1983 the organization begins...

Sam Shekar Founder of the Indian American Student Association President 1983-85

1983:

Shekar started the organization with a group of 30 people who expressed similar interests and intentions. They all wanted to create a social group on campus for the Indian Americans
on campus, create a way for all to recognize their cultural identity and form cultural bonds. The University of Michigan campus was much less diverse at that time; it was mostly white and black, with a very small Asian and Hispanic population. There were only a few hundred Indian American students on campus at this time, so there were not as many interested as there are today. This organization was meant to be an initial way to introduce strangers to strangers, with a common bond. They all were of 2 cultures, and should be allowed to recognize that.

With the help of Professor Hook, these students arranged the first formal event for IASA. Shekar and several others blatantly went up to other Indian Americans on campus, and handed them flyers for the event. This was a way to remind them that their "Indian-ness" did not necessarily have to be left at home. 100 people showed up to the event at Lane Hall. It was a success, and there was a genuinely communal feeling.

The organization took off. Although they did not have an official executive board, outside of the president, 10 people were heavily involved. There was a newsletter; there were dances every other month. IASA started out as purely social, to bring those together to get to know one another, to become more comfortable with other Indian students.

The obstacles with starting such an organization were getting people involved, and making people feel truly accepted and less skeptical. But the organization truly strove for the allowance
of members to feel accepted and comfortable with being Indian American. This comfort turned into pride for many.

1984:

In the fall the Indian American Student Association had become a formal organization with 200 official members, where 80 were heavily active. Together with the Indian Student Association,
an organization made up of graduate students from India, IASA recognized Indira Gandhi's death. A celebration of Holi was also an IASA activity.

1985:

More cultural undertones began to develop. Although there were still plenty of social activities and interests, the members were interested in more than just parties and dances. Many already valued their culture and spread the interest and knowledge to other members. Founder Sam Shekar is extremely proud
of the organization today. He is amazed at how much it has grown, and how unbelievable the goals and visions have become. His dream is finally being lived out, as the organization truly represents 2 cultures. True pride is seen in the Indian American identity within the Indian American Student Association
today.

1990-91:

IASA was Indian, but also very Hindu throughout the beginning until this year. The cultural show, in celebration of Diwali, started with an actual pooja. The organization was not very diverse,
as it did not properly include all Indians. Muslims and Sikhs, for example, did not feel completely included in this predominantly Hindu organization. People spoke up in realization of this, and from this point on, the Indian American Student Association became more inclusive of all Indian religious groups. This was the beginning of the transition from a religious undertone
to a cultural one.

This was the first year of an official cultural show, and an official cultural show coordinator position. Prior to this year, the cultural show was more like a "talent show." The idea of a show began in 1988, and was held in East Quadrangle. However, this year, it was more organized. There was an actual mass meeting for signing up, as opposed to the previous method of friends unofficially putting together dances. The show was held in Mendellson Theater, and was much more professional.
This was also the first year of an Elections Ball. All of the proceeds were donated to charity.

1991-92:

This was the first year that the cultural show coordinator was actually interviewed and chosen. The show became much more fair and democratic. They began to abide by the rules and no longer "played favorites" in selecting show participants. The lottery system began, and choreographers were only allowed to preference a limited number of participants. The show moved from Mendellson Theater to the Power Center. The religious aspect of the show was removed, and was no longer a Diwali Show from that point on. 

More events were planned this year. IASA was involved in Festifall, the Elections Ball, the Cultural Show, Holy/Springfest, basketball tournaments, and few others. A date auction was held to raise money for various charities. The organization progressed from social, to cultural, to service oriented. This way, many different interests were encompassed in one organization. IASA also began to cater to all of campus, not just the Indian American community. This year marked an important transition year for the Indian American Student Association. 

1995-96:

As UAAO representative, the Indian American Student Association did not mingle as much with other APA groups on campus. There was an increasing amount of effort in attempts to incorporate involvement with other APA organizations. 

The board's purpose this year was to change the perception of a primarily social organization to a multi-faceted organization whose presence as the largest student organization- was felt across the campus. They understood this would not occur in one year, but there were a number of steps they took to accomplish this. 

