User:Jessicauwu/The Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies at Hunter

The Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies at Hunter (CRAASH) is a student organization at Hunter College, City University of New York advocating for an Asian American Studies major and department at Hunter.

History

CRAASH was established in 2006 when the Asian American Studies (AAS) program was under threat of being cut due to CUNY-wide budget cuts. This was also a critical time for the AAS program because there was no director and no budget. Concerned students founded CRAASH in order to save the program. They succeeded in saving the minor program.

In 2008, Jennifer Hayashida was hired as the director of the AAS program. Under her leadership, the program flourished and the curriculum grew to be truly interdisciplinary and embody the critical tenets of AAS. Due to her hard work, the program now offers the most diverse courses in New York City with 24 classes. When she left Hunter, the program had grown to include courses in Asian Americans and mental health, Asian American visual art, and the Japanese American incarceration. At the same time, courses that had languished were reinvigorated, including Asian American civil rights and the law, Asian Pacific American media studies, and Arab American literature. Additionally, our program hosted a number of important campus programs, the highlight of which was our annual APA Community Fair, organized by our College Assistant Kevin Park.

Despite Jennifer Hayashida's accomplishments, including receiving a $1.2 million AANAPISI grant to serve Asian American students, her contract was not renewed following direct confrontations between CRAASH students and the College administration.

Campaigns

In 2014, CRAASH launched their #Fight4AAS campaign, which demands an Asian American Studies major and department at Hunter.