communic

ASIANS fall 2007

Towards Healthy Living

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 health

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communicASIANS
fall 2007, XII, issue no.1

cover graphic by Cecilia Yang

Feature communicASIANS is published quarterly

by the Stanford University Asian American
How healthy is the Stanford lifestyle?.........................................................3 Activities Center (A³C). Views expressed

8
in communicASIANS are those of the
Increase Pressure, Increased Stress................................................4 writers and do not necessarily represent
The A3C’s Mental Health Survey’s effect on campus the opinions of the A³C. communicASIANS
welcomes all signed letters of opinion,
The #1 Killer of Asian Sexual Health: Silence...................................5 which are subject to editing for length,
Do Asian students talk about sex? accuracy, and grammar.

The “Happiest” Students...................................................................6 Asian American Activities Center

An interview with Dr. Oliver Lin, CAPS Psychologist Old Union Clubhouse- 2nd Floor
Stanford, CA 94305-3064
Eating Healthy in Dining Halls: Is It Possible?...................................8

10
How to avoid the Stanford supersize me horror movie
Staff
Physical Identity: Within the Looking Glass.....................................10
Blepharoplasty and what it says about body image issues Editor-in-Chief
Kelvin Vuong
News Associate Editor
Betty Pham
Saving the World One Liver at a Time......................................................11
Copy Editor
The Asian Liver Center’s new efforts to combat hepatitis B
Christie Cho
An Honor Long Overdue..........................................................................12 Layout Editor

12
George Leong inducted into A3C Hall of Fame Julie Kim
The New Asian American Activities Center................................................16 Contributors
A look at the newly renovated space and programming of the A3C Yi-Ren Chen
Di Dang
Voices Lang Liu
Cindy Ng
Tommy Hotaik Sung- South Korea Meets North Korea............................13 Quynh Phan
South Korean President’s visit to North Korea lacks substance
Betty Pham
Takeo Rivera- Azia Kim: An RA’s Reflection..............................................14 Takeo Rivera

16
The aftermath of the Azia Kim incident Tommy Hotaik Sung
Kelvin Vuong
Kelvin Vuong- 6 Months and 1 T-shirt Later............................................15
What did we take away from the Azia Kim incident?
Ze Xiao
Emily Zhao

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 A
A3C Staff
Editor’s Letter Assistant Dean and Director
Cindy Ng
“We were pioneers of sort. We set the stage for all
future minority groups on campus…we wanted to be a Assistant Director
part of the action,” so said George Leong, ’46, MA ’47,
Shelley Tadaki
Ph.D. ’52, to a group of alumni, faculty, staff, and stu-
dents during the Old Union Clubhouse ballroom dedi-
Administrative Associates
cation. These words have stuck with me ever since.
Now, that I am here, at an institution where the Asian
Yang Lor
Americans can no longer be counted with the fingers Christian Tabing
on one hand, am I really doing anything to help fur-
ther what has been started? Am I trying to be a part of AIM Coordinator
the action? Or, am I merely blending in to the back- Diana Austria
ground of techies and fuzzies? How am I helping to
set the stage for “all future minority groups” at Stan- Asian American Studies
ford? Well, perhaps that’s a more ambitious goal than I Cynthia Liao
can accomplish…perhaps. As we, the staff members of
CommunicASIANS, worked to produce this issue, Dr. Community Building
Leong’s words came back to me. In this issue, hope- Takeo Rivera
fully we do set the stage, even if that stage is not as
all encompassing as the one set by Dr. Leong and his CommunicASIANS
fellow alumni. Christie Cho
In working tirelessly as Stanford students to find Julie Kim
time to finish our Chem 31X problem sets, read all of Betty Pham
our HumBio readings, conduct research in the humani- Kelvin Vuong
ties and the sciences, work out three times a week at Ar-
rillaga gym, participate in the Stanford Dance Marathon Computer Services
planning committee, strive to save the environment by
Steve Nguyen
applying for an ASB, play both club and intramural
sports, spend time with our friends, as well as main-
Facilities Coordinator
taining old friendships, and still get enough sleep every
night, sometimes we need to take a break to spend time
Beijia Ma
with our oldest friend- ourselves. We often forget that
WE are just as important as all those around us.
Frosh Interns
This issue of CommunicASIANS does just that. Adeva Cha
Join us as we take a look at the health and well-being Michael Nguyen
of Asian Americans. What problems really strike us? Bobby Wei
What can I do to stop them from occurring? Where Amanda Zhang
can I get help? Do I even need help? From as far as Emily Zhao
China to as close as FloMo, from eating right to taking
care of our own minds, there are resources at Stanford Grad Student Programming
to improve our own well-being and the well-being of
Adam Wang
those around us.
In order to be a part of the action and set the stage,
Health and Well-Being

t
we’ll need to be well.
Andrew Pipathsouk
Amy Yu
Enjoy,
Major Events Coordinator
Lan Le

Kelvin Vuong Speaker Series
Editor-in-Chief Jason Jia
Jason Lee
P.S. Please e-mail me at Kelvin.Vuong@Stanford.EDU
with any comments or concerns or if you’d like to be- Webmaster
come involved. Eunice Lee

2 communicasians

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S
tanford students are often
described as ducks on a
pond. They bob along so
peacefully above the water but
paddle fiercely underwater just
to stay afloat. It’s time to get our
feet on the ground and reassess
how healthy the Stanford lifestyle
actually is. Resources and help
are plentiful; it’s just a matter of
finding them or knowing who to
turn to when you can’t handle it
on your own.

We’d like to help.

