Samahang Pilipino @ UCLA

Know History, Know Self. No History, No Self.

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:28:46 -0400

UCLA STUDENT ACTIVISM TO TODAY’S CURRENT USAC ELECTIONS
THE DAILY BRUIN ONLINE 4/23/2003

Students unaware of USAC’s history

Council’s past shows how slates formed to resolve social issues

By T.J. Cordero

As spring quarter begins to unfold, you can expect an influx of articles and events surrounding the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections and may be approached by prospective candidates and their supporters. Embedded in these discussions is the idea of slates. However, what many candidates neglect to state are the very reasons why slates are formed in the first place. Only by examining the history of slates on this campus is it possible to understand their varying purposes and missions.

From its inception in 1919, USAC was primarily dominated by councilmembers who ran under programmatic platforms that focused on events such as Mardi Gras and Homecoming. During the 1960s, many students became discontent with USAC because of its failure to engage broad social issues such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War.

The emergence of the Third World Coalition during the 1960s brought progressive students together. They saw the need to address issues like segregation, racism in admissions, the lack of ethnic and gender studies, and international, anti-imperialist movements. As USAC was planning the next big victory party for UCLA’s football team, students in TWC turned to USAC for leadership in supporting these movements.

In the 1980s, TWC led the campaign for corporate divestment from South African apartheid. Through Associated Students of UCLA, TWC could make UCLA the first university in the United States to disinvest from corporations that did business in apartheid South Africa. Recognizing USAC as an important player with potential to create positive social change, students were able to contribute to the larger movement that led to the eventual dismantling of the apartheid system.

USAC was seen as an important part in bringing about these types of social changes. But it took progressive students becoming USAC councilmembers to have these issues addressed. It was TWC that politicized USAC around these issues.

It was not until the early 1990s that groups of students came together to ensure that USAC’s primary focus would be on serving the political interests of the student body. These students saw that many students’ needs were not being met. Students cared about issues like quality of education, diversity, access to education, student retention and civil rights, while USAC did not.

It became clear that these issues would not be the focus of the whole council when it failed to unanimously condemn student organizations in the late ’80s and early ’90s for racist, sexist and homophobic acts. In 1992, student organization songbooks surfaced, revealing songs like “Lupe,” about going to Mexico to rape a young Mexican girl, and “Faggot Fraternity,” mocking sodomy and AIDS.

People turned to student government to hold students to higher standards of tolerance and understanding. As leaders of our student body, it is USAC’s responsibility to defend students against any form of discrimination and injustice. Progressive students and students of color thus united to ensure USAC was more than events programmers and resume builders.

As the successor to TWC, one of the ways the Affirmative Action Coalition sought to address the aforementioned issues was to engage itself in the USAC electoral process. Thus, in 1996, Students First! was formed. As the predecessor to Praxis and Student Empowerment!, Students First! was founded upon principles of diversity, equality, empowerment, reflection and action, self-determination and justice. Students came together under a unifying goal that was much larger than simply winning the elections or obtaining financial resources. Students First! was an extension of TWC, which continually fought for human rights and equal access to education as its underlying objective.

As history shows, the development of our slate has been rooted in progressive principles and seeing USAC as one agent for change. Our work (that continues today) is not about arguing over scarce resources, but envisioning how student government should be a strong advocate for the needs of students.

Throughout the year, we have been attacked as students from many sides. Our student fees are increasing at record levels, proportionally fewer underrepresented students of color are entering UCLA, student services are being cut, and housing and parking rates are reaching record highs.

I offer this historical context to shed light on the often-lost history of which most current councilmembers and people interested in USAC are unaware. It’s unfortunate that people have built such demoralizing ideas of Student Empowerment! and our history, and continue to perpetuate false notions of what we stand for.

