Aman Sajid Discourse Community 10/12/13 The south Asian student association of UMBC is composed of students from all

sorts of different south Asian backgrounds. SASA is also a discourse community because of the vast variety of different cultures and backgrounds that are brought together, and labeled as one south Asian. From the different languages spoken by the members of the club, to the culturally diverse events planned to unite the south Asian students as one, SASA proves to be a distinct discourse community. The south Asian student association has so many different types of people who all share one main similarity, which is being south Asian. South Asians are mainly people from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, as well as some other countries such as Nepal and Sri Lanka. The difference in culture and communication goes even past just the different nations, but can also be seen from different parts of each country. There are more than twenty-one recognized languages spoken in just India; combine that with all the different languages spoken in the other countries as well, and get a huge list of potential languages spoken by south Asians. All of those differences are then put into one room to make a unique culture that fits everyone in the room and brings them all together. From my first SASA meeting, I am already excited to be a part of the club for the rest of my years at UMBC. Being a freshman that has just recently started college, I had no idea how everything would play out when I went to my club meeting, which had just happened to be a SASA meeting. As soon as I entered the room, I could tell there was a change in atmosphere and communication from the rest of the building to the room in which the SASA meeting was held. To begin with, there was just so much talking and communication going on. Although most of the people were speaking in English, I could hear some people communicating in different languages as well. However, not all kinds

Aman Sajid Discourse Community 10/12/13 of people would feel they fit the requirements to be in this group. Uchenna Osuala, a student of Nigerian descent at UMBC, said he feels as if he would not fit in to a club like SASA at all. He thinks that in order to be a part of SASA, it is required that he would have to be considered a south Asian. I shared this opinion of his with a board member of SASA that I know, and was told that although it may seem as if the group is only closed off to south Asians, anyone of any descent can join because the purpose of the group is to share and showcase the culture. The reactions and thoughts about the club from other people are very similar to my own. My own brother, who has been a member of SASA and has been regularly going to the events for the past three years had nothing but good things to say about the club. He told me how through SASA, he made many friends and even participated in performances while being a member of the club. In fact, he is the one that had encouraged me to join the club when I was entering UMBC. Naureen Khan, a freshman at UMBC said that SASA seems like a great club and everyone on the board was so nice. I thought it was awesome that the icebreaker game got everyone involved and made the club feel like a whole, rather than everyone just branching out into small separate groups. I even have found people with the same majors and classes as me to form study groups! Another student at UMBC, Sonali Sitaram, who is also a member of SASA explained how she is very content with how the club is and how she is able to see a mix of different cultures as both a salad bowl and melting pot because each person bring their own culture into the club with them, and spreads it to the others as well. She also told me that ever since she has been in SASA, she has met so many people that she would probably have never even talked to if she had not joined the club. Lastly, student Asma

Aman Sajid Discourse Community 10/12/13 Qaiyumi stated that at first she was unsure if she would like SASA because she has not been in a club similar to it, but after going to the meeting, she realized that she fit right in with everyone else and the board members made her feel so welcomed. The board members of SASA ensure that everyone gets news and information in any way possible, and that the members of the club get chances to interact. Since most communication in college, is done over the internet, SASA has a facebook page that keeps everyone on it updated, a twitter that helps with sending out news for events and meetings, and also emails all the members of SASA for constant updates. The tone of all the emails I have received is very friendly and the emails also give a lot of information on what there is to come. The communication, whether in person or over the internet, is in English because that is the dominant language, and therefore no one will be left out. Getting through to everyone also ensures that the turn up of people at events will be very large and will bring the south Asian community together. For example, one of the main events that SASA holds is the SASA banquet. The words used by the board members and previous members to describe this event were It is like an Indian prom. The choice of words helped people in the room visualize what the event would be like, and helped them relate to it. At events like this, the members will then have a chance to get together and socialize in a way different than they would at any other UMBC event. The South Asian Student Association of UMBC is definitely a discourse community because the way that everyone in it communicates and the difference in the overall environment of the club, shows how it is distinct from other communities and organizations. The differences in culture and the ways of interaction between the people

Aman Sajid Discourse Community 10/12/13 gives the group a distinct character that helps with bringing everyone together as a whole, and representing South Asia.