How healthy is
Special Feature

the Stanford lifestyle?

communicasians 3

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A
feature
Presence
Increased
Increased Stress
Students relaxing and taking a
break from studying.
A3C’s mental health survey promotes
awareness of the issues affecting students
by Ze Xiao
I
t is no secret that the Asian American community is an increasing
presence on college campuses, but with this increased presence
comes challenges. Among the challenges is that posed by the
model minority myth, a stereotypical portrayal of Asian Americans
as hard-working, high achievers who are especially talented in sci-
ence and math. Being measured against this stereotype or trying to
live up to these expectations can be a cause of increased stress for
Asian American students.
Studies have shown that Asian American college students who
struggle with stress and the resulting physical and mental impacts are
less inclined to seek counseling, and if they do seek help, it is gener-
ally when their problems have become severe.
In light of these facts, the Asian American Activities Center decid-
ed to assess the health and well-being of Stanford’s Asian American
undergraduate and graduate students in order to inform its work and
services. A working group was formed that included Cindy Ng and
Shelley Tadaki from the A3C; Naomi Brown, Psychologist, Counsel-
4 communicasians
Fall 2007.indd 6
photos courtesy of Ze Xiao
Campus
Resources
Asian American Activities Center
General advising and referrals to other
campus resources
http://a3c.stanford.edu
Bridge Peer Counseling Center
Confidential 24 hour peer counseling
http://thebridge.stanford.edu
Career Development Center
Advising related to career choices
http://cardinalcareers.stanford.edu
Office for Religious Life
Advising related to religion, spirituality,
and grief counseling
http://religiouslife.stanford.edu
Undergraduate Residence Dean
Support and consultation for residence
hall staff and crisis intervention for stu-
dents
http://rescomp.stanford.edu/resed-direc-
tory/public/subcategory2.html
Vaden Health Center
Confidential one-on-one counseling with
trained psychologists, stress manage-
ment, and other health and well-being
resources
Naomi Brown, Staff Psychologist
http://vaden.stanford.edu/caps/
ing and Psychological Services: Ken Hsu, Associate Director, Grad-
uate Life Office, I-Chant Chiang, Ph.D. candidate in the Department
of Psychology; Caroline Chang, Ph.D. candidate in the School of
Education; Janey Hong, post doctoral fellow in Psychology and Ale-
jandro De Los Angeles ’07. The group devised and administered a
survey that was launched in January 2007.
After analyzing the data and results of this survey, the working
group has been promoting awareness of the issues the survey found to
be affecting the health and well being of Asian American students.
In addition, in response to the findings of the survey, the A3C,
has initiated a new program, the After Dark Series, which “aims to
dispel misconceptions, increase awareness, and encourage dialogue
about health and well-being topics relevant to Asian Americans, and
to introduce students to resources on campus.” The first After Dark
Series event addressed issues surrounding parental pressures, and
students heard from three individuals, including two alumni and an
undergraduate student, who shared their Stanford experiences and
how they coped with pressure from their parents.
More topics are planned for Winter and Spring quarters, including
sessions on how to help friends and classmates who may be strug-
gling. If you’d like to learn more about the resources available, visit
any of the websites listed above. ■
photo courtesy of Ze Xiao
11/28/2007 10:35:55 AM

The #1 Killer of
Asian Sexual Health
Silence by Quynh Phan
H
ave you heard? Asian students at Stanford are asexual!
… I think.
Actually, that’s not quite true.
Life lesson #1: there are no absolutes. There are plenty of Asian
students with healthy sex lives at Stanford. That said, there does ad-
mittedly appear to be a surplus of asexual Asians at Stanford. Asians
who are more familiar with the words “dating,” “relationship,” and
“sex” on an IHUM-level than a personal one. Perhaps even Asians
who are missing out on “that’s what she said” jokes.
What’s with the prevalence of Asian asexuality on campus?
As the means through which we reproduce, sex is an unquestion-
ably necessary part of our lives. Why do we insist on shying away
from the topic? For the sake of our sexual health, let us dissect this
matter of “Asian asexuality.”
Before you think “I am not sexually active. This does not apply
to me,” let me clarify that sexual health does not only apply to those
who have sex. It applies to dating, relationships, general interactions
beyond the platonic level. Being sexually healthy means being able
to make informed decisions about both sex- whether to have it, how
to have it, whom to have it with- and relationships – an intrinsic part
of sex. Imagine being unable to get into a serious relationship when
you’re an adult because you have intimacy issues which stem from an
unhealthy sex life in your youth. Sound bad? Read on.
Sex is an understandably awkward subject. It is not a proper topic
of discussion- a view which society and many Asian parents have
been supporting for years.
The root of asexuality can first be traced to the overwhelmingly
powerful force known as parents. I never had the birds and the bees
talk with my parents. I learned about it through TV and movies. It’s
not my parents’ fault though. Our parents are also the product of an
Asian tradition which spans many generations- avoidance of sex. It’s
odd to talk about sex. It’s uncomfortable. It’s creepy.
Along with food, shelter, and clothes, parents provide us with in-
hibition. In their well-intentioned efforts to avoid awkwardness and/
or keep from becoming early grandparents, Asian parents often avoid
the subject of sex. As a result, we remain ignorant.
In the battle between ignorance and sexual liberation, society as a
whole takes the side of ignorance. Society tells us that sex is taboo,
photo courtesy of www.free-stock-photos.com
Fall 2007.indd 7
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but what has every book we’ve read in English class taught us?
Society imposes censorship, and it is our job as responsible mem-
bers of society to combat it. The creation and use of terms such as
“slut” or “ho” create dishonorable, crude associations with sex. This
makes sex even less approachable in the eyes of Asians, who have
been taught since birth to value respect and honor. Pair this with
crude, misogynistic references to sex, which draw upon and reinforce
sexist stereotypes while simultaneously disrespecting and reducing
females to objects. This can certainly dissuade any talk of sex and
even create an aversion to discussion of sex. Few people like to listen
to tasteless tales of sexual exploits. Even fewer, I am sure, would like
to emulate those who engage in this behavior.
Asian parents place a huge emphasis on growing up to become
a respectable person. With talk like this about sex, Asian girls most
definitely do not want to be the topic of discussion, while Asian guys
do not want to be the jerks involved in such discussions. It is talk
such as this that creates an aversion to any open discussion of sex
among Asians.
In overcoming asexuality and gaining a healthy sex life, the first
thing to realize is that no one else’s opinion matters. Your life is yours
to make what you want of it.
What’s there to be scared of?
Discuss sex with your friends and people you are comfortable
with. Will this make you seem promiscuous? Perhaps in the eyes of
close-minded, ignorant people.
An important distinction to make: seeming promiscuous is not the
same as being promiscuous. You can hold onto your self-respect and
become better informed about something instrumental to life – sex.
Ignoring the subject does not do anything for us but breed igno-
rance. Ignorance creates fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering. I know I just quoted Yoda, but there is truth
to the man’s words.
Prolonged ignorance of our sexuality will in the long-run cause us
to suffer. This applies to both those sexually inactive and active. An-
other important distinction to note –the simple act of having sex does
not equate to sexual health. Being able to openly and comfortably
discuss sex is only the first step in having a healthy sex life. ■
communicasians 5
11/28/2007 10:35:55 AM
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photo by Julie Kim

