The UW-Madison Chinese Student and Scholar Association

February, 2000 Ten years from its foundation in 1989, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA), formerly known as the Chinese Independent Union (CIU) has doubtlessly established itself as the most active and influential ethnic Chinese student organization on the UW-Madison campus. The history of CSSA(CIU), short as it is, reflects continuous efforts to uphold the delicate balance between cultural services and political ideals. On the one hand, we take great pride in our contribution to the promotion of the cultural exchange between Chinese culture and other cultures, as well as the promotion of the cultural diversity of the Madison community. From the first day it was founded, CSSA(CIU) has aimed to build a prosperous community that will consist of not only Chinese students and scholars, but also those with other ethnic backgrounds who have an interest in Chinese tradition and culture.

After years of endeavors by the founders and the successors, CSSA(CIU) has become the leading group in promoting the Chinese culture and tradition. Take the celebration of Spring Festival as the example. This yearly event, which is open to all UW-Madison students and faculty for free, consists of many exciting activities, including a dinner party, a talent show, a dancing party and a karaoke party. It has been held successfully for 10 years at the Memorial Union of the UW-Madison. This event has become so popular that the Chinese students, scholars, and their families have long taken it for granted as an opportunity for union and feast. In addition, many American families have enjoyed this yearly feast.

Other traditional activities of CSSA(CIU) include the celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Moon Festival), the publication of a newsletter Wei Da Tong Xun (WDTX), the compilation and update of the Madison Chinese Name Directory. Also, CSSA(CIU) has actively co-sponsored or participated in many campus-wide events in promoting cultural diversity. Last August, for instance, we co-sponsored the exciting activity, "Dance on, Wisconsin", with several other groups, and contributed our own performance.

There is no doubt that these activities have benefited the Chinese people by adding to their life excitement and communal feelings. By showcasing Chinese culture and tradition, they also, and maybe more importantly, benefited the Madison community as a whole. It should be specially noted, however, that we have not made these achievements all alone. Instead, we owe many thanks to several university administration offices, such as Associated Students of Madison, International Student and Scholar Services, and Registered Student Organization Office, and many other local organizations and individuals, such as Chinese Undergraduate Student Association, Madison Chinese Language Society, and UW Chinese Wushu Club, to name a few.

The other aspect of this organization is the controversy it has stirred up from the date of its birth. Largely inspired by the world-rocking June 4th student movement in 1989, the founders of CSSA(CIU) and early successors were more or less guided by the passion to improve democracy in China. Many activities were organized to commemorate the student victims in the early phase of CSSA(CIU). These activities helped to shape the vital support of this young organization for independence and democracy, which have been retained since. Also, the concrete yet flexible structure of CSSA(CIU) was also formed during the very early phase of its history.

Despite the slight political intention of the early terms, CSSA(CIU) has never been a purely political organization. Instead, it has managed to maintain a balance between seeking political ideals and providing cultural services. As time has passed and political enthusiasm has waned, the latter theme gradually dominates and CSSA(CIU) has actually become a non-political student organization. This transformation is best reflected in the revised CSSA(CIU) constitution published in the 39th issue of WDTX. The slight political taste in the original name CIU, however, has caused continuous debate both inside and outside of this organization. The last few years have witnessed an increasingly louder voice from the Madison Chinese community, as well as from within the committee, suggesting that a more "neutral" name be adopted so that this organization will be more inclusive.

To end the 10-year debate on the organization name, we resorted to democracy. Two months ago, we initiated an on-line discussion in our bulletin board on the name issue, and then took votes from all concerned members. The result is a landslide victory for the new name, CSSA (81%). By changing the name, we expect to improve our services to the local Chinese people and continue to promote cultural exchange, hopefully with the assistance of Chicago Chinese consulate, which has distanced itself from CSSA(CIU) and the Madison Chinese community since 1989.

We should emphasize that, no matter under which name, this organization has been and will continue to be one of the Chinese community, by the Chinese community, and for the Chinese community. This is our hope as well as ultimate mission. We invite all capable and interested individuals to participate in running this "mini-government" of your own.