Whereas, the aggregation of data under the term “Asian” misrepresents the the actual levels of educational attainment for different ethnic groups,

Whereas, the aggregation of data excludes underrepresented Asian groups from support in higher education and misrepresents underrepresented minorities among Asians (including but not limited to Southeast Asians, Southwest Asians, and Pacific Islanders),

Whereas, the AB 176 legislation calls for the disaggregation of the term “Asian” and requires the collection of data in the UC and Cal State universities, community colleges, and the state Department of Managed Healthcare,

Whereas, Southeast Asians have a very high concentration in California due to refugees from the Vietnam War and the legislation poses a major threat to their progress, and Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders are more prone to suffer from mental illnesses,

Whereas, acquired data clearly suggests that percentage of Asians with the highest high school drop-out rates and Asians over 25 years of age without at least a bachelor’s degree is is the highest amongst South-East Asians and Pacific Islanders

• Nearly one out of four AAPI students is Limited English Proficient and/or lives in a linguistically isolated household where parents have limited English proficiency

• The high school drop-out rate among Southeast Asian Americans is staggering: 40% of Hmong, 38% of Laotian, and 35% of Cambodian populations do not complete high school

• Only 14% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 25 years of age and older have at least a bachelor’s degree in comparison with 27% for the total population and 49% of the AA population

Whereas, the number and concentration of Asian Americans per state in the United States is the highest in the state of California with 5,556,592, and the aggregation of data not only adversely affects underrepresented groups in the way policies affect them currently, but removes the possibility/resources necessary to deal with the existing retention and accessibility problems they face,

Whereas, the White House has identified the aggregation of data as harmful to API groups,

Whereas, AB 176 passed through the California State Senate unanimously (40 ayes, 0 nays) with bipartisan support, and passed through the California State Assembly with one dissenting vote (77 ayes, 1 nay) [1],

Therefore let it be resolved that we, the Legislative Council of Associated Students of University of California, Irvine, do not support Governor Brown’s Veto of the AB 176 legislation.

Let it further be resolved that the Legislative Council of the Associated Students of University of California, Irvine encourage the California State Legislature to reconsider AB 176 and override Governor Brown’s veto of the legislation,

Let it finally be resolved that copies of this resolution be sent to the Associated Graduate Students of UC Irvine, Associated Students of the University of California (UC Berkeley), the Graduate Assembly of UC Berkeley, Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD), UC Davis Graduate Student Association, UCLA Graduate Student Association, UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC), Associated Students of the University of California, Merced (ASUCM), Graduate Student Association of UC Merced, Associated Students of the University of California, Riverside (ASUCR), Graduate Student Association of UC Riverside, Associated Students of the University of California, San Diego (ASUCSD), UCSD Graduate Student Association, UC San Francisco Graduate and Professional Student Association (UCSF GPSA), Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara (ASUCSB), UCSB Graduate Students Association, Graduate Student Association of UCSC, the Student Union Assembly at UCSC (SUA) and the University of California Student Association.

Sources

[1] - http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB176

[2] - http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-asian-veto-20151021-story.html

[3]- https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi/data/critical-issues