About us

 

The Filipino American Student Association at William and Mary

 

mission statement

FASA's main objective is to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich Filipino-American culture to all students of the college and community. FASA's main emphasis is on cultural awareness and the organization focuses on the contributions Filipino-Americans have to American society and current issues affecting them today. FASA's major goals are to increase its visibility on campus through various cultural activities and to support and participate in cultural programs with Filipino-American organizations from other colleges and universities.

 

history

The Filipino-American Student Association (FASA) at William and Mary was founded by a group of Filipino-American students in 1991. Now in its twenty-second year, FASA at William and Mary has grown to be one of the most diverse and largest organizations on campus.

 

purpose

Fostering approximately 100 members under the leadership of 18 officers, FASA strives to share the rich Filipino and Filipino-American cultures on campus and the greater community and promote relationships with Filipino organizations at other colleges. It is FASA's duty to improve the social and academic environments, at the College especially, through service and education. FASA provides not only a forum for Filipino-American students to blend their Southeast Asian cultures with their American ones but also a platform for educating the entire student body about Filipino and Filipino-American culture. (See Constitution)

 

activities

In 1998, FASA presented its first Culture Night. Through the medium of Culture Night, FASA has been able to showcase rich culture and talented members to a large audience. Highly anticipated each year, the Culture Night production consists of skits, dancing and an authentic Filipino dinner. Both entertaining and educational, Culture Night allows FASA members to explore the Filipino culture and share it with a wide audience.

 

In addition to Culture Night, FASA's largest annual event, FASA hosts many events throughout the year to promote awareness about the Filipino and Filipino-American cultures and to foster fellowship among its many members. Tagalog lessons, co-rec football, basketball, volleyball, community service, cooking, dancing - folk and modern, Thanksgiving potluck, Christmas gift exchange and FIND events are just a few of the things FASA does.

 

A large part of the FASA experience is expanding knowledge about the Filipino and Filipino-American cultures and building relationships with similar organizations at other colleges. The Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) was created to encourage networking between Filipino organizations at colleges. FASA at the College of William and Mary is a member of District VII. Two elected officers serve as representatives to FIND D7.

 

FASA is a member of the Asian Student Council (ASC) at the College of William and Mary. ASC is the umbrella organization that unites all seven Asian student groups on campus. These include: Chinese Student Association (CSO), Filipino-American Student Association (FASA), Japanese Cultural Association (JCA), Khmer Student Association (KSA), Korean-American Student Association (KASA), South Asian Student Association (SASA), and Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). FASA also participates in ASC functions such as picnics, flag football, Shades Date Auction, Taste of Asia. We also try to support all of our sister multicultural organizations by attending their events. In fact, many FASA members are members of other culture organizations - reiterating the fact that you do not have to be Filipino or Filipino-American to join FASA!