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Stanford University, Asian American Activities Center, Records
SC0487  
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Table of contents What's This?
  • Information about Access
  • Arrangement note
  • Historical Note:
  • Chronology
  • Custodial History
  • Cite As
  • Scope and Content Note:
  • Ownership & Copyright

  • Language of Material: English
    Contributing Institution: Department of Special Collections and University Archives
    Title: Stanford University, Asian American Activities Center, records
    Creator: Stanford University. Asian American Activities Center
    Identifier/Call Number: SC0487
    Physical Description: 43 Linear Feet
    Date (inclusive): circa 1970-2018
    Abstract: The collection includes correspondence, memoranda, minutes, proposals, course materials, financial records, newspaper clippings, subject files, flyers, photos, publications and other records pertaining to the history and recent activities of Stanford Asian American students, staff, faculty and alumni. Included are materials pertaining to Asian American Studies, the Asian American Activities Center and its affiliated student organizations as well as historic materials documenting early student efforts to establish these organizations and programs. These materials would be useful to those seeking information about the history of the Stanford Asian American community/Asian American student organizations/or significant events that helped to establish and shape the community.

    Information about Access

    Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/spc.

    Arrangement note

    Within each series and subseries, records are arranged as received from the Asian American Activities Center. The first accession, transferred to the University Archives in 1995, is identified by accession number and has sub-series based on the subjects of donated materials. Subsequent accessions were added as additional records and are also identified by accession number.

    Historical Note:

