"People join organizations because they're fun," Chan says. "Maybe they can learn something while in them."

"People at Harvard are very intelligent, and they don't want an organization solely focused on social events," Chan says.

Social Organizations

Other ethnic organizations that draw their membership largely from AAA tend to be much more social in their focus.

Lee says the Chinese Students Association (CSA), of which she is also a member, is a "much more social organization."

Linked by the same ethnic background, a bond which the pan-Asian AAA cannot claim, CSA members "laugh at the same jokes" about their common experiences, Lee says.

This cultural link creates a very cozy atmosphere for Chinese students, members say, and they do not try to meddle with it.

Casting the CSA as a social organization, Lee notes that it "does what it claims to do very well."

She says the CSA holds seven or eight social events a semester, with activities ranging from a mahjong and karaoke night to a dim sum study break.

The social and cultural highlight of the year, according to CSA co-president David J. Tsai '97, is the Chinese New Year banquet.

This event, with an annual attendance of approximately 250 people, features student performances, food from Boston's Chinatown and traditional Chinese dragons.

CSA vice president Michael S. Chang '99-'98 describes the banquet as "presenting all aspects of Chinese culture to the Harvard community."

Tsai says the club is primarily cultural, but that there is room for a political element as well.

"I don't think there's a problem having both [cultural and political activities] within the club," he says.

Tsai says past leaders have focused more on social events, but he says the recent growth in the club's size has allowed it to move into political waters.