By: Renae Visico
On Feb. 10, the Brooklyn College AANAPISI Project (BCAP) held its Open House for the Spring Semester.
The Open House welcomed frequent attendees and new students to BCAP, providing an introduction to theacademic and well-being resources the office offers to students.
BCAP Program Director Megan Go and Program Coordinator Jamie Chan made sure to emphasize the need for students to take advantage of their resources by informing students of the uncertainty surrounding BCAP’s future due to the Trump administration’s decision to cut the federal grant that funds AANAPISI.
In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced that it will end funding to several Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the nation, including AANAPISI and many other institutions that serve Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the announcement. “To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas.”
This decision was met with controversy and mixed emotions among the BCAP staff, but despite the very real possibility that this spring would be BCAP’s last semester, the staff wanted to make sure students knew they could still be supported at their space.
“This is a really important moment for us as this will be our last semester,” said Chan. “But hope is not lost. I think we can find purpose in this moment, and we are still here for this semester, so this is really the time to make use of our space.”
Chan also expressed interest in hosting a study group with students later in the semester to understand the context behind the fund cuts and what that means for broader community struggles.
“We are trying to increase student advocacy right now,” said Chan. “We are happy to support you with resources and information to help you with that.”
Go and Chan proceeded to describe the resources BCAP provides, including a food pantry, a mini library, a computer lab, and tutoring for English and Mandarin.
They particularly emphasized their mental health resources, including their partnership with Hamilton Madison House to provide free referrals, and the staff members’ general availability for emotional support.
“I feel like we share the same values in this office and with everything going around in the world, in this country especially, it’s just very important to have that community,” said Go. “It’s our safe space for any ethnicity, religion, or status. So you can just walk in and talk to us for any emotional support.”
Physics Professor Mim Nakarmi also came to the Open House to teach students about the Ranjana script, where students had the opportunity to learn how to write their name in Ranjana.
“Ranjana script is a calligraphy-style script. That’s why it’s a beautiful script,” said Nakarmi. “‘Ranjana’ means ‘joyful’. So when you look at that letter, you will feel joyful.”
Students were able to get a better understanding of the ways they can take advantage of BCAP’s resources and expressed excitement for connecting with the Asian community on campus.
“I just hope to meet new people, and also to utilize some of the mental health resources,” said junior film and linguistics student Alexis Petitfrere. “I’m definitely gonna be spending a lot more time here this semester.”
Many students, especially those who were new to the BCAP office, did not know about the funding cuts before coming to the Open House, so hearing about the cuts motivated them to take advantage of the space while it was still on campus.
“I was kind of mad when I found out because obviously we need the funds for the students,” said senior environmental science student Hilary Liu. “But I’m definitely gonna come back here more often.”
Many Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senators came to show support and look for ways to help BCAP during this time of uncertainty, including Khematie Rambharan, Maliha Islam, and Mahnoor Ahmed.
“We are aware of the lack of funding, the cut of funding that BCAP is experiencing, and the potential closure of BCAP,” Rambharan told the BC Vanguard. “So we wanted to come in today just to show support to the community.”
As part of USG’s efforts to support BCAP, Senator Robert Echevarria drafted the Joint Proposition 003 before the Fall 2025 semester ended, calling the Brooklyn College Administration to “prioritize lobbying for funding for BCAP.”
“I wanted to honor all of our traditions across campus, from the tea ceremony to the Donning of the Kente,” Echevarria told the BC Vanguard.
“But within light of the Trump administration, we also have to bring awareness that these traditions and offices that are important to us are also getting cut funding, and we need to advocate for that.”
Ultimately, while this semester’s Open House reminded students that they will always have a space to find a community on campus, it is up to the students to keep that community alive.
“I wanted students to be able to, as a group together, support each other and process this so they can, for themselves, decide what their position would be,” said Chan.
“So for the students, it’s their choice. If they want to advocate, we’re here.”
Students interested in the Brooklyn College AANAPISI Project (BCAP) can visit their Instagram: @bcap.brooklyn or visit Boylan Hall 2153.