    Early History Asian and Asian American students have been a part of Stanford history beginning with the inaugural class in 1891. The Japanese Students Association and the Chinese Students Association were founded in the early 1900s as the first Asian and Asian American voluntary student organizations. In 1913, the first professor of Asian decent, Yamato Ichihashi, was hired in the history department. Racial tensions resulted in the establishment of the Japanese Clubhouse (1916) and the Chinese Clubhouse (1919) as safe residences for students of Asian descent.
    In 1942, 24 students of Japanese descent and Professor Ichihashi and his wife were removed from campus and sent to internment camps as a result of Executive Order 9066.
    1960's and 1970's During the period of the Civil Rights Movement, Asian American students began to organize and advocate for their needs. The Asian American Student Alliance, which later bacame the Stanford Students Coordinating Committee and now the Asian American Students' Association, formed in 1969. That same year, inspired by Black Student Union protests following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, Asian American students started a petition for Asian American Studies.
    An Asian American theme dorm, Junipero which became Okada House, was established in 1971, followed by the People's Teahouse, which became the Okada Teahouse and Teahouse. In 1975, the Asian American New Student Orientation Committee was established to introduce new students to the community. The Asian American Sourcebook and Big Brother/Big Sibling Program (which became Big Sib/Little Sib) followed as well as the Asian American Theater Project founded by then student David Henry Hwang.
    In 1977, the Asian American Activities Center is established in the Old Fire Truck House and staffed by volunteer student interns (the precursor to the Center was the Asian American Resource Center that was housed in Junipero in the early 1970's).
    1980's In 1982, four Stanford students were featured on the cover of Newsweek with a headline, "Asian-Americans: The Drive to Excel," feeding misperceptions of Asian Americans as the "model minority."
    In 1986, an undergraduate student, Jeffrey Au, raised questions about Asian American admissions which prompted a study by the Academic Senate Committee which found "unconscious bias" affected admissions rates for Asian Americans. Immediately following rates of admission increased dramatically.
    In 1987, students form the Rainbow Agenda issue demands, including the institutionalization of the Center. Julian Low is hired as a half-time Director and Elsa Tsutaoka is the office manager.
    With the growth of the Asian American student population, the first wave of diverse Asian American student organizations were founded from 1988-89. Following the student Take Over of the President's Office, the Asian American Activities Center was instutionalized and the first full time director, Rick Yuen, was hired. Also as a result of the Take Over, in 1990, two Asian American Studies faculty were hired, Gordon Chang and David Palumbo-Liu, and the first Asian American Studies courses were offered the following year.
    Organizations founded during this period include: Chinese Folk Dance, Stanford University Nikei (now Japanese Student Union), Stanford Vietnamese Association (now Stanford Vietnamese Students Association), Stanford Wushu, Hong Kong Student Association, Korean Students Association (which became Korean American Students Association before reverting back to Korean Students Association), Stanford "K" Club of India (now Sanskriti), the Thai-American Intercultural Society,the Undergraduate Chinese American Association, the Pilipino American Student Union (although there was a Filipino Student Union in the early 1070's), the Taiwanese American Students Association (now Taiwanese Cultural Society), Asian American Women's Group (which became Stanford Asian Women), the Asian Law Students Association (now the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association), Asian American Medical Students (now Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association).
    The 1990's The growth in Asian American student organizations continue with the establishment of: Stanford Taiko, Lambda Phi Epsilon, alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Project AIYME, Stanford Hwimori, Newtype Anime Club, Singaporeans at Stanford, Indonesian Club at Stanford.
    In 1994 Chicana students went on a hunger strike to demand the reinstatement of a senior Chicana adminisrator, the establishment of an ethnic studies program and a grape boycott. Asian American students disrupt a faculty senate meeting demanding Asian American Studies. The Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity is esstablished, followed by the creation of the Asian American Studies program in 1997.
    In 1995 the Mibority Alumni Hall of Fame is established by the ethnic community centers to recognize the contributions of outstanding alumni of color.
    In 1996 the Queer and Asian student organization was founded to provide a safe space for students to explore issues concerning the Asian American and LGBT identities.
    2000 to Present As the Asian American student population became more diverse, new student organizations were established including: the Multiracial Identified Community at Stanford (there was a Half Asian Peoples Association in the late 1980's), Malaysians at Stanford, Pakistanis at Stanford, Muslim Student Awareness Network, Bhangra, Hindi Film Dance, Stanford Asian American Activist Committee, Noopor, Kayumanggi, Sigma Psi Zeta.
    The Center offers a new Speaker Series focused on underrepresented Filipino, Southeast Asian and South Asian ethnicities. In 2004 students protest at the Dean of Admissions Office to demand an increase in Filipino and Southeast Asian student outreach and admissions.
    In 2006 the Center convened a Task Force to study mental health concerns for Asian American students. A survey was conducted in 2007 and results led to the creation of the After Dark (now iLive) program focusing on Asian American mental health and well-being issues.
    In 2007 the Hmong Student Union and Stanford Khmer Association were established.
    Year API Historical Event API Historical Event Description Stanford Event Stanford Event Description
    1763 Settlement of Filipino Americans First recorded settlement of Filipinio Americans. They escaped imprisonment aboard Spanish galleons in New Orleans and fled to the bayous.    
    1790 Naturalization Act The Natualization Act made it law that only "free white persons" could become US citizens.    
