ECAASU RECAP
10
East Coast asian american student union 2017 conference
by hoyon mephokee
This past February, MAASU Executive Coordinating Committee members were fortunate enough to visit our sister organization, the East Coast Asian American Student Union at its conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. MAASU ECC members cited how they wanted to “attend a conference that was new, but still student-run, to get a feel for how other organizations/schools do it.” (Daphne, Chair) and that they were “curious about the similarities and differences between the two regional organizations [MAASU and ECAASU.]” (Victoria, Graduate Advisory Council)
The MAASU ECC members had a great experience, meeting with their counterparts on the East Coast and other like-minded students from another region of the country. Membership Outreach Chair Daniel Doyle commented how ECAASU was eye-opening in its scale and reach - the ECAASU executive board was large with a lot of alumni support, and the conference itself drew a large number of students from across the country. Communications Chair Tessa Miles commented how she enjoyed the chance to meet other students and was happy to see how APIA students on the East Coast were engaging themselves and learning about the important issues within our community.
Technical Networking Chair Tiffany Nguyen described her breakfast with some of the ECAASU board members as inspiring, and noted how ECAASU incorporated the arts into their conference, an area that many feel are underappreciated within our community and a field that carries a stigma to APIA folks who go into it. From attending the conference and its workshops, as well as meeting with ECAASU’s board members, our ECC share what they learned about the APIA community. Daphne came out of the conference better understanding how capitalism ties into the APIA community in immigration, stereotypes, and other issues.