Asian Americans. Asian

Pacific Americans (APA)

composes 5% of the US

population but is largely ig-

nored by presidential candi-

dates because the APA vot-

ing bloc is not large enough

to pay attention to. In addi-

tion, Asian Americans have

historically not turned out to

vote. The 2004 election

Current Population Survey

showed that only 55 percent

of APAs voted, versus 72

percent of Blacks and 74

percent of Whites. Let's

show the country that our

vote does count! If you have-

n't registered or applied for

an absentee ballot yet, do so

today.

Welcome Class of 2012!

I hope everyone has settled in and is enjoying their first weeks of Wash U. This year promises to be an exciting year with events, speakers, and just plain fun!

With the Olympics held in Bei-jing, China this summer, many eyes were on this rapidly evolving country. Many Asian Americans along with the rest of the world watched the spec-tacular ceremonies with amazement and caught a glimpse of Chinese culture and the progress China is making toward being a domi-nating force in the world mar-ket and trade. There probably won’t be a show as grand as

China put on for a long time! The last time the Olym-pics were held in Asia was at Nagano, Japan in 1998.

With the presidential election

coming up November 4th, I

hope that you will all think

about how the candidates will

address the issues that affect

your lives and the lives of

OBAMA On Asian Ameri-

can issues: On education:

more money for Head Start,

wants to make teachers ac-

countable, likes merit pay

and charter schools; reform

and fund No Child Left Be-

hind; give more high school-

ers access to college

courses; increase Federal

college aid; free up money

for student aid; invest in

small businesses; build

framework for East Asian

cooperation; reform H-1B

Visas.

MCCAIN On Asian Ameri-

can issues: Opposes racial

preferences; supports a "path

to citizenship" for illegals;

pledged to "do everything I

can" to help all immigrants

learn English; on education:

more testing for teachers. As

a senator, McCain voted

against funding redress for

Japanese Americans in

1989. In 2000, promised a

convention of minority jour-

nalists that if he became

president, he would abso-

lutely and unequivocally

name an Asian American to

his Cabinet.

Greetings From Your AAA Prez Sarah Wong

The Asian American Vote From AsianWeek.com

Asian American Association

Newsletter S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 8 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 1

U p c o m i n g

E v e n t s :

Sept. 5

First GBM 7pm

Ursa’s Fireside

Sept. 6

The Banquet

6pm NW Wohl

Sept. 7

I Survived A Japa-

nese Game show

at Big Bang 8pm

STL Science Mu-

seum

Sept. 27

AAA/KSA Basket-

ball Tourney

AAA Executive Board

2008-2009

President Sarah Wong

External VP Alex Lin

Internal VP Jeff Lin

Treasurer Charles Qiao

Secretary Alice Gu

PR Yena Kwon

PR Marina Cheung

Historian Andrew Shaw

Be sure to check out AAA’s

Olympic Opening Ceremony

Parody at The Banquet on 9/6!

P a g e 2

Join the Asian

American

Association

Facebook

Group!

Why Did You Join AAA? Andrew Shaw

Welcome to the Family Alex Lin

There is an average of six degrees of separation be-tween two strangers in the world. At Wash U, that num-ber goes down to an aver-age of 1.5 degrees of sepa-ration. Break that down even further into the Asian community of Wash U, and you're looking close to one degree of separation be-tween you and any other Asian on campus. That makes us a close-knit com-munity, no matter what race, gender, or major. I like to think of it as a big family.

We have over 12 student groups that cater specifically to the different Asian cul-tures on campus. While that

seems to isolate certain peo-ple and bring separation into the community, it actually brings us closer together. If you ever drop by a student group meeting, you'll notice people of every ethnicity there, participating and help-ing out. Celebrating the differ-ences of each culture brings us closer together.

Freshman, you are now a part of this family. You will enjoy the wisdom and knowledge that your older brothers and sisters have acquired through their journey as a part of this family. They will let you in on the best places to eat, the best hang out spots, what par-ties to go to, and provide that

safety net for you when you feel like spreading your wings. You'll bring us ambi-tion and drive. Your enthusi-asm is needed in maintain-ing the high spirits of the family. Don't ever let older folks’ talk deter you from chasing your dreams.

You will cry will with your peers as you get your test scores back. You will push each other on and encour-age each other through the good and the bad, the hook ups and the break ups, the smiles and the cries. That's what a family does. That's what we do. Welcome to the family.

about yourself.

Did you know that

Asian residents in the

U.S. make up about 15

million as of 2006?

Our population growth

of 3.2% is higher than

any other race. We are

also pretty smart as

49% of Asians 25 and

older have a bachelor's

degree or higher level

of education compared

with that of 27% for all

Americans. We seem

to live comfortable

lives too, as the me-

dian income is higher

than any other. Finally,

I would like to mention

Ever wonder why you

joined AAA? You might

have many reasons or

just a few, but I am

sure one of those rea-

sons is because it's

fun and exciting to

meet new people with

similar interests. As a

club, everyone in AAA

already has one domi-

nant thing in common-

most of us are Asian

Americans. Want to

know what else every-

one already has in

common? Here's a few

fun facts to help you

get to know each other

and maybe a little

A s i a n A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n

Become a AAA

Member!

Membership benefits

include discounts to

our events, freebies,

and special

promotions. Also, get

discounts at local

businesses!

Contact

aaa@sugroups.wustl.edu

for details

YouTube Pick of the

Month:

Fortune Cookies Not

Found in China?

(From The Fortune

that Tiger Woods is one-quarter Chi-

nese, one-quarter Thai, one-quarter

African American, one-eighth Native

American, and one-eighth Dutch. Count

him in!