    1790 US-India slave trade First recorded arrival of an Asian Indian in the U.S. They were slaves who were part of the U.S. - India slave trade.    
    1848 Gold Rush Begins Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill and word spreads of "Gold Mountain" encouraging many Chinese to emigrate to the US through San Francisco, settling in Sacramento.    
    1865 Chinese Railroad laborers Central Pacific Railraod Co. recruits Chinese workers for the first transcontinental railroad. 9,000 of the 10,000 laborers for the project were Chinese.    
    1882 Chinese Exclusion Act Suspends immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years and excludes Chinese from citizenship by naturalization and halts Chinese immigration for 60 years.    
    1891     Representation in Stanford's Pioneer Class The first annual Stanford register lists 7 students with Asian surnames out of the 555 students in the Pioneer Class.
    1898 Annexation of Hawai'i U.S. annexes Hawaii after 160 American armed marines land in Honolulu. Hawai'I later becomes the state with the highest concentration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.    
    1902     Japanese Students Association Founded With an enrollment of 30 students, the Japanese Students Association formed to build a supportive community for Japanese nationals and US born students of Japanese decent.
    1906 The Great San Francisco Earthquake A magnitue 7.8 earthquake hits San Francisco sparking fires that destroy over 80% of the city. The loss of government records allows for the entry of "paper sons" from China who were allowed to enter based on forged birth certificates claiming their fathers resided in the US.    
    1910 Angel Island Established as a detention center for Asian non-laboring classes desiring entry into the U.S. Thousands of immigrants from China endure weeks and even years of interrogation by US immigration officers. The center serves as the "Ellis Island of the West" until 1940. Chinese Students Association Founded Chinese students both American born and from China gathered together to support each other at Stanford.
    1913     First Professor of Asian Decent Yamato Ichihashi began teaching in the History department specializing in Japanese history, international relations, and the Japanese American experience. By the 1920s, he was appointed Associate Professor and is believed to be the first person of Asian decent to have held an endowed chair position at an American university.
    1916     Tensions in Campus Housing A student of Chinese decent was physically thrown out of the residences at Encina Hall by white male students. This action prompted the Chinese and Japanese communities at Stanford to raise funds to establish residences on campus for their students.
    1916     Establishment of Japanese Clubhouse Japanese Students establish the Japanese Clubhouse on Santa Ynez Street. The clubhouse provided a safe home for students of Japanese ancestry on campus until the start of WWII.
    1919     Establishment of the Chinese Clubhouse Chinese community establishes the Stanford Chinese Clubhouse located on Salvatierra where the law school currently stands. Much like a present day row house, the residence included housing for current students as well as a kitchen and lounge for community gatherings.
    1929 Anti-Filipino Violence As the Filipino population increases. Anti-Filipino riots and murders occur up and down the West Coast.    
    1935 Filipino Repatriation Act Offers to pay the way back to the Philippines for Filipinos choosing to go. 2000 Filipinos leave.    
    1942 Executive Order 9066: Japanese American Internment Puts 120,000 Japanese (primarily U.S. citizens) in 10 concentration camps. Students & Faculty of Japanese Decent Sent to Internment Camps President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the wartime internment of 120,000 U.S. citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry. At the time 24 students with Japanese surnames were enrolled at Stanford and were forced to leave along with Professor Yamato Ichihashi and wife Kei who remained in the camps until the end of the war.
    1944 Korematsu vs. US Supreme court rules that Executive Order 9066 ) constitutional.    
    1965 National Origins Act Raises Asian immigration to 20,000 per year for Asian countries, the same as European countries. The new act favors educated middle class immigrants therby changing the class dynamics of the Asian American community.    
    1965 - 1973 Vietnam War US involvement in the Vietnam War. The draft began for all males born between 1944-1950. Nationwide college students protested the war following the fatal shootings at Kent State in 1970. Stanford Campus Vietnam Protests Students and faculty protest Stanford's policy on Selective Service examinations and classified research including Stanford Research Institute's work on chemical weapons. By 1970 the Board of Trustees voted to sever ties with SRI.
    1967 Coining of the term "Asian American" Yuji Ichioka, a UCLA scholar, coined the term to bring diverse Asian groups together as he formed the first pan-Asian American political group - the Asian American Political Alliance. Previously people of Asian decent were referred to as Asiatic or Oriental.    
    1969     Asian American Student Alliance (later known as the Asian American Students' Association) Formed AASA was formed to help Asian Americans meet and understand more about each other though social and cultural programs and to bring attention to Asian American student needs on campus. | People's Disco; National coalition for redress and reparations for Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII; students seek minority status for Asians at Stanford (1981)
    1969     The fight for Asian American Studies at Stanford Begins Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., students from the Black Student Union interrupted an address by Provost Richard Lyman and presented a set of demands which led to the establishment of the program in African and Afro-American Studies. Inspired by this action, Asian American students start a petition for Asian American Studies to develop new knowledge and understanding of the Asian community and experience and above all, to cultivate self-awareness among the Asian American student body.
    1971     Asian American Theme Dorm Established Junipero House founded as the Asian American Theme Dorm to foster Asian American ethnic and cultural understanding within a residential setting. Anthropology Professor Harumi Befu is the first Resident fellow. An Asian American Resource center was housed in Junipero until space became available in the Firetruck house in 1977.
