I. Who and What is ITASA?

The Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) was established by a group of students in the East Coast and Midwest who wanted to strengthen the Taiwanese American college community. These individuals realized that college students have different needs from Taiwanese Americans of other age groups, and no one could understand these needs better than college students themselves. Today, ITASA is a 501(c)(3) national organization staffed by students and recent graduates to serve their peers and their respective campuses. Over the years, ITASA has reached campuses from coast to coast and has brought thousands of students together to learn about and to address Taiwanese American issues. ITASA provides the opportunity for networking, community-building, leadership training and identity-forging that are critical to the future of Taiwanese in America.

II. ITASA 2008 Midwest Conference - Northwestern University: Theme & Vision

In efforts to raise Taiwanese American cultural awareness, people tend to focus on the individual. Does this person speak Taiwanese, Hakka, Mandarin, or none of the above? Is he or she blue, green, or politically-indifferent? However, while these individual differences are further explored, it's easy to lose sight of what we
all have in common. Our diversity is undeniable; we all have unique life experiences and values, and we should always cherish them because they make us who we are. But at the core, we all have the same collective identity—Taiwanese American, and it's about time that we unite and celebrate our shared qualities and common heritage.

There are numerous Taiwanese American individuals in the Midwest who are thriving in their own groups and communities, and our aim is to join these people together to form an even more powerful collective. If we could all join hands--to exchange our knowledge and experiences without losing sight of our own unique strengths, we are confident that the Midwest Taiwanese American community can be stronger than ever.   For the 2008 Midwest Regional Conference, our goal is to foster community- building in addition to individual awareness.

Through the workshops, participants will first examine their own identity as Taiwanese Americans, learning more about themselves and Taiwan in areas such as language, culture and traditions, and politics. Then, they will explore how they can contribute to the Taiwanese- American community, both as individuals and as a member of their respective campuses and areas. Furthermore, they will have a chance to network with other Taiwanese American students, building bridges between schools and smaller regional groups to form a larger community that can truly make a difference. Lastly, keynote speakers who are already influential members of society will share their stories, and inspire the rest of us to follow suit.

Without a doubt, Taiwanese American individuals are extremely bright, talented, and driven, so just imagine what a cohesive group of Taiwanese Americans can accomplish! Taiwanese Americans have already attracted attention from the rest of the world. Through collaboration and teamwork, now is the perfect time for us to shine and show the world, hand-in-hand, how we can impact and change communities and societies everywhere.  

III. Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC)

TASC is Northwestern's 'TASA'. TASC was founded to provide a forum in which Taiwanese history, culture and current events could be openly celebrated and shared among all Asian Americans and the NU community at large. Because Taiwanese history is often overlooked or misunderstood, and Taiwan is usually just marginalized as a former colony of Japan or China, the founders of TASC hoped to create a community in which the Taiwanese culture could be discussed in its own light.