This week, the Asian American Association (AAA) made five multicultural requests and one special appropriation request as part of Experience Asia Month. The Student Finance Board (SFB) also heard another multicultural request and four other special appropriation requests.
Three AAA members presented their requests for Experience Asia month because these events "help the community understand why we have this month," Nishan Bhagat, junior psychology major and Experience Asia co-chair, said.
AAA's first request was for $807 for Experience Asia opening ceremonies, which will feature the multiracial hip-hop band P.Nox Productions and the South Asian-based dance troupe, TCNJ Saathiya.
The request included $200 for publicity T-shirts, but SFB executive director Jon Borst advised the board that he was "hesitant to spend money on T-shirts." After the adjustment to the request, a motion was made for full funding of $607. The request was passed in a unanimous vote.
AAA presented another multicultural request for Fantasia, the AAA Games Night. This night will include current Asian games like Mah Jong. There will also be demonstrations of Asian martial arts, umbrella dancing, karaoke, henna tattoos and Chinese ribbon dancing.
An educational event that AAA plans to sponsor is True Colors, where students can discuss different components of Asian culture they have encountered. Dr. Hue-Sun Ahn, counseling psychologist for Psychological Counseling Services, will facilitate this program, which will include discussion, role playing and Q&A sessions.
Around the World is a workshop AAA is scheduled to host, along with the Chinese Club, Korean American Student Association (KASA) and the Japanese Club. Each club will set up a table that includes a brief history and instruction of a game, activity or other aspect of the culture. Other non-Asian cultures will be included. This workshop will demonstrate the integration, similarities and differences between Asian and non-Asian cultures.
AAA also plans to host the Multicultural Buffet. KASA and the International Student Association (ISA) will donate food and time to this event. Various Asian dishes will be served, along with bubble tea for $1 per drink. The Multicultural Buffet "is always very well attended," Borst said.
Each of the four previous requests was fully funded in unanimous votes. Fantasia was funded for $317, True Colors was funded for $64, the Around the World workshop was funded for $239, and AAA received $557 for the Multicultural Buffet.
Additionally, AAA made a $681 special appropriation request for various methods of publicity for Experience Asia Month. SFB believed the request was appropriate and fully funded the request in a unanimous vote.
As part of Domestic Violence Awareness week, Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX) made a special appropriation request of $1,600 to bring speaker River Huston to the College. The Office of Anti-Violence Initiatives (OAVI), the National Organization for Women (NOW), Prism, Residence Life and Campus Wellness are all contributing either funds or publicity to this event.
Huston engages her audience to help them learn about her struggle with AIDS and the importance of safe sex. This year, her program is entitled "SEX101: How to Have the Greatest Sex with Yourself and Others." The goal of this program is to teach students important communication and negotiation skills for safe sex.
VOX's request was fully funded in another unanimous vote.
The College Union Board (CUB) was scheduled to present a special appropriation request for Midnight Movies, but the screen in T/W it intends to use will not be installed until the end of the semester. CUB will present the request then.
In cooperation with the sorority Theta Nu Xi, CUB made a multicultural request for Multicultural Movie Night. The groups hope to show the French comedy "Amelie" and the Brazilian film "City of God," which examines Brazilian social issues in the 1960s, to expose students to different lifestyles and cultures. The movies are subtitled and admission is free.
CUB and Theta Nu Xi requested $650 and received the full amount in a unanimous vote.
The last group to present was PEANUTS (Planning Exciting Activities for a Never-ending Utopia for The College of New Jersey Students). PEANUTS made a special appropriation request for $1,208 for a trip to see "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway.
This trip has been sponsored each semester for at least the past two years. Due to the popularity of Broadway shows, SFB fully funded this trip in a unanimous vote.
PEANUTS also asked for $120 in a special appropriation request for a Game Night on a Tuesday night, which will be co-sponsored by the New Jersey Christian Fellowship (NJCF).
Since Tuesday is a popular drinking night on campus, PEANUTS and NJCF hopes to offer students an alternative to drinking. SFB fully funded the request in the last unanimous vote of the meeting.
