FCA (Filipino Cultural Association) is a student network organization 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. Originally called Samahang Filipino, 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 mission of the Filipino Cultural Association is to promote awareness and education of Filipino-American culture for the University of Maryland community. We unite our members through cooperative involvement in cultural, academic, political, athletic, and social programs and activities. Through our shared experiences, we preserve, encourage, and inspire the celebration of our culture. - Article II Mission statement in the FCA Constitution.

FCA is a great way to meet people who you can relate to. We have General Body Meetings every other week, where we learn about our culture and discuss matters that are important to us as Filipino Americans. FCA plays intramural sports, including soccer, football, and basketball. FCA also has social events, which includes the semi-formal dance and other dances. We have a dance troupe that practices traditional Filipino dances regularly. The dance troupe takes requests to perform, and it's a great way to learn cultural dances and also to perform at special events. FCA also networks with other Filipino organizations in colleges along the East Coast. FCA UMCP is in District 6, which includes DC, MD, and VA colleges. We have the semi-formal dance with District 6 schools, and we also have competitions with them, including the famous Turkey Bowl football tournament. Come check it out!

We're working on good directions to College Park. For now, you can try the UMCP web site at http://www.umd.edu.

E-mail us at fca_corre@yahoo.com.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or problems with the web site, please contact the webmaster (webmaster@fca-umcp.com).