HISTORY OF ECASU

The East Coast Asian Student Union was founded in 1977 at Yale University to develop a vehicle to increase communication and provide mutual support to Asian American organizations across campuses. In 1978, ECASU adopted the three Principles of Unity, which later evolved into its current mission:

1. Build and strengthen Asian and Asian Pacific American student organizations to serve the social, political, and educational needs of Asian and Asian Pacific American students.
2. Promote the unity of Asians, Asian Pacific Americans, and Eurasians from different nationalities and backgrounds through greater understanding of the Asian experience in America
3. Pursue social, cultural, economic, educational, and political equality of Asians as an under-represented group in the United States.
4. Strengthen relations and build coalitions between Asians, Asian Pacific Americans, and all peoples of color.

In the 1980s, against a backdrop of rising conservatism and increased typecasting of Asian Americans as the model minority, ECASU emerged as an organized force instrumental in providing leadership to the Asian American student movement. In 1983, ECASU began sponsoring annual conferences with universities across the East Coast. The themes of these conferences ranged from "Beyond the Model Minority Myth" to "Education for Action" to "Asian Empowerment through Unity." Past speakers include Phoebe Eng, J.D. Hokoyama, Daniel Inouye, Eric Liu, and Jeff Yang.

Since its humble beginnings, ECASU has grown into a powerful forum and channel for Asian and Asian American issues and activism. From helping campuses institute Asian American Awareness Weeks to increasing Asian American student awareness and participation; to coordinating investigations into college usage of quotas limited Asian American admissions; to establishing Asian American Studies programs and combating campus racism; ECASU has consistently stood for the interests of Asian American students.