    1971     The first Asian American Studies Course Gordon Chang, a then-graduate student in History, teaches the first Asian American Studies course offered under the student led Stanford Workshops on Political and Social Issues (SWOPSI).
    1974     The People's Teahouse Students establish a non-profit student-run organization that donates funds to worth-while Asian American related projects and groups on campus and in the surrounding community.
    1975 The Fall of Saigon The official end of the Vietnam War signaled the arrival of large numbers of Vietnamese refugees in the US. Over 700,000 refugees from Southeast Asia settled in the US during a ten year span. Asian American New Student Orientation Committee Established Established by students to welcome incoming Asian American students and to introduce them to the activities, organizations, and aspirations of the Asian American community at Stanford. Started the Asian American Sourcebook and Big Brother / Big Sibling Program.
    1977 I-Hotel Evictions Eviction of elderly Filipino and Chinese tenants from International Hotel in San Francisco Asian American Activities Center Established Asian American Activities Center is located at the Old Fire Truck House and staffed entirely by volunteer student interns.
    1978     Asian American Theater Project Established To help shape a more realistic image of Asian Americans in theater and to present relevant Asian American works.
    1981     Okada House Founded The Asian American Theme dorm moved from Junipero House to Madera in Wilbur Hall and was renamed Okada House in honor of John Okada (1924-1971), pioneer Asian American artist and author of the novel No-No Boy. The dorm is home to 96 students 40% Asian American.
    1982 Vincent Chin and National Asian American Identity Chinese American Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit at the height of layoffs in the US auto industry due to increasing Japanese imports. Asian American groups around the country rallied to classify the murder as a hate crime and to build coaltions to push for Federal prosecution. This fuels a national Asian American movement. Model Minority Newsweek Cover The magazine Newsweek On Campus features 4 Stanford students posing in the Quad under the headline "Asian-Americans: The Drive to Excel" feeding misperceptions of Asian Americans as the "Model Minority"
    1986     Admissions Policy Questioned Prompted by the questions raised to Dean of Admissions Jean Fetter by Stanford Junior Jeffrey Au, the Academic Senate Committee conducts a study of Asian American admissions. The committee finds that "unconscious bias" caused the discrepancy in admissions rates and immediately following the report, admissions rates for Asian American students increased to 89 percent of the white admission rate.
    1987     Rainbow Agenda & Institutionalizing the Community Centers Students form the Rainbow Agenda (including AASA, MEChA, SAIO, BSU) propose a set of demands including the institutionalization of the Asian American Activities Center and the hiring of a full time Director/Dean; Julian Low becomes the first half time Director of the new department and Elsa Tsutaoka is the office manager.
    1987-1988     Western Culture Curriculum Debate Students rallied to change the required first year Western Cultures course that included predominantly works of European-Western authors advocating instead for a curriculum that included ethnic minority and women authors. Reverend Jesse Jackson led a march down Palm Drive with over 200 students chanting "Hey hey, ho ho, Western Civ has got to go," and the curriculum debate drew national media attention. In 1989 Western Cultures was replaced by a new course for freshmen, Cultures, Ideas, & Values (CIV), that included works on race, class, and gender.
    1988     Students of Color Coalition The Students of Color Coalition leads a rally against racism from White Plaza to the Quad to present a platform for multicultural education at Stanford.
    1988 - 1989     Founding of Many API Student Organizations As the Asian American student population grows, new student organizations representing the breath of diversity within the community flourish. Chinese Folk Dance, Stanford University Nikkei, Stanford Vietnamese Association, Stanford Wushu, Hong Kong Student Association, Korean Students Association, Pilipino American Students Association, Stanford "K"lub of India (Sanskriti), the Thai-American Intercultural Society, and the Undergraduate Chinese American Association were all founded during this time.
    1989     University Committee on Minority Issues Formed in response to the demands of the student led Rainbow Agenda, the President and Provost form the University Committee on Minority Issues. The UCMI report outlines recommendations for: diversifying curriculum; minority faculty recruitment, retention & promotion; student admissions and financial aid; student life; and staff recruitment, retention & promotion.
    1989     Takeover of the President's Office Students take over President Donald Kennedy's Office with a list of 120 demands including Asian American Studies at Stanford, chanting… "JUST ONE ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY PROFESSOR". Kennedy releases a statement to the press saying "We confirm that many minority issues and concerns are not the special pleadings of interest groups but are Stanford issues--ones that should engage all of us" and states goal to hire 30 minority faculty in the following decade.
    1989     Asian American Activities Center Institutionalized with First Full Time Director The Asian American Activities center is institutionalized through funding from the Dean of Student Affairs which enables the hiring of the first full time director Rick Yuen.
    1990     Report on Building Multicultural University Community As a follow up to the UCMI report, the Annual Review Panel released an assessment with recommendations to: institutionalize multiculturalism as a university value; incorporate multicultural goals in internal planning processes; and increase institutional accountability through an Internal University Minority Audit Group composed of faculty, staff, senior administrators and students.
    1990     Asian American Studies Courses offered Professors Gordon Chang and David Palumbo-Liu are the first to be appointed as tenure-track Asian American Studies scholars. The following year, Asian American Studies scholars offer a core curriculum consisting of five Asian American Studies courses, as a result of collaborative efforts of Profs. Chang, Palumbo-Liu, Sylvia Yanagisako , and Bill Hing.
