For 16 years, the Asian Student Union (ASU) at Florida Atlantic University has served as a melting pot where students from various parts of Asia go to feel represented. 

The multicultural student body of the organization has grown over the years, along with ASU’s emphasis on cultural inclusion and promotion. However, current and future government legislation banning “wasteful spending” on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs might affect the organization’s presence at FAU and its ability to fund events may diminish. 

In 2023, Governor Ron. DeSantis banned public schools and universities from spending money on DEI programs in Fla.

“The Florida Board of Education has passed regulations limiting the use of public funds for DEI programs, activities and policies in the public college system,” according to ABC News. 

These programs and activities include student-led racial and cultural organizations, such as the Asian Student Union, which has been experiencing budgetary limits.  Since his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump and his administration have drawn plans to terminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments across the country. 

President Trump sent out an order on Tuesday informing all DEI offices that their workers will be put on paid administrative leave “as the agencies prepare to close all DEI-related offices and programs and to remove all websites and social media accounts for such offices,” according to NBC News. 

Emily Mejia, president of the ASU and junior studio art major at FAU, shared that the organization has only experienced budget decreases so far, but that they will continue to host fundraisers to raise enough money to cover all their planned events. 

“We actually have seen the effect of those laws in real-time. Our budget was $1,000 in the past, and now it’s $550. It’s not very sustainable for us at all. We have to do a lot of fundraising on our own now,” said Mejia.

ASU’s Executive Board remains committed to spreading awareness and education to the Asian community within FAU and plans to continue hosting and showcasing its pride through various events and efforts. 

“I’ve seen a lot of conservative values coming back during the recent years… But people still look for community. They find comfort in knowing they have a community,” she continued. 

Mejia herself embodies cultural diversity within the organization, coming from a Honduran and Guatemalan background. ASU welcomes students from various backgrounds, and also has multiple non-Asian executive board members. 

The organization offers various events throughout the year, yet one of its most attractive features for multicultural students is the ability to participate in the adjunct dance team that they offer. 

ASU’s dance team, the Atlantic ZeNami, also known as AZN, blends together Asian cultures and dancing styles through the expression of music and dance. AZN was founded in 2015, and students can join regardless of their background or proficiency level in the skill. 

“ASU wanted to create a dance team to express all the different cultures through dance… Through it, developing a new sense of skills and making a message from them,” said Sydney Nembhard, AZN’s secretary and sophomore exercise science major.

Nembhard, who is of Caribbean background, decided to join ASU due to previously being involved with Asian organizations in high school.

“The culture is very enjoyable, diverse, accepting and loving,” she said. 

AZN is set to perform a dance showcase on April 10, where they will display different types of Asian dance styles based on eight countries in the continent. These dance styles will range from Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino and more. 

Through the creation of AZN, the ASU has established yet another environment where people can express themselves through art. 

“The ASU is a safe space and a fun space for Asians and people who appreciate Asian culture to bond over cultural things, whether it’s music, fashion or games,” said Mejia

“At the core of what ASU is really about, we’re about promoting and teaching Asian culture to other people; we’re a space for Asian culture to come in but for everyone else as well,” she continued.

Member of the public relations committee and dancer for AZN Gianni Dornevil, from Haitian-Jamaican descent, shared the importance that ASU’s inclusion of diverse cultures has in his experience and time at FAU. 

“As someone who was an introvert, talking to people was not my thing. As I started joining the club and doing more things, it built up my confidence, my understanding of others, and my understanding of many more cultures and how every person views the world differently,” said Gianni Dornevil, a junior computer science major. 

“I’m really happy that they’re willing to accept people from all different backgrounds, although they’re completely separate, who just want to understand it and appreciate it,” he said. 

ASU has made it a priority to enable student connections and connect the organization with other clubs inside and outside the FAU community. Maxine Nguyen, co-president of ASU, shared that the organization works closely with FAU’s Multicultural Programming,  Indian Student Association and  Student Engagement Association to host large events where a concoction of different cultures can feel identified and can build a community.

One of these was the celebration of Diwali, a South Asian holiday known as the “Festival of Lights,” in which ASU hosted over 300 students.

“Having Diwali as a collaborative event and having many people show up, I think it helped to extend and unify the Asian population more,” she said.

Nguyen has been part of ASU for three years. She is a junior and urban design major at FAU. 

The ASU plans to host another large event this upcoming Thursday, Jan. 30, to celebrate a prominent holiday in Asian culture, the Lunar Year. 

Through being a part of these events, members of the organization have had the opportunity to create friendships and build a community that many seek during their early times in the university, shared Nembhard. 

“It’s saved me tremendously; it’s helped me make friends and also gotten me out of my shell,” she said. 

In addition to the rich education of cultural diversity found within the organization, the accessibility to be part of a group or team is what’s brought many of the members even closer together. 

Through promotion tabling hours on the Breezeway, three-hour-long dance practices each week, and body meetings, members have the opportunity to network and establish bonds with people who they identify and spend a lot of time with. 

“I wanted to meet people and when I first joined, I think there were 6 or 7 people in the Executive Board, now there’s over 20 people. Seeing how much the club has grown, we get to go out to restaurants and try foods we’ve never tried before from other cultures,” said Chong Juergensen, a Junior at FAU and a science major with a focus on climate change. 

Juergensen is of Asian background, serves as the PR coordinator for ASU, and has been a part of the organization for three years. 

Apart from encouraging pride in diversity and culture, the organization has become a place where members grow as much together as they do as individuals. 

Another member of the Executive Board, Idaris Naphakorn, of Thai background, shared that his personal and transformative journey was thanks to the union. He described the ASU as his “little umbrella.” 

“I used to not really have a voice or be heard by other people. I used to be more of an introvert, and now I’m in Public Relations talking to people I never would’ve before…[ASU] gets me out of the house. It’s good to know I’m around in these people’s lives,” said Naphakorn, who is a senior graphic design student at FAU and a member of the Public Relations coordinating committee, as well as an AZN dancer. 

An open-minded, highly diverse community, the ASU has made finding a community with students with much in common much easier.

“I thrive off of seeing people enjoy themselves and create new connections here, I enjoy seeing them thrive in what they’re good at. I’m all about getting to see people grow and I have seen that…ASU is my community and my family. I’m at home at ASU, we’re so big and there’s so many options to make new connections,” said Mejia. 

Isabella Visbal is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, contact Visbal at ivisbal2020@fau.edu.