Few minority organizations administer their own programs, despite large membership bases, for precisely this reason.
Even the Asian American Association's political action committee mostly funnels students to preestablished programs or runs shortterm projects like rallies and protests.
Still, students say they can't help but serve their respective communities, somehow. "It's hard to imagine BSA ignoring the problems of the urban city just as it is impossible for Asian American Association and Chinese Students Association to ignore what is going on in Chinatown," says PBH's Chinatown Adventure program Chair Gene Koo '97.
Lipkowitz says it simply doesn't make sense to shun the resources already provided by PBH for students who want to help their racial communities.
"A lot of ethnic organizations want to do community service programs different from PBH," she says, "but PBH is there it is a service organization with ties with the community."
"[At PBH] there are people who have volumes of experience who can help you. If you want to serve a community, the channels are there for you to do so and do it well, in a way you wouldn't be able to do at any university," Lipkowitz adds. "It would be a mistake to turn away from it."
But the BSA, despite a strong community service showing this year, has been the target of some criticism for doing exactly what it seems so proud of--working closely with PBH.
Despite Kilson's praise of Clarke in relation to past BSA leaders, he says he still feels that the group is not doing enough to really connect with Boston's Black community and its deepest problems.
"I know they don't do zero," he says. "But they should be doing three times as much."
"It's not enough, relative to the immense problems of the Black community," Kilson adds. "You don't fill this need and solve these problems with ritualistic and cathartic processes like the Kwanzaa celebration."
BSA leaders respond that there's no single "right" way to serve the Black community. "In terms of setting priorities, it is difficult to say the we should drop one aspect of our community service for another," says Boulware.
"It's really a matter of opinion where those efforts should be focused," she adds.