The Asian American Association (AAA) last night elected a new president, who said she will try to define the club's role as a social and activist organization more effectively.

Irene C. Cheng '97 was named president for the coming year during AAA's annual officer elections in Emerson Hall, in the only hotly contested race of the evening.

Cheng won the presidency with a clear majority of the vote, but the AAA declined to disclose the margin of victory, citing club policy.

Approximately 50 AAA members came for the officer elections. By the end of the two-hour meeting, however, fewer than 20 remained for the election of committee members.

During the evening several club members urged the AAA to establish a clearer view of its social and activist role.

"I feel one of the most important things the AAA needs to do is find a balance," Cheng said.

The president-elect said that while she is mainly concerned with political and social issues affecting Asian-Americans, she will try to emphasize the club's social functions as well.

Cheng also stressed the importance of keeping members active beyond their first two years.

"We're going to try and focus on retaining more of the people who sign up each semester," she said.

All of the presidential candidates said the AAA needs to fight stereotypes and racism and promote awareness of a unique Asian-American identity.

Presidential candidate Eugene Y. Chan '96 emphasized the need for a "pan-Asian political agenda" to make Asians at Harvard more aware of injustices in the world around them.

"Asians in the real world don't look through their rose-colored glasses all the time," Chan said.

Jamian Lai '96, who ran for co-president together with Alexander M. Lin '96, said the difficulty of being an Asian student at a predominately white prep school made him realize his own culture.

"I felt that, in order to not lose my own identity, I had to work to stress ethnic awareness," Lai said.

The other three executive positions were filled by their only nominees.