Asian student conference stresses activism, heritage

As a minority group with increasing presence in colleges nationwide, Asian-American students have long searched for ways to assert their identity and culture. For many of them, this weekend will provide an opportunity to examine what it means to be Asian-American at the 34th annual East Coast Asian Students Union (ECASU) conference, which will run from Fri., Feb 4 to Sun., Feb. 6 at the Omni Hotel. "I don't go to a school with many Asians and don't often get to hear Asian perspectives [on] issues such as stereotypes and racism. This weekend should be a great experience," Jason Chen, a second year midshipman in the U.S. Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, said. He is one of approximately 700 students from 73 schools who will participate in the conference.

CAYTE PUSHKAREVA/YH Members of the ECASU executive board have spent months preparing for this weekend's conference which will host about 700 students.

Under this year's theme of "Stepping Forward: Identity. Unity. Action.," the program's coordinators plan to focus on encouraging students to "go beyond just having discussions about the Asian-American identity and push more toward action-oriented aspects of campaigning for important issues," Jessica Chan, DC '01, the conference's fundraising co-chair, explained.

Indeed, leadership and activism will be one of the conference's keystones. ECASU will offer 35 different workshops promoting and discussing student action. Program Committee Chair Liana Chang, SY '02, stressed that the workshops "are going to focus a lot on student leadership. The leaders will be able to get to know each other and will work on particular issues together." Chan added that this focus will be reflected in the kind of students who attend ECASU. "Many student activists will be participating in the conference...we hope that they will use the network that the conference will offer to make inter-school connections through which to work on campaigning." The workshops will cover a wide range of issues prevalent in the contemporary Asian-American community today, including "True Diversity: Exploring Gender, Minorities, Racism, and Stereotyping," "Legacy to Liberation: Politics and Culture of Revolutionary Asian Pacific-Americans," "Sweatshops: The Realities of Labor Practices, Gender, and Asian America," and "`No Viagra For You!' Problem Solving Health Issues in the APA Community."

But ECASU will not be limited to student activism. The conference will also cele-brate and interrogate Asian-American culture. "A lot of people say that Asian-Americans are just a construct because it is a term that encompasses 27 different ethnic groups. However, there are merging elements between the groups and we are trying to shine the spotlight on that," conference chair Frank Lau, BR '02, explained. According to Lau, uniting the Asian-American community is to be one "foundation" of the gathering.

Consequently, the conference will offer several social events, allowing attendees to celebrate their cultural heritage while also meeting other students. Among these events are a historical exhibit, intercollegiate cultural performances, panel discussions, and a Casino Night dance similar to the annual Morse and Stiles bash.

For further enjoyment, ECASU will host some obscure guest performers: Jocelyn Enriquez, Magdalen Hsu-Li, Kai, and I Was Born with Two Tongues. But business—and the forging of business connections—will accompany this pleasure. Two keynote speakers, author Phoebe Eng and entrepreneur Benjamin Sun, are scheduled to appear. A career fair completes the program, helping, as Chan explained, "to promote career development in the participants and...bring to the conference a diversified field of industries."

Students like Chen are excited by the conference's focus on issues relevant to the rising generation of Asian-Americans. "I see ECASU as a chance to discuss common issues and ask questions which concern all Asian-Americans. One question on my mind is how Chinese-Americans respond to the growing tensions of the security situation between the U.S., Taiwan, and China," he said. "I also wonder about the unusually small number of Asians in the U.S. military." The planned cultural events will allow students like Chen to examine these questions, while remaining sensitive to "the many cultural idiosyncrasies [experienced] in an immigrant Chinese family."

This year marks the third time that the ECASU conference has come to Yale. ECASU was originally conceived in New Haven by Yale students in 1977, with the purpose, according to Lau, of "trying to create an intercollegiate community among Asian students." Since 1977, ECASU has participated year-round in events ranging from rallies to social events like the Ecstasy dance. However, this conference marks the summit of its pursuits.

With a flood of attendees, more schools represented than ever, and an ambitious agenda, ECASU 2000 hopes to leave a lasting impact on the Asian-American community's new generation of leaders.

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