it is, but I don't think it is
coincidental."
The lack of diversity on the UW campus can also make it very difficult for Asian American students for in the campus
environment, it is almost impossible to feel that you don't stick out in the crowd. And that position can be very unsettling for
new Asian American students, especially those who live a long distance from family and friends. "I've been here for a year
and I'm not adjusting well," Betty emphasized. "I hate to say that, but I'm not adjusting well to the lack of diversity. I hate to
say this, but I'm used to being around students who are coming from different racial backgrounds, from different
communities, different socioeconomic backgrounds. I'm from Fresno, but I did my undergraduate years at UCLA. I was
there for a good 4-5 years. This is definitely a culture shock for me."
Being transplanted from another part of the country when going to school can disrupt the context of a student's life. But
when a different racial milieu is thrown into the balance, it can be very stressful. "I'm from California, mostly Northern
California," Mai said. "Like Betty, I'm much more used to an infrastructure of leadership in the Asian American community
like arts and student organizations and offices on campus that provided space for student activism and maybe financial
support and mentor relationships to help students realize their consciousness in their own way and activities that fostered
that such as a large conference every year that students can be involved in to create a dialogue of issues that students
and Asian Americans are facing on an ongoing basis. I have a very different consciousness about my identity as an Asian
American person. Here I feel a little bit removed from that consciousness."
Next issue: The lack of university and community connections