National APAMSA Condemns Violent Suppression of Student Protests on College Campuses
On April 18th, 2024, the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested over 100 peaceful student protestors at Columbia University’s “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” in response to orders by university President Nemat Minouche Shafik. The arrests have ignited a nationwide movement of college students setting up similar encampments to protest US support for Israeli military action in Gaza and to call for divestment of school endowments from corporations that profit from war.
Alarmingly, however, college administrators have continued to escalate against peaceful student protests with violent police suppression, disproportionate disciplinary action, and undue censorship. Administrator-ordered police intervention on several campuses has led to more than 800 arrests of students nationally, with many police officers using excessive force. At the University of Texas at Austin, Governor Greg Abbott called on state troopers clad in riot gear to stop peaceful student demonstrations, while at Emory University police officers and state troopers reportedly used pepper spray, rubber bullets and tear gas on students, tased attendees, and wrestled faculty to the ground. Since November 2023, administrators have employed multiple intimidation tactics to censor pro-Palestinian voices, including suspending students to facilitate police arrests, banning student chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and even terminating physicians-in-training from residency programs.
National APAMSA condemns the brutal crackdown on academic freedom and free speech on college campuses across the country. We support statements made by organizations such as Asian Texans for Justice, Rise AAPI, Emgage Action, Stop AAPI Hate, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Human Rights Watch (HRW). As a national medical student organization whose mission is rooted in principles of health advocacy, we stand in solidarity with all students exercising their constitutional right to free speech to advocate for human rights. As stated in a previous statement, National APAMSA unequivocally upholds the value of human life everywhere. We remain committed in our demand for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza in light of the thousands of innocent lives lost, numerous attacks on healthcare workers and facilities, and restricted access to humanitarian aid.
We call on college administrators to resist political pressures to censor student voices and instead uphold academic freedom––encouraging students to engage in civil discourse on campuses without fear of punitive and disproportionate punishment. Removing peaceful protests using police violence under the guise of improving campus safety further endangers students and creates hostile learning environments. Reiterating previous statements, we likewise continue to condemn accounts of anti-Palestinian racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia reported amid the protests.
For questions or concerns, please reach out to Nataliyah Tahir at rapidresponse@apamsa.org
Alicia Bui, Hepatitis B & C Director
Network Director
Hello! My name is Alicia Bui and I am a third year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. I grew up in Irvine, CA and I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. I’ve been involved with APAMSA since my first year of medical school and I served as the Chapter President this past year. Outside of school, I enjoy traveling, eating good food, doing nail art, going to concerts, and loving BTS. I’m passionate about addressing health disparities in the AANHPI population so I’m excited to serve as a Hepatitis B/C Director this year!
Kanoe Evile, NHPI Director
Network Director
Kanoe Evile is currently a first year medical student at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She grew up in the town of Haleiwa, HI on O’ahu in a Filipino-Samoan family that inspired her love for her community and Pacific Health. She completed her B.S. in Biological Engineering with a minor in Linguistics at MIT before entering the MD/PhD Program at Columbia. She is passionate about addressing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) minority issues and looks forward to best serving these communities at the intersection of medicine and public health. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, adventures to the grocery store (and of course, cooking), and spontaneous karaoke and dance parties!
James Chen, Region IX Director
Network Director
James Chen is currently a third year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine (JSSOM) in Galveston, Texas. He grew up in Houston, Texas and completed his B.A. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice University with a minor in the Medical Humanities. His research background before medical school consisted of cancer therapeutic research at MD Anderson and wound healing research at Baylor College of Medicine, and in medical school he is involved with research around novel devices to help the visually impaired, improvements to medical education, and AANHPI health disparities. In the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, he has previously served as the JSSOM Chapter President and is motivated to create a stronger sense of community for AANHPI medical students. Outside of school, he loves trying new restaurants, basketball, live music, traveling, and playing piano. After medical school, he aims to pursue a career as an ophthalmologist.
Christine Nguyen, Region VIII Director
Network Director
Hi everyone, I’m Christine! I’m a third year at PNWU. I was born in MA, but I was raised most of my life in OR. I graduated from University of Portland, majoring in Biology and a minor in Sociology. I deeply care about health advocacy in our AANHPI community and had the opportunity to serve as a Region VIII Director this past year. I am excited to be re-elected and look forward to strengthening our AANHPI community together. In my free time, I enjoy live music, baking, dancing and traveling!
Bunnarin Theng, Hepatitis B & C Director
Network Director
Hello! My name is Bunnarin Theng, a third-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. I was born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and immigrated to the United States when I was 15. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Since my first year of medical school, I have been involved with APAMSA, serving as our local chapter Vice President in Academic Research. I was also a part of the National Hepatitis Conference Committee in the past year. Outside of school, I enjoy exploring new coffee shops, Asian restaurants, and just about anything food-related! I also love traveling to new countries and have been to 24 countries so far!
Jerry Liu, Region IX Director
Network Director
Hey! My name is Jerry Liu, and I’m a second year medical student at Texas A&M School of Medicine. I grew up in Plano, Texas before attending UT Austin where I studied Management Information Systems and Chemistry. I’m excited to serve as one APAMSA’s Region 9 Directors, and help support the AANHPI population in this area. Outside of school, I enjoy west coast swing dancing, baking, and playing board games with friends!
Francis Khuong, Region IX Director
Network Director
Howdy, y’all! My name is Francis Khuong, and I am an MD-PhD student at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. Outside of school, I serve as one of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) Region IX Directors. Before medical school, I obtained my B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas and worked at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a research technician in the Wetzel Lab, studying the mechanisms of internalization for Leishmania parasites. I continue to take an avid interest in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and am planning to continue focusing on them during the PhD portion of my program. In my free time, I enjoy playing games, hanging out with my cat (Nori), and fueling both my obsession with culturing and my stomach through baking sourdough!
Brandon Tang, Region VIII Director
Network Director
Hi everyone! I’m Brandon and I’m a first year at Keck School of Medicine. I was born in Los Angeles, California but spent my childhood growing up in the bay area between Fremont and Palo Alto. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in biology and minor in psychology. I’m currently the cultural/social chair of my local APAMSA chapter. I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to be working with and strengthening the AANHPI community, and will be looking forward to be serving as one of the Region 8 Directors!
Julia Liu, Region VIII Director
Network Director
Hello, my name is Julia Liu and I am a 2nd year MD student at Oregon Health & Science University. I grew up in northern California and graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Sociology. In my free time I like to lift weights, crochet, hike, and discover new neighborhoods.