Editor’s Note: This is a guest commentary. The opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
“All of the Asian students at Ithaca College could fit into the Park Auditorium with room to spare.”
This was a comment made during a 2025 executive board meeting for the Ithaca College Asian American Alliance (AAA; pronounced “triple A”). The AAA represented only 3.9% of the IC student population in Fall 2025, according to IC’s Office of Institutional Research, that makes up less than 200 Asian students total at Ithaca College. With a maximum capacity of 220 people, every Asian student at IC could sit comfortably within the Roy H. Park Hall Auditorium. Despite making up a seemingly small part of the college’s population, Asian and Asian American students at IC have unique experiences and challenges that should be acknowledged for them to feel supported within this community.
Transitioning to college can be difficult for most students. However, for students of color at a predominantly white institution like Ithaca College, it poses some extra challenges. For some students, this may be their first time attending school where almost no one looks like them. For others, this may be their first time seeing other students of color in their classes or friend groups. People come to IC from many different backgrounds that shape their sense of belonging, and while some experiences can foster connections among peers, many lead to feelings of loneliness.
Asian American students may also face an additional pressure: the perpetual foreigner stereotype. This idea, based on systemic racism, states that Asian Americans are not truly American and will always be seen as foreigners or outsiders, regardless of where they were born or how long they have lived in the United States. Many students feel like they constantly have to “prove” that they belong, which can be a very overwhelming experience on top of trying to navigate college life. Additionally, Asian and Asian American students have added challenges based on experiences as international students, immigrants, children of immigrants and transracial adoptees. One way people can find their community is by joining affinity-based student organizations — spaces that foster belonging and celebrate shared culture and experiences.
The AAA is one such group that strives to support Asian and Asian American Students at IC and provide them a space to meet other students who share their culture, ethnicity, language and experiences. Although this club has had many iterations and changes since its inauguration over 30 years ago, our vision remains the same: to promote awareness of Asian and Asian American culture and experience at IC and in the Ithaca community; to serve as a venue for Asian, Asian American and other students interested in Asian and Asian American culture; and to interact with one another through educational, social, political and cultural events and activities.
At a time when the current federal administration is forcing higher education institutions across the country to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, this work is more important than ever. Underrepresented students need to know that they are not alone and that their differences are something to be valued and celebrated, not diminished. Student organizations play a vital role in building this support system, but they cannot and should not bear the entire burden of doing so. While student organizations like the AAA are vital in providing a space for students to gather and connect, it is important to remember that we should not place our expectations in student leaders to do all of the heavy lifting for these communities, and that colleges must continue to invest in departments, resources and programs that uplift underrepresented students.
Nevertheless, there have been great strides in building community on campus. Three years ago, I sat alone in my dorm room eating mooncakes by myself. This year, I got to help bring to life a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration with just under 50 faculty, staff and student attendees. That shift in experience, from isolation to community, is the result of increased attention and effort to provide spaces for students like myself. I am deeply honored to serve as this year’s president of the AAA and to be a part of a small but mighty community of students. If there is a space large enough on campus to hold all of us, then there is space to provide support to everyone.
