Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership Announces Summer 2011 Applications for Public Service Internships and Scholarships

If you know any students who are looking for summer internships, please refer them to the CAPAL Summer Internship/Scholarship Program!  More information provided below:

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The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) will help place students in paid internships within federal government agencies in DC, California, Oregon, Washington, as well as other locations nationwide.  Last year, 11 interns were placed.  CAPAL will also be offering two $2,000 scholarships for individuals working in unpaid public service internships (nonprofit/government) this summer in the Washington, DC metropolitan region.  Please go to capal.org for more information and to apply, and access the applications via these links:  internships application; scholarships application.  More information after the jump.

Leadership Development Programs: NetKAL

A couple of days ago I was invited to a NetKAL dinner by Jason Scott Park.  What is NetKAL you might ask?  NetKAL stands for the Network of Korean American Leaders, a program organized by the Center for Asian-Pacific Leadership at the University of Southern California.  Each year (or so), NetKAL takes a group of accomplished Korean Americans to be NetKAL fellows, and develops their leadership potential through networking events, professional seminars, and summits.

Application for AANAPISI Designation Open

**Edit: This correction notice was sent out 7/15/2010**

This is a correction to our earlier message with the subject line Application for AANAPISI Designation Open sent on July 14, 2010.

Dear Friends,

Please note that the attached announcement is for the U.S. Department of Education application for Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) funding (under Title III, Part A) and not for the reopening of eligibility for AANAPISI designation. This funding application closes on August 9, 2010. If you applied for designation (opened December 7, 2009 and closed January 6, 2010), you can now apply for funding under this announcement.

Only AANAPISI-designated institutions can apply for funding under this announcement. If you did not apply for designation, but your institution may be interested, we anticipate that the announcement for the reopening of eligibility for AANAPISI designation will be made soon. We will notify you once the announcement is published in the Federal Register.

Please disseminate this correction widely. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you!

This is a correction to our message with the subject line Application for AANAPISI Designation Open sent on July 14, 2010.

White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Bending the Curve, Education Style.

I recently read an article in the Pacific Citizen, JACL‘s newspaper, titled “CSU Votes to Grant Honorary Degrees to WWII Internees.”  Warren T. Furutani, a State Assemblyman in California, introduced a bill last year to grant honorary degrees to those Nisei students who were forced to drop out of school during WWII and sent to internment camps here in the USA.

It seems a little silly to only now recognize the importance of this bill, especially since it’s been a year after it was passed, but this story is not only about recognizing the sacrifice of fellow Americans.  It is also about recognizing the importance of education.  By granting honorary degrees to those who failed to complete their studies, we recognize how important a college degree is.

The Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill on AAPI Communities

I’ve included the below post because I feel that it’s critical that we get the word out on the impact of the Gulf Oil spill, especially on the AAPI community that is there in the region.  Many people don’t know that there is a population of AAPI’s living there, mostly South East Asian, and are deeply affected by the oil spill.  Read all about it below.

Immigration, Immigration

Disclaimer: My personal views might have affected this blog due to some selective hearing…

On Tuesday, June 29, 2010, the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) hosted an immigration debate featuring both progressive and conservative debaters.  This event was the brainchild of my colleague, vice-chair Jonathan To, who realized last year the potential of bringing together speakers from opposite sides to debate the issues at hand after CAPAL’s healthcare panel.

The debate was an Oxford style debate modelled after the Intelligence Squared style that is so popular throughout media.  The motion discussed at table was “We should provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.”

The side arguing for the motion cited reports from the Cato Institute about the economic impact of immigrants and also the emotional impact of having undocumented immigrants and their families torn apart.

The side arguing against the motion pointed to studies that discredited the economic impact that immigrants had, and advocated for stronger enforcement while acknowledging the situation had to be dealt with in the long term.

Lambda Phi Epsilon Board of Directors Update

This was released by the Board of Directors of Lambda Phi Epsilon, National Fraternity Inc. on June 29, 2010.  It has been reposted here from its official source for reference.