KASAMA: The Filipino Club at Yale Co-President, Joker Arroyo
Co-President, Katrina Landeta

Muslim Students Association
President, Usama Qadri

Vietnamese Students Association
Co-President, Alyssa Nguyen-Phuc
Co-President, Kimberly Ton

The Asian American Students Alliance (AASA) is the umbrella organization for some of the Asian American ethnic groups on campus: Chinese American Students Association (CASA), KASAMA: Filipino Students at Yale, Korean American Students at Yale (KASY), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), South Asian Society (SAS), Taiwanese American Society (TAS), Japanese American Students Union (JASU), and Vietnamese Students Association (ViSA). It is also affiliated with Insight (NAPAWF: The Yale Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum) and the East Coast Asian American Students Union (ECAASU). The AASA Board consists of the (2) Moderators, (2) Political Action & Education Chairs, (2) Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Series Chairs, (2) Asian American Studies Task Force Chairs, (2) Community Outreach Chairs, (1) Alumni Outreach Chair, (1) Marketing Director, (1) Webmaster, (1) Foundations Editor-in-Chief, (1) Secretary, (1) Treasurer, and (3) Freshmen Liaisons.

Statement of Purpose. We are committed to the intellectual, cultural, political, and social development of the Asian American student community. We are committed to strengthening the Asian American community at Yale, and spreading historical, cultural, and political awareness on campus and the greater New Haven area regarding issues that pertain to Asian Americans. The Presidents of the Asian American ethnic organizations collaborate with the AASA Moderator(s) and the AASA Board to foster Asian American education and political awareness on campus by hosting events that include guest speakers, discussions with Professors, panel discussions, performances, film screenings, and art shows.

Membership Requirements. There is no requirement to get involved. In order for an organization to become a member or affiliate of the AASA Executive Board (consists of the AASA Board and the Presidents of CASA, KASAMA, KASY, MSA, SAS, JASU, TAS, ViSA, and InSight), presidents must approach the AASA Moderators.

Asian American Students Alliance Constitution

I. Name. The name of the organization will be the Asian American Students Alliance.

II. Purpose. The purpose of the organization will be to provide a forum for communication and action for the Asian American community at Yale.

III. Membership

Member Groups. (1) New groups will nominate themselves to the AASA moderators. When a group that was not a member group the previous year seeks member group status, the Executive Board will decide whether to admit the group. (2) Membership will be renewed yearly. Renewal will be achieved automatically if the member group pledges to fulfill the requirements for member groups. (3) Member groups must have representatives at every AASA Executive Board meeting, every committee meeting, and every monthly town hall meeting. (4) Member groups will have one vote in all Executive Board decisions. (5) Member groups will be entitled every semester to AASA seed money, the amount of which will be determined by the Executive Board. (6) Member groups will be entitled to submit proposals for the AASA discretionary fund.

Affiliate Groups. (1) New groups will nominate themselves to the AASA moderator. When a group that was not an affiliate group the previous year seeks affiliate group status, the Executive Board will decide whether to admit the group. (2) Membership will be renewed yearly. Renewal will be achieved automatically if the affiliate group pledges to fulfill the requirements for affiliate groups. (3) Member groups must have representatives on at least one committee and at every town hall meeting. (4) Affiliate groups will be recognized as affiliate groups under the Asian American Cultural Center. (5) Affiliate groups will not be entitled to AASA seed money. (6) Affiliate groups will be entitled to submit proposals for the AASA discretionary fund.

IV. Structure

Executive Board. (1) The Executive Board will consist of the president(s) or moderator(s) of each member group and the moderator(s) of AASA. (2) The Executive Board will make all final decisions regarding budget and constitution issues. (3) When voting, each member group will have one vote and the AASA moderator(s) will have one vote.

AASA Board. (1) The AASA Board will consist of one or two moderators, one secretary, one treasurer, two community outreach chairs, one alumni outreach chair, two political action and education committee chairs, two Asian Pacific American (APA) heritage chairs, one Foundations editor-in-chief, two Asian American Studies Task Force chairs, one marketing director, three freshmen liaisons, and one webmaster. (2) The main duties of the AASA board will be to support and strengthen the Asian American community through the efficient coordination and administration of the organization.

