Programs & Services

A part of the Division of Student Life, the Advisor’s role is to serve as a contact for Asian and Asian American students regarding personal, social, academic, and community concerns. She will assist the administration with developing and implementing strategies to support and challenge students in their academic and personal goals and responsibilities. She will also advise Asian and Asian American students (whether through counseling or as a resource) and student groups. The Advisor will develop programs in collaboration with academic and administrative departments as well as with Asian student organizations to educate the community about multicultural issues. She will design programs that focus on Asian/Asian American student issues, as well as celebrating their cultures, promoting diversity, and furthering the academic success and personal growth of students of Asian descent. The Advisor will serve as a member of the school’s Cultural Advising Network.

The position of Advisor to Students of Asian Descent has existed since 1992 However, prior to 2000, the position was part-time with no benefits. In 2000, students began a movement to lobby for a full-time advisor, as well as protest the denial of tenure to the only Asian American Studies specialist on the faculty. Called WAAM (Wellesley Asian Action Movement), it soon became a collaborative effort with Latina students, who also lacked a full-time advisor. The new movement became WAAM-SLAM (Wellesley Asian Action Movement-Sisters Leading Action for Multiculturalism). After strong student participation in the movement (both Asian, Latina, and students who identified as members of neither community), and extensive media coverage, the administration granted student demands for full-time advisors to both Asian/Asian American and Latina students.