    1991-1993     More API Student Groups Founded Asian American student groups continue to grow in number, adding performing arts and greek organizations including Stanford Taiko, Lambda Phi Epsilon, alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Project AYIME, Stanford Hwimori, Newtype Anime club, Singaporeans at Stanford, Indonesian Club at Stanford, and the Asian American Sib Program.
    1991     Asian American Activities Center Professional Staff Increases to Two Full Time Positions Cindy Ng is hired as the second full time professional staff member at the Asian American Activities Center starting as a Program Coordinator.
    1992 Los Angeles Riots After the acquittal of the white LAPD officers who were filmed beating black motorist Rodney King, one of the biggest riots begins in LA. For days, massive violence, destruction, and looting erupts throughout the city. Over 2000 Korean-owned business are destroyed. Aftermath of the LA Riots Jesse Jackson speaks at Memorial Auditorium on the issue of Anti-Asian violence following the Los Angeles Riots.
    1993     Support for Ethnic Community Centers In response to potential budget cuts to the ethnic community centers, students hold a speak out in White Plaza, titled "Bridging the Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality
    1993     Asian American Interactive Mentoring Program Established Responding to the UCMI report findings, the Asian American Activities Center establishes the first mentoring program for undergraduate students at Stanford focused on support and retention with a lens of cultural understanding. Faculty, staff, and alumni sign up to mentor sophomore students through the program.
    1993 -1994     Ethnic Center Staff Equity Assistant Directors in the ethnic community centers were reclassified and received pay increases following an investigation into equity to bring them on par with the Assistant Directors in the Office of Student Activities.
    1994     Opportunities and Challenges In response to the request for budget cut scenarios, the ethnic community centers submit a report making a case for further investment instead of cuts, highlighting the increased demand for services from the community centers given the diverse student body.
    1994     Concerned Students for Asian American Studies Concerned Students for Asian American Studies members disrupt a Faculty Senate meeting, demanding consideration for an Asian American Studies Program. It is the first time that a Faculty Senate meeting is prematurely adjourned. The following year an Asian American Studies Curriculum Committee is formed and charged with developing a curriculum for an Asian American Studies major and minor.
    1994     Four Chicano students go on hunger strike Hunger strikers demand reinstatement of a senior Chicana administrator, the establishment of a Chicano Studies program and a grape boycott on campus. Students from AASA, BSU and SAIO join in support of the strikers.
    1994     Increased Funding for Ethnic Centers In response to events throughout the year, Provost Condelezza Rice approves an increase of 25K in soft funding for each of the four ethnic community centers. The funding was granted on a 2year renewable basis.
    1994 Racial Profiling of Asian American youth In an Orange county community where the majority population is white, Asian families protest against a mug book which keeps records of suspected gang members living in the city of Westminster. Over 70% of those profiled were Asian American. Alternative Spring Break The first Asian American focused ASB trips "Asian American Issues: From Identity to Action" and "The Challenge of Identity: The Filipino-American in California" were created to introduce students to the needs of various communities through direct service, experiential learning, discussion, and reflection.
    1994     Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations Provost Condoleeza Rice established the Task Force to "develop fundamental recommendations for improving the level of engagement between the University and its alumni of color." Over two years, the Task Force indexed diversity resources for students and alumni, surveyed minority alumni perspectives, and explored campus issues of potential interest to minority alumni. As a direct result of the Task Force report in 1996 the Alumni Association created the Volunteer Clearinghouse to encourage minority alumni engagement with the University.
    1995     Minority Alumni Hall of Fame Established Stanford's ethnic community centers established the Alumni Hall of Fame to recognize the contributions of the University's outstanding alumni of color in an awards ceremony during Reunion Homecoming Weekend.
    1996 Proposition 209 This California Civil Rights Initiative ends gender and racial preferences thus ending affirmative action in public institutions. Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity Established The Faculty Senate unanimously approves the establishment of the CCSRE department offering majors and minors in race and ethnic studies with a comparative focus.
    1996     Listen to the Silence Annual conference open to students throughout the Bay Area and the country that addresses pressing issues in the Asian American community and brings representatives from local community groups to campus to educate participants about these issues.
    1996     Queer and Asian group Established Stanford's first student group focused on providing a welcoming and safe space for Stanford students to engage in issues concerning the API and LGBTQ identities.
    1996     Funding for Ethnic Centers Renewed Staff of the four ethnic community centers submit the "Report to the Provost on the Special Allocation to the Ethnic Community Centers for Recuitment, Retention, and Cultural Programming". Following the report, the 25K in soft funding is renewed for each center for another cycle.
    1997 Anti-Asian Hate Crimes on the rise The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium reports 534 suspected and confirmed anti-Asian hate crime incidents, an increase from 458 in the previous year. Anti-Asian Hate Crimes on campus Derogatory racial epithets are found in the A3C in two separate incidents. "Chink" was written in red felt pen on a computer monitor in the couchroom, and mustard was used to write "Fuck you chink" inside the refrigerator.
    1997     Asian American Studies Program Established After more than 25 years of student struggle and protest, beginning January 1, 1997, students are now able to major in Asian American Studies. History Prof. Gordon Chang is appointed the first director for the program.
    1999     Leading through Education Activism and Diversity Program Established Established as a collaborative effort by the ethnic community centers, the LEAD program provided training for student leaders using the Social Change model for leadership development. Alumni of the program went on to serve as ASSU presidents, national scholars, and student group leaders. The program continued for a decade until eliminated due to budget cuts in 2010.
