Portland State’s Cultural Resource Centers are as much a place of refuge as they are a place of community-building. Whether you’re hanging out during a break between classes, chatting with friends, working on homework or attending one of their many events, the spaces empower you to bring your full self and embrace your history, culture and identity — and experience the same from your peers.
In this blog series, we’re giving you a peek into each of our vibrant, culturally affirming centers on campus — but we hope you’ll check them out for yourself!
The Pacific Islander, Asian and Asian American (PIAAA) Student Center, located in Room 229 of Smith Memorial Student Union, offers an engaging and accepting space for PSU’s diverse Asian and Pacific Islander student communities through programming, intercultural community building and social justice education.
THE SPACE
PIAAA got a fresh look over winter break. The walls are painted blue, a nod to the ocean that connects many of their islands and countries. A large mural of student activists at the 2015 Student of Color Speak Out — an event that was the impetus for the creation of PIAAA and Pan-African Commons — hangs on one wall. It represents a time when students gathered to voice their concerns over campus climate and demand more resources for students of color.
The tables in the center invite students to eat, study or just hang out. The space has become a de facto meeting spot for student clubs, including the Vietnamese Student Association, Pacific Islanders Club, Hong Kong Student Association, Kaibigan Filipino American Student Association, and the recently restarted Cambodian Student Association.
There are couches in the back for lounging and, in the front, program coordinator Whitney Murphy moved things around to create a resource corner. There’s a couch, floor cushions, computers, sexual health products and a library with books for students to learn more about their own and other Pacific Islander and Asian cultures. A kitchen area offers students use of a mini-fridge, microwave and coffee maker.
“I wanted to create a space that the students really felt was theirs,” Murphy said.
CAN WE GET A CHEE-HOO?
As is true of all the cultural resource centers, PIAAA is not a noise-controlled space.
Music is always playing. The student receptionist who opens the center picks the playlist based on vibes. Some days, it’s quiet study music but, most days, Asian or Pacific Islander artists are playing. A ukulele that was left to the center sometimes leads to impromptu jam sessions.
“I encourage the loudness,” Murphy said, recounting a Pacific Islanders Club event in the fall where instead of yelling “Bingo,” students let out shouts of “chee-hoo” — excited cheers that are a big part of Pacific Islander culture.
“La Casa next door was like, ‘What’s going on!?’ and I was like, ‘Yes, louder!’” Murphy said. “I’m proud that nobody’s going to come by and say, ‘Can you keep it down?’ because that’s part of our culture and building community.”
WHAT KEEPS STUDENTS COMING BACK
Senior Joseph Villanueva, who serves as president of Kaibigan Filipino-American Student Association, has been coming to PIAAA for the last two years and says it’s the people that make the space special.
“It’s very social, very laid back, it’s very what you want it to be,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of my really good friends here. In between classes, I come here. Whenever I just want to eat lunch and not be in a restaurant, I come back here. Anytime I see my friends are in the room, I come in. It’s always a good meeting spot.”
MaryMer Kansou just started at PSU in the fall and is already a regular. She says she loves the vibe and makes use of the couches for naps between classes, relaxing, studying or playing games.
“I’m always in here with my friends,” she said. “If you want to meet new people, come to PIAAA.”
SIGNATURE EVENTS
Fall: PIAAA & PAC’s Birthday
Spring: API Graduation and Pacific Islander Week, a weeklong program series to highlight Pacific Islander culture and create space and community for Pacific Islander students.
Every Term: Narratives of Resilience, a mental health affinity space for PIAA communities to talk about various topics students face like navigating white-dominated spaces.
PIAAA is open Mondays-Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Follow PIAAA on Instagram @psupiaaa.
All photos by Jeremy Chun Sajqui