Counseling and Psycho-

logical Services (CAPS) is
located on the second floor
of Vaden Health Center.

Q Q: Q:
How have you found your experience work- It doesn’t seem like the majority of students
ing with students at Stanford? utilizes CAPS. Why is that and what moti-
vates students in the end to seek help?

A: It’s been a great privilege for me. I see a

lot of pain and hurt in many students, and
the connections I’ve been able to make have been
amazing. Students here face a lot of pressure and
expectations, particularly from parents and Stan-
ford itself, and so I think that something gets lost
along the way. I don’t want to oversimplify, but
Di Dang of amidst all this, it’s easy to forget genuine wants and
CommunicASIANS needs.
I have the unique opportunity to help a per-
son explore these struggles, to arrive at a space in
which they can explore away from those pressures.
It’s difficult, because so much has been ingrained
in them for so long: “I have to be this,” “I need to
be this.” When I ask gently, “Who’s saying this,
A: Right, only about 10% of the student body
uses CAPS, because they seem to believe
that it’s an implicit admission of weakness or a de-
ficiency, which is not true at all. One of the things
I work on with students is to reframe the notion of
what it means to be strong –as the ability to reach
out for help in order to get through things.
If students are emotionally savvy, they’ll come
in when things are going just all right, which is
great and very mature. More often than not, they
finally come in only when they’ve hit rock bottom,
which isn’t bad. But in this case, it’s a reactive
move, not preventative. It’d be nice if more people
operated from a preventative stance.

A
is this something you genuinely want?” That’s a
priceless moment, when someone looks up at me
and realizes that there could be something else at
work or that there is another perspective that some-
Dr. Oliver Lin of CAPS one is actually interested in hearing that’s different
from everyone else’s.

6 communicasians photos courtesy of Di Dang

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The “Happiest”Students by Di Dang

T CommunicASIANS
he tragedy of four student deaths shocked campus last year as all wondered how
such events could have occurred, particularly in a small community that was once
heralded by The Princeton Review for its “happiest students.” In response to the talks to Dr. Oliver Lin
of CAPS about the
growing concern over campus psychological well-being, Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services (CAPS) has been cooperating with other on-campus organizations in order

Asian American
to explore and improve the state of student mental health.
Contributing to this issue’s theme of mental health and well-being in the Asian-

perspective of
American community, CommunicASIANS spoke with Dr. Oliver Lin, a staff psycholo-
gist at CAPS and Stanford alumnus, in order to better understand CAPS’s role as a
resource at Stanford and also the unique perspectives of Asian-Americans and Stanford
students on the concept of therapy. ■ mental health

Q: What sorts of challenges do you face in

working with Asian-American community
members?
Q: In your opinion, what are the most common myths Asian-Americans and/or
Stanford students have about therapy?

A: It’s difficult to discuss because so many

planes of Asian-American identity exist, but
to paint with very broad strokes, I find that many
struggle with the notion of whether or not it’s even
okay to be seeking therapy. The older genera-
tions don’t view mental health separately. Intelli-
gent cognitive capacities are heavily emphasized,
whereas emotional well-being is not mentioned.
Furthermore, there is a stigma against relegating
personal problems to someone external. I guess my
response to you is: mental health of Asian folks is
not good probably, not because they’re incapable
of seeking help or wanting to improve, but because
they don’t acknowledge it.
A: Well first is the notion that “I have to have serious serious problems before com-
ing to CAPS.” The majority of students that come through don’t have serious
serious problems. How I see it is this: very capable and intelligent students who en-
counter a series of significant situations that makes them feel abnormally. This applies
particularly to Asian-Americans.
Secondly, you can’t expect an instantaneous or concrete solution. Sometimes, it is
possible to make the anxiety go away, but in most cases, there is no set 5-step protocol.
The average Asian-American Stanford student has grown up with two decades worth
of not necessarily dealing with emotional well-being or has been trained a certain way,
which can’t be undone instantly with those ten free sessions. It takes a lot of work, but
we want to explore a student’s freedom in an open way.
Third, some students, particularly Asian-Americans, worry that they are taking up
someone else’s spot who needs it more. As a therapist, I don’t think in terms of a pain
hierarchy nor do I compare students in the way I do therapy. Whatever they bring in is
important, I’m only attuned to the person sitting in front of me and what their story is.
Finally, a lot of people seem to think that CAPS is “only for wackos,” when the ma-
jority of the people I see are just normal everyday folks encountering just normal series
of issues that make the situation relatively abnormal. And who doesn’t go through that?
I mean, even going to Stanford is an abnormal process, is it not? Having that already as
a baseline . . . so anything else on top of that would push anyone over the line of “the
need of having to come.”

