Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 1

Improving and Validating the AAPI Student Experience By Deconstructing the Harmful “Model

Minority” Myth

University of Memphis

Lucy Orr
Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 2

Improving and Validating the AAPI Student Experience By Deconstructing the Harmful “Model

Minority” Myth

Issue/Challenge Presented

Within the confines of predominantly white institutions, it is not uncommon to have a

campus that's original policies surrounded around white supremacy and segregation. While many

are now working to overhaul the emotional and physical implications of this original

foundation's innerworkings, it is imperative to discuss the marginalized student groups that have

lacked resources and support due to harmful stereotypes. Some of the most affected individuals

of this lack of resourcing is the Asian American and Pacific Islander student population on

college campuses. This lack of programming stems from the harmful “model minority” myth

stereotype that has been created by the systemic racism built within our country. The “model

minority” myth has created the false idea that Asian Americans have overcome the disparities

placed in front of them, therefore they have somehow escaped racial injustice.

This has been proven to be untrue, as a lack of affirmative action and programming have

caused a decrease in Asian American and Pacific Islander student success within higher

education. This may come as a shock to many who hold biases against AAPI students due to the

socially constructed ideology that more are successful than not. Starting from the increase in

AAPI students attending higher education institutions with the Immigration and Naturalization

Act of 1965, an immense amount of resourcing for these students has been redacted (Cuyjet,

2016). These programming efforts have been taken away in part of the “model minority” myth

causing “deminoritization” because of “overrepresentation” (Lee, 2006). This myth has created

an environment that pits AAPI students up against other marginalized students on campus,

making others feel as if this specific group is superior to them while simultaneously invalidating
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the prejudicial experience had by AAPI students from their white counterparts. With nearly 43%

of Asian American students being considered first generation students, the generalization of

overrepresentation or predominant success up to this point is proven to be inaccurate (Cuyjet,

2016).

The most efficient way to work towards addressing the “model minority” myth is by

making contact with the multicultural affairs office present on an institution's campus. With their

excessive knowledge on programming and resourcing for marginalized student groups, it is

imperative that they are one of the first offices involved when making real change that will better

support AAPI students. Once this dialogue has started, other offices and programs can be

brought in for further discussion and input.

Proposed Initiative with Supporting Evidence

With affirmative action being no longer granted to the majority of AAPI students

attending college, it is important to recognize the benefits offered to students that fit within this

action plan. Other marginalized student populations that face systemic injustices often have

access to involvement centers specifically geared towards their cultural and emotional well being

within the college environment. To address the issue of the “model minority” myth placed upon

Asian American and Pacific Islander students that causes for a lack of academic support and

funding, the proposed initiative calls for the creation of a physically present environment on the

college campus to address first generation student pressures and support, the establishment of

peer-to-peer mentorship, increasing financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and organizing a

plan to destigmatize the educational experience of AAPI students.

To begin, an environment must be created in order to securely produce and implement

programming for AAPI student groups. This means reaching out to the department on campus
Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 4

that allocates office space and funding for incoming programming. Due to many offices having

to assure the productivity of their services, it will take time for the resources provided to AAPI

students to have a separate structure outside of an already built center, if that is to be desired.

While securing the physical environment for these new implementations, it is imperative for

campus outreach to take place in order to ensure faculty and campus support for the students

requesting these incoming services. Doing this will allow for strategic marketing and productive

campus campaigns to take place that will urge AAPI students to get involved with the provided

resources.

Moving on, the staggering statistic of nearly 43% of incoming Asian Americans students

fitting within the first generation student category highlights the need for support and the

urgency for its implementation. With these students being the first within their families to go

through the college experience, they will not be granted the same experienced-based support that

students that do not find themselves within this category will. They do not have family members

to fall back on for a consistent push and drive to the finish line based off of their success within

college. Although they may have quite a bit of morale behind them from their loved ones, the

lived experience aspect of this support is lacking. The engagement of AAPI students seeking

support due to their first generation student status will likely mirror the actions of students that

do not, but the implications of the support provided are increasingly more complex than those

who do not identify as an AAPI student (Gist-Mackey et al., 2017).

As a way to further support Asian American and Pacific Islander students that may or

may not identify as first generation is through peer-to-peer mentorship. Mentorship creates a

relationship between students alike, allowing for lived experience and struggles associated with

the students social identities to be discussed further. An effective environment for mentoring can
Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 5

be noted as having the capabilities of fostering trust, creating compatible matches, being mentee-

centric, and providing committed mentors (Plaskett et al., 2018). One of the more complicated

focuses of an effective environment mentioned is the use of the mentee-centric model. The

mentee-centric model focuses on mentors balancing the difference between being a friend-like

figure or an older peer (Plaskett et al., 2018). This process of mentorship should empower both

the mentee and mentor, creating an environment that breeds success through the building of trust

and self-awareness. This process of mentorship, embedded as an additional resource within the

new physical facility, could be worthwhile for students that currently lack confidence in their

identity or are struggling to adjust to the college atmosphere.

