About FAASSU

History of Excellence & Diversity

Considering Sonoma State is one of the smaller universities in California, it isn't too surprising that FAASSU is almost equally small, compared to other Filipino-American clubs up and down the state. That may seem like a negative, but there's actually more positives to it.

Bridging generations: FAASSU holds a memorable reunion at the China Wok Restaurant in Vallejo, California, on January 18, 2008.

While other Filipino student organizations in California and all across the West coast have rich histories, the same can be said about FAASSU. We've only been around since 1995, but in our short existence made significant strides. We made our first-ever appearance in SSU's student-produced newspaper, The Star, on March 14, 2007, for Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Then on the weekend of October 19-21, 2007, at Friendship Games 2007 in Fullerton, we finished second place in three of the five relay picnic games. This was our best-ever finish at the annual Friendship Games event, one that involves a slew of other universities in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii.

Friendship Games is just one of several events FAASSU offers its club members, in addition to local social outings and community outreaches in Sonoma County. The events we do vary from year to year. However, Friendship Games is an annual one we always participate in. We also invite people to join us in exploring Filipino culture and heritage through cultural lessons and field trips. All of these opportunities are open to everyone, not just people of Filipino descent. One of the guiding principles of FAASSU is providing an environment where everyone feels welcomed and comfortable in socializing with each other and learning about Filipino history and traditions and what it means to be Filipino-American.

Since its birth, FAASSU has become a larger prescence at SSU, growing in membership size and the number of events it does each year. Much of the credit comes from the various styles of leadership and new visions. A side effect of that has seen the club become a multicultural organization. Out of the five or so cultural clubs at SSU, FAASSU is the most diverse. Besides people of Filipino descent, there are also students who come from Chinese, Japanese, Mhong, German, Mexican, and African backgrounds. Of course, we're always interested in other ethnicities as well. This really makes for an interesting group of students because each member's heritage adds something special to FAASSU.

The Amazing FAASSU Experience

In its colorful history at Sonoma State, FAASSU has seen many distinct personalities come and gone. Members, past and present, will tell you its the camaradarie and the energy people bring to the table that gives the club such a different feel from other SSU student organizations. Such things have not gone unnoticed. In fact, FAASSU was previously nominated for the following awards by the Associated Students: best club, best club event (Island Fever Funk Fest), and best club member. Moreover, ASI also recognized FAASSU for its positive service to the communities of Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Santa Rosa. So what to make of all this? Even though some of us have moved on, others keep coming back for more.