Detroit Mercy Albanian American Student Organization (AASO)

The Albanian American Student Organization (AASO) at the University of Detroit Mercy is a campus-based student group serving Albanian and Albanian-American students at the university. According to the student newspaper The Varsity News, the group was formed in 2019 and has continued to grow its membership in the years since.

The organization's purpose is straightforward: build community on campus. The Varsity News describes AASO as uniting Albanian American students across Detroit Mercy and creating a welcoming space for them within the broader student body. It is not a separately incorporated nonprofit — there are no public IRS filings or state nonprofit records for it — but a recognized student organization operating under the university.

Day-to-day activity centers on social and cultural programming for members. The group's Instagram account, @udmaaso, promotes on-campus gatherings, including a March 16 event held at the C&F building. Leadership rotates annually through a student executive board, in keeping with how Detroit Mercy student organizations are structured.

Detroit Mercy AASO shares its name with several other Albanian American Student Organizations on U.S. campuses, including the original chapter founded at Wayne State University in 1998 and the AASO Global umbrella based in metro Detroit. The Detroit Mercy chapter is its own campus group, focused specifically on student life at the University of Detroit Mercy.