    1999 Spy Allegations: the Dr. Wen Ho Lee case A researcher of Los Alamos National Laboratory is accused of being a spy and responsible for the leaks concerning W88 weapons systems. Racist Email Sent Across Campus An email purported to come from a Stanford graduate student of Asian decent was sent to over 25,000 accounts that included offensive hate speech. Asian American student leaders, faculty, and staff denounce the message and students, in coalition with other ethnic community groups, advocate for a policy against hate crimes on campus.
    2000     Cultural Awareness Associates Students participating in the LEAD project called for the creation of Cultural Awareness Associates in the residences to promote cross cultural dialogue and awareness for all Stanford students. The first four CAA positions began 2002.
    2000     Concerned Students for Community Centers Students gather to fom the Concerned Students for Community Centers and submitted a proposal to newly appointed University Provost John Etchemendy requesting increased funding, space and maintenance for the centers.
    2001     Stabilizing Funding for Ethnic Centers President John Hennesy approved an additional 15K in soft funding for the community centers. In later years he would approve a conversion of the initial 25K to hard funding and added an additional 25K to each center's budget.
    2001 9/11 Attacks & Aftermath Following the terrorist attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon, Arab Americans and South Asians encounter hostile discrimination and are victims of hate crimes. Hate Crimes in the Quad Hate crime written in classrooms during Winter Quarter finals. They read: "Rape all Asian b*** and dump them," "F** Sp**!", "White man is King!", "Nuke Arabs", "N***s don't get it, this is a White only class." Police and Stanford administrators cover up graffiti and did not disclose the threatening contents until the Stanford Daily and San Francisco Chronicle broke the story.
    2002     Abercrombie & Fitch Campaign Stanford students launch a nation-wide boycott of Abercrombie and Fitch to protest T-shirts with stereotypical caricatures of Asians Americans, resulting in the shirts being pulled from stores.
    2002-2004     Increasing Diversity in Student Organizations New student organizations emerge representing not only increased ethnic diversity but also socio-political diversity in the community. New groups include the Stanford Asian American Activism Committee, the Multiracial Identified Community at Stanford, Malaysians at Stanford, Pakistanis at Stanford, Muslim Student Awareness Network, Bhangra,Hindi Film Dance, Noopor, Kayumanggi, and the sorority Sigma Psi Zeta as well as many others.
    2003     Books Not Bombs Students march, rally, and conduct a teach-in calling for Books Not Bombs at the Quad to protest impending US military action in Iraq.
    2003-2004     Focus on Filipino, Vietnamese & South Asian Students The Asian American Activities Center launches new Speaker Series focused on smaller Filipino, Vietnamese and South Asian communities.
    2004     Asian American Activities Center New Associate Dean & Director, Cindy Ng After serving as the Assistant Director for 13 years, Cindy Ng was promoted to Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Asian American Activities Center after former Director Rick Yuen transitioned to the Office of Judicial Affairs. Shelley Tadaki '00, MA'03 was hired as the new Associate Director
    2004     Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations Report In recognition of the increasingly diverse alumni community and the growing diversity of the student body, the Board of Trustees convened a second Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations in 2001. The group researched alumni perceptions and concerns and released a report in 2004 encouraging University leadership to: increase minority alumni participation in leadership roles throught the University; cultivate minority alumni as donors; and increase faculty diversity. Stanford's first ever Minority Alumni Conference was held at the time the report was released. | "Filipino Leaders Eye on the Future", South Asian Women Leaders in Focus, and Vietnamese Leaders Series
    2004 Refugee Resettlement The most recent wave of Hmong refugees arrives from Wat Tham Krabok in Thailand after the closure of the last refugee camps. Advancing Diversity in Asian American Admissions Over forty students stage a protest at Dean of Admissions Robin Mamlet's office to demand an increase in Filipino and Southeast Asian American student outreach and admissions acceptances.
    2004 Anti-Hmong Sentiment Builds Hmong hunter, Chai Vang, is charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder after being caught trespassing and returning fire. Racial slurs against Hmong proliferate in the mid-east in response. Vang is found guilty of all counts and sentenced to 6 life sentences.    
    2005 Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina hits the US Gulf Coast. Approximately 400,000 residents were displaced including many Vietnamese Americans who faced property loss, elimination of their fishing businesses, and for some, a return of PTSD symptoms triggered by similarites to their refugee experience in coming to the US. 9066/911: Community & Identity in Wartime America The Asian American Activities Center marks the 5th Anniversary of 9/11 with a panel titled, From 9066 to 9/11, featuring leaders of the Muslm community, Japanese American community, and Civil Rights leaders who discussed parallels between anti-Japanese hysteria during WW II and anti Muslim, Sikh hysteria post 9/11.
    2006     Chinese Alumni Club Commemoration George Leong '47 and fellow Chinese Clubhouse alumni raise funds to support the Asian American Acticities Center which carries on the sense of place that was so important to them as students in the 1940s. Funds go to furnish the Old Union Clubhouse Ballroom and a plaque is installed recognizing the contributions of the Chinese alumni.
    2006     First Generation Experience for Stanford Students Recognizing unique challenges faced by first generation college students, the Asian American Activities Center takes the lead in hosting the first student panel during admit weekend focused on the "First Generation Student Experience at Stanford".
