was started because there was no pan-Asian student group that existed previously, particularly to build consciousness towards issues facing Asian American students at Rice and the greater Asian American community.

APASA aims to contribute to a multi-issue, multi-racial movement for social change on the Rice University campus, in the Houston Asian American community, and beyond. APASA also is committed to cultivating progressive APA student leaders that will lead this movement for change.

Although the Asian American student groups had previously come together under the banner of 'Club Asia' to host an annual joint party as well as Lunar New Year, APASA became the first student organization to bring these different groups together to focus on issues and social justice for Asian Americans.

APASA also went beyond the usual Asian constituency of these groups, building bridges and finding solidarity with progressives and people of color on campus, such as the Black Student Association, HACER, NAACP, ADVANCE, and the Ethnic Studies Task Force.

Such efforts culminated in the anti-racist, anti-Abercrombie & Fitch protests of April 2002. In its first major initiative ever, APASA led a coalition of progressive/people of color student groups as part of a national campaign to protest the racist branding of the A&F 'Wong Brothers Laundry Service: Two Wongs Can Make It White' t-shirt line.

APASA maintains connections with local APA advocacy groups, with members serving on the board of the Organization of Chinese Americans-Greater Houston. Students from APASA also annually attend the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECASU) Conference, connecting with other progressive APAs from all over the country.

Previous leaders of APASA have interned with national APA advocacy groups as well, and APASA continues to develop young APA leaders via various leadership trainings, its Big/Little Sib program, conferences, and internships.

Prior to the founding of APASA, Asian American advocacy efforts had mostly been done through the CSA Advocacy Chair, an ad hoc group of students who produced three Asian American Film Festivals, as well as sporadic efforts through ADVANCE and the various ethnic Asian student organizations.

- Stephen Chao, cofounder of APASA