New APSC chair to focus on unifying coalition

The Asian Pacific Student Coalition — the umbrella organization for Asian groups on campus — elected College junior Mithin Thomas last week as the new chair for 2014. He was previously the vice chair of political affairs. The DP sat down with him to discuss his plans for the upcoming year.

The Daily Pennsylvanian: Why did you decide to run for APSC chair?

Mithin Thomas: I was on board last year as vice chair of political affairs and I had a very successful term I’d say, and I felt like I could do more. As political chair, I had a lot of exposure to the things I could influence on campus, especially in terms of the [Asian Pacific Islander American] community. I wanted to continue those goals because nothing on APSC is seen or done within a term [since] most of our goals are long-term.

DP: What are some of these long-term goals?

MT: In my term and what I had seen, unifying the coalition in terms of the constituent groups is a big thing. The Asian community is very diverse on its own and trying to make sure that people care about each other’s goals as well as their own groups is a large thing.

Other issues include trying to expand the Asian American Studies program, getting more awareness for things like the Pan-Asian American Community House … and making sure the rest of campus knows about the [Asian Pacific Islander American] community.

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DP: What are some challenges that APSC faces?

MT: In terms of unifying the coalition, a lot of constituent groups care very deeply about their own group so it’s hard to see the bigger picture of trying to bring together other groups as well…

In terms of the political activism that we do, we are the Asian Pacific Islander voice. In terms of awareness there is a lot of apathy in the community. Basically, educating more students, [who are] not only of Asian descent but everyone, is a challenge. It’s hard to be creative and educate people.

DP: Do you have any immediate goals for next semester?

MT: One of the most immediate goals is, [since] the ARCH building is opening up, getting as much exposure as possible as the board is turning over and supporting PAACH, as well as the other cultural centers like Makuu and La Casa Latina. Giving that building as much exposure as possible and making sure the rest of campus is aware [of it].

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DP: How has APSC changed your experience at Penn?

MT: I [first] came on campus thinking that Penn is diverse and that we’re pretty good at bringing people together, but I didn’t see that and I was a little disappointed. I wanted to…see what I could do to bring that community atmosphere to [the APIA] community at least.

I got involved with [APSC], after my freshman year… I did some of the PAACH programming…like APALI — the Asian Pacific American Leadership Initiative. It just made me more aware of my Asian-American identity.

A previous version of this article stated that Thomas got involved with APSC in his freshman year. He became involved with it in his sophomore year.

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