What is PSA?
The Philippine Student Association (PSA) is an RSO at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, first created in 1919! You can read more about us here and our history here.
What does PSA do?
Well, a lot! PSA holds social events, athletic events, philanthropy events, forms families between our members, and participates in cultural dancing, just to name a few things. Our biggest events include FACT, FCN, and Formal (read more about them below!)
How do I join?
Simple – come to our events and, if you’re committed, fill out our membership form! Once you fill it out and pay the membership fee, you can join Barkada, the AKA program, and even get a t-shirt!
Once I join PSA, do I have to follow any rules?
Rules probably shouldn’t be your first concern when joining PSA. However, as a member, you have a formal duty of following our mission statement and promoting the goodwill of PSA (though we’d hope you join for that exact reason!). You can read more specifics about it in our Constitution.
NOTE: While it is your personal choice to partake in the use of alcohol and other substances, we ask that you and others involved avoid wearing any PSA apparel while partaking under any circumstances – this includes photos and videos. Violators of this rule will be requested to remove PSA imagery from the scene. Otherwise, members are subject to disciplinary action from the Exec board.
Where can I find PSA online?
What's the AKA Program?
The AKA program is the Ate/Kuya/Ading program, which is structured very similarly to a Big/Little program. In Filipino culture, “ate” means older sister in Tagalog, “kuya” means older brother in Tagalog, and “ading” means younger sibling in Ilocano. By signing up for the program, you can pick up Ates, Kuyas, or Adings at the beginning of each semester provided you pay the membership fee. Throughout the year there will be events for your families to hang out, or you can hang out on your own time!
How do I get an Ate/Kuya/Ading?
AKA pairings and families are formed once a semester. First, make sure to sign up as a PSA member and pay the membership fee! Check back soon for the 2023 Fall AKA request form!
After form submissions, our VPI will then go through all the submissions and match you up based on your responses: you’ll find out the results at our AKA reveal night! Reveal night is an event where you find out who picked you up, and your Ates and/or Kuyas might surprise you with a little gift!
What's FACT?
Filipino-Americans Coming Together (FACT) Conference brings together over 1500 Filipino-Americans from the Midwest and around the country into a weekend filled with lasting experiences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus. Through our workshops and variety show, you will rediscover your Filipino-American identity while feeling belonging in a larger community.
FACT 2023 is the 31st Annual FACT conference, and will take place December 1st–3rd.
What's FCN?
Filipino Culture Night (FCN) is an annual event PSA holds in the Spring to celebrate Filipino culture and identity with a Kamayan lunch and a showcase! Traditionally, FCN donates the proceeds raised from the Kamayan lunch and showcase to charity.
FCN will be happening late in the spring semester so stay tuned for updates!
What's Formal?
Formal is an annual PSA event that celebrates and honors the seniors for their time with PSA. Every year, Formal is held in the Spring with performances and food for all to enjoy, and is a special time for seniors as they finish college as well as their PSA journey.
What's Barkada?
Roughly translates to “a tightly knit group of friends”. Barkada operates as a subgroup of PSA which highlights the Filipinx culture through cultural dancing. PSA Barkada normally holds three main performances during the academic year: for the fall semester, Barkada organizes a presentation for the Filipino Americans Coming Together (FACT) Conference. Another presentation is during the spring semester, PSA Barkada regularly participates and places in the annual Battle of the Bamboo competition in Chicago. Right after the Battle of the Bamboo season, PSA Barkada also holds numerous presentations for PSA’s own Filipino Culture Night. PSA Barkada also holds small presentations in and out of the UIUC Campus in collaboration with external organizations.
PSA Barkada is not only a cultural dance troupe, but is also a community within the PSA community. The major strength of Barkada is the willingness of each member to give full effort towards a shared goal. The struggles that stitch members closer to each other and provides a priceless bond and a plethora of memories.
What's MAFA?
The Midwest Association of Filipino Americans (MAFA) encompasses the 28+ Filipino-American and Asian-American organizations in the Midwest (including PSA!), and the list of schools within the MAFA organization is only growing. Their main events and programs include the Summer/Winter Leadership Retreat, MFAS, & MAFAmily Program! You can follow their Facebook page for the latest updates, and their Facebook group to join the rest of the MAFAsphere!