CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE

This article in the Hunter Envoy from October 2007 profiles the Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies at Hunter (CRAASH) during the semester of its founding. CRAASH was founded by four Hunter College students—Olivia Lin, Jessica Lee, Christopher Eng, and Emil Marquita—after Lin tried to declare an Asian American Studies minor in the Spring of 2007 and was told that the program could not offer minors because there was no acting head or budget. The article reports that CRAASH was working on flyering, petitioning, and meeting with key administrators in order to organize the Hunter community and spread awareness about the inadequate conditions facing the AASP.

The Hunter College Asian American Studies Program (AASP) was established in 1993. As the only academic program in Asian American studies in the CUNY system, the AASP offers a minor in Asian American Studies and other resources and programming. The AASP supports scholars, artists, and activists advancing scholarship in the fields of Asian American studies and critical ethnic studies and serves as a resource for New York City's Asian American communities. In 2006, the program was at risk of being cut due to a lack of funding. Students formed the Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies at Hunter (CRAASH) and saved the program within a year. CRAASH is now a student-run club that continues to advocate for the AASP.