As the population in New York City becomes more and more diverse,

As the population in New York City becomes more and more diverse, the CUNY system has been getting a rich, diverse student population. On March 8th, the City Council’s Higher Education Committee held a public hearing and invited many representatives from CUNY’s ethnic studies centers and organizations to express their opinions. According to a report released by the City Council, 17.1 percent of the fall 2010 students in CUNY are Asian Americans. In some popular schools, Asian American students even take up half or two-thirds of the student population. The Committee was chaired by Councilman Ydanie Rodriguez (D-District 10). The attendants present were representatives of more than 20 ethnic studies centers and organizations, including Asian American/Asian Research Institute’s Executive Director Joyce Moy.

According to the study, in the fall of 2010, white students made up 30.1 of the population in CUNY, followed by 27.1 percent Hispanics, 25.4 percent African Americans, 17.1 percent Asian Americans, and .3 percent Native Americans, among them representing 205 countries. In the freshman class, 37 percent of the students were born outside of the United States, and 47 percent of them have English as a second language.

“The ethnic studies centers and organizations in CUNY serve an important purpose for New York City’s diverse populations,” said Rodriguez.

Moy pointed out that in some CUNY schools there is a very high percentage of Asian-American students. According to the fall 2009 statistics, 38 percent of students at Baruch College are Asian Americans, 24.3 percent of students at Hunter College are Asian Americans, 26.8 percent of students at Queens College are Asian Americans, and 24.4 percent and 23.9 percent of students at LaGuardia Community College and Queensborough Community College respectively.

Moy believed that as the population of Asian Americans increases, it is important to cultivate the next generation of young people to get involved with the political system and to vote. Moreover, they should be encouraged to work for the many agencies in the city government.

By Fang Meng, World Journal, 9 March 2011. Translated from Chinese by Connie Yik Kong.