Asian Wisconzine Section/Heidi M. Pascual
News from the Asian American Community
From PAMANA:
After 50 Years, UW-Madison Will Stop Offering Filipino Language Courses
Excluding English, Filipino (Tagalog-based) is the third most frequently spoken language in the U.S., according to latest census estimates.
In the last couple of years, two Ivy League universities — Harvard and Yale — have opened Filipino language courses. Two other Ivies, Cornell and UPenn, have been offering these courses for decades.
UW-Madison, however, is bucking these trends.
Starting this fall semester, UW-Madison will discontinue its Filipino language courses, which have been offered since the 1970s. Administrators reasoned that this is due to budget cuts.
According to reports, other Southeast Asian (SEA) languages are "safe" from being axed by UW-Madison this fall. Only the Filipino program, which ironically brings in the highest enrollment among SEA language courses, will be taken down.
This development has affected members of the Filipinx American Student Organization (FASO). According to the group's statement posted on Dec. 14, 2025:
"FASO was founded 34 years ago when students from the Filipino Language Program decided to create a space for Filipino culture on UW's campus... FASO would not exist without the Filipino Language Program."
FASO continues its discussion with the university to find ways to save the program, which would likely be through fundraising to support the instructors' salary. Once details are ironed out, PAMANA will be FASO's key partner in this community endeavor.
For now, FASO held a town hall meeting this past Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Sewell Social Sciences Hall, Room 6203 (Address: 1180 Observatory Dr, Madison).
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From CAPAC:
CAPAC Leaders Oppose Republican Bill to Disenfranchise Minority Voters
Feb 12; WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Grace Meng (NY-06) and CAPAC Civil Rights and Voting Rights Task Force Chair Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued a joint statement following House passage of H.R. 7296, the SAVE America Act:
“Instead of lowering costs for hardworking Americans, House Republicans are wasting time on a bill they have already passed. Their so-called ‘SAVE America Act’ is yet another attempt to disenfranchise minority voters and strip millions of Americans of their right to vote.
“Under this legislation, Americans would be unable to vote using a driver’s license, military ID, or other state-issued ID alone. The bill also effectively eliminates mail and online voter registration, which has been critical for deployed service members overseas, individuals with disabilities, and people with limited English proficiency to participate in our elections. Furthermore, House Republicans are requiring states to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, the same department overseeing ICE arrests and killings of citizens across this country.
“The bureaucratic and financial barriers are so extreme that millions of eligible voters could be dissuaded from voting altogether. One-third of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voters have limited English proficiency. Asian immigrants also represent the largest share of naturalized citizens and may lack access to the documentation required under this burdensome legislation. Because of the provisions in this bill, the collective voice of the AANHPI community in our elections would be silenced.
“This is the goal of the Trump administration and congressional Republicans: to seize control over our elections, force states to hand over voter rolls to the same agency terrorizing our communities, and suppress AANHPI participation in our democracy. We see this power grab for what it is, and we will never back down from protecting Americans’ sacred right to choose our nation’s leaders.”