UNC Approves Creation of Asian American Center on Campus

****UPDATE: The Board of Trustees approved all three centers in its full meeting on Thursday, finalizing their creation.****

Students filled the back two rows of chairs at the Board of Trustees’ University Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday. They didn’t have to wait long to hear the news they were there for: committee unanimously approved the creation of an Asian American Center for the university.

UNC junior Sean Nguyen was one of the students there. He’d been working with the others to earn approval from the university since May. He described Wednesday as a huge event.

“I think our team sees this day as one step in the right direction,” said Nguyen, “and we realize we have a lot more work that we need to do to make sure this center is as amazing as we want it to be. But for it to be recognized by the Board of Trustees, it is in some ways unfathomable. I don’t think any of us would’ve guessed we would’ve gotten this far back in May when we started [advocating for it].”

A desire from students for the cultural center has existed for decades. Nguyen said there’s evidence of the first group of Asian American students advocating for a center in the fall of 1994. According to Provost Bob Blouin, alumni have given nearly $500,000 to support the center before the project was even approved.

“Although that center never fully actualized,” said Nguyen, “we know that 26 years ago Asian American students on this campus wanted an ethnic space for themselves to promote Asian American culture. It’s surreal that 26 years later, our team can carry on that legacy with the work we’re doing today.”

Despite it being an achievement for the Asian American community, Nguyen also stressed how the center will be beneficial for everyone with university ties.

“This center is for all Tar Heels,” he said. “For anybody, whether they have an Asian American best friend, adoptee, adopted child, family member. This center is for the entire Carolina community.”

The committee also approved the creation of the Center for Informational Impact and the UNC Law Institute for Innovation.

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