Continuing, it is imperative that this proposed initiative marks the importance of creating

more scholarships and providing more assistance with financial aid for Asian American and

Pacific Islander student populations. There is a lack of funding for AAPI students compared to

other marginalized student groups. This is due to the harmful “model minority” myth that has

made individuals within power believe that they have less of a need for monetary funds. For

initiatives to be successful, it is noted that the ‘how’ and ‘why’ are crucial to the ultimate success

of the proposal (Watt, 2015). There must be a valuable explanation behind the request for

additional funding or outside donations in order to convince a group or individual of the

proposed plan. In this specific initiative, when asking for funds to better support Asian American

and Pacific Islander students, it is important to note the rising 17% of undocumented immigrants

being under the age of eighteen (Cuyjet, 2016). With the requirement for success in the United

States of America often being the completion of a college degree program, more students are

working towards receiving legal documentation or working within the guidelines of state laws to

attain acceptance into an institution without consequences. The fees associated with both of the
Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 6

processes can bring a hefty cost onto an incoming student that may already fall within a lower

socioeconomic level. The creation of scholarships strictly delegated towards AAPI students

could help to alleviate the financial burden associated with starting college. Although these

scholarships can be given out based on academic merit, it is important to recognize the

disparities that are found within the educational system in regard to marginalized student groups.

By only offering academic scholarships, the institution would be neglecting a large margin of the

AAPI student population.

Adding onto the initiative proposal is the continuous work that would be put in to

destigmatize Asian American and Pacific Islanders students that are plagued by the “model

minority” myth on college campuses. This can be done through the use of critical race theory,

granting an opportunity to open up dialogue surrounding race and its effects within an

individual’s life. The environment created to support AAPI students could host an event that

focuses on telling a “counter-reality” to the one the dominant group is used to experiencing

(Watt, 156, 2015). By doing this, students within marginalized groups can share their own

experiences with oppression. This specific dialogue would allow for a discussion regarding the

“model minority” myth to be debunked, breaking down the falsities in its make-up through the

use of shared experiences mirroring oppression, using statistics in a way to verify this reality for

AAPI students..

The proposed initiative outlines a need for Asian American and Pacific Islander students

to have direct access to first generation student support, peer-to-peer mentoring, scholarship and

financial aid assistance, and working towards destigmatizing their educational experience

through the creation of a physical environment that is equipped to do such things. The creation of

an environment that better supports AAPI identifying students will increase these students'
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feeling of belonging on campus, allowing them the opportunity for placemaking. It is written that

a “sense of belonging is a key factor in student success and retention, and the alienation that

many AAPI students experience in college is deeply worrisome” (Cuyjet, p.126, 2015). With this

initiative's implementation, the goal is to create an environment that feels both safe and

productive for AAPI students who have been neglected of such experiences due to a lack of

programming and biased ideology presented by the “model minority” myth.

The main stakeholders for this initiative would be the Asian American and Pacific

Islander students themselves, but it is imperative to ensure the support of the surrounding

community. Without the support of the surrounding campus community, like professors and

donors, the likelihood of the programming being successful is grim. For this particular initiative,

the physical space created should be named in accordance with the student population it is

serving, with the programming being named “Success through Destigmatization of AAPI

Communities.” This creates an office that is easy to approach and programming that is easily

recognizable and understandable upon first glance.

With the current lack of programming, there will need to be a strategic plan put in place

to start the beginning stages of implementation. This would start with reaching out to

multicultural affairs for approval and support, quickly moving into student recruitment for

programming development once giving the greenlight to move forward. Due to the lack of

overall campus support and programming for AAPI students currently, developing students and

staff may get off to a cold start, having to consistently assess the productivity of the

programming established. This should be done through a series of anonymous surveys and

feedback forums.

Arguments of Support and Opposition

Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 8

For this initiative in particular, there is an emphasis on creating an environment that feels

both safe and productive for Asian American and Pacific Islanders students. This particular

environment would be a physical space allocated for AAPI students specifically, offering a slew

of different resources to better help them become successful within their college development.

The most compelling argument that is likely to intrigue potential stakeholders is the sense of

belonging that is lacking within the AAPI student community within college campuses. By

creating an environment that validates the oppression and systemic racism AAPI students have

suffered through whilst also being forced underneath the untrue ideology of the “model

minority” myth, they are able to find placemaking on their college campuses. The mere mention

of the “model minority” being a myth could also be a reason potential stakeholders are not

interested in approving the initiative. With this, they may believe that the mention of race and the

oppression that marginalized groups have experienced creates a further divide within our

institutions. The groups of students that do not belong within the AAPI category may feel as if

these students do not need extra resourcing. This reaction should further compel an institution to

put the initiative into motion. With this initiative starting out as a foundation support center for

AAPI students, there will likely not be many disagreements with its creation but later with its

implementation. This meaning, once the programs created to support AAPI students in the

beginning have become successful, the addition of new programming can be funded and

implemented.

