This week I interviewed the founders of the AAPI (Asian-American Pacific Islanders) House. The AAPI House is located at Cloake Hall on Main Street. Cloake Hall was previously the CODE House, Community of Diverse Excellence (the Affinity House for BIPOC students), but that house has since moved to a larger space. AAPI House serves both as a home for Asian Students as well as a space for campus cultural events and activities. Julia Hart ‘27, the Co-Founder/Event Director, and Nanditha Vinod ‘27, Co-Founder, founded AAPI House as a place to share culture and as representation for the Asian community. Only 3.7% (Forbes) of the Ursinus community identifies as Asian, and therefore the founders thought it important to represent and nurture their culture and community.
The residents of Cloake have been busy cleaning up the house and making it a comfortable and welcoming space for all. Additionally, Cloake has a kitchen, which allows the residents to cook food for themselves and to provide food for the events they plan to host this year.
AAPI House plans to hold cultural events and festivals as well as movie nights. For their movie nights you can expect to see films from Japan, Bollywood, and movies with Asian-American actors, directors, and writers. Vinod and Hart said that the movies may include actors Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan, M. Night Shyamalan, Dev Patel, etc. and films like Howl’s Moving Castle, Crazy Rich Asians, and a variety of Bollywood films.
AAPI House will also be hosting events/celebrations for Diwali in November, at which activities will include painting diya lamps, listening to Bollywood music, and traditional sweets. Vinod says this will be a dual effort with the Desi Diaspora Club, a club which was founded to bring Indian culture to Ursinus. Additionally, AAPI House will observe Lunar New Year in January with Lucky Packets and red theming; Holi Festival in March with activities such as throwing powder pigments o dyed water balloons; and a Cherry Blossom Festival in April. To end the school year there will also be a Music Festival in the summer. Vinod assured me that there would be food for all the events as well, and I can assure you that she is a wonderful cook.
As the founders of AAPI House look to the future, they hope AAPI House remains for years to come and maybe even moved to a larger house. Vinod shared, “We hope to continue the lasting legacy so that other Asian Americans can have a community and space at Ursinus for years to come.” Though the school year has just begun, everyone in the house is enjoying the community that has already started growing. The residents invite anyone who would like to come to an event to do so and if you have any questions to email Hart (juhart@ursinus.edu) and Vinod (navinod@ursinus.edu)