East Coast Asian American Student Union

The East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of Asian and Pacific Islander social issues.^[1] Run by volunteers, ECAASU's advocacy work focuses on outreach to AAPI student organizations across the United States and by educating individuals through various programs throughout the year. ECAASU hosts an annual conference 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 1,500 students to its annual conference. The ECAASU conference held at the University of Pennsylvania (March 4–6, 2010) 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.

In the 1960s, Asian American students organized rallies, sit-ins, and campus takeovers in San Francisco, California, and in other parts of the country that called for universities to improve access to higher education for these students. These efforts coincided with Asian Americans entering universities and colleges in significant numbers. Ethnic studies and other supportive programs were established to include Asian Americans.^[4]

During the 1970s, Asian American student organizations were established to deal with their specific needs and concerns. The first was the Yale University Asian American Students Association (Yale AASA), which was established in 1969. Its members persuaded Yale to recruit more Asian American students, organized campaigns to repeal Title II of the 1950 McCarran Act, and developed the first Asian American Studies course on the East Coast during the Spring semester of 1970.

The first East Coast Asian American student conference, "Asians in America," took place 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, of Yale's Class of 1971, founded Amerasia Journal, the first academic journal for the field of Asian American Studies.

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". This sparked a student-led struggle against this decision. 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.

In addition, ECAASU began to apply for non-profit status and created new boards, including the Board of Directors (aka Directorate) and the ECAASU Representatives Council (which included about). The National Board has also taken steps to create ECAASU events outside of the yearly conference,^[5] including regional fall mixers. Lastly, the National Board has revived the ECAASU journal, formerly known as Asian American Spirit, now titled Envision.

Following ECAASU's 2007 Conference at Yale, the council experienced a period of revival, growing from 2 to 12 people and occupying 10 board positions. In 2008, ECAASU became ECAASU, Inc. as it became an 501(c)(3) organization.^[6] The council was then reestablished as the National Board, boasting around 60 members from over 40 schools.

In 2021, in-person attendance for the conference was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, following the end of 2020. The conference was moved virtually for both 2021 and 2022, resuming in-person activities in 2023.

ECAASU offers three major programs, which allows participants to receive a discounted registration fee to the annual conference.

• High School Program: The virtual program is an initiative offered by the organization that aims to educate high school students across the country on Asian American issues. Its three core themes are identity & self, political activism & community organizing, and social movements & history.^[7] The program hosts workshops online, bringing projects and discussions over Zoom.
• Campus Summits: Aimed at those in higher education, Campus Summits offers a similar program to the High School Program but to undergraduate and graduate students alike. Originally known as Campus Tours, the summits are essentially mini-conferences that are hosted locally at the organizer's campus and/or community, where they primarily educate students, faculty, and staff about AAPI issues.^[8]
• Artist in Residence: Established in 2020, the Artist in Residence program's mission is to "uplift and foster community between emerging Asian American (A/A) artists of all mediums." Offering meetings, guest mentors, craft workshops, and discussion workshops, AiR also focuses on uplifting selected artists by sharing their portfolios through ECAASU’s network, housing portfolios on ECAASU’s existing platforms, supporting artists in publishing opportunities including the ECAASU Journal, and providing a final exposition at ECAASU’s annual national conference.^[9]
• ECAASU Journal: A recent publication, ECAASU Journal made its inaugural issue post-2025 Conference.^[10][11] An academic and artistic journal, the journal offers five major categories of works, ranging from creative writing, essays, poetry, photography/film, and visual art, with submissions from over 10 different artists.

ECAASU hosts annual conferences around the East Coast,^[12] spearheaded by three major boards: the National Board, the Board of Directors, and the Conference Team. At the end of each conference, a group of students (usually those in an Asian American student organization) submits a bid proposal to the conference director in order to bring the conference to their campus, in which those will become part of the annual (External) Conference Team.

A thematic statement offers centralized tenants to the conferences' workshops,^[13] exploring the nuances of the Asian American identity. Workshops are hosted by the National Board, offering plenaries and roundtables.

A conference also holds a keynote speaker during the opening ceremony. Recent keynote speakers included author R.F. Kuang and chef Edward Lee, at the 2024 and 2025 Conference respectively.^[14][15]

• Takanagi, Dana Y (1992). The Retreat from Race: Asian-American Admissions and Racial Politics. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-1914-4. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
• Vellela, Tony (1988). New Voices: Student Activism in the '80s and '90s. South End Press. pp. 113–116. ISBN 0-89608-341-1. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
• Wei, William (1994). The Asian American Movement. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-183-0. Retrieved 25 February 2008.

• ECASU: East Coast Asian Student Union
• East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU)