Most ethnic groups send representatives to Foundation meetings and keep close tabs on Foundation events. Last year, for example, the Black Students' Association (BSA) had a Harvard Foundation representative, but not an MSA representative. This year they also have a MSA representative.

"The Foundation can do a lot of things that a student group can't do," says RAZA President Sergio J. Campos '00. "A lot of RAZA events wouldn't have happened without the resources of the Foundation."

Shieh said the Foundation has power within the administration that is useful to minority groups.

"Groups with money have power with the administration, and the Foundation can provide that to student groups," says Shieh.

The Foundation is primarily a cultural organization, however, which means it does not fulfill what many groups see as an important political need.

"The Foundation is all about multicultural awareness, but it's not as useful for coalition building," says Campos. "That's where we turn to MSA."

Former MSA Chair Jobe G. Danganan '99 says that the political arena is a way that the MSA, lacking the financial resources of the Foundation, can appeal to student groups.

"MSA can build bridges between student groups in a way that the Foundation, as a direct agency of the University, cannot," says Danganan. "The Foundation is limited in its political activism role."

But this year's chairs, Branch and Raman, say that they plan to build on the success of last year's affirmative action debate by facilitating dialogue among groups, while leaving political advocacy to the individual groups.

"We're changing our focus from that of an activist group to that of a facilitator group, because it seems to be the best way to promote racial dialogue," says Raman.

To that end, MSA plans a randomization debate for November and a series of dialogues between racial groups, called "Breaking Cultural Barriers."

BSA Vice President Jason B. Phillips '99, who is also a Crimson editor, says that one way for the MSA to establish itself is to make itself better known on campus.

"It seems like the MSA wants to do a lot of things on its own this year, and that's good," says Phillips. "The campus has got to know who they are in order for them to make an impact."

Branch says MSA will be looking at minority groups for guidance as well.

"We're going to ask them what they want us to address, what issues are bothering them," Branch says. "And in the future, when there's an issue that affects all of us, we'll be here as a device for them."