Members of Columbia’s Asian Student Organization are no strangers to the feeling of invisibility. The light at the end of the tunnel seems unreachable, and the task they’ve encountered unbearable. With the recent departure of their coordinator, members of ASO were left with limited resources and minimal support, but many already scheduled events.

ASO, an organization that had been inactive until 2 years ago, currently has about 35 members, which is approximately a 500 percent increase from the membership of just one year ago. ASO members attribute this increase to their former coordinator, Yoonshin Park, a South Korea native and Columbia graduate, who was more than just a coordinator to the students, but, according to them, she put in a lot of extra time and developed a personal relationship with each of the ASO members.

“Park was more than a coordinator to them, she served as a motherly figure to most,” said Hyunjung Bae, who serves as a faculty adviser to the students.

While operating on a student visa and completing her studies at Columbia, Park acquired the position of part-time coordinator of Asian-American Cultural Affairs, serving as an advocate for Asian students and taking on the role of an adviser to ASO.

But Park, after meeting with the administration and trying to develop alternatives, informed the members of ASO in late December that she was forced to return to Asia because she could no longer stay in the United States under the visa she had. In order to get her student visa upgraded to a work visa, she would have to acquire a full-time job working at least 40 hours per week. At Columbia, Park was only working part-time, 20 hours per week.

Members of ASO began to put together a petition to present to the Office of Multicultural Affairs, hoping they would aid Park in her dilemma. The plea for help was denied, and ASO members were left heartbroken, without answers and, more  importantly, without a leader.

“The administrators pretty much shot down any argument we had and told us that it was out of their hands and [there] was nothing they could do about it,” said Barbara Trinh, ASO’s co-director of communications.  “But they knew about this for months. They should have had some type of plan so that we wouldn’t be in this limbo.”

Some of the administrators and faculty offered to step in and assist ASO as temporary advisers. Of those who offered their help, Bae has followed through coming to meetings and assisting the group as much as her time allows. Bae has held countless meetings at her 13th floor office, her home and at The Hub, located in the 1104 Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave.

“It is under Park’s leadership that I became supportive of ASO,” Bae said. “Because we never got a clear explanation from the administration of why they couldn’t make the position full-time, I decided to take a little more time to help out with ASO. We just didn’t understand why they didn’t develop some type of back-up plan.”

ASO members have been working hard to promote events while still balancing classwork, which is their No. 1 priority.

“We’ve even considered taking a break from the group for a while because we are unsure if they are able to give 150 percent to the organization,” said Kim Nguyen, president of ASO.

Running a student organization requires much more than just heading up the weekly meetings, it requires many hours planning, coordinating, and organizing.It is a job where networking is a must.

“I don’t have the connections with the Korean and Chinese communities like Park did,” Bae said. “They need a coordinator who is cross-cultural, aware of their issues and that understands Columbia’s culture.”

Since losing their coordinator four months ago, members of ASO have had to put in more than double the amount of work than before, in addition to being full-time students and working part-time jobs. They have been busy trying to build the organization on their own while educating themselves in the process. This year, ASO has expanded its annual Asian-American Awareness Week to a month-long celebration during the month of April.

“We do a lot to make up for our lack of resources because we’re trying to inform people of our culture,” Nguyen said. “As diverse as this school is, until this semester they hadn’t had an Asian history class. In the cultural studies minor, they don’t even focus on Asians. How could it really be cultural studies if you don’t focus on Asians?”

ASO members feel like they are not a priority, not only in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, but within the entire college. Asians are one of the smallest minority groups in the college, constituting 3 percent of the student population as of fall 2008, which is approximately 265 students in a student body of more than 12,000, according to the 2008 Fact Book. Although their population is small, the number of active participants in ASO proportionally is comparable to other student organizations. To them though, resources appear minimal.

“All the groups fair the same when it comes to active participants, however, resources are allocated based on enrollment of the school, and Asians make up 3 percent,” said Sheila Carter, executive director of Multicultural Affairs.

Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs, however, said funds are allocated based on how strong and effective an organization’s programs are, and then they are voted upon by the Student Organizations Council.

With Columbia’s recent efforts to reach out and recruit students of the Asian population, the role of Multicultural Affairs has become increasingly critical.

“It’s a great marketing tool to have ASO and for them to be very active,” Bae said, who is also a marketing professor. “I have been moved by their passion, and they add so much to Columbia’s assets. Asians are the one group that has been steadily increasing over the years.”

In ASO’s efforts to take charge of their organization, they have been participating in conferences throughout the surrounding areas and reaching to others for the support they don’t feel at their own college. They recently attended a conference in Michigan, and some, such as Bae, said they were quite jealous of the resources and support that other colleges have.

“The conference gave us something that we can’t get at Columbia,” Nguyen said. “There were students there that were showcasing their culture and even majoring in Asian Arts. We are responsible for putting the focus on it now, because as you can see, if we don’t, who will?”

Members of the Multicultural Affairs administration have informed executive board members of ASO that they have begun the interviewing process for a new coordinator, although, the opening was not posted until two months after the position had been vacated. They also plan to introduce members of ASO to potential candidates soon. Carter said the administration hopes to have someone in place by the end of the semester.

“So many schools have struggled and fought to get to where they are now,”Trinh said. “They’ve even gone on hunger strikes to get their voices heard. Do we have to follow down that path and do the same?”

With all of the obstacles, ASO members and their supportive faculty have pledged to continue their fight.

They said they believe understanding and sharing the Asian culture is necessary at Columbia.

“I just want to see more balanced support,” Bae said. “I totally believe the administration supports ASO in their hearts, but actions speak louder than words. Nevertheless, we will continue to fight. We’re going to fight with the skin of our teeth.”