CRAASH Wrap-Up: What Happened, What's to Come
Tracy Neiman
Issue date: 5/14/08 Section: News
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While CRAASH has rallied many supporters around its cause, it has still faced decisive roadblocks. Following its ongoing, nationwide, letter-writing campaign to capture the administration's attention, Dean Shirley Scott replied to CRAASH with a firm rejoinder about the nature of the Asian American Studies Program. It is just that-a program, Scott stressed, not a free-standing department. She emphasized that it is meant to be interdisciplinary and to draw on the strengths of related departments. Given the program's status, the administration continues to stress that Asian American Studies has had ample access to funding-both internally and from outside sources.
But according to CRAASH Founder Olivia Lin, CRAASH has also looked outside the Hunter administration for support, after having recently initiated dialogue with CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein about the state of the Asian American Studies Program at Hunter. Goldstein, according to Lin, has appointed someone from the Asian American/Asian Research Institute to explore the matter further. CRAASH hopes that the coming academic year will yield a more decisive discussion with the chancellor about the condition of the department.
After all, this past year, said CRAASH Core Member Chui-Hung Wong, "marked the beginning of a real change." The turning point for CRAASH, she said, was their conference, entitled "Strengthening Education: Empowering Asian American Studies," which was well-attended by students of all backgrounds, not just Asian American students.
CRAASH, in conjunction with the Asian American Studies Program, also held a series of other events this past year, including movie screenings, lectures and a Q&A Session with Finishing the Game director, Justin Lin.
The coalition pressured the Hunter College administration in a myriad of ways, not only by initiating the letter-writing campaign and holding multiple events. The CRAASH Core Team began its campaign by circulating a petition, which garnered over 1,000 signatures. Additionally, CRAASH, according to Lin, sent about 80 letters to New York City Council members, which yielded a moderate response.
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