Cordero is USAC internal vice president

Asian American Studies 97: History, Theory, and Practice of Pilipino Cultural Night at UCLA TODAY

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:55:53 -0400

campaignforpilipinostudiesucla:

Hi everyone!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Week 1 of Spring Quarter! Just wanted to remind you all that the first day of the SPCN class: Asian American Studies 97: History, Theory, & Practice of Pilipino Cultural Night is TODAY! If interested, please come to Rolfe 3115 from 4-4:50pm to receive a PTE number! It is a 2-unit course.

Our special faculty facilitator for today is Professor Victor Bascara from the Asian American Studies department!

Hope to see you there!

how do you sign up for the spcn culture night class?

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:52:44 -0400

Just show up to the first day of class and receive a PTE number! TODAY 4-5PM. It is a 2-unit course and will be held in Rolfe 3115. If you have specific questions feel free to email education.samahangpilipino@gmail.com

SP Office Hours Winter 2011

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:30:30 -0500

Do you have questions or want to know more what we do in Samahang? Come visit us during our office hours!
Cathleen Dorequez…President…TBA
Marynoelyn Jacob…External Vice President…Wednesday from 10:00 to 11:00am
Jay Aquino…Administrative Coordinator…Wednesday from 10:00 to 11:00am
Melissa Samson…Financial Coordinator…Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm
Jan Victor Andasan…Retention Coordinator…Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00pm
Jake Suaverdez…Access Coordinator…TBA
Melissa Jamero…Education Coordinator…Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm
Jessica Gin…SPCN Coordinator…Tuesday from 3:00 to 4:00pm
Ace Tan Cultural Coordinator…Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00pm
Christian Adriatico…Community Projects Coordinator…Monday from 10:30 to 11am
Kristine Ortiz…Activities Coordinator…Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30pm
Georgina Bayani…Kabalikat Coordinator…Thursday from 2:00 to 3:00pm
Lorreanne Manalo…Youth Component Coordinator…Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30pm

Samahang Pilipino Board Elections FAQ!

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:42:33 -0500

It’s that time of year again! SP ELECTIONS! Here are some answers to some election questions you might be having:

Why are we having elections?
To keep our board members in check, most positions are half term (Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring) so check out below what positions you can run for.

Can I run?
If you are a registered UCLA undergraduate that will be enrolled winter and spring quarter yes you can! If you’re interested in a position feel free to contact any SP board member!

Can I nominate myself?
Nope, sorry. But someone else can nominate you AND give an awesome speech about you too. Nominate someone on this form here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEdLMF9uYUZXWlBhMnR0OXB1MmNUTHc6MQ#gid=0

Who has been nominated already?
Check here:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArGCqohLva2vdEdLMF9uYUZXWlBhMnR0OXB1MmNUTHc&authkey=CP_5utIH&hl=en#gid=0

What positions can I run for?
President
Internal Vice President
External Vice President
Administrative Coordinator
Cultural Coordinator
Financial Coordinator
Community Projects Coordinator
Activities Coordinator
Pinays Coordinator
Kabalikat Coordinator

**(Access Coordinator, Retention Coordinator, Education Coordinator, SPCN coordinator, and Youth Component Coordinator (appointed) are year-long positions)

Am I eligible to vote?
If you have gone to 3 or more GMs this quarter you can vote (including elections i.e. GM Wk3 + GM Wk7 + Elections = You can vote!)

If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask any Board member! See you at elections!!

PIE A BOARD MEMBER!

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:35:00 -0500

That’s right!

Show how much you care about your board members with PIE!

If each board member raises a certain amount of donations (price TBD), the person who donates the most gets the wonderful opportunity to smash a pie in their face.

Pie-ing will take place at our last general meeting, week 10. 6-8pm, Ackerman Viewpoint conference rooms! :)

Feels as good as it tastes. #YUM.

