Tuesday, March 11, 2008

What is CRAASH?


CRAASH is a student led coalition that was formed in April 2007 in response to the inadequate conditions of the Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at Hunter College. Students have led a campaign on and off campus to fight for the education that they were promised when they entered Hunter College.

Currently, the AASP lacks sufficient financial, structural, and institutional support from both Hunter College and the greater CUNY administration, rendering it unable to flourish as a true academic program. Asian Americans constitute 26 percent of the undergraduate student population, making them the largest ethnic group, yet they continue to be the most under-represented. Although there have been vague promises from Hunter administrators, CRAASH has yet to see actual results. CRAASH will not cease to exist until institutional changes are made.

CRAASH’s initiatives also include organizing a petition of over 1,000 signatures that support the AASP. They’ve also had feature stories in different media outlets such as the popular AngryAsianMan and Racialicious blog, a full page article in the Hunter Envoy and East Coast Asian American Student Union newsletter, a Facebook group with over 300 friends, and a podcast interview on Fallout Central a popular Asian American activist website. AsianWeek magazine and Pacific Citizen will also feature CRAASH’s efforts.

CRAASH aims to ensure increased funding for a greater variety of classes, a stable office, full-time faculty members, a permanent director to lead the program, and space to conduct events that will engage and benefit the Hunter community.

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