Last November, while helping plan the birthday party for Asian American Pacific Islander (AP) House Residential Director Jeremy Suzuki (SFS ’28), he told me and the other party planners his motivation for hosting this event at the AP House: to spread the word about this space.
Jeremy’s mission sparked my curiosity, as someone who greatly appreciates the strong Asian American community at Georgetown University. When I asked him why he wanted to raise awareness about AP House, he told me that it currently has a tentative status, which means that its continued support from the university depends on whether there is a demonstrated need for an Asian affinity house. As residential director, he wanted to convey this need. This anecdote shows why Georgetown University must do better in supporting the Asian Pacific community, especially with its dedication to global education and diverse perspectives.
After speaking to Jeremy one-on-one, I learned of the difficulties surrounding the AP House’s funding and recognition. First, the AP House is currently a Living Learning Community (LLC) under Residential Living while official affinity houses, such as the Black House and La Casa Latina, are under the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (CMEA). This difference in status is the reason for the funding gaps between the AP House and affinity houses. According to Jeremy, while affinity houses receive more than $10,000 in funding to engage the community, the AP House receives $750 for the entire year.
Due to the tight budgetary constraints the AP House faces, the house has trouble paying for incentives that attract students to its events. Jeremy used the example of catering, a beloved benefit at many student events. As a result, the house remains stuck in a vicious cycle where it receives little resources, struggles to put together elaborate events, and fails to receive more support from the university due to the difficulty of organizing these events.
Despite these challenges, events at the AP House have been very successful. Student organizations such as the Asian American Student Association (AASA) and Georgetown Japan Network (J-Net) frequently host events, like AASA’s joint Bulldog Buldak Battle and J-Net’s Oshogatsu celebration. The AP House itself has extensive programming for the community, most recently including its visits to the Mother Tongue Film Festival and the Lunar New Year Parade at Washington, D,C.’s Chinatown. These events have consistently brought in more than 100 attendees, showing the Georgetown community’s need and appreciation for this space.
Beyond the support AP House provides to Georgetown’s Asian Pacific community, the house uplifts students of many cultures and spreads multicultural awareness among the student body. Not only does the house provide a venue for Asian Pacific heritage events, but they also partner with a breadth of student cultural organizations.
Though the AP House is able to have successful events, the cost of hosting events, coupled with its meager budget, puts a significant financial strain on the house. Without more funding, the AP House’s programming becomes unsustainable. The next step is clear: Georgetown should move the AP House to be under CMEA’s purview and fund it at parity with other affinity houses.
The AP House is a crucial tool to Georgetown’s global and diverse mission. It’s time for Georgetown to give it the support it deserves.
Julia Nguyen is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. This is the third installment of her new column, “The Stories That Cultures Tell.”