To see who has been nominated already, click here

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:36:58 -0500

To see who has been nominated already, click here

Winter/spring term elections positions

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:05:00 -0500

Hey Everyone,

Here are the open positions we’ll be voting on during Friday’s elections:

President

Internal Vice President

External Vice President

Administrative Coordinator

Cultural Coordinator

Financial Coordinator

Community Projects Coordinator

Activities Coordinator

Pinays Coordinator

Kabalikat Coordinator

(Access Coordinator, Retention Coordinator, Education Coordinator, SPCN coordinator, and Youth Component Coordinator (appointed) are year-long positions)

***If you are interested in ANY of the positions, please do not hesitate to ask any of the current board members! Our contact info is located on the right side under “about me.” OR, just ask us when you see us in person! :)

If you haven’t done so yet, please fill out the nomination form:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEdLMF9uYUZXWlBhMnR0OXB1MmNUTHc6MQ#gid=0

(remember, your nomination must be seconded in order for the candidate to be eligible to run)

nominate your winter/spring board here!

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:50:50 -0500

nominate your winter/spring board here!

Meet the board!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:11:24 -0500

Access Coordinator: Joaquin ‘Jake’ Suaverdez

Hey, folks! My name is Joaquin ‘Jake’ Suaverdez. I am a fourth-year International Development Studies major and I am your Access Coordinator for the 2010-2011 school year. As AC, my mission in the simplest sense is to make sure that higher education is equitably accessible for all Pilipinos. I do this by advocating for policies that benefit the Pilipino community in terms of college accessibility and affordability. My duties also include overseeing our access project, Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE), which serves high school and community college students in Pilipinotown and the South Bay providing peer tutoring, peer advising, and various other programming. Being Access Coordinator also gives me the opportunity to be on the UCLA Student Initiated Access Committee (SIAC), on which I am the Vice Chair. The SIAC is comprised of individuals from organizations representing various communities advocating to make access to higher education equitable for all.

Meet the board!

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 03:42:05 -0500

Jan Victor Fernandez Andasan: Retention Coordinator

Year: 3rd

Major: Asian American Studies

Minor: Education

Description: Being Samahang Pilipino’s Retention Coordinator has taught me the importance of seeing students in a holistic sense and the importance of graduating. Sitting on the Campus Retention Committee, which is the first in the nation, a student-run/student-initiated space has taught me to value the voice and power students have in funding, evaluating and advocating on the retention of students from historically marginalized communities and the 28,000 undergraduates at UCLA. As Retention Coordinator, we strive not only to retain the Pilipin@ community but with student representatives from the Afrikan Student Union, American Indian Student Association, Moviemento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan and the Vietnamese Student Union, we strive for 100% retention at UCLA.

Meet the board!

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:35:21 -0500

Cathleen Mary Doriquez: President

Year: 5th
Major: Nursing
Position: Samahang Pilipino President
Description: Being President is definitely a challenging but exciting role! Because Pilipino@ issues are not mainstream, my primary role as President is to make our issues mainstream on and off campus via advocating for permanent changes. I work in collaboration with Board to guide the organization in setting and fulfilling goals and priorities for the year. I also work in coalition with other communities—although our Pilipino community is tight-knit, I love working with other communities such as the Afrikan, Chican@, LGBT, Asian, Pacific Islander, Muslim, and American Indian communities. I’ve learned so much through working with non-Pilipinos just how alike we are and how powerful it is when we unite!

Meet the board!

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:34:09 -0500

Lorreanne Manalo: Youth Component Coordinator

My name is Lorreanne and I’m currently a 3rd year majoring in Physiological Sciences and minoring in Asian American studies. In the past, I’ve been involved in PREP (as DIAL coordinator), OSA mentorship, cultural committee, STEP internship and Kappa Psi Epsilon. I am currently the Youth Component Coordinator for Samahang Pilipino. As YCC, I strive to organize youth to help them realize their own power as students. I plan to accomplish this by developing leadership skills and critical thinking with the youth. This year I am also herstorian, community action chair, and junior trustee for Kappa Psi Epsilon.

Meet the board!

