By Ashley Kooblall
After floundering its first year, the South Asian Student Association (SASA) has reconvened with a new president, new plans and a new sense of optimism.
“SASA has restarted from almost nothing over the past years, and I see great things for it in the future,” said Hiba Qazi, a member of SGA. “I think that the ‘new’ SASA will add a different flavor to the campus that people will really enjoy.”
The association has many ambitious goals for the semester as it displays the wonders of South Asian culture to the Hofstra community. There will be several Bollywood Movie Nights, performances by HU Bhangra Club, a South Asian folk dance group, fundraisers, a blood drive and a Holi celebration. Holi is the Hindu spring festival of colors, signifying, as legend has it, good triumphing evil. It is celebrated with colored or powdered dyes in various hues.
“We don’t only want to educate people about our culture, we want them to experience it,” said Sagar Monte Desai, current SASA President and a sophomore majoring in economics.
An increase in the number of South Asian students on campus has led to the revival of the once floundering organization. According to Collegeboard.com, Asians constitute approximately 6 percent of the University’s student population.
SASA first met on Wednesday, February 11 to officially renew the organization and to elect its new E-Board members. The club has struggled in the past to gain support and maintain student interest. KARMA, the club’s former name, remained inactive during the fall of 2007 due to its officers graduating. It was in Spring 2008 that Misal Panchal, a junior majoring in accounting at Hofstra University and current treasurer of SASA, was encouraged by his fellow peers to run for president of the club. However, looking back, Panchal realizes that his “administration wasn’t as successful in generating interest among students.” Panchal held his position as president for one semester. “Most of the students interested in the club were commuters,” he said. “Due to time conflicts, we were unable to accomplish our tasks.”
The association took a tumble in Fall 2008, lost among the various organizations offered by the University. “There was a lack of commitment from students to take up leadership roles in order to run SASA efficiently,” said Panchal.
Desai, who prefers to be known as the Prime Minister of SASA, said that the South Asian population at Hofstra has been rather small over the years. “I noticed recently that there were many enthusiastic South Asian students who wanted to start a community to bridge the gap between various cultures,” he said. “I felt like something had to be done and somebody had to do it so why couldn’t that person be me?”
Saurabh Vaish, sophomore and current public relations specialist for SASA, plans on having joint fund raising events to heighten awareness of the group. “I believe that raising club awareness comes on its own as we hold more events. It is vital to have many projects under our belt to increase activity, only then will awareness come as a bi-product,” said Vaish.
“We’re hoping to have SASA be known throughout campus and incorporate everyone. We want to coexist and hold events alongside other clubs,” said Ruby Puncahkunnel, secretary of SASA.
Other E-Board members include Sonali Shah, vice president, Ruchita Kapoor, events coordinator, and Shiv Vaishnav, legal administrator.
The new e-board is a promising one as they hope to keep SASA alive in the present as well as encourage future students to maintain its identity. “SASA will educate the general public on South Asian culture, customs and values through our social and philanthropic events which are in the process of being planned,” said Panchal. The club’s updates can be directly found on its Facebook page. Its E-Board encourages anyone interested to attend its meetings.