Yasui Hall

The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor shocked the nation, accelerating the US’ involvement in World War II and ushering in an era of heightened uncertainty for those in the States. Over 110,000 Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) living on the West Coast experienced this time of chaos the harshest as increased racial violence and discrimination loomed [1]. Soon the US moved forward with the nativist policy of Japanese Exclusion, drawing new borders around California, western Oregon and Washington, and parts of Southern Arizona where Nisei were no longer allowed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of executive order 9066 in February 1942 declared these zones military areas, ushering in the forced removal and incarceration of all Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast to inland concentration (or ‘internment’) camps [2].

The geography of exclusion also surrounded students at college and university campuses along the West Coast. At the University of Oregon, there were 22 Nisei students enrolled at the start of the 1941-42 academic year. As rumors of interment and evacuation began to circulate in early 1942, administrators from several schools, including Karl. W Onthank at UO, began working on ways to aid and support Nisei students in continuing their education. Onthank initially suggested to the State of Oregon that the National Guard allow the UO Campus to be a sanctuary zone for Nisei so they could evade internment. In a correspondence to a fellow administrator he noted, regarding the students: “If they are thrown out of college and can do nothing but mark time the next few years it would not only be too bad, but would involve a very grave risk of developing antagonisms which do not yet exist.” [3]

Unsurprisingly, the State ignored the request, so Onthank and others aligned their efforts and joined the growing National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. Made up of hundreds of university administrators and philanthropic organizations, the council assisted many Nisei students on the west coast in finding new places where they could continue their course of study. At UO, this included helping the students apply for scholarships available via the council so they were able to feasibly relocate and re-enroll financially. By the end of the 1941-42 school year as evacuation orders were enforced, at least 10 students from UO were able to utilize this support to find new educational opportunities outside of the exclusion zone. Others fled independently, entered military service, or rejoined their families in interment camps.

In April of 2025, four international UO students saw their visas revoked by the Trump administration for reasons largely unspecified [4]. Herein students find themselves in a similar moment of nativism reemerging nationally and on campus. In response, students, members of the UO Young Democratic Socialists (YDSA) and others called for a renewed commitment to a legitimate Sanctuary Campus – one that does not comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or share vulnerable students’ information with the federal government [4]. Under these conditions, the actions of past administrators like Karl Onthnak serve as a powerful reminder of how it is possible for University of Oregon administration to act compassionately, transparently, and decisively in the interest of students facing racialized repression, especially those of international descent. In words of one anonymous Nisei student, who received clearance to continue their studies at a different university in 1942, underscore this:

‘“I just can’t find sufficient words to describe my gratitude for all that your office has done for me and other Niseis. In our darkest hour you brought forth your loving hands and gave us new hopes and inspiration. Surely Democracy can not and will not die as long as such groups like yours and Colleges that uphold the true ideals of Democracy exist…”

— anonymous words of a Japanese-American student upon receiving clearance to continue university study in 1942

On May 4th, 2025, the University of Oregon officially dedicated its newest resident hall to be named “Yasui Hall” after the Yasui family. Siblings Minori, Michi, Shu (Robert), and Yuka Yasui were each Nisei students at the UO during the internment era. Their stories are poignant snapshots into the experience of exclusion at UO, of which we celebrate their perseverance through and recognize their lives of service:

PROFILES – CREDIT UO SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND THE YASUI FAMILY – learn more at Yasui.uoregon.edu

Minoru Yasui (1916-1986): Champion for Justice and Civil Rights

Minoru, a graduate of the UO’s School of Law, dedicated his life to advocating for civil rights. Following the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, curfews were imposed on all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast. Min defied the curfew, launching a test case on the law’s constitutionality. He lost and was sentenced to nine months in solitary confinement and then to a concentration camp. Min fought his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his courageous stances against the injustices of the era.

Michi Yasui Ando (1920-2006): Beloved Teacher

Michi was a senior at the UO when the US entered World War II and curfews were enacted. Despite appeals by university leaders, the government forbade her from attending her 1942 commencement ceremony. Encouraged by her brother Shu, who had safely left Eugene, Michi fled to Colorado before local Japanese Americans were ordered into concentration camps. She earned a master’s degree in education and became a beloved teacher for Denver Public Schools. Michi was honored speaker at the 1986 UO commencement, where she was finally awarded her diploma.

Robert Shu Yasio (1923-2012): Accomplished Physician

Shu was a varsity athlete and graduation valedictorian of Hood River High School in 1941. He was a first year student at the UP when his mother and siblings were sent to concentration camps. Before the evacuation orders hit Eugene, Shu left campus alone, heading to Denver to continue his education as his parents had wished. He completed medical school at age 23 and served in the US Army Medical Corps before opening a surgical practice in Pennsylvania. Among his many civic activities, Shu volunteered as the physician for the Little League World Series for decades.

Yuka Yasui Fujukura (1927-2021): Dedicated Public Health Nurse

In 1942, Executive Order 9006 forced thousands of Japanese Americans, including 15 year old Yuka, to leave home for desolate government concentration camps. After nine months Tuka left Tule Lake camp alone and moved to Denver to finish high school. She was the first Japanese American to enroll at the UO after the War. Yuka later earned master’s degrees in nursing from Yale University and in public health from University of Pittsburgh. She won a Fulbright scholarship to study in Japan and worked as a nurse, and volunteered for decades in public health.

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