communicasians 7
ang

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photos by Julie Kim
Eating
Healthy
in Dining Halls:
Is It Possible?
How to
by Emily Zhao
D
ining halls are amazing. There are no
mothers barking at you to set tables or
avoid the
force you to eat zucchini. As a fresh-
man, I find it the perfect place to mingle,
relax, and enjoy the great variety of food.
Stanford
At home, I never tasted Italian food, unless
I went out to Olive Garden, nor ate Indian
food, except at a friend’s house. Instead, I
received a humble bowl of warm rice and
Supersize
dishes dunked in soy sauce. I revel in this
diversity at Stanford/; Chinese food one day,
Mediterranean the next, and Latin American
styled foods any day all within a bike ride.
Me horror
However, behind all these savory dishes
lies the deceptive question about The Fresh-
man Fifteen, and while upper classmen can
laugh at us neophytes, The Fifteen is scary.
movie
It also doesn’t help when you call home and
your mother answers the phone by asking ,
“Will I still recognize you at Thanksgiving?”
I mean, Stanford is a huge campus and bik-
ing takes a lot of my energy and calories.
I even go to Arrillaga sometimes, which is
more than I can say for what I did at home.
However, my mother’s harping isn’t going to
8 communicasians far left photos courtesy of www.bilongfood.en.alibaba.com, www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk, www.travelblog.org
Fall 2007.indd 10
pressure me to eat less or exercise more. I
want a holistically healthy feeling for myself,
which can sometimes mean choosing the sal-
ad without dressing over the extra dessert.
Where do I start? One thing that I noticed
about Stanford is that there are abundant
resources. The onsite nutritionist at Vaden
Health Center (http://vaden.stanford.edu/
wellness/nutrition.html) can help with in-
dividual consultations, and workshops will
spread the word about the importance of
healthy eating. There is also a student group
for eating disorders, MIRROR, which pro-
vides training, resources, and continual sup-
port for concerned students and friends in the
Stanford community.
However, unhealthy eating habits are
more often picked up because of uncon-
scious laziness – forgetting that our bodies
need nutrition. Whether we need to gain or
lose weight, eating healthy is taking life and
valuing it seriously. So, exactly what should
we ingest so that the intake of food is both
enjoyable and well utilized by the body? The
point is that we need to send the calories to
the right parts of the body – the balance is
crucial.
11/28/2007 10:35:57 AM

Unfortunately, what and how we eat de-
termines where it all goes. An unhealthy
meal that is eaten too quickly can cause an
overflow of unnecessary calories that your
tissues cannot absorb. The love handles that
overflow the waists of jeans are millions of
tiny cells in the body gorged with fat that
cannot be used.
The general concept is to pick the right
types of food that are digested slowly. The
bottom line is for calories to enter the blood-
stream slowly and enter the active tissues
quickly so that there is none left over for the
fat cells. However, cutting down on nutrients
is not a healthy way to go. Instead, the diet
should fill the basic food groups: proteins,
produce, fats, starch, and water.
At our dining halls on campus, filling
those food groups should be a cinch. Take
Florence Moore Dining, for instance. To fill
the protein group, we could eat tofu, eggs, or
milk, and there are always tons of lean meat
sautéed in vegetables. We have plenty of sal-
ads and fruits to fill the produce group. As
for the unsaturated fats group, we can acces-
sorize our salads with seeds, nuts, or olives.
The purpose is to go for a limited but neces-
Fall 2007.indd 11
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sary amount. Then we can add lentils, beans,
whole grain, and potatoes for the starch group.
Of course each dining hall has its own spe-
cialty. If you ever have any questions about
the nutritional values of the foods offered, the
dining halls post all the information on their
website (http://dining.stanford.edu).
As simple as the last group sounds, water
is one of the most important groups and often (Top far left) A healthy meal means
substituted by soft drinks. If you are like me, picking the right types of food that
are digested slowly, such as pota-
you tend to go through water really quickly.
toes, vegetables, and nuts. (Above
However, I discovered the wonders of going left) The dining halls, such as the
back for seconds, which also includes water one at Wilbur Residence Hall, pro-
in my Nalgene. vide many health options. (Above
Who knew that eating is such a complex right) Picking from the salad bar
task? It takes forethought, guidance, and will- is an easy way to fill your daily nu-
power to consciously work towards a healthy tritional needs. (Above) Stanford
body. With all the other busy activities on our Dining’s website provides detailed
mind, this is probably one of last bullets on information on the nutritional val-
ues of the foods offered.
our to-do lists, which is why we are lucky to
have our very own nutritionist at Vaden and
MIRROR. However, instead of thinking of it
as a task, think of it as a way of life. Instead
of going through a Stanford Supersize Me
horror movie, you can easily breeze through
the year by eating healthy. Tofu and lentils
anyone? ■
communicasians 9
11/28/2007 10:35:58 AM
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Physical Identity
Me, Myself, and I
BODY IMAGE Within the Looking Glass
by Lang Liu
T
he night before prom, my best friend
spent three hours crying in
“
front of the mirror. Nothing
was wrong. She had the perfect
dress and the perfect date; she cried
so that the next day her eyes would
be just puffy enough so that she
would have the double eyelid fold.
Now older though not neces-
sarily wiser, she no longer cries before any usual criticisms against plastic surgery. In the
big events, for she has had blepharoplasty- same way that skin-lightening in the African
eyelid plastic surgery - and now the double American community makes some critics
fold is permanently hers. This procedure uncomfortable, people undergoing the pro-
10 communicasians
Fall 2007.indd 12
is the most common cosmetic surgery per-
formed on Asian Americans, and it’s an is-
sue generating far more controversy than the
They’re also accused of trying
to mute their ethnic identity in
“
order to be more ‘Westernized.’
cedure are challenged for trying to change
more than their eyelids. They’re also accused
of trying to mute their ethnic identity in order
to be more “Westernized.”
Opponents of this view find it to be far too
extreme and unrealistic. To them the issue
has nothing to do with changing identities or
erasing one’s Asianness, but is simply a mat-
ter of aesthetics. How can anyone oppose an
individual’s personal beauty preference?
While these critics rightly critique the ex-
tremism of this view - none of the people I’ve
met who have had blepharoplasty would say
that they were trying to be more “white” - it
is important to remember that even beauty
does not escape history or politics. Standards
of beauty are specific to a particular culture
within a particular period of time. Does the
preference for big eyes and a double fold in
fact reflect a desire for Western versus Asian
beauty? Who are the ones that uphold this
standard - Americans or Asian Americans or
Asians? Critics argue that the lack of promi-
nent Asian Americans in the media prevents
Asian modes of beauty from being appreci-
ated, but where do we draw the line between
societal pressure and individual responsibili-
ties?
Too much time and energy is spent on
criticizing the actions of the individuals re-
ceiving blepharoplasty. Instead, we each
need to take a more critical look at the norms
and recognize the assumptions of what is
beautiful that we as a larger society are all
operating under. Can we accept them as they
are? If we continue to just criticize without
thinking about the deeper implications about
why we are even bothering to criticize, we
benefit no one. Everyone is beautiful- on the
inside and outside.■
photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigman/
11/28/2007 10:37:13 AM