Committees. (1) The organization will have two formal committees: the political action committee and the social/cultural committee. (2) All member groups must designate a representative to serve on the political action committee and a representative to serve on the social/cultural committee. The same individual may serve as representative to both committees. All affiliate groups must designate a representative to serve on at least one of the two committees. Designated representatives need not hold an official position within their member or affiliate groups. (3) The committees will be open to members of the general community. Members of the committee need not be representatives of a particular group and will receive equal status with members who represent member and affiliate groups. (4) The committee chairs will be elected by the general committee membership.

Political Action Committee. The responsibilities of the political action committee will include but will not be limited to: (a) Encouraging Asian American political awareness at Yale; (b) Initiating action and engaging students over Asian American issues at Yale and beyond; (c) Keeping the Asian American student community informed of current events; (d) Advocating for the representation of Asian American experiences in the Yale curriculum; and (e) Helping the Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs plan their events.

Social/Cultural Committee. The responsibilities of the social/cultural committee will include but will not be limited to: (a) Organizing and managing AASA social and cultural events; (b) Directing publicity for AASA events and activities; and (c) Helping the Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs plan and run their events.

V. AASA Board Officers

Alumni Outreach Chair. (1) The alumni outreach chair, working closely with Dean Dhall, will aim to strengthen the ties between Asian American students and Asian American Yale alumni by organizing events and sharing information. (2) The alumni outreach chair will maintain communications with Asian American alumni, keeping them appraised of AASA activities and relaying information about alumni activity back to AASA. (3) The alumni outreach chair will create a monthly AASA Newsletter for the Asian American alumni. (4) The alumni outreach chair will work to widen the Asian American Yale alumni network and maintain a comprehensive database of alumni information. (5) The alumni outreach chair will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (6) The alumni outreach chair will serve a term of two semesters.

Asian American Studies Task Force Chairs. (1) The Asian American Studies Task Force chair will seek to promote Asian American Studies and educate students on its importance. (2) The Asian American Studies Task Force chair will plan and coordinate initiatives, speeches, discussions, and related events open to the entire Yale community. (3) The Asian American Studies Task Force chair will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (4) The Asian American Studies Task Force chair will serve a term of two semesters.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Series Chairs. (1) The Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs will plan and coordinate social, cultural, and political events throughout the academic year to celebrate and commemorate the heritage and history of Asian Americans. (2) The Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs will plan and coordinate a concentrated series of events for the month of April, which will be celebrated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (3) The Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs will convene, set the agenda for, and run meetings for the social/cultural committee. The APA chairs will be responsible for holding member and affiliate group representatives accountable for active involvement. Non-participation will be grounds for loss of group membership in AASA. (4) The APA chairs will relay information between their committee and the AASA and Executive boards. (5) The Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (6) The Asian Pacific American heritage series chairs will serve a term of two semesters.

Community Outreach Chairs. (1) The community outreach chairs will organize efforts to foster a sense of community among Asian Americans at Yale. (2) The community outreach chairs will organize efforts to reach out to and collaborate with other groups on campus. (3) The community outreach chairs will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (4) The community outreach chairs will serve a term of two semesters.

Foundations Editor-in-Chief. (1) The Foundations editor-in-chief will be responsible for the upkeep and update of Foundations, the publication and historical record of the Asian American Students Alliance. (2) The Foundations editor-in-chief will be responsible for maintaining historical records from AASA and AASA member group events for compilation of an annual “time capsule,” published in December of each year. (3) The Foundations editor-in-chief will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (4) The Foundations editor-in-chief will serve a term of two semesters.

Freshman Liaisons. (1) The freshman liaisons will encourage freshmen to attend AASA events and become involved in the Asian American community at Yale. (2) The freshman liaisons will plan and coordinate events for freshmen. (3) The freshman liaisons will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). Only freshmen will be eligible to run for the position.

Marketing Director. (1)  The Marketing Director will seek to promote Asian American events to the Yale community.  (2)  The Marketing Director will work closely with the Freshmen Liaison(s) on events to strengthen the relationship between the incoming freshmen class and current Yale students. (3) The Marketing Direction will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (See Article VII).  The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates.  (4) The Marketing Director will serve a term of two semesters. 

Moderator(s). (1) The moderator(s) will serve on both the Executive Board and the AASA Board. (2) The moderator(s) will convene and set the agenda for all Executive Board, AASA Board, and town hall meetings. (3) The moderator(s) will represent AASA at all other Yale meetings and will serve as administrative liaison to the Asian American student community for the Director of the Asian American Cultural Center. (4) The moderator(s) will be elected by the Executive Board. This position may be filled by any undergraduate student who has at least one semester's experience working on the AASA Board, on the E-Board, or in one of the committees. (5) The moderator(s) will serve a term of two semesters.

