Creating Our Future: An Evolving Community
Undergraduate admissions outreach brochure to prospective students of Asian and Asian American heritage, circa 2000
Students drove much of the creation and evolution of Asian student organizations on campus, reflecting the changing landscape of representation and cultural expression. These movements were influenced both by larger geopolitical and internal institutional forces, from the need for space in the 1970s, to the rise of cultural pride and identity through culture nights in the 1980s, to greater allyship and solidarity in the 1990s and 2000s. The departure of Nora Yasumura from Dartmouth’s Office of Pluralism and Leadership in 2012 signaled a decline in student engagement, while COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Anti-Asian Hate, and the genocide in Palestine ushered in other waves of activism in the 2020s.
The Asian Pacific American Admissions Subcommittee was formed in the early 2000s to more intentionally shift the perception of Dartmouth away from a campus that Asian-American prospective students wouldn’t “touch…with a 10-foot pole.” In the Class of 2026, 19% of students identify as Asian Americans and 0.01% as Native Hawaiian.
During the Asian American and Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s and 1970s, two Dartmouth groups connected to the AANHPI community were formed–the International Students Association (ISA, 1971) and Dartmouth Asian Organization (DAO, 1975). Students have continued to balance student life and activism and to navigate what it means to be part - or not - of the AANHPI community at Dartmouth.
Handwritten Dartmouth Bharatiya Association List of Members
Al-Nur, Dartmouth Bharatiya Association, and Milan
The 1980s witnessed the rise of culture nights pioneered by the Dartmouth Asian Organization, showcasing the rich diversity of Asian cultures. In 1983, Al-Nur, Dartmouth’s Muslim Student Association, was recognized. In 1985, the Dartmouth Bharatyia Association applied for College recognition to support the East Indian student diaspora and the Dartmouth community. In 1987, Milan, which became the Dartmouth South Asian Student Organization in 2015, was officially recognized.
The members of the Hōkūpa`a Pan-Pasifika club invited everyone up to the stage to learn some hula at the Lūʽau, 2023. (Photo by Katie Lenhart)
Proliferation of Asian affinity groups
The 1990s saw an additional cultural boom with the formation of the Korean Students Association, the Dartmouth Chinese Culture Society, Hokupa’a Hawaiian Club, Taiwanese Association, Japanese Society, Vietnamese-Southeast Asian Students, and more. This led to the rise of the InterEthnic InterRacial Alliance and allyship, with other affiliated groups.
Annual Diwali Celebration at Dartmouth
Diwali Puja Festival of Lights
The annual Diwali Celebration, organized by Shanti, Dartmouth’s Hindu student organization, regularly attracts hundreds of participants each year and engages much of the Asian community in and around Dartmouth.
In the 2010s and 2020s, more groups have emerged to meet the needs of the expanding community, such as the Thai Student Association, Singapore Students Association, Dartmouth Pakistani Student Association, and Dartmouth Afghan Students Association.