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History

The Beginnings of AAA
The formation of the Asian American Association (AAA) began in 1994 with members of a UC Berkeley student group called the Asian Business Association (ABA) who had a vision of creating a social organization that served the non-business Asian American community at Cal. Considered a social branch of ABA at the time but still a separate organization, AAA had the goals of expanding ABA’s social aspects while hosting a variety of events for an underserved community. Following its birth, AAA remained as a fledging organization with a small membership base that overlapped with ABA’s membership, but this grew with each semester.

Past AAA Ventures

Truelement
AAA’s dance team, TruElement, gained a prominent reputation since its birth in Spring 2000. It attracted 60-70 applicants during tryouts and performed several times a semester at campus events. TruElement competed in state-wide competitions representing not only AAA but the entire UC Berkeley. TruElement became an independent group after Spring of 2003 and has continued to maintain a high level of success and prominence on campus.

Harmonic Effusion
The AAA a capella group called Harmonic Effusion was formed in Fall 2001 to give members of the APIA community another opportunity after TruElement to participate in the arts. This a capella group had over 45 students audition for it in a past semester. Harmonic Effusion performed at several campus functions but dissolved due to lack of new leadership.

Multi-Ethnic Club
The goal of the Multi-Ethnic Club (MEC) was to provide a safe space to promote ethnic solidarity and understanding through honest and open dialogue about racial / ethnic issues on campus and within their communities. MEC sought to expand people’s sense of community and encouraged a desire to get involved with it. The main goal of this club was to plan a Multi-Ethnic Conference that would accomplish its vision. This conference would encompass a whole day and was open to all, featuring keynotes from professors and professionals across the nation. MEC was founded by alumni of AAA.

Project S.M.I.L.E.
Project SMILE (Spreading Multiculturalism and Inspiring Leadership Through Education) is the largest after-school mentoring program in the Berkeley Unified School District. Its mission was to provide mentees and mentors with an opportunity to develop special relationships of respect, trust, and support. Through one-on-one match-ups with Longfellow Middle School students, Project SMILE sought to promote and instill values such as diversity appreciation, leadership abilities, educational awareness, and a proactive sense of community. The program hoped to enhance the lives of both the mentees and the mentors by creating a generation of motivated and inspirational leaders who were academically enlightened and socially adept. In Spring 2009, Project SMILE officially broke off as its own ASUC-sponsored organization.

Committees

Committees provide a space for members to have the opportunity for growth, leadership, and self discovery. In addition to member experiences, committee members are expected to leave the semester with the following: Professional Skills
Each committee member is taught the unique AAA process. Leadership skills include: task list, pluses and deltas, goal setting, event / project planning, team management, and meeting management techniques.

Strong Sense of the AAA Mission
Committee members learn about AAA and its purpose over the semester in direct ways, from either Committee Banquet or talking to a cabinet member. They also learn in indirect ways, from posting AAA fliers in the morning, or other work that happens behind the scenes.

Empowerment
Through proven success and accomplishments, committee members should be able to harness their own ambitions within life of AAA and move with them.

Community Awareness and Action
AAA is not meant to be the end-all-be-all; one way that AAA measures its success is not only in what their members do, but what accomplishments members make in the community beyond AAA. We encourage our members to take what they learn from their experiences and apply it to other areas or aspects of their lives.

Cabinet

Cabinet Duties
Recruit committee members to attend retreat / Plan, publicize, execute First General Meeting / Publicize at Calapalooza (Fall only) / Attend every AAA event / Commit 21+ hours a week. / Table at least 2 hours a week (or as many as possible during publicity of large events) / Attend Cabinet meetings once a week / Elect the following semester’s Officers

Chair Duties
Plan their entire semester before retreat / Interview all applicants and form a committee / Hold committee meetings every week / Complete logistic planners that document events / projects

Officer Duties
Plan, prepare, and execute retreat / Attend 1-3 committee meetings each week as an Officer sponsor / Ensure cabinet harmony and advise Chairs on events planning and committee management / Maintain focus on the Mission Statement