In Qinghai Province, China, the Asian
Liver Center educated local officials,
teachers, and parents about hepatitis
B and provided free vaccinations.
S aving the World
One Liver at a Time by Yi-Ren Chen
A
s the group hiked up the shallow cliff onto a dusty road, they
could see the rolling grasslands surrounded by smooth gray
mountains. Herds of sheep trotted across the landscape, fol-
lowed by women in crimson Tibetan robes. Their destination was
a remote school in Qinghai Province, China, where they were help-
ing with a Hepatitis B Prevention Program jointly sponsored by the
Asian Liver Center and the Chinese Center for Disease Control. The
program planned to vaccinate and educate over 57,000 children at
331 schools. Founded in 1996 by Dr. Samuel So, the Asian Liver
Center uses a three-pronged approach towards fighting hepatitis B:
outreach, education, and research.
Hepatitis B is one of the most serious health problems the world
faces today. It is caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV),
often inducing liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. Over 80% of
the liver cancer worldwide is caused by chronic hepatitis B, and liver
cancer is one of the leading causes of death in many countries. In the
United States, 0.1% of white Americans have chronic hepatitis B,
compared to 10% of Asian and Pacific Islanders. In some Pacific Rim
countries, as many as 10-20% of the population are hepatitis B carri-
ers. Fortunately, hepatitis B is completely preventable with a vaccine
that has been available since 1982. Yet vaccination rates remain low
photos courtesy of Asian Liver Center
Fall 2007.indd 13
A
news
The new effort
by the Asian Liver
Center to combat
Hepatitis B
and many people worldwide are infected from blood, sex, and mater-
nal birth transmission.
To address this issue, the Asian Liver Center initiated the Hepatitis
B Prevention Program on September 5, 2006 to educate and vacci-
nate villages in China. Currently, China shoulders the greatest burden
of hepatitis B and liver cancer in the world. One-third of the 350-400
million people in the world with chronic hepatitis B live in China, and
approximately 500,000 Chinese die of liver cancer or failure caused
by hepatitis B each year. The most recent program took place in the
Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai province, where
18% of the population are chronic carriers. Healthcare officials and
volunteers went from school to school, educating the local officials,
teachers, and parents, and providing free vaccinations. The Center es-
timates a 95% vaccine complete rate and an 80% increase in hepatitis
B prevention education knowledge levels.
From implementing hepatitis B strategies through government in
the Philippines to Youth Leadership Health Conferences in the Unites
States, the Asian Liver Center is making a significant impact and do-
ing its part to reduce health disparities. ■
*Statistical information taken from the Asian Liver Center at Stan-
ford University and the World Health Organization. Pictures copy-
right Stanford Asian Liver Center.
communicasians 11
11/28/2007 10:37:40 AM
 A
news

