The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered hostile acts against Asian college students. One of the ways to respond to these acts is to increase Asian American ethnic studies programs and courses. Although critics argue that ethnic studies programs cause divisiveness, research indicates that they are beneficial to students from all groups. University administrators may fear implementing these programs because they sometimes associate them with the violence that occurred during the late 1960s when students demanded ethnic studies to be included in the college curriculum. But this violence was not caused by what students typically learn in ethnic studies courses. It was caused to a great extent by the poor representation of racial minority groups in the curriculum and the inappropriate responses of the police. This paper focuses on the reasons for responding to anti-Asian acts by increasing Asian American ethnic studies programs. In addition to including examples of topics these programs typically cover, it offers a brief history of the origins of ethnic studies programs at universities.