By: Muziah Kargbo
Club Board:
President: Connie Chen Vice President: Jason Yu Treasurer: Kevin Liu Secretary: Lixuan Xia
First Year Rep: Kelly He Design Chair: Alyes