An Honor
Long Overdue photo by Julie Kim

George Leong Inducted into

A3C Alumni Hall of Fame
by Cindy Ng

O
n October 12, 2007, on the occasion of Re-
union Homecoming Weekend, George Le-
ong, ’46, MA ’47, Ph.D. ’52 was inducted
into the Asian American Activities Center (A3C)
Alumni Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame honors
Stanford’s most accomplished alumni for their
outstanding achievements and contributions.
Leong came to Stanford in 1943 through a
special program to recruit high school students
to begin their college careers before their se-
nior year. He was one of just sixty students from
across the nation who were identified as able
to handle the rigors of a Stanford education.
At the time, there were also far fewer students
Vice Provost Greg Boardman and Hall of Fame honoree George Leong joined the A3C Direc-
who looked like Leong. The small number of Asian
tor Cindy Ng and Assistant Director Shelley Tadaki at the Clubhouse Ballroom dedication
American students was reduced further as a result of ceremony during Alumni Homecoming. Pictured with Leong are fellow alumni who joined
President Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime Executive him in donating funds for the Ballroom renovation: Ada S.Y. Tom (Fay S. Tom ‘46, MS ‘47),
Order 9066, which declared all Japanese Americans Doris S. Lee (Ted Lee), Beatrice Lowe ‘45 (J.S. Lee), Helen Leong ‘48, MA ‘49, and Betty C.
as enemy aliens. The Order resulted in the forced Wo (Robert C. Wo ‘46).
evacuation of Stanford’s JapaneseAmerican students
to various internment camps around the country.
Under these circumstances, Leong understood the need first advocates for academic, economic, and social inclusion.
to build a strong community. He embraced his role as a pio- Upon graduation, Leong continued to be a pioneer, paving the
neer and became a leading member of the Chinese Students way for those who would follow in his footsteps. In 1969, he be-
Club* where he worked to bring cultural understanding to cam- came the highest-ranking Asian American in the civil service sys-
pus. He and his fellow club members organized social gather- tem when he was appointed Special Assistant to the Assistant
ings, conferences and educational activities. They served as the Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs in the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare. He went on to become the Acting
Director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Scientific
Evaluation, Bureau of Drugs, and directed the review, evaluation
and approval of all drug applications under the aegis of the FDA.
Leong continues to be involved in the Stanford commu-
nity as an alumnus. Viewing the A3C as the successor to the Chi-
nese Students Club, he has supported the center with fundrais-
ing, resources, and advice. In 2006, Leong organized fellow
Chinese Students Club members to raise money for the Club-
house Ballroom renovation. The Ballroom was dedicated dur-
ing Homecoming in the presence of many of the alumni donors.
Through his efforts, Dr. Leong and his wife, Helen, continue to
improve the experience of current and future generations of Stanford
students. ■

*The Chinese Students Club formed in 1916, when a Chinese student

was thrown out of Encina Hall by its Caucasian residents. Students
raised funds from the local Chinese community and built the Chinese
Clubhouse where the Law School now stands.

George Leong cuts the ribbon at the Ballroom dedication.

Later that day he was inducted into the A3C Hall of Fame.
photo by Emily Zhao

12 communicasians

Fall 2007.indd 14 11/28/2007 10:38:02 AM

 A
voices

South Korean President’s Visit

to North Korea Lacks Substance
by Tommy Hotaik Sung

T
hough seemingly successful, the Sec-
ond Inter-Korean Summit was not
only unconvincing but thoroughly of-
fensive in its deliberate avoidance of impor-
tant issues that riddle the Korean peninsula.
benefit that each additional sum-
mit is reduced in value and thus less
likely to meet the growing expecta-
tions of his people. Coupled with the
transparent negotiation process, it

Even the timing of the summit left much
to be desired. President Roh Moo-Hyun’s
excursion to North Korea was conveniently
three months before the next presidential
election. With popularity ratings for the
presidential candidates in Roh’s party hov-
ering around the single digits, the summit
could certainly be construed, or even mis-
construed, as a desperate act of diplomatic
exploitation. Additionally, it was suspi-
cious that Kim Jong-il would heed to the
meeting request of Roh, who is effectively
a lame duck. Because Kim understands the
negative effects of inflation, it was to his
hand-
seems reasonable to surmise that a
major gift was presented to the Dear
Leader in return for his cooperation.
Yet, these doubts could have been
overlooked if the summit had inspired shakes &
smiles
worthwhile changes in the peninsula.
A positive end achieved by the wrong
motives is, in effect, still positive, al-
though it would present both sides in
an unfavorable light. Not surprising-
ly, however, the eight point agreement insti-
tuted during the summit was only
full of pleasant rhetoric and be-
reft of any concrete discus-
sion in building a sustain-
able and peaceful regime.
Take the Mount Baekdu
tourism project for example, one
of the new projects established on the
basis of economic cooperation. This
venture takes advantage of the moun-
tain’s significant symbolism in Korean
culture to suggest progress toward harmony
and reunification in the peninsula. Though
the goal is positive, it is reminiscent of the
debacle involving the all-too-similar Mount
Kumgang project: a new tourist route in
a fenced, indigenously sterile region fails
to establish any meaningful economic or
peaceful cooperation between the Koreas.
The summit also circumvented issues of
practical concern. For one, there was a lack
of discussion regarding the Northern Line
Limit, which determines the maritime border
photo courtesy of donga.com
of this boundary by North Korean ships, both
before and after the summit, suggests that a
discourse on this important dispute was con-
sciously avoided.
It is not surprising then that the summit
also chose not to address controversial is-
sues such as the humanitarian crisis and
the nuclear debate in the Hermit Kingdom.
These subjects undoubtedly would have been
deemed too unsavory for the hand-shak-
ing, photo-op extravaganza in Pyongyang.
In place, symbolic images of reciprocity
and goodwill flooded the media: Roh’s cross-
ing of the 38th parallel, Kim’s gift of million-
dollar songi mushrooms to the south; and
Roh’s enthusiastic reception of the “Arirang”
mass games in all of its tragically bizarre and
perhaps allegorical glory
The reality is decidedly more negative;
the summit, despite all of its promises and
exhibition, remains strictly a political strata-
gem. This bleak truth is perhaps most el-
egantly put in the form of a colorful tableau:
the image of mountebank Roh and scoundrel

