Mission Statement Introduction

According to the Pew Research Center, Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the USA. There are six Asian groups with populations of more than 1 million now in the USA: Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. According to the 2010 U.S. Census data, the API population is projected to reach nearly 40 million people by the year 2050. The API category consists of about 48 different ethnic groups that occupy positions along the full range of the socioeconomic spectrum, from the low income to the affluent and highly-skilled. APIs also vary demographically with regard to language background, immigration history, culture, and religion. And APIs make up the fastestgrowing student population at U.S. colleges and universities, making a group like ours, more relevant than ever.

We recognize that being Asian and being Asian American can be two different things. We are also aware that among Asians, there are individuals who prefer to prioritize their national origin over their continental origin i.e., refer to themselves as Indian American or Korean American or Chinese American, rather than Asian American. We acknowledge these various preferences but also choose, for pragmatic reasons, to call ourselves "Asian and Pacific Islanders" at Indiana State University."

On January 28 2014, the steering committee of the API Faculty and Staff Council at Indiana State University reworked the preliminary mission statement, which we had Mission Statement Introduction crafted at our previous meeting. We were guided by a set of foundational facts:

One, Asian and Pacific Islanders as faculty and staff on this campus, are a small and remarkably productive but relatively silent group of individuals, who tend to be overlooked. Two, we are not all acquainted with one another. Three, the category "Asian" is often only connected, in the popular imagination, to those who trace their origins to China, Korea, and Japan, whereas Asia, as we know, is a massive continent that includes about 51 countries and territories. The Pacific Islands include three sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Yet, mostly due to a lack of knowledge, Asians, a diverse and vibrant group has been viewed as a homogeneous group within ISU and the wider community.

Accordingly, our mission statement is:

Asian Pacific Islanders Faculty and Staff Council (API Council) at Indiana State University is committed to (a) advocating equality for all the members (b) increasing community awareness on the diversity in issues, culture and values among Asian and Pacific Islanders (c) strengthening the sense of API community on campus, and (d) fostering active engagement of API members in the Wabash Valley community.