The position of Volunteer Coordinator was first introduced as a full time board position. Up until that time, the tasks were accomplished by the social coordinator. This also led to an increase in volunteer/community service activities, including weekly visits to Motts Children Hospital, and Soup Kitchens.

The all men's basketball tournament, previously held for many continuous years, was changed to a co-ed sports event named "IASA-limpics," which attracted a large group of students and was sponsored by Nike.

The IASA cultural show was moved from Michigan Theater to Hill Auditorium. Selling out Hill Auditorium in the first show was a huge step to attracting new members and also non-Indian members to IASA. 

The newsletter was also changed from a mostly social publication highlighting events and activities surrounding board members and their friends, to a more informative piece to display the efforts of many other students around the campus.

The organization had improved significantly over the years, according to Rudhir Patel. "The organization was primarily a social contact for most students. It cliqued off the students into tiny groups that had many troubles throughout the year. But by my senior year, the organization was one of the most widely known on the campus." Bhargava felt as though IASA had become better known as an organization that gets involved in both the community and in the political aspects of the university. The key was also to reach out to the many diverse groups of Indians and non-Indians on the campus and getting them to work together as a united group.

1996-97:

First Midwestern Indian American Students Conference was held in January 1997. IASA became much more politically active, in addition to being more tuned to community service and cultural events.

The biggest challenge this board faced was increasing the member participation in activities beyond the cultural show. They worked a great deal to encourage members to become involved in IASA's community service and political awareness activities. The organization had to adjust to a growing IASA membership and needed to address the different needs of the Indian American community at U of M. Addressing these challenges made IASA stronger and more cohesive.

One of the biggest achievements of this board was breaking down some of the IASA clique" stereotypes that have lingered at U of M for the past years. They successfully connected with many Indian American students who had preconceived notions about IASA, and these students later became extremely involved with the organization. The organization became a very professional one.

Another achievement was increasing IASA's role in the Asian Pacific American community and UAAO. Over the past 5 years, more and more Indian Americans have been identifying themselves as APA as well as Indian American, which allows for greater strength in the pan-ethnic coalition.

Students were also encouraged to think about important issues that they may have not been exposed to before, such as media stereotyping, affirmative action, hate crimes, discrimination, and socioeconomic inequalities within the Indian American community.

1997-98:

The membership grew significantly to nearly 500 members.

A definite obstacle was trying to take the organization in new directions; political, social, community service. It was difficult to learn to open up to other ideas and perspectives, and the success of a strong organization and executive board is to be open minded, and have enthusiasm and passion for IASA.

This was the first year of Gandhi Day of Service. This incorporated many students from across campus in their involvement in this day of service, taking the community service aspect of IASA in a new, positive direction.

An event with speaker Congresswoman Lynn Rivers was also held, taking the political awareness aspect of the organization in a positive direction as well. Political activism was also increased by such events as participating in a letter writing campaign against various corporations that blatantly discriminated or portrayed stereotypes of Indians.

Committees were first formed this year, such as the cultural awareness committee, publicity committee, etc. Committees allowed for further membership involvement in actual planning, making them feel more a part of the organization. This made members realize that IASA is not run by 16 people, but rather by 500 active members.

The MIASC conference grew significantly this year, from about 200 registrants to 400, where nearly half of the registrants were out of state.

The elections process was also transformed into a more formal, official process. Speeches were given separately from the election ball itself, and voting was taken much more seriously.

1998-99:

The biggest obstacle faced during this term was a great deal of internal conflict, which made it difficult to work together at times. There was also a lot of outside pressure during times like the Cultural Show, which influenced decisions that were made. Many people had a warped image of the IASA board as being very non-approachable and uncooperative and that made people feel intimidated to bring their concerns forward. It was difficult to do what everyone wanted, and still staying true to what the board members envisioned for the organization.

The first Senior Banquet/Reception was held this year. A charity date/service auction was also held, as well as the first Skate Night. The conference was also continually successful.

Overall, the board helped to fulfill the goal of spreading Indian American culture on campus while bringing forth issues of political awareness, career choices, cultural awareness, and community service to the University.