This page is a comprehensive summary of the All-ASA Confederation. Please click through the sections to find out more.
What is the All-ASA?
However, it does have a central judiciary body, the sole purpose of which is to ensure that participating organizations adhere to the governing documents in practice and help facilitate the organizational memory of the confederation.
The principles and history behind this formulation are outlined in Articles 2, 3, and 4 of Articles of Confederation of the All-Armenian Student Association as well as the history leading up to its creation.
Ideology and Principles of the All-ASA
Article 2 – The All-ASA is a League of Independent Equals
Neither individual, nor Constituent Organization, nor group of Constituent Organizations less than the whole of the signed organizations, nor Observer Organization, nor group of Observer Organizations less than the whole of the signed organizations lay claim to being in control of or directing the All-ASA or any of the organizations that are signed on this protocol. In order to combat any forces that may seek to undermine the independence of the individual Armenian student organizations in the name of cooperation and/or unity, this protocol proclaims that each signed organization retains its sovereignty, independence, and all authority, all jurisdiction, and every right, that is not explicitly delegated to the All-ASA by these Articles of the Confederation of the All-Armenian Student Association.
Article 3 – The Primary Goals and Guiding Principles of the All-ASA
The primary goals of the All-ASA are to promote communication between its Constituent Organizations and provide forums, through which the organizations may announce events, publicize activities, share ideas regarding the Armenian college student community, and facilitate the formulation of All-ASA programs. The principles guiding the realization of these goals are democracy, equal opportunity, responsibility, accountability, and transparency both as individuals and organizations.
Article 4 – The Authority of the All-ASA
The All-ASA will only have authority and oversight over activities of its own initiation. It will not have authority over, nor can it be used as a tool with which to influence the internal activities of its Constituent Organizations except for those items explicitly noted as a requirement for an organization to be considered eligible to enter into agreement with or maintain its status as a Constituent Organization as set forth in these Articles of the Confederation of the All-Armenian Student Association.
History of the All-ASA
Prior to the establishment of the current All-ASA, in the late 1990′s the Los Angeles-area Armenian college student groups participated in a federation known as the Inter-Collegiate Council (ICC). While the ICC had similar goals to the All-ASA its structure called for the election of an ICC president and other executives as well as a common treasury, derived from the resources of, but separate from the participating Armenian college student groups. In the mid-1990′s this body was dissolved due to irreconcilable differences between participating groups and the ICC leadership. The lessons learned pointed to two conclusions:
- Elected leadership and segregated resources, outside of the component organizations, created competing interests.
- This resulted in some ICC leaders prioritizing efforts within the ICC rather than their primary function as representatives of the Armenian college student groups to which they were elected.
- The common, standing resources led to resources being kept/built for the ICC rather than the component organizations or specific ICC events/projects.
After a couple of academic cycles and new leadership the Armenian college student groups once again naturally sought out interaction with one another. Centered around a few remaining traditional, cooperative events such as an Armenian Genocide candlelight vigil commemoration, the groups once again began to start meeting regularly working up to three general meetings an academic year. During these meetings groups in attendance would primarily update others regarding their campus events. Once and a while a collaborative activity, such as a picnic or party would be discussed.
The early 2000′s also saw the rise and resurgence of non-campus/college based student groups. Many Armenian college student groups were approached by the leaders of these groups to promote as well as provide resources for their activities. Similar to the situation with the ICC, some elected leaders from the campus-based groups were finding themselves co-opted into these organizations’ leaderships and coerced or simply prioritizing those activities over their responsibilities to their own campuses. Often this was done under the rallying call and cover of community “unity”.
In the end, the Armenian college student groups suffered the loss of members, resources, and the ability of their leadership to maintain, let alone grow, the campus groups for which they were responsible and are the life-blood of the Armenian college student community.
In 2002, with the hard-learned lessons of the mid-1990s and early 2000s as well as the boom in telecommunications represented by e-mails and listservs, the Armenian college student group leaders in southern California sought to formalize a relationship between them that already existed and that needed to be defined beyond simple information sharing to be useful and relevant.
Spurred by the UCLA Armenian Graduate Students’ Association’s call for a formal meeting to do so, over a dozen Armenian college student groups came together in September 2002 for a general meeting at UCLA at which the creation of a social contract between the groups was discussed. A committee was formed, open to all groups, and chaired by the CSUN Armenian Student Association. By the next general meeting of these groups, hosted by the ARF-Shant Student Association in January 2003, a draft of the governing document was presented to and adopted by the representatives convened.
The initial All-ASA committees included:
- All-ASA Athletic Games Committee
- All-ASA Candlelight Vigil Committee
- All-ASA College Fair Committee
- All-ASA Homeland Welfare Committee
- All-ASA Leadership Development Committee
- All-ASA Quiz Bowl Committee
In the years that followed additional Armenian college student groups participated in the All-ASA and new committees were created including committees that addressed information technology issues, organized an All-ASA Culture Fair, and expanded the mission of the candlelight vigil committee into one more broadly focused on Armenian Genocide recognition.
In 2009, the Armenian college student groups participating in the All-ASA created an All-ASA Judiciary Counsel to bring together veteran representatives, now alumni of All-ASA committees and general meetings from the participating groups in order to provide a means by the All-ASA could better adhere to its governing documents as well as facilitate organizational memory.
The Confederation of All-Armenian Student Association continues to operate today under the same social contract that was first adopted in 2003. It continues to evolve and to do its best to facilitate inter-Armenian college student group activity while overcoming the ever present challenges to dependable communication between groups.
In doing so, the All-ASA fosters mutual respect among organizations and leaders while providing a means by which their synergistic efforts can be realized.
Structure of the All-ASA
- General Meetings
- Committee Meetings
- All-ASA events
- Council Meetings
The All-ASA governing documents currently stipulate that three General Meetings should occur during a given year. Each participating group, as defined by the governing documents, is allowed to send representatives to these meetings. These meetings are held for the purpose of discussing issues of common concern, creating/evaluating/terminating All-ASA committees, reviewing the status of current participating organizations, and the induction of additional participating organizations.
The All-ASA committee meetings are the forums through which All-ASA events and activities are planned and evaluated. Ideally, the more microscopic event planning occurs in this setting while the more macroscopic evaluation of the overall events and the committees responsible for them occurs during the General Meetings.
The All-ASA events and activities are the product of All-ASA committee efforts. All-ASA activities have ranged over the years from candlelight vigils and quiz bowls to basketball/soccer tournaments and college fairs. Fundraising for these events is done by the committee as needed for each event as there is no standing treasury from which a budget may be drawn. This also helps ensure that a given committee is more responsible for the resources used in the process of putting on an event as they, themselves, are responsible for the gathering of these resources.
All-ASA Council Meetings are ad hoc meetings. These do not occur on a regularly scheduled basis, but are stipulated by the governing documents as a means by which the All-ASA participating organizations can address emergency situations.
Eligibility to Participate in the All-ASA
The All-ASA, being a confederation of independent organizations, does not have a membership or means by which individuals can be involved in the All-ASA. Individuals may only be active within the All-ASA through involvement with a participating organization of the All-ASA as it partakes in All-ASA related meetings and activities.