Submission: Flier incident reaffirms need to promote diversity at UCLA

We would like to comment on the anonymous flier mailed to the Asian American Studies Center on Feb. 5.

It is most accurately described as a nonsensical “collage of sexist slurs and racist epithets,” as the Asian Pacific Coalition at UCLA responded last week. Not only is the flier offensive in its language, it perpetuates stereotypes that have long been used and continue to be used to justify violence and racism toward people of color, especially women of color.

Situations such as these are challenging. We need to protest the use of such ignorant, hateful language and work diligently to prevent it in the future. But we must also refrain from giving undue exposure to a racist and sexist flier that was clearly intended to stir up controversy and gain attention.

In 2011, the Asian Pacific Coalition responded to another campus climate issue, Alexandra Wallace’s “Asians in the Library” video, with a statement that is also relevant today:

“Do not turn this into a riot. … Allow us to come together in solidarity and address the matter where it truly stems: as a reflection of the gross misunderstanding of our communities and the hatred that grows from it.”

The hateful statements on this flier are, ultimately, a sad result of misunderstandings between communities at UCLA and in society as a whole. But the frequency of problematic speech and acts that stem from these misunderstandings is still unacceptable.

This flier and Wallace’s “Asians in the Library” video are not isolated incidents. The “asian women R” bulletin board vandalism, the Moreno report’s exposure of faculty discrimination and the “affirmative action” bake sale on Bruin Walk are a few of the most recent indicators of a larger problem that we are not only facing at UCLA, but also in society at large.

There is a unique disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to Asian Pacific Islanders in the United States. By caricaturing and stereotyping us, discounting our academic achievements and ignoring facts that reflect the reality of our experiences, the mainstream media adds to the model minority myth and reinforces a system of racial hierarchy that is used to separate and oppress communities of color.

As students at this university, we have a shared obligation to create a safe campus by promoting diversity in our student body through increasing access and affordability, demanding diversity in our faculty and administration, and perhaps most practically, educating ourselves about the reality of different peoples’ diverse experiences in America. We should not allow our beliefs to be guided by stereotypes and misinformation.

This latest addition to the trend of recent race-related campus climate incidents shows once again that the university’s current standards for ensuring a relevant education have failed us.

It is time to change these standards. UCLA remains the only University of California campus without a general education diversity requirement. It is a requirement that is long overdue.

We call on the faculty of the College of Letters and Science and the UCLA Academic Senate to remedy this institutional shortcoming. We also reaffirm the Asian Pacific Coalition’s demand for UC President Janet Napolitano and Chancellor Gene Block to show their support for Asian Pacific Islander communities by ensuring culturally relevant and competent representation on all levels of faculty, staff and administration, promoting ethnic studies programs and prioritizing efforts to create an inclusive, safe campus for all students.

We cannot and will not allow these acts of ignorance and hate to go unchecked.

Winnie Galbadores

Activities coordinator

Jaimeson Cortez

Financial coordinator

Francesca Rebosura

Cultural coordinator

Kristine de los Santos

Board intern

Conrad Contreras

Executive vice president