| East Coast Asian American Student Union | |
| Abbreviation: | ECAASU |
| Formation: | 1977 (ICLC) 1978 (ECASU) 2004 (ECAASU) 2008 (ECAASU, Inc.) |
| Type: | Non-profit, Non-partisan, Independent intercollegiate student organization |
| Purpose: | Asian-Pacific American advocacy |
| Headquarters: | Connecticut |
| Region Served: | Eastern United States |
| Website: | www.ecaasu.org |
The East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) is a left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of Asian and Pacific Islander social issues.[1] Run by volunteers, ECAASU's advocacy work is conducted through outreach to AAPI student organizations across the United States and by educating individuals through various programs thrughout the year. ECAASU hosts an annual conference, currently known as the largest and oldest conference in the country for Asian American students[2] [3] .The organization's membership is primarily composed of universities from the eastern United States while its annual conferences draw students and activists from throughout the United States. ECAASU was originally established in 1978 as the East Coast Asian Student Union (ECASU) before changing its name at a 2005 conference. It currently attracts over 1,000 students to its annual conference. The largest ECAASU was held at the University of Pennsylvania (March 4–6, 2010) which was attended by almost 1,700 students. Likewise, the 2013 ECAASU conference held at Columbia University drew in over 1,500 students from over 200 different colleges.
Inspired by the civil rights struggles and social transformation of U.S. society of the 1960s, Asian American students rallied alongside students from other countries emerging as newly independent nations across the State of San Francisco and throughout the country to demand that the university serve the people and open its doors to students of color. After exhausting all channels of communications, Third World students resorted to rallies, sit-ins, and takeovers that forced the University to open its doors. Thus, Asian Americans won the right to a quality education and entered universities and colleges in significant numbers. Ethnic studies and other supportive programs were established to include Asian Americans.[4]
During the early 1970s, Asian American organizations were established to deal with their specific needs and concerns. Asian American student organizations (ASOs) were formed on campuses throughout the East Coast to address the issues of identity and educational rights. The first Asian American student organization was the Yale Asian American Students Association (Yale AASA), which was established in 1969. The group had 69 largely undergraduate members, who persuaded the Yale admissions office to recruit more Asian American students, organized campaigns around repealing Title II of the 1950 McCarren Act and to seek a fair trial for Black Panther Bobby Seale, developed the first Asian American Studies course on the East Coast (Spring semester 1970), and organized the first East Coast Asian American student conference, "Asians in America," which was held at Yale in April, 1970. Over 300 students from over 40 different colleges attended. Members of Yale AASA, led by editor Lowell Chun-Hoon and publisher Don Nakanishi, both members of Yale's Class of 1971, founded Amerasia Journal, the first academic journal for the field of Asian American Studies. The first issue was released in March, 1971. Some Asian American students formed community organizations to address basic issues of housing and health services.
In 1978, the Supreme Court upheld Allan Bakke's claim that he had not been admitted to UC Davis medical school due to "reverse discrimination." To many people, this decision represented an attack on the civil right gains made in the 1960s. It also sparked a huge struggle led by students originally other countries emerging as newly independent nations against this decision, which was considered a state-wide challenge that required a new level of organization. Rallying against the Bakke Decision, Asian American students recognized the need for a network capable of providing a broader perspective, mutual support, and the capacity for collective action. This led to the founding of the West Coast Asian Pacific Student Union (APSU), the Midwest Asian Pacific American Student Organization network, and ECASU, with regions in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
The 1980s was generally considered a period of conservatism with the Right on the move in attacking not only Affirmative Action, but also questioning reproductive rights, language rights, freedom of speech, social services, environment, and "back to basics" in education. It is sometimes considered the "me" generation bombarded with "careerism" without any sense of social responsibility. Asian Americans were touted as the "successful," "model minority" in Newsweek and Time in the midst of a declining economy and global U.S. influence.
However, the 80s also saw a variety of changes, ranging from the sudden surges in Asian American populations in colleges nationwide, to the scapegoating of Asians in the Clinton campaign scandal and the Lawrence Labs debacle. Even more recently, the Wen Ho Lee incident has shown that Asian Americans are not safe from racial profiling and stereotyping. In the past eight years, Asian populations in juvenile systems have doubled in parts of the country, and by all accounts the fissure between the haves and the have-nots has widened too far. APAs have also seen a resurgence of Asian American activism, from the gradual strengthening of collegiate groups to the bold organizing of the 80-20 Initiative. With eyes on these trends, ECASU looks to strengthen the East Coast Asian student community, and to bring us to new heights of awareness, activism, and pride in the APA community.
Following the Yale ECAASU Conference, the National Board experienced a period of revival. The National Board itself grew from 2 people to 12 people, occupying 10 board positions. In addition, ECAASU began to apply for non-profit status. New boards were also created, including the Board of Directors (aka Directorate) and the ECAASU Representatives Council[5] (which includes about 60 people from 40 schools in 2008). The National Board has also taken steps to create ECAASU events outside of the yearly conference,[6] including regional fall mixers. Last, the National Board has revived the ECAASU journal, formerly known as Asian American Spirit, now titled Envision. ECAASU started the Affiliate Schools Project, an online database of profiles of ECAASU member schools.
| +Past National Board Chairs | Academic Year | Name(s) | Alma Mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2016 | Jim Chan | Harvard University | |
| 2014 | Ivan Yeung | SUNY Binghamton University | |
| 2011-2014 | June Kao | New York University | |
| Summer 2011-Fall 2011 | Derek Mong | Duke University | |
| 2009-2011 | Tiffany Su | Yale University | |
| 2007-2009 | Nancy Liang | Yale University | |