The CSA holds approximately equal numbers of cultural and political events, with the former holding a slight edge, Tsai says.

"We're trying to keep it half and half," he says.

This year, the CSA held discussions about human rights and Taiwanese and Chinese identity to complement its social offerings. The organization also co-sponsored a petition in favor of legal immigration.

Tsai says he would like to move the club further in the political direction but that he must take into account the different regional origins of Chinese people within the CSA.

He says most club members take an American viewpoint "based on democratic values" when they discuss political issues, but that the club cannot do the same.

"We do talks on issues, but we don't take a stand," Tsai says. "We try to be unbiased."

"The club has tended to stay pretty neutral in political matters," Chang says.

Tsai says the club pulled its name out of a protest over perceived Chinese aggression against Taiwan because the tone of the demonstration was too anti-China.

Still, Tsai admits that the CSA's executive committee sometimes argues over activist issues.

"Some people think we should take a political stance," he says.

Chang stresses that such disagreement among the "rather reasonable and level-headed" group is purely constructive and never degrades into infighting.

While Chang says he completely agrees with the club's current policy of political neutrality, he cautions against political avoidance.

"We have to represent all the aspects of our heritage," Chang says. "We can't ignore the political aspects just because it might be inconvenient."

Korean Community

Korean Americans for Culture and Community (KACC) make more of an effort to balance political and social activism than do the AAA and the CSA, members say.