Pitt sends message to its student community about racism and xenophobia against Asian students.

Kenyon Bonner, the Vice Provost and Dean of Students at the University of Pittsburgh, sent an announcement to the Pitt student population yesterday about the coronavirus's potential impact on health and well-being. The message also included a message about curbing racism and xenophobia that has been directed against Asian-American and international students at Pitt:

In addition to our physical wellness, it is important that during this time we remain committed to our communal well-being. Pitt aims to be an inclusive community in which everyone feels like they belong and are valued. Disappointedly, some members of our community have used the coronavirus as a vehicle to spew hateful rhetoric targeted at some of our international, Asian American students, and people who are perceived to have been in contact with COVID-19. This type of treatment is wrong, insensitive, harmful, and contrary to the University’s values. Although this outbreak started in China, having Chinese ancestry – or any other ancestry – does not place a person at higher risk for this illness.

As you discuss the coronavirus, please keep a few considerations in mind:

• Memes and jokes often stem from offensive stereotypes
• Jokes about Asian connections to the coronavirus normalize racist and discriminatory behavior
• Fact-check information before sharing on social media. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) are credible resources
• Empathize with those who have contracted COVID-19 or whose friends or family may be at risk, rather than blaming them
• Read the WHO A Guide to Preventing and Addressing Social Stigma

Together, we can make our campus feel inclusive for everyone by treating each other with dignity and respect and sharing accurate information with our fellow community members.

Input requested for potential Asian American Studies Program at Pitt.

Groups at the University of Pittsburgh are gathering information to advocate for the creation of an Asian American Studies minor or certificate program.

The Asian Student Alliance's University Affairs Committee (UAC) is hoping to create an Asian American Studies Program that will be accompanied by an Asian American Studies Certificate. Unlike the Asian Studies Certificate that is granted through the Asian Studies Center, which focuses on topics and issues in Asia, the Asian American Studies Program and Certificate will focus mainly on Asian American issues and topics. This means the certificate will focus moreso on issues in America that concern and affect Asian Americans. Examples of possible topics include (1) affirmative action, (2) the model minority myth, (3) representation in Western/American media; and (4) Asian American history. The University Affairs Committee is looking to record responses from individuals that will show why an Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh is important and necessary. Select testimonials will be included in a larger presentation that will be shown to University of Pittsburgh faculty and staff.

Those interested in sharing their thoughts and testimonials are invited to complete this Google Doc.

City-Paper: How Jasmine Cho's 'pursuit of all things yummy' turned into a hunger for Asian American representation.

Yesterday the Pittsburgh City-Paper profiled local baker, author, and activist Jasmine Cho, who has followed a big 2019 with scheduled appearances at the East Coast Asian American Student Union and the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival.

Jasmine Cho laughs as she says this, but it's no joke. In the past year, the artist, cookie activist, and founder of Yummyholic has published a book, given a TEDx talk, been featured in national media like NPR and the Huffington Post, placed first in a Food Network competition, and had Mayor Bill Peduto officially proclaim Jan. 28 Jasmine Cho day; all of this achieved while Cho pursued an art therapy degree from Carlow University.

Cho’s step into the spotlight has stemmed gradually from her unique combination of cookie art and social justice. Today, the Los Angeles native and current Pittsburgher uses cookies to initiate conversations on race. Cho creates intricate portraits of important Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, using cookies to give representation to a historically underrepresented community.

Profiles of KIIN Lao & Thai Eatery.

Yesterday the Pittsburgh City-Paper profiled KIIN Lao & Thai Eatery, which opened in November in the space formerly occupied by Bangkok Balcony.

In early September, Norraset (Nor) and Rujira Nareedokmai closed their beloved Thai restaurant, Bangkok Balcony, after a 15-year run. But fans of the Squirrel Hill restaurant can rest easy: The Nareedokmais aren't going anywhere, just shifting their focus a little to the northeast. KIIN Lao & Thai Eatery is now open in Bangcok Balcony's former spot with a mix of Thao and Laotian cuisines.