“
between the nations. Frequent encroachment Kim playacting in a glittery masquerade. ■

The eight point agreement instituted during

the summit was only full of pleasant rheto-

”
ric and bereft of any concrete discussion in
building a sustainable and peaceful regime.

communicasians 13

Fall 2007.indd 15 11/28/2007 10:38:10 AM

 A
voices

AZIA KIM: AN R A by Takeo Rivera for her ride to arrive. She cried to me, told me a life story that I knew

F
rom the third floor of Okada, you can
hear a lot. Sometimes it’s some drunk
frosh roving along Bowdoin that I pray
aren’t mine; other
times, you get
wasn’t true, but I didn’t care. In that moment, I was doing my job as
an RA. I was listening. I wasn’t demonizing. I wasn’t scandalizing.
I wasn’t making fun of her or hyperbolizing her issues. I was listen-
ing. I even held her and had the gall to try to make her feel better.
Still, I blamed myself.
How could I not when the

“
happy phone rest of the campus seemed
calls, arguments,
reconciliations.
So what did I do? I fought. to be under the impression
that all of Okada staff was
And then there are the times you get acts I decided to stand, if only to irresponsible? And sud-
of intolerance. denly there were three frats
They started off with shouts of “F--- show that this was one Asian shouting anti-Asian slurs at
Okada” and “Azia Kim” in mock Asian
accents. That was one frat. Another frat
held a “banzai bash” sake party that used
who wasn’t going to be pas-
sive and polite
“ our community. Suddenly
there were jokes on the on-
line comment section of the
Azia Kim as a recurring theme, asking Stanford Daily disparaging
one of my residents if she was Azia Kim Asian women. All the little
because she was an Asian American fe- intangibles that made for an
male. When yet another frat came by to amazing and life-changing
shout racialized slurs at the dorm, I ran out in flip-flops with my RCC year seemed all for naught. People weren’t going to remember that
and demanded to know who they were. The last straw came when the my staff and I got into a physical confrontation to save a freshman’s
third frat arrived to piss on our lawn with yet another “F--- Okada” life, that we pulled all-nighters in the waiting room of the ER wait-
shout. So much for the spirit of the Fundamental Standard. So much ing for our residents to
for this campus’ embrace of diversity. get better, or the count-
That was the untold story: the aftermath of Azia Kim. I doubt the less times we laughed,
wave of anti-Okada and anti-Asian verbal abuse would have hap- cried, lost sleep, drank
pened if Azia was white. And of course, did I have anywhere to caffeine, watched mov-
turn to? Not to the general student body. The Stanford Daily had ies and shared life sto-
concluded that the staff and I were incompetent. Online comments ries. No. You heard
demanded that we be fired. Every day for two weeks, my staff, my “Okada” and you
residents and I had to answer questions from everyone: students, thought Azia Kim. I
professors, TV cameras. I was interviewed by the San Francisco don’t know if I’ve ever
Chronicle and the New Yorker and declined a CNN appearance. On felt so simultaneously
top of that, my residents were repeatedly told that they should be despaired and furious
ashamed to live where they were. in my life.
Did I blame myself? Yes. You see, I was the one who facilitated So what did I do?
her move-in. In order for her to succeed, she had to lie to me on sev- I fought. I decided to
eral counts. My crime is that I trusted her word. In Okada, we grew stand, if only to show
accustomed to trusting each other. At our Crossing the Line we had that this was one Asian
a nearly unanimous “feel-like-a-part-of-the-community” response— who wasn’t going to
the best I had ever seen in any dorm. I was consistently running be passive and polite.
on two to five hours of sleep every night, with time spent planning My role as a commu-
events, counseling residents and placing my RA job before all other nity builder promptly
commitments, including my academics. The Okada Staff and I were became that of a com-
intensely proud of the work we did; we collectively took our work munity defender. I de-
so seriously that some of us even developed health issues from being veloped strength and
so committed. I wasn’t a police officer. I wasn’t in the business of resolve from forcing
shaking down someone’s falsified records. So it happened... under myself to stop caring
my watch. about what the rest of
Then again, so did the eviction. After the three of us RAs moved the campus thought of
her out, I sat on the step until two in the morning with her, waiting us, focusing more on

14 communicasians

Fall 2007.indd 16 11/28/2007 10:38:24 AM

 A

R A’S REFLECTION
voices

What really
6 Months T-Shir
1 T
combating the bigotry that
affected everyone. I filed
an Act of Intolerance re-
port and, with Thom Massey, happened at and La er
confronted one of the perpe-