Political Action and Education Committee Chairs. (1) The political action committee chairs will convene, set the agenda for, and run meetings of the political action committee. The committee chair will be responsible for holding member and affiliate group representatives accountable for active involvement. Non-participation will be grounds for loss of group membership in AASA. (2) The political action committee chairs will relay information between the AASA and Executives Boards and the committee. (3) The political action committee chairs will be elected by the membership of the political action committee. The chair must be a member of the committee. (4) The political action committee chairs will serve a term of two semesters. (5) Affiliate groups must have at least one political chair attend every PAEC meeting. Every semester, each group will be allowed 3 excused absences and 1 unexcused absence for PAEC meetings. Excused absences consists of times when the political chair contacts the PAEC chair(s) at least 24 hours in advance and sends a replacement to the meeting. Unexcused absences consist of all other scenarios. After these absence allowances, the AASA E-Board will convene to discuss the possibility of revoking funding from said affiliate group.

Secretary. (1) The secretary will record minutes at all Executive Board and AASA Board meetings. (2) The secretary will create and disseminate weekly AASAnnouncements. (3) The secretary will compile and continually update the semester calendar. (4) The secretary will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (5) The secretary will serve a term of two semesters.

Treasurer. (1) The treasurer will keep accounts for AASA and distribute money to its member and affiliate groups. (2) The treasurer will apply for university funding for AASA board members. (3) The treasurer will plan fundraising events and assist board members with monetary and fundraising issues during their events. (4) The treasurer will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (5) The treasurer will serve a term of two semesters.

Webmaster. (1) The webmaster will be responsible for maintaining and updating the AASA website periodically. (2) The webmaster will attend AASA Board meetings. (3) The webmaster will be elected by the general voting population of the Yale community (see Article VII). The position will be open to all Yale undergraduates. (4) The webmaster will serve a term of two semesters.

VI. Meetings

Executive Board. (1) The Executive Board will meet at least every other week. (2) All Executive Board and AASA Board members are required to attend meetings. (3) The moderator(s) will convene and set the agenda for meetings. Proposals for the agenda will be submitted to the moderator. (4) The Executive Board will vote on all proposed measures, relating to the budget or constitution. A two-thirds majority of the Executive Board is required to enact any measure.

AASA Board. (1) The AASA Board will meet every other week, alternating with the Executive Board meetings. All officers are required to attend. (2) Reports from all board members will be given. (3) Proposals from committees will be discussed and placed on the agenda for an Executive Board meeting.

Committees. (1) The committees will decide how often to meet. (2) The chair will convene and set the agenda for meetings. Proposals for the agenda will be submitted to the chair. (3) Proposals will be submitted to the moderator(s), and then relayed to the Executive Board, only after receiving a two-thirds majority vote in the committee.

Town Hall Meetings. (1) Town hall meetings will be convened once a month. (2) Town hall meetings will be open to the general public. (3) The moderator(s) will convene and set the agenda for the town hall meetings. Proposals for the agenda will be submitted to the moderator(s).

VII. Elections

Moderator(s). (1) The position of moderator(s) will be open to any undergraduate student who has at least one semester's experience working on the AASA Board, on the E-Board, or in one of the committees. (2) Only the Executive Board can vote in the election of the moderator(s). (3) A candidate requires a majority vote to be elected.

AASA Officers. (1) The positions of secretary, treasurer, webmaster, community outreach chairs, alumni outreach chair, Foundations editor-in-chief, AASTF chairs, APA Heritage chairs, and marketing director will be open to any Yale undergraduate. The positions of freshman liaisons will be open to freshmen only. (2) All individuals who have attended at least one AASA-sponsored meeting or event may vote in the elections. (3) The positions of PAEC chairs will be open to any member of the PAEC committee and will be elected by the PAEC committee members.

VIII. Amendments

Amendments to the constitution will be ratified with a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board.

Dissolution Clause. All assets acquired by the Asian American Students Alliance shall be used to fund and support events held by the Asian American Students Alliance, Asian Pacific American Heritage Series, and the member and affiliate groups, and at the discretion of the Executive Board of the Asian American Students Alliance. Should the Asian American Students Alliance dissolve, its assets will be distributed to the Asian American Cultural Center of Yale University.

Modified: January 2008

(c) Copyright 2008 AASA

Last Updated 1/7/08