"My focus was to get more people involved," she says. "I probably focused more on the social events. I'd like to see more of a focus on the political [in the future]."

Montoya adds that social events have proved more effective membership recruiting tools than activist rallies.

RAZA's Cinco de Mayo dinner is the focal point of its social calendar, serving as a holiday celebration and a farewell to seniors. RAZA hosts study breaks with other ethnic groups and runs a movie night.

But the club also tries to mobilize its members for activism as well as its resources allow, Montoya says.

RAZA co-sponsored the Simpson protest and generally supports the work of the Ethnic Studies Action Committee.

The club also joined with students from the Kennedy School to show the PBS series "Chicano Movement" to interested students. Montoya describes the series as "a whole history of the Mexican-American civil rights struggle."

Recently, the club seemed to increase the emphasis on its political activism at a board meeting in May when club members Veronica Terriquez '97 and Richard Mora '99 proposed the formation of a distinct political committee within the club.

No member opposed the formation of the new committee.

Montoya says she sees this turn of events as evidence of the club's overall unity in the face of the dollar dilemma.

"[It] shows that people are content that they can bring up whatever issues they want to," she says.

BSA

In the Black Students Association (BSA), the tension between social and activist goals is exacerbated by lack of information about the club's limited resources, according to Chetanna I. Okasi '98, former BSA vice president.

Many club members pressure the BSA to pursue issues like minority hiring and racism at Harvard, Okasi says.

"When we don't take active stands...some people think we ought to be doing more," she says.

But, she says, most members of the club's board know that the BSA often cannot raise the money needed to bring national speakers on these issues to campus, while regular club members are probably unaware of this fact.