Harvard's many Asian-American organizations canbe a key part of this process. Kim estimates thatAAA's largest events draw around 600 of Harvard'sapproximately 1,200 Asian and Asian-Americanstudents.

The leaders of the organizations stresseducational, cultural and political roles fortheir groups. But many also say the groups servean important "networking" purpose, bringing peopletogether with others of their background.

Comfort in Numbers?

But the social function the groups fulfill canalso make them centers of the "cliques" whichstudents say exist in several houses.

Peter S. Park '94, co-president of the KSA,says he wants the group to be "an outlet or aresource for other Koreans to meet friends."

He says he perceives "cliques" but doesn't"think there's anything wrong with them."

"You choose friends who are similar to you," hesays, "[who have] similar parents, similarexperiences in high school."

Some Asian-American students condemnedexclusive cliques, but many pointed out that thephenomenon is not unique to Asian-Americans.

"Definitely there are people here at Harvardwho only hang out with their own minority group,"says one Asian-American undergraduate. "This isnot something limited to Asian-Americans."

Some Asian-American students say that allgroups form based on commonalities of one sort oranother, whether membership on a sports team orpublication, concentration or similar interests.

It's simply more noticeable when a group ofAsian-Americans friends are together because oftheir shared race, students say, and some feelthere is a tinge of prejudice in some people'sdiscomfort at seeing large groups of Asianstogether socially.

"I think maybe large groups of Asiansintimidate people, because they're not used toseeing it," says Park.

But such subtle feelings of discomfort aresmall manifestations of what many Asian-Americanstudents see as a more serious phenomenon.

Although most say they have not heard directlyoffensive remarks, many have seen anti-Asian slurswritten in public spaces around Harvard.

The most well-publicized of these was a remarkwritten on the Lamont Library poetry board lastyear. On a poem with an Asian-American woman'sname written under it someone wrote "Die, Chink."