Small rooms, each not much larger than a walk-in closet, are stuffed full with sofas and chairs. Tables are covered in paperwork and computers are sprawled all over the place. This is what many of SF State’s on-campus student groups call home. These are the headquarters of the Asian Student Union, the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor, and the General Union of Palestine Students, and more. But the core of these rooms is the people - the members of each organization.

“The people are really motivating,” says Megan Valenzuela, president of the Manalo Movement.

Inspired by Olympic gold medal winning diver, Victoria Manalo Draves, this group seeks to “inspire its members and the community to educate, take action and honor Pilipino American heroes and heroines from the past and the present.”

While Thursday afternoons can leave many SF State students wanting nothing but a quick caffeine fix and an escape from academic responsibility, members of on-campus student groups stick around the mezzanine level of Cesar Chavez Student Center to work, or play, behind the colorful doors that decoratively declare the name and cause they stand for.

Although school has been in session for weeks, on-campus student groups are just getting started. They’re tabling outside the student center while the brisk fall wind whips against exposed skin and threatens to rip down their duct taped signs. Open houses have been taking place all around campus in attempt to recruit new members and replace those lost after graduation.

Nearly a hundred students filed into Jack Adams Hall to learn about the Asian Student Union (ASU). After the coordinating officers took the podium and told the crowd about some of their experiences and the duties they have, they shared the mic.

The General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), the Manalo Movement, the League of Filipino Students (LFS), the Alliance for Queer-positive Asians (AQUA) and the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) were just some of the groups who took the opportunity to present themselves and extend offers to the audience to join or attend upcoming events.

“My personal goal and aim for this year is to bring organizations, faculty, and students together,” says Cory Wong, the Internal Publicity Coordinator for ASU. “I am strongly focusing on having organizations collaborate together here at SFSU.”

This idea of teamwork and solidarity is echoed by other representatives who welcome people to join their group regardless of skin color or ethnicity.
“Membership is open to anyone who is interested,” says ASU membership coordinator, Robyn Lee. “You don’t have to be Asian to join.

Despite all of these words of comradery, one can’t help but wonder if this cohabitation of student groups ever breeds conflict. Diversity on campus means different views; and different views can mean disagreement that lead to arguments, or even rivalry.

“It’s better to work in a community,” explained Valenzuela. “Of course there is some competition.”

Vying for membership, funding and campus popularity are just some of the topics to quarrel about. There are large groups, small groups, new groups and old groups. And each group seems to cater different to a crowd.

There are nearly thirty groups and organizations at SF State geared to members of specific cultures and communities, many of which were founded after the Third World Liberation Front Strike of 1968-1969. Lasting four months, the longest strike in our nation’s history called for SF State to meet 15 demands, which included creating a School of Ethnic Studies; and a call to diversify the campus by admitting more minority students, and hiring a more diverse team of educators and faculty.

Groups such as the ASU and PACE are a direct result of the strike. But now there are many others, some of which have not been around that long, and they too are a part of its living legacy. The Korean Student Association, the Pacific Islanders Club (PIC), the Japanese Student Association and the Muslim Student Association are just some of the many groups that bring such a beautiful assortment of people to SF State.

Currently, SF State is considered one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the nation. With 34.0 percent White “Non Latino” students, 24.5 percent Asian, 10.7 percent Filipino, 9.6 percent Chicano/ Mexican American and 6.8 African American students, there are plenty of opportunities for students to learn from one another’s background.

“I have made friends with people I would have never met,” said Mimi Mendoza, an Art student at SF State and member of the Pacific Islanders Club.

Each of the different student associations provide a certain focus for its members, which helps to make each one unique and appealing. PACE describes their aim as, “…academic excellence, awareness of social issues, supporting our community, and creating a safe place for self expression.” GUPS strives to “… inform the student body, faculty and staff, of current events and historical events that has to do with Palestine and the Middle East.” ASU “brings political awareness of issues pertaining to the Asian American community, as well as brings and preserves cultural aspects of the many Asian cultures to people of all ages, genders and ethnicities.”