I respect the views of the author, and I'm glad these great schools were profiled.

But I can't help but notice the glaring absence of UC Berkeley. As a Cal alum, and as a student activist at Cal, I can't help but wonder why Berkeley didn't make the top 10? Universities like Dartmouth (which responded poorly to the racist comments aimed at their President) made the top 10, but the home of the Third World Liberation Front, where the first UC recruitment and retention centers for AAPI students were founded, where Chancellor Tien made his mark at Berkeley, where AAPI students worked with partners at UCLA to participate in the Count Me In Campaign last year, where LGBTQ API students held the 1st annual Queer and Asian conference (now on its 3 year) and the list goes on, someone didn't get the nod?

And what about San Francisco State University? Again, a leader in TWLF and a progressive and AAPI student body.

And Stanford, which annually hosts the Listen to the Silence Conference for AAPI students.

It just seems strange that the Bay Area was completey shut off in favor of Southern California and New England schools (with te notable exception of UI).

Just some thoughts...

I agree with the person before me. I'm familiar with 3 of the schools on the list (UCLA, USC and Claremont-Pitzer), and they're legit, but I've also been exposed to Berkeley.

They are HANDS DOWN top 2 on that list with UCLA. In a league of their own.

In addition to the stuff mentioned before me, there was also:

1. the API Spoken Word Summit (a who is who for API spoken word artists)

2. The API recruitment and retention group REACH that holds API HS senior weekends to learn about API issues and resources on campus.

3. Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC) that brings together students whose history was affected by the war in southeast asia. They do a summer institute every year for HS students, empower them about their Southeast Asian identity, how to get into college, etc. Not only did they organize high school students, they also organized for college students with their Southeast Asian intercollegiate summit.

On top of that are the various APA ethnic group student orgs that do HELLA...I mean HELLA organizing. These orgs had a large role in helping put out 5000 plus at UC Berkeley for the walkout. They do on campus on stuff as well as off campus stuff in the Oakland and Richmond area like Mentoring HS students, holding anti-violence youth summits.

SF State needs some loving too. They still have a strong APA dept, strong students groups and is the birthplace of Asian American studies.

The Bay is getting no love.

unfortunately, schools that didn't send in application materials before the deadline were not reviewed in the process.  I actually did some personal outreach to people one on one to get them to send stuff in, well before the deadline.  i've even spoken to some folks after the deadline who said they wish they'd sent something in.

true... the bay is getting no love, but the truth is that the bay didn't send in any information for review... :(

thanks for the respect. as i mentioned in the reply to the other commenter below... the bay area colleges didn't submit applications.  so the judges didn't have the option of selecting any of them for recognition.

also... oberlin is in ohio (midwest) and penn is in the mid-atlantic region.  regardless, your point is valid. it's just too bad we didn't get any of the information you're sharing before the deadline in applicaiton form.

you wrote:

the bay area colleges didn't submit applications.

Not true, as far as San Francisco State University is concerned. I personally nominated SFSU as did Leanne K, who won your raffle. SFSU got an honorable mention so you must've gotten our recs. Just sayin'

thanks valerie. i stand corrected. unfortunately, only one bay area campus submitted an application, which was greatly appreciated, and of course... as seen in the wrap up note, was recognized with honorable mention.