The Tulane University Filipino Student Association describes itself as a space for Filipino students to celebrate their heritage and build community on campus.

In a statement provided to the Tulane Hullabaloo, TUFSA president Treasure Joiner expressed that one of the organization’s goals is to provide Filipino students with a space on campus to feel seen and heard. Ideally, the organization would provide Filipino students a sense of home and belonging. The organization is also dedicated to sharing aspects of Filipino culture with the Tulane student body. 

“For many Filipinos,” President Joiner said in the statement, “having ties to our community is crucial for those of us who are away from home, and [TUFSA] allows us the opportunity to learn and remain connected to our culture and heritage.”

In an interview with The Hullabaloo, TUFSA’s president discussed how the organization intends to do that:

“One of the events we really want to push for this semester, and hopefully every semester after, is having a halo-halo social… we hope to have a halo-halo social and then other foods like sinigang.”

Halo-halo is a traditional Filipino dessert that contains shaved ice, mixed fruit, ice cream and other ingredients.

For Tulane students interested in learning about Filipino culture, President Joiner suggests exploring different restaurants and looking for Filipino food to try. As a new organization, TUFSA is still finding ways to celebrate Filipino culture and bring it to Tulane’s campus. Joiner said that starting a new cultural organization on campus has been challenging but rewarding.

“We know that we’re trying to create that space and that community on campus so that we feel seen and represented and celebrated at Tulane’s campus, so yeah, it’s rewarding … but just the fact that we’re underrepresented on Tulane’s campus has been kind of challenging.”

As part of the multicultural council, TUFSA intends to collaborate with other cultural student organizations to host events to build a sense of community. Part of this, President Joiner suggests, is to ensure that all groups are represented and Tulanians have an opportunity to learn about the other cultural groups and identities on campus while promoting the Filipino Student Association. 

Beyond campus organizations, TUFSA also intends to explore partnerships in and around New Orleans with organizations centered around the Filipino culture and identity.

Tulanians interested in engaging with the Filipino Student Association can find them on Wavesync and Instagram. The organization is open to any Tulanian who wants to learn more about Filipino culture and history.