The question over whether Asian clubs should address political issues has continually plagued many of these groups.
In his attempts to expand the CSA's agenda to include politics, Chik says a division occurred within the club when some members felt it should only be cultural.
"The issue has always been: should we be a social and cultural or political club? I favored a stance in all areas--social, political and cultural," says Chik.
When Asian students wish to get involved in political issues, they do so outside of the clubs. They either join politically oriented organizations like AAA or volunteer the manpower and "moral support" AAA needs to stage an event, says David S. Chiu '91, AAA co-president.
The AAA has traditionally been looked on as the political representative of the Asian community at Harvard.
"There is a tradition in AAA to fight to get Asian-Americans recognized as a minority group," says Arlene M. Mayeda '91, co-president of AAA.
For example, in Lowell, Mass., where there is a large contingent of Southeast Asian refugees, AAA is helping in the fight to prevent the city from making English its official language "to the exclusion of their own language," says Chiu.
But AAA, the largest Asian group on campus, has also chosen to play a more active role in Asian social and cultural events as part of their strategy to get students involved, according to Cara J. Wong '92, an AAA steering committee member. Once students are involved, she says, then members can learn about politics and participate in the club's political activities.
By expanding its role in the social and cultural areas, AAA is also trying to unify other ethnic clubs, says Theo K. Cheng '91, vice president of AAA. This year's AAA is seeking to "be more encompassing" by sponsoring the annual Cultural Food Fest and last fall's semi-formal Autumn Dance, for example, Cheng says.
But ethnic club and AAA leaders are quick to assert the independence of Asian ethnic clubs from AAA. While students and administrators refer to AAA as the "umbrella group" for all Asian clubs, that is not the case, says Cheng. "AAA is independent with a different mandate than [other ethnic clubs have.]"
It is difficult to predict whether other Asian-American groups will follow the lead of AAA and eventually enter the realm of politics. But Asian-Americans say that until they can find a unified voice, the clubs will keep quiet on Asian affairs.
"The Vietnamese community in America is still in a precarious standing," says Vinh Q. Nguyen '91, HVA co-president. "If we fight among ourselves because of politics, we will disgrace ourselves in front of the American public."
Today's Snapshots page is the first in a regular feature series appearing on alternate Mondays.
Snapshots will take a closer look at Harvard students and their lives. It will examine many of the student activities and clubs on campus, and will profile some of the more outstanding students at the University.
Rather than simply chronicling the events around campus, Snapshots seeks to give a vivid description--a snapshot--of student life at Harvard.