Campaign members argue that Harvard does not offer any cohesive degree program dedicated to the study of ethnic culture in America. Harvard has formed an ad hoc Committee on Ethnic Studies, but group members see it as insufficient.

Phuong said although the group has not yet written its mission statement, the group plans to form a longer term strategy than previous ethnic studies drives.

Robert C. Chavez, a student at the Harvard Divinity School who attended last night's meeting, proposed that the campaign strive to involve a "coalition of interests," including student groups representing a variety of ethnicities.

And instead of directly pressuring the administration, Lim suggested that "what we do first is really work on dialogue."

"For outreach, its not just students," Lim said. "Faculty are very important."

Chanda K. Ho '01, who was active in the ethnic studies movement during her first year at Harvard, said she believes the group will have to struggle to generate enthusiasm for the movement among students.

"I don't think that there was any interest from the students," she said. For the new campaign to succeed, Ho predicted that "[resistance] is going to come from the student body."

Other universities across the country--including Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley--offer comparable degrees to the proposed ethnic studies program at Harvard.