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:26:11 -0500

Kim Mendoza: Pinays Coordinator

Hi! I’m Kim and I’m a 4th year transfer student originally from Historic Pilipinotown in Los Angeles. My transition into Samahang happened really fast, when a mentor invited me to the general meetings. Less than a year later, I am now serving as Pinays Coordinator! My role is to create community among Pinays at UCLA through the Pinays Committee and work with Georgina on gender and sexuality-related topics. On campus, I am also involved with the Asian Pacific Coalition.

Meet the board!

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:59:23 -0500

Gabby Labayen: Community Projects Coordinator

Hi! My name is Gabby Labayen and I am currently a 4th year International Development Studies Major. I am Samahang’s Community Projects Coordinator and this year I strive to get our members into the greater Los Angeles Community. Through working alongside with various community based organizations, we become more involved with projects in Pilipino-Town. One such example is the Justice For Pilipino American Veterans march that we help program in November. I hope to allow general members to gain a greater awareness through hands on interaction with our culture and history. I look forward to hearing different ideas from everyone and working together to implement them!

Meet the board!

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:57:53 -0500

Melissa Jamero: Education Coordinator

My name is Melissa Jamero and I am a 4th year History and Asian American Studies double major with a Pilipino Studies Concentration. I love learning about my Pilipin@ history while also serving our community. For the past two years I was a staff member for Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention, which seeks to address Pilipino student needs at UCLA. This year, I am education coordinator for Samahang Pilipino and I oversee the SP’s Campaign for Pilipin@ Studies (CPS). CPS seeks to bring more faculty, classes, educational materials, and research to UCLA that is specifically about our culture and our people. I hope to get to know each and every one of you and I look for forward to the rest of the year!

Meet the board!

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:56:21 -0500

Mani Disuanco: Cultural Coordinator

My name is Mani and I’m a 5th year Biology major from LA. My involvement in Samahang started in SPCN as a participant and eventually as Script Director and on Political Committee. Outside of Samahang I’ve been involved as a student leader with ORL and as a member of USAC’s External Vice President’s Office. I am currently Samahang’s Cultural Coordinator. I really want to make that space a way to explore all aspects of our culture from dance to music to food to literature to art, basically everything Pilipino!

Meet the board!

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:53:42 -0500

Katrina Dimacali: Administrative Coordinator

Hello! My name is Katrina and I’m a second year psychobiology major. I’m the administrative coordinator and deal with the different logistics of Samahang Pilipino. I’ve been on staff support for SPACE, STEP, and Social Committee in the past. My job includes everything from outreaching to general members to ensuring that all of the programming and events run smoothly. This year, I hope to use my knowledge from the various entities that I come from and contribute to the organization a unique perspective.

Meet the board!

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:41:22 -0500

Kristine Ortiz: Activities Coordinator

Hey everyone! My name is Kristine, and I’m a 2^nd year Asian American Studies major. This year, I am the Activities Coordinator for Samahang Pilipino. As coordinator, I oversee the planning of the various social events that SP sponsors or attends, such as Pilipino Welcome Reception, Friendship Games and other such events and fundraisers for the organization. I also run Social Committee (SoCo), a group of wonderfully dedicated people who help me plan and execute the various events for SP. This year, I am striving to provide spaces, all which integrate some aspect of cultural awareness, that help lay the foundation for great interpersonal relationships and foster a sense of community and family.

Meet the board!

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 18:38:47 -0500

Jessica Gin: Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night Coordinator

My name is Jessica, and I’m a 4th year International Development Studies major, Public Policy minor. In the past I’ve been involved in SPACE as a Peer Tutor, SPEAR as a Peer Counselor, but this year, I am the Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night (SPCN) Coordinator. As SPCN Coordinator, I oversee the entire year-long process and production of the 34th annual SPCN, one of the largest and longest-running student-run cultural nights. I run a committee of about 24 dedicated individuals who are committed to providing a space to foster cultural awareness, build a community and family, and advocate for the needs of the Pilipin@/PIlipin@-American community through the artistic mediums of dance, music, and script.