By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
The headline was enough to give me a caffeine rush, something a few sips of coffee had so far this morning failed to do.
Penn Promises to Build New Asian American Studies Building on 35th Street, the headline screamed.
Wow, I said to myself, as I got comfy in front of my keyboard-ready to break the news to AsAmNews readers.
My excitement turned to disappointment, then a small chuckle.
Apparently the intersection the University of Pennsylvania pledged to build the center on doesn’t really exist.
The article reported the “generous gesture” by the administration had apparently left them “too exhausted” to address student concerns.
Upon closer inspection, I saw the small disclaimer above the headline.
I was reading a piece of satire. It was Seyoung Kim’s attempt to take a jab at a University administration that has ignored requests from students to meet about the future of Asian American Studies since last spring.
Penn has also not replaced former Asian American Studies Director Grace Kao who resigned last spring.
Requests from interim Asian American Studies Director Eiichiro Azuma for a tenured track faculty member to replace Kao, a physical space for Asian American Studies events and administrative help have all been rejected, according to the Daily Penn.
The University has only agreed to one request from Azuma-the hiring of a a full time lecturer. That lecturer will be allowed to teach two courses for a maximum of three years.
According to Wikipedia, the Asian American student population at Penn in 2014 was nearly 20 percent.
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