In the past, Asian ethnic groups have been charged with being nothing more than social clubs, gathering places for people of the same ethnicity to self-segregate.

"I sort of think organizations like AAA and KOHR are sort of racist," says Paul N. Matsui '93. "I can realize the importance of getting a part of your society and heritage. But what I saw when I went in the beginning is that they're exclusive and seem to exclude other minorities. I don't reject them; they're not right for me."

Joonhung J. Min '93 adds that organizations like KOHR are "very clique. KOHR is a place where a bunch of insecure Koreans get together."

But ethnic club supporters deny the charges of self-segregation by emphasizing that the purpose of the clubs is to promote ethnicity.

"Ethnic clubs are not self-segregating," says Kiang. "That is often the mistaken and misguided argument about ethnic clubs. People are coming from the wrong assumption that mainstream culture is the only culture."

Staying Away From Politics

As most of Harvard's Asian-American clubs focus on cultural and social affairs, few take a stand on political issues. And while individuals are free to adopt political causes, members of ethnic Asian organizations say that politics causes dissension within clubs, which are meant to unify the minority students.

"It's nice to do culture and meet other Vietnamese people," says Nhan Vo '93 about HVA. "I like it the way it is. Politics always divided the Vietnamese people. When Vietnamese people get into politics, we get into trouble. We fight with other people and with each other," he says.

"When you bring up an issue and HVA has to take a stand, who in HVA will make it? The majority will, but then the minority, will they break away because they disagree? The goal right now is to be a social and cultural group," says Trang T. Nguyen '90, co-president of HVA.

Many Asian-Americans say they are reluctant to involve themselves in politics because of familial pressures. With parents who suffered from the upheavals created by politics, children were warned not to get involved with politics for fear of "being dragged into dirty politics," says Stephen W. Chik '87.

"There has always been a cultural mentality that students should not mess around in politics according to their parents," says Chik. "Parents told their children that when they become members of a community, they will get hurt."

Asian groups also shy away from politics because Asian-Americans lack a single political agenda, students say. Leaders assert that many cultures are represented in the word "Asian-American," cultures that in past centuries warred with each other.

"In terms of cohesion, Asian-Americans are a complicated population--different societies and cultures," says Kiang. "It is very understandable why there is a lack of cohesion, which explains the lack of an Asian-American political voice."

Finally, some Asian-Americans, notably those of Korean and Vietnamese descent, have difficulty understanding the issues and engaging in discussion because many have recently immigrated to the United States and have a difficult time communicating in English, says Lee.

The Internal Debate