Filipino American Student Association

The Filipino American Student Association is a student organization at William & Mary. 

History

The Filipino American Student Association at the College of William & Mary is a cultural organization that was founded in 1991 by a group of Filipino American students under the advisement of Professor Mario Zamora. The current adviser is Professor Francis Tanglao-Aguas, who has been with the College since 2005.

Mission

FASA's main objective is to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich Filipino and Filipino-American cultures to all students at William & Mary and the community. Its emphasis is on cultural awareness and focuses on the contributions of Filipino-Americans to American society and current issues affecting them today. FASA's major goals are to increase its visibility on campus through various cultural activities and to support and participate in cultural programs within the William & Mary community and with other universities.

Activities

FASA holds biweekly general meetings during which presentations regarding Filipino culture are exhibited and the general assembly is given the opportunity to vote on events pitched by the executive board.

FASA hosts a variety of events, from fundraisers to showcasing guest speakers at the College. Popular fundraisers include selling Turon and Halo-Halo, traditional Filipino desserts. Past guest speakers have included spoken word artists Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay (2012), entrepreneur for the non-profit organization ARK (Advancement for Rural Kids) Ayesha Vera-Yu, and more recently the Virginia Poet Laureate, Sofia Starnes (2014).

In 2009, the late FASA President Steven Enriquez and Vice President Amanda Tira Andrei collaborated to bring General Antonio Taguba to William & Mary to speak about his experiences as one of the highest ranking Filipino Americans in the US military. Mr. Enriquez also initiated FASA's annual ritual ceremony celebrating and honoring the service of Filipino and Filipino American veterans at the Wren Chapel.

In hosting events, FASA also strives to inform the public about Filipino history. For example, FASA has held vigils for Filipino WWII veterans (2007, 2008) and for victims of Typhoon Haiyan (2013), and raised public consciousness of issues faced in the Philippines through cultural awareness weeks in which speakers were invited to discuss topics pertaining to the Philippines and movies were screened documenting Filipino conflicts.

Connections

Though Filipino Americans comprise most of the club's membership, anyone is invited to participate in club activities. To facilitate bonding within the group, the Kuya/Ate program (Big brother/big sister) is hosted at the start of the fall semester, introducing new members to the atmosphere of FASA. Each new member becomes part of a family within the organization, making connections more personal as members become more invested in the organization.

FASA itself is a part of the greater Asian American community/family, taking part in the William & Mary-based Pan-Asian Coalition (PAC) and the regional District 7 sector of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND). Both facilitate communication with other cultural groups, though PAC is between other cultural organizations such as the Chinese Student Organization or the Korean American Student ASsociation while FIND is between other Filipino organizations at Virginia schools within the District 7 region (i.e. UVA, VCU, VT, etc). Activities within these communities span from activism conferences to Olympic-style field days facilitating bonding and growth.

Culture Night

Beginning in 1998, Culture Night is a student-run presentation held in the spring semester every year that combines Filipino and Filipino American dances, songs, and themes into one comprehensive showcase. The performance occurs through the medium of a play or a series of skits and is followed by a dinner of traditional Filipino foods. Culture Night is the most popular outreach program hosted by FASA.

FASA Culture Night Performances

FASA Presidents

• 1998-1999: Christian Jose
• 1999-2000: Rechelle Apolonio
• 2000-2001: Jeremy de Milo
• 2001-2002: Jeremy de Milo
• 2002-2003: Danielle Miranda
• 2003-2004: Carmela Laygo
• 2004-2005: Louise Lockett
• 2005-2006: Heather Soloria
• 2006-2007: Tara Pascual
• 2007-2008: Anthony Elopre and Carling Sitterley
• 2008-2009: Steven Enriquez

• 2009-2010: April Maglalang
• 2010-2011: Amanda Andrei
• 2011-2012: Stacy Lewis
• 2012-2013: Dannie Angeles
• 2013-2014: Jasmin Green
• 2014-2015: Paul Atienza

Material in the Special Collections Research Center

• Guide for conducting research related to the College of William & Mary
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References

• SCRC File.
• FASA website

External Links

• Current information about FASA is available at its website.