AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community

As Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) practitioners in higher education, we assert our cultural values to leverage important connections between members within the community. These values are centered on collective responsibility, demonstrating care for the community, offering respect, and acting with love. These values manifest through our daily interactions with others and in the spaces we occupy, whether it is in physical proximity or virtual settings. COVID-19, the unprecedented global health crisis that forced campus closures across the nation, along with tensions provoked by blatant racism, racial violence, and ongoing microaggressions, have reminded us that AAPIs are not immune to the injustices present in society. These environmental conditions have prompted negative self-perceptions, induced stressors, compromised physical and mental health, and destabilized income. Student affairs professionals have the potential to intervene, offering students guidance and support as they contemplate personal decisions (e.g., family health crisis, job loss, food and housing insecurities, unattended cultural practices) amidst these harrowing conditions. This article discusses how student affairs professionals at Mt. San Antonio College, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- Serving Institution, utilized their cultural values and employed creative strategies to demonstrate an ethic of care and responsibility for the student community amidst COVID-19 and the rise in violence toward Asian Americans.