Okada?
by Kelvin Vuong

trating frats.
Am I over it? Not completely.
But here’s what I do know: two thirds
of our staff have returned. For the first time
in years, we have Okada frosh returning as sophomores,
as well as a large contingent of upperclassmen. The Okada spirit
somehow managed to survive and thrive in the Spring Quarter of
2007. And I’m returning, exhausted though I may be. There’s some-
thing about the job that keeps you hooked, however many nationally-
publicized scandals and bigoted screams there may be. Maybe it’s
the impact I can make, the co-staffers whom I love, the sense of home
made from my own sweat and tears. Or maybe it’s because I want to
see the confused, embarrassed faces of the arriving freshmen when I
shout their names for the first time. All over again. ■
Takeo Rivera is a Senior majoring in CSRE. This year, he is both an
Okada Residence Assistant and the Asian American Activities Cen-
ter’s Community Building Coordinator.
photo courtesy of ASSU Draw Guide
O
ne Big Game t-shirt.
One offense too many.
One firestorm to follow.
In late October, Stanford Student Enterprises began advertising
Big Game Cal Sucks shirts sold by The Stanford Store. One shirt
had a slogan that I was shocked to think that SSE would print: “It
was either a full ride at Cal or sneaking into Stanford[.] -Azia.” I
was appalled that this shirt was being sold by SSE, the financial
division of the Associate Stanford Students Union, and thus had
the backing of the student body. I for one did not agree, and I was
sure I was not alone.
From my first e-mail sent to those with the power to remove
the shirt and the Stanford community at large, the complaint was
lodged. There were several heated debates on many e-mail lists
as the e-mail was circulated. E-mails flew back and forth from
my computer as people voiced their concerns; most were in ac-
cordance. A second e-mail was sent after the first e-mail went un-
heeded. More e-mails were circulated and more debate followed.
By the end of the weekend, the shirt was pulled from The Stanford
Store and a replacement was offered. Success at last...but was it?
Two days later, The Stanford Daily ran a piece about the inci-
dent. That’s when the firestorm began. The Daily message board
suggested that I was alone, that I was silly to have voiced my con-
cern, that the joke was justified. Talks began among students about
making the shirt themselves. A Facebook group formed bashing
Azia Kim and me. But I did not take offense. I expected most of
this. What I found offensive was what I did not expect.
I did not expect that students would feel that the joke was justi-
fied. Azia Kim has been a running joke on campus ever since the
story broke 6 months ago. No one could utter her name without
a chuckle. It is time that the joke was laid to rest. By continuing
this joke, we ignore the serious implications of the incident. What
drove Kim to do what she did for so long? What really happened
afterwards? Why was the incident racialized?
I did not expect that other students would be afraid to voice
their opinions. People feared the ridicule that would follow if they
decided to voice their opinion like I did. At an institution with as
high a caliber as Stanford, free thought should be encouraged.
So what did we really take away from the incident last school
year? Did we even stop to think about what this incident implied
about mental health or race? Or were we too concerned with the
‘offense’ that had taken place? Have we ever stopped to think
about it? I think not. With what has happened with this t-shirt, I’m
happy that we are finally starting to take a second look. ■

communicasians 15

Fall 2007.indd 17 11/28/2007 10:38:35 AM

 A
news
The Asian American
Activities Center
What is the A3C and what can it do for you?
by Betty Pham and Kelvin Vuong
T
he Asian American Activities Center
(A3C) is a department of Stanford Uni-
versity with a large variety of resources
to serve the needs of the Asian American
community.
During this past summer, the A3C moved
back into the newly renovated Old Union
Clubhouse. The center covers the first and
second floors of the Old Union Clubhouse,
a big change from the portables where it was
previously located during construction. Cin-
dy Ng, A3C Director and Assistant Dean of
Student Affairs, and Shelley Tadaki,
Assistant Director, lead a team of
24 student staff members to de-
velop programming geared
towards the Asian American
community at Stanford.
The A3C space includes
a beautiful wrap-around
balcony, an expanded ball-
room, spacious couchroom,
conference room, and com-
puter cluster that are open to
all students. Student groups
may reserve space for one-
time events or weekly meeting
reservations through an online
form located under the “Facility In-
formation” section on the A3C website
(located at http://a3c.stanford.edu, or type
‘A3C’ in your browser
from a Stanford
photos by Betty Pham
16 communicasians
Fall 2007.indd 18
connection). The ballroom, couchroom, and contains hard-
conference room may only be reserved by to-find
registered Voluntary Student Organizations. news-
The ballroom can be used for mixers, papers
dinners, dances, performances, and other a n d
large events. Besides the sleek hardwood j o u r-
floors, the stage and stage lighting can set nals
the tone and mood of your events. If need- n o t
ed, tables and seating for 140 are available avail-
through the A3C. able
Directly above the ballroom, the A3C at the
couchroom houses comfortable couches that main li-
serve as seating for meet- brary.
ings, events, and In addition
working stu- to the physical space of
dents. The the A3C, many programs are prepared by the
couch- staff for all students. The weekly Speaker Se-
room ries deals with issues about adjusting to col-
is a lege, Asian American identity, and preparing
place for the post-college life. The new After Dark
for Series explores taboo topics such as dealing
stu- with parental pressures and mental health is-
sues. Quarterly leadership retreats bring the
Asian American community together to ex-
plore how to better reach out to and serve the
dents Asian American community at Stanford.
t o To learn more about what the A3C has to
come offer, visit the website or swing by the sec-
and relax ond floor of the Old Union Clubhouse. ■
or do work.
Oftentimes, a
basket of goodies
is conveniently placed
next to the couches, a tantalizing reason to
drop by the A3C space. For those student
groups looking for a movie or kara-
oke night, the couchroom also has a
TV, VCR, DVD player, and stereo
for use. The couchroom includes
a small side room with a wall-
length whiteboard, large confer-
ence table, and chairs that can be
sectioned off by a divider.
The Mac computer cluster
occupies the same room as the
A3C’s library. All students are
welcome to both. The library
11/28/2007 10:38:38 AM
Fall 2007.indd 19 11/28/2007 10:38:38 AM
 communicASIANS fall 2007 Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Palo Alto, CA
Permit No. 187

***TIME VALUE PLEASE EXPEDITE***

Published by the Stanford University Asian American Activities Center
Old Union Clubhouse- 2nd Floor, Stanford, CA 94305-3064
(650) 723-3681 http://a3c.stanford.edu

Fall 2007.indd 20 11/28/2007 10:38:39 AM