IC Students Present at 39th Annual ECAASU Conference

03/03/16

 Nine Ithaca College students traveled to New Brunswick, New Jersey as registered participants of the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) conference held on the campus of Rutgers University.  As members of the Asian American Alliance student organization, Candice Tan ’18, Lucy Chen ’16, Sara Kim ’17, Walter Martzen ’19, Erika Mae Dimagiba ’19, Michelle Flores ’19,  Jung Chen Kuo ’19, Luke Watkins ’18, and Fion Wu ‘16  represented IC among the many institutions and participants present.

 What began in 1977 at Yale University as the nation’s first intercollegiate Asian American student conference, the East Coast Asian American Student Union has become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to inspire, educate, and empower those interested in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) issues. Run solely by volunteers, the organization’s membership is primary composed of universities from the eastern United States while its annual conferences draw students and activists from across the country. The nonprofit organization continues its advocacy work today through year-round programming, with programming including Campus Tours, Youth Summit with WHIAAPI, ECAASU Conference, etc. The goal of ECAASU is to strengthen, encourage, promote, and advance those interested in Asian American and Pacific Islander issues.

The conference was held February 26-28. Through its theme “Beyond our Boundaries” ECAASU aimed to emphasize the history of the AAPI movement while using lessons from those who empowered others to inspire students of today to go beyond the boundaries that are set to become leaders in the community and in their own lives.

Additionally, Lucy Chen and Sara Kim were conference presenters this year in which they led a session titled “Coming Together to Make New Spaces”

(Presentation Description) “Last year IC Asian American Alliance worked with the greater Ithaca Community to organize the first ever Ithaca Pan Asian American Film Festival. Through this process students, faculty, and local community members learned about issues in diversity in the media, and planned this event which featured both local and international talent. In this workshop, you will learn to discuss and learn about the process of creating a film festival, reaching out to the community for support, and pushing the boundaries for AAPI to be in the world of media. “

The Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs would like to commend the Asian American Alliance on a job well done! AAA will be leading “Focus Asia Month” events and programs in April as a part of our 4 campus-wide Cultural Theme Month Celebrations.

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