Filipino Cultural Association

The student network organization was originally designed to increase awareness of Filipino culture, as well as strengthen the unity among its members through cultural, academic, athletic, and social programs. Formed in 1978-79 under the leadership of Lito Sison, several Filipino students sought to unite other Filipinos in the University of Maryland, much in the same way that other Fil-Am student groups started in colleges/universities on the West Coast United States, and elsewhere. Originally called "Samahang Pilipino," the organization adopted the name "Filipino Cultural Association (FCA)" in 1981. It then reached its arms out to welcome friends of other nationalities interested in discovering the beauty and excitement of the Filipino culture and history.

The Filipino American Studies Program (FAST) began as a direct result of a request from the newly appointed Director of Asian American Studies, Larry Hajime Shinagawa. During the Fall of 2006, he asked Jonathan Sterlin and the executive board of the Filipino Cultural Association, who played a substantial role in the establishment of the University of Maryland's Asian American Studies Department, to lead this endeavor with the following three goals in mind:

1. To enhance the diversity of the University's course offerings by educating the campus community about the role Filipino Americans have played throughout the history of the United States and examining the culture, societal contributions, and contemporary experiences of Filipino Americans;
2. To partner with the Asian American Studies Department and representatives from the greater Filipino American community to develop the curriculum; and
3. To serve as a model for other ethnic groups to follow in the future development of diversity offerings at this University as well as other post-secondary institutions throughout the country.

The Filipino American Studies Program is integrally linked to the Asian American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, College Park whose mission is to provide students with the opportunity to study the experiences of Asian Americans critically.

FCA has a 36-year-old history of hosting its annual PCN – Philippine Culture Night – every Spring semester. The organization showcased their 37th annual show on Saturday, April 13th, 2019 at 5PM in the Stamp Student Union Grand Ballroom. The event started out as a simple showcase of Filipino culture; highlighting cultural and modern dancing, singing, and comedy skits. Often, the organization would bring in local talent (singers/singing groups, folk dance troupes, martial artists, etc.) to perform, but as the years progressed, FCA began to pull resources from within their growing membership – many of whom had participated in their local community Fil-Am organizational dance troupes and schools. During the 1994-1995 PCN, the show took on a form that was modeled after the PCN of UC Berkeley after then president, Paolo Macabenta, got the idea from one of his home visits to San Francisco. The show incorporated cultural (ethnic and pop-cultural) dances and songs into a full-length production in the form of a play. Often the topics of its plays depict the true-to-life experiences of Fil-Am youth, and how they clash-but-learn with the culture of their parents.

Aside from the yearly PCN, FCA participates in a number of events including the student fairs sponsored by the university, Cultural Explosion, many of the events sponsored by the Asian American Student Union, as well as inter-organizational events with other student groups. An example would be the annual FACES Fashion Extravaganza/Party. FACES started in 1995 as a social event between FCA and the Chinese Culture Club (CCC). The organization auditioned students to model fashions from local designers and/or retail stores. The event would end with a party for its audience and the participants themselves. For the second annual event, the Korean Student Association (KSA) joined both FCA and CCC as the third-sponsoring student organization for the event. FACES was named after a nightclub of the same name in Manila, Philippines. FACES continues to strive for excellence and takes pride in showcasing local talent to the community abroad.

FCA is also a founding-member organization of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue's sixth district. More popularly known as "D6," the group comprises Fil-Am student groups from University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Towson University, the United States Naval Academy, The Catholic University of America, George Washington University, and George Mason University. D6 encompasses the Mid-Atlantic Region of FIND, and is the sixth of eight districts that span from Maine down to Florida. In addition to FIND, D6 schools participate in sports such as George Mason University's Turkeybowl and D6 Basketball where they all have a chance to compete with each other. They also have picnics where they can meet other members of the other Filipino clubs in the district.

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