    2006     Asian American Student Health & Well Being Study The Asian American Activities Center convened a Task Force to examine mental health concerns for Asian American students after several suicides. The following year, a first of it's kind survey was sent out to all self-identified Asian American students gathering information on health & well being as well as help seeking behavior. Findings led to the establishment of the After Dark Program at the Asian American Activities Center focusing on mental health concerns.
    2006     Okada House Targeted with Racial Slurs After imposter student Azia Kim was discovered, Okada house residents are targets of anti-asian attacks and racist reactions including fraternities shouting "F---Okada" and "Azia Kim" in mock Asian accents; Asian American female residents were harassed as if they were Azia Ki; a member of a fraternitiy urinated on the dorm front lawn as others yelled "F---Okada". Resident staff and student leaders of the Asian American community stood up for themselves and filed an Acts of Intolerance complaint resulting in disciplinary action. Also, the following year an ill-humored ASSU t-shirt mocking the mental health of Azia Kim was pulled after Asian American student leaders protested the use of student fees forsuch a design.
    2007     Sweat Free Stanford Students from the Stanford Asian American Activism Committee launch a campaign urging the University to join the Worker Rights Consortium and adopt a manufacturing Code of Conduct guaranteeing workers of factories producing Stanford apparel basic human rights. In May, students sit-in at the President's Office and 11 students are arrested. The protest resulted in Stanford joining the WRC.
    2007 Anti-Hmong Violence Cha Vang is killed in a hunting accident. An all white jury charges his killer, James Nichols with second degree intentional homicide rather than the original first degree murder. Questions of whether this was a retaliation killing for Chai Vang's case a few years earlier arise. Homg Student Union and Stanford Khmer Association Established As a result of the student push for increased outreach to the Southeast Asian community, the first Hmong and Khmer student groups are formed on campus providing support for these smaller communities.
    2008     Statewide Hmong Issues Conference at Stanford Students from the Hmong Student Union host the first Statewide Hmong Issues Conference to be held at Stanford, drawing an auidence of over 200 from all areas of the State to campus to explore history, culture and issues facing the Hmong community.
    2009     Historical Reunions for API Student Groups The Asian American Students Association celebrates it's 40th Anniversary; The Asian American Theater Project celebrates it's 30th Anniverary; and the Pilipino American Student Union celebrates it's 20th Anniversary.
    2009     Concerned Students for Community Centers Students gather to revive the Concerned Students for the Community Centers to hold meetings and rallies to protest planned cuts to staffing and funding of centers.
    2009     Cuts to the Community Centers Programs & Staffing Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman announced $3M in cuts to the Student Affairs division as part of the two year planned $100M cut to the University Budget. Boardman cited "health and wellbeing, academic success or achievement, risk management and compliance mandates" as priority areas in deciding on cuts and all community centers suffered cuts in program funds to varying degress. In 2010, professional staff of all centers were reduced from FTE to 10-2 with half time status & benefits for two months of the summer. One month was restored in 2011, bringing the staff to an 11-1 schedule.
    2011 Racist UCLA Girl Alexandra Wallace, a junior political science major at UCLA posts a Youtube video entitled "Asians in the Library" the same day the earthquake and tsunami hit in Japan. In the video, Wallace imitates "the hordes of Asian people" at UCLA and mocked them for talking on the phone in the library with phrases like "Ohhhh! Ching chong ling long ting tong!". UCLA's Asian Pacific Coalition called for the University to discipline Wallace for using "hate speech" and violating the student code of conduct and after the University announced that it will not take action against Wallace for the video, she announces publicly that she will no longer attend UCLA in an apology letter.    
    2012     Research Project on Chinese Railroad Workers Two Stanford faculty, Gordon Chang and Shelley Fishkin, launch a multi-year transnational research project involving an international team of academics to document and explore the experience of Chinese railroad workers in America.
    2012     Asian American Activities Center Staff Changes After a year long national search, Jerald Adamos was hired as the third Associate Director of the Asian American Activities Center following the departure of former Associate Director Shelley Tadaki.
    2012 Pew Report: The Rise of Asian Americans The Pew Research Center publishes the findings of a study on Asian Americans entitled "The Rise of Asian Americans," that gives attention to an often misunderstood racial group, but ignores the tremendous social and economic diversity within Asian American communities. The report notes that "Asian Americans are the most educated" and "has the highest median household income" but does not disaggregate data by different ethnic groups as captured from the U.S. Census Bureau. The report perpetuates the misunderstandings of API's that policy makers still can not fully address in regards to the educational, economic, and social service needs of America's fastest growing racial group.    
    2012     Gordon Chang & David Palumbo-Liu named to Endowed Chairs Professors Gordon Chang is named the Oliver H. Palmer Professor in Humanities and David Palumbo-Liu is named the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor.
    2013     Stereotyped remarks regarding Vietnamese, Cambodian, & Laotian culture Visiting Professor Joel Brinkley writes an op-ed article in the Chicago Tribune recapping his experience in Vietnam stating the country is "gruesome" and "aggressive" with a backwards diet of endangerded animals. As many challenge his article, he responds stating "After all half of Laotian children grow up stunted, even today. In Cambodia the rate is 40 percent. That means they grow up short and not so smart". Students from the Stanford Vietnamese Student Association write a letter to administrators with the support of over 15 student organizations to have him reviewed.
    2013     Chair of Faculty Senate David Palumbo-Liu, the Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor is elected as the chair of Stanford's 46th Faculty Senate, making him the second person of color in the institutions's history to hold this position.

