Press Release: January 16, 2002

UIC Provost Says Budget Cuts Force Asian American Resource and Cultural Center to Start Small

On January 14, 2002, members of the Asian American Coalition Committee (AACC) met with interim Provost Charlotte Tate to discuss her response to a business plan submitted to her last November for an Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Members of the Chancellor's Committee for the Status of Asian Americans were also present, along with Undergraduate Student Government President Brian Crowe. Tate strongly supports the establishment of an AARCC, but in the face of recent budget constraints, the center will have to start smaller than originally proposed.

The AARCC will be the first of its kind in the entire Midwest, and its establishment will be a major milestone in the continuing UIC student effort to address the needs of Asian American students on campus. Previous campaigns for such Asian American resources have been rejected since 1991 because of budget issues.

"The University is experiencing its first major budget cut since 1991" Tate explained, "it's just terrible timing." Tate stressed that although the current budget limitations may reduce the scope of AARCC's beginnings, they do not reduce her support of the center. "I asked [AACC] and Mo-Yin to put together a framework for discussion and I must admit that this proposal is the most impressive document I have seen in years," Tate commended. She firmly agrees that there is a need for such resources on campus, and she hopes to see the vision of the business plan realized in the future.

Regarding the Provost's concerns that the establishment of the AARCC would take away funds from other programs, AACC member and PhD candidate John Park emphasized, "This is not a bipolar issue. The creation of this Center will not simply or automatically cause faculty to lose jobs. We just have to carefully analyze how we can work with the budget to obtain the funding for this necessary part of UIC."

Meeting members agreed that the next logical immediate step in establishing the AARCC is to secure a director, as well as a programming budget and an assistant or support staff. In light of current budget issues, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Barbara Henley suggested, "You have to be creative in how you're going to staff this Center. The director would have to hold a dual position, especially in the beginning." Along these lines, the AARCC director hire would also hold a tenured teaching position in the appropriate LAS department, as was suggested by AACC and Mo-Yin Tam, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, in the original business proposal submitted in November.

With the arrival of a new provost in fall 2002, students are concerned with the continuity of support for the AARCC in the future. However, undergraduate AACC member Catherine Kuo said, "The hiring of a director for the Center will help ensure that our vision is being realized. It will create a permanent position in the University to spearhead Asian American causes on campus."

Recognizing the importance of the director, Provost Tate will work with Vice Chancellor Lim and Associate Dean Tam to map out how to establish directorship of the AARCC with the current budget situation, and they will present the plan one month after the January 14th meeting. "We will put something together for directorship - I don't know how we're going to do it, but we'll do it. We will deliver something. You can count on it," Tate declared at the conclusion of the meeting.

The Asian American Coalition Committee is an umbrella organization of Asian American student organizations at UIC. It aims to unify Asian American students to strengthen their voice on campus, to educate the entire UIC community about issues concerning Asian Americans, and to empower Asian American students through their gaining visibility and representation.