This is where the most compelling arguments opposing the programming initiatives may

be made. With the simplistic nature of the initiative proposed, it is meant to be built upon. When

working to increase programming, stakeholders may question the intentions behind the

programming, wondering if the extending resources will produce more negative outcomes than
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positive. The perceived negative outcomes is the division of the student population, creating a

“racial divide” amongst the campus as a whole. Although a valid complaint if the initiative were

to inappropriately ensue violence amongst other student populations, it is unneeded due to the

simplistic nature and purposeful calmness of the programming proposed. If violence were to

ensue, the foundational core of creating an environment that is safe and productive for AAPI

students would be tainted, no longer serving its purpose.

Justification and Significance

In conclusion, the presence of system racism within higher education institutions is not

uncommon due to the foundational root of many dated campuses historically being used to only

educate white, rich men. There has been a multitude of new initiatives and policy changes in

favor of supporting marginalized student groups, offering a strong argument for the need for

affirmative action. Although institutions have been moving in the right direction towards

supporting these students within their collegiate studies, there has been a lack of support for

Asian American and Pacific Islander students, stemming from the “model minority” myth. This

myth pits AAPI students against individuals within other marginalized groups because of its

false ideology stating that they have somehow deminoritized because of “overrepresentation.”

With nearly 43% of incoming AAPI college students being considered first generation students

and 17% of undocumented individuals being below the age of eighteen, there is still an extensive

need for support for these incoming and existing students.

The initiative presented will work to support first generation students, offer peer-to-peer

mentoring programs, create new scholarships and provide financial aid assistance, and also work

to destigmatize AAPI students. This initiative is practical because of its existing need on campus

and ability to grow over time. The programming discussed is only a small piece of what can be
Initiative to Improve the AAPI Student Experience 10

built upon, allowing for as much or as little funding as needed in the beginning. It was previously

mentioned that the creation of a physical environment separate from an already available office

would take time, meaning that the original center could be as simple as having a designated

office for program representatives to work through.

This initiative will allow for AAPI students to gain a sense of belonging on campus, a

vital element to maintaining retention. By implementing a program that directly supports the

underrepresented Asian American and Pacific Islander student communities, an institution is

more likely to draw in more diversity from students looking to transfer or begin their collegiate

journey. Representation matters within higher education, so the emotional implications of the

change can only be considered positive for AAPI students specifically. Others that do not fit

within this student group may have adverse reactions at first to the incoming addition, thinking

that its creation may further divide the campus camaraderie. They may be pleasantly surprised by

the increase in positive attitudes towards the institution itself because of the placemaking that it

has created for all student groups.

This is small-scale, taking into account the experiences and feelings associated with

oppression amongst Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals, but easily becomes large-

scale when there is a mindset shift within the confines of the higher education community. By

validating experiences had by students, institutions have an opportunity to do much more than

teach out of a textbook. They gain the ability to express empathy whilst providing resourcing to

better support them within their journey as an individual as well. This particular initiative is not

earth-shattering or necessarily an idea that has never been shared, but it works to address the

stereotypes of harmful rhetoric created by systemic racism, allowing individuals to recognize the

student groups within higher education that have lacked support and programming.
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References

Cuyjet, M. J. (2016). Chapter 6: Asian American and Pacific Islander Students. In

Multiculturalism on campus: theory, models, and practices for understanding diversity and

creating inclusion (pp. 115–127). essay, Stylus Publishing.

Gist-Mackey, A. N., Wiley, M. L., & Erba, J. (2017). “You’re doing great. Keep doing what

you’re doing”: socially supportive communication during first-generation college students’

socialization. Communication Education, 67(1), 52–72.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2017.1390590

Lee, M. J. B. (2006). Ethnicity matters: rethinking how Black, Hispanic & Indian students

prepare for & succeed in college. P. Lang.

Plaskett, S., Bali, D., Nakkula, M. J., & Harris, J. (2018). Peer mentoring to support first-

generation low-income college students. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(7), 47–51.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721718767861

Watt, S. K. (2015). Chapter 10: Dialogue Matters. In Designing transformative multicultural

initiatives: theoretical foundations, practical applications, and facilitator considerations (pp.

154–157). essay, Stylus Publishing.

Watt, S. K. (2015). Chapter 4: Multicultural Initiative As Bridges. In Designing transformative

multicultural initiatives: theoretical foundations, practical applications, and facilitator

considerations (p. 63). essay, Stylus Publishing.