Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Student Center

 

The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Student Center (APIDASC) serves students with heritage from a variety of backgrounds that are distinct in terms of culture, language, religion, and history. Its staff host academic, professional, and social programs throughout the year to enhance the student experience, support student success, and foster a sense of belonging at UW-Madison.

 

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Location

Outside of the APIDA Student Center, with students standing at tables inside the Center.

The APIDA Student Center is a physical space to study, meet, and work. It is located within the Multicultural Student Center (Red Gym), in the North Mezzanine. You can access the space via the stairs, or through the north elevator from the first floor.

Special Features of the APIDA Student Center:

  • Library including fiction, nonfiction, and books from past guest speakers
  • Posters from all past APIDA History Months celebrated on campus

History

In 2017, Riley Tsang and Shannon Thao began actively lobbying for an APIDA Student Center. A committee created and led by Tsang and Thao, researched centers at other Big Ten schools and developed a proposal to present in collaboration and in solidarity with the student activists working to establish the Latinx Cultural Center. They used the momentum of each other’s projects to build on their own individual efforts forming a student coalition. When thinking about these two spaces, the students active in launching the centers thought it important to note that these new centers be thought of as startup spaces, not finished products, as there are still many ideas for growth. The student activists who worked to establish the APIDA Student Center also served as the first student interns of the center and were titled community organizers. We now have a full-time staff program coordinator and an undergraduate programming intern.

APIDA Heritage Month

The purpose of the APIDA Heritage Month (APIDAHM) is to celebrate and highlight the cultural, historical, and lived experiences of Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans in the United States and broader diasporic communities. Campus celebrates APIDAHM in April instead of the nationally recognized month of May due to the majority of students leaving campus after graduation in early May. 

History

The earliest recorded celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month – formerly “Asian American Month” – at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was in 1991. In September of 2017, APIDA students launched the inaugural APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee–a student-led committee responsible for the campus-wide celebration of APIDA Heritage Month each April. Their focus was to celebrate diverse APIDA identities and cultures, build community, and raise awareness of APIDA issues on campus.

APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee

The APIDAHM Planning Committee (APIDAHMPC) organizes and coordinates APIDAHM programming. The APIDAHMPC is made up of a chair (MSC intern) and current UW students who serve on subcommittees. The APIDASC Program Coordinator advised the planning committee. Students are invited to join the planning committee in the fall to start planning for the following spring’s heritage month.

Staff

Cindy Dong

Position title: APIDA Heritage Month Chair

Madeline Mitchell

Position title: APIDA Programming Assistant

Kevin Wong

Position title: APIDA Student Center, Program Coordinator

Email: kevin.wong@wisc.edu

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North Mezzanine, Red Gym

apidasc@studentaffairs.wisc.edu