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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2002
CONTACT: Lisa Hasegawa
(202) 223-2442
CONGRESSMAN ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO DESIGNATE ASIAN
AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER SERVING INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, May 22 Congressman Robert A. Underwood of Guam
and former Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, introduced
H.R. 4825, a bill that authorizes the Department of Education to designate Asian
American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. Congressman Underwood
publicly announced his intent to introduce this legislation to an audience of
over 200 gathered from across the country at the 3rd annual National CAPACD
convention the previous day. “We applaud Congressman Underwood for his
leadership and recognition that this designation is a critical tool to increase
participation of AAPI communities in federal government programs,” said Lisa
Hasegawa, National CAPACD Executive Director.
The Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation, and
Health and Human Services are among the many federal agencies that use the
designations in the Higher Education Act for federal programs and grants. “The
designation will foster partnerships between community organizations,
colleges and universities, and federal agencies to implement much needed
research and services for our diverse communities,” stated Gordon Chin, National
CAPACD President and Executive Director of Chinatown Community Development
Corporation in San Francisco. HUD, for example, provides grants
to Hispanic Serving Institutions to conduct community development research and
activities.
(See
http://www.cfda.gov/static/p14514.htm. CDFA 14.514 - Hispanic-Serving
Institutions Assisting Communities).
“This is very significant legislation that, if passed, will be an unprecedented
testament by Congress of its recognition and inclusion of AAPIs as an
underserved minority group,” stated Hasegawa. The introduction
of this legislation will also provide an opportunity for a dialogue with
national policy makers about the unmet needs of specific AAPI communities that
are masked by aggregated data on AAPIs. Ratha Paul Yem, National CAPACD board
member and Executive Director of the Cambodian American League of Lowell,
Massachusetts responds, “This bill is so important to communities like the
Cambodian Americans who have among the lowest college degree attainment rates in
the nation. Cambodian Americans, other south east
Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians do not have the same achievements
in higher education.”
There are designations for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal
Colleges and Universities, Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Millions of dollars are
appropriated by congress and granted to these designated institutions to
increase their capacity to serve minority students. Asian American and Pacific
Islanders are not currently identified as a disadvantaged group in the Higher
Education Act. This legislation seeks to amend Titles III and V of the Higher
Education Act to authorize the Department of Education to designate higher
education institutions with a 10% minimal enrollment of Asian American and
Pacific Islander full-time equivalent students as an Asian American and Pacific
Islander Serving Institution.
For further information regarding H.R. 4825, contact Jeannine Aguon at
jeannine.aguon@mail.house.gov
or Esther Kia’aina at
esther.kiaaina@mail.house.gov.
The mission of National CAPACD is to enhance the capacity and ability of
community based organizations to conduct community development activities for
Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. For more information about
National CAPACD, please visit
www.nationalcapacd.org.
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ATTACHMENTS: BILL LANGUAGE,
STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN UNDERWOOD
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