Because the more than thousand-mile border shared between Laos and Thailand is so blurred — the regions have passed flavors for centuries — I expected the menu to be a jumble of dishes from both countries. But instead, it’s divided neatly in half, the Lao side full of noodle soups and sticky rice; Thai delivering curries and stir-fry noodles. The separation allows diners to see where the two cuisines diverge as well as where they connect. And for the devoted fans of Bangkok Balcony, the split makes it easy to find favorites that were carried over to KIIN.

Pittsburgh Magazine and NextPittsburgh also reviewed the new restaurant last fall.

2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起) in Pittsburgh, March 3.

The Row House Cinema will host the Pittsburgh premiere of the 2019 Chinese animated film White Snake (白蛇：缘起) on March 3. The distributor writes:

From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love.

Tickets are available online. The single-screen theater is located at 4115 Butler Street in Lawrenceville (map).

History of Boba workshop, March 1 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Taiwanese Student Association will host a History of Boba workshop on March 1.

When was boba created? How was boba made back then and what inspired the creators to innovate this refreshing drink? Come out to Pitt TSA’s History of Boba Workshop to learn more about the boba and at the end, you can even create your own boba!

It runs from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in 630 William Pitt Union (map).

"Storytime: Chinese and English" in Squirrel Hill, February 29.

via Ed Massery.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch in Squirrel Hill will hold its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on Saturday, February 29.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both Chinese and English for children and their parents or caregivers.

Storytime runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill is located at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, and 74.

Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) stays in Pittsburgh through (at least) March 5.

The Oscar-winning 2019 Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (기생충) will keep playing throughout the Pittsburgh region through at least March 5. A synopsis from the movie's official site:

Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale.

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. By turns darkly hilarious and heart-wrenching, PARASITE showcases a modern master at the top of his game.

Here is a list of currently-scheduled screenings:

• AMC Mt. Lebanon: now through March 4
• AMC Loews Waterfront: now through March 4
• Cinemark Pittsburgh Mills: now through March 4
• Row House Cinema: through 27 (black and white version)
• Squirrel Hill Manor: now through March 5
• Southside Works Cinema: now through March 5
• Waterworks Cinema: now through March 4

SAP Ariba hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist.

SAP Ariba hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Procurement Operations Specialist, this time through a staffing agency. Though not specified on this job ad, please note that this position is usually an overnight one in order to correspond to Asian time zones.

The Procurement Operations Specialist will act as the face and voice of the organization to the customer, building relationships in each interaction.

Responsibilities of the Procurement Operations Specialist:

• Handle inbound customer calls in a courteous and kind manner
• Use CRM to document and escalate issues as needed

Qualifications for the Procurement Operations Specialist:

• MUST BE FLUENT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND MANDARIN
• Customer service skills, strong troubleshooting and problem solving skills

"Finding a Balance Between Diversity and Language Standards in a University-Level Japanese Language Program," March 6 at Pitt.

The Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh will host Shinsuke Tsuchiya of Brigham Young University and his talk "Finding a Balance Between Diversity and Language Standards in a University-Level Japanese Language Program" on March 6.

One of the challenges that language professionals face in our increasingly diverse communities is establishing a balance between diversity and language standards. While Standard Japanese can be considered a common language to interact with the majority of Japanese speakers who may not be accustomed to nonnative speech (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 2012), the strict requirement to follow the monolingual standard may disregard the legitimacy of multilingual speakers, including nonstandard dialect speakers. The presenter will discuss pros and cons of setting standards in language programs and relevant findings concerning the native speaker fallacy (Tsuchiya, 2019). Then the presenter will share his shifting perspectives on errors, interlanguage, dialectal differences, and certain “nonstandard” practices (e.g. translanguaging) in his experience of training, hiring, and supervising teaching assistants at Brigham Young University.

It starts at 4:00 pm in 208B Cathedral of Learning (map) and is free and open to the public.