    Custodial History

    The materials were gathered and organized by the Asian American Activities Center and transferred to the Archives in 1995, 1997, 2003, 2010, and 2015-2018.

    Cite As

    [Identification of item], Stanford University, Asian American Activities Center, Records (SC0487), Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Archives, Stanford, Calif.

    Scope and Content Note:

    The collection includes materials pertaining to the history and recent activities of the Stanford Asian American community, including the Asian American Activities Center and the student organizations affiliated with the Center. Materials pertaining to the following organizations are included in the collection: Asian American Students Association, Asian American Big Sib Little Sib, Okada Teahouse, Stanford Workshops on Political and Social Issues (SWOPSI), Rainbow Coalition, Stanford Hong Kong Students Association, Chinese Folk Dance, Asian American Christian Fellowship, Stanford Vietnamese Students Association, Aisan Law Students Association, Asian American Medical Students, Korean American Students Association, Korean Students Association, East Coast Asian Student Union, Asian American Premeds, Asian Pacific Student Union, Stanford Hawaii Club, Asian American Women's Group, Stanford Asian Women, Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Asian American Alternative Spring Break, Asian Staff Forum, Concerned Students for Asian American Studies, Asian American New Student Orientation.
    Additional materials pertain to student issues and activities; Asian American mental health; Asian Americans in the media, arts and theater; curriculum for student initiated classes; campus issues; Asian American history, politics, identity and issues; the Asian American theme dorm, Junipero, which was renamed Okada House; Western Civilization debate; Rainbow Agenda; Lewis Jackson case; History of Asian American Students Association; Peoples Platform; Ethnic Studies; Akhil Gupta tenure case; Proposition 187; Bakke case; Asian American Studies; Admissions; Japanese American Reunion; 1994 Hunger Strike; Redress and Reparations Committee and Hearings; Establishment of the Asian American Activities Center; Asian American Theater Project scripts.
    Materials pertaining to major events include Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Asian American Art Series, Asian Images, Lunar New Year, Tule Lake Pilgrimage, Korean American Students CONference (KASCON), Listen to the Silence Conference, Extravaganza.
    The collection contains extensive newsclippings, flyers, articles, newsletters, memoranda, photos and other records pertaining to: the Asian American Students Association; the 1989 student take over of the President's Office by the Agenda for Action Coalition; student efforts to establish Asian American Studies at Stanford; and, the 1993 Japanese American Reunion. There are also Asian Staff Forum newsletters, memoranda, and email records from 1986-1996. Also included are original minutes and photos of the Chinese Students Club, renamed the Chinese Students Clubhouse, from 1916-1964. The collection contains student and Center publications dating back to the 1970s, including: Fortnightly, Asian American Women's Journal, New Winds, Winds, Asian American Bulletin, the Sourcebook, CommunicAsians, Junipero Newsletter, Talking Stories, Asian Pacific Islander Magazine, Expressions, Asian Americans at Stanford, 1972-73 and 1975-76, Reflections Korean American Journal, Monolid, Asian American Activities Center brochures.
    The files and materials pertaining to the Asian American Activities Center and the various student organizations are not complete.

    Ownership & Copyright

    All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Asian American students--California.
    Asian Americans--Study and teaching.
    Ling, Bianca.
    Ngai, Nelson.
    Stanford University. Asian American Student Alliance
    Stanford University. Asian American Students' Association.
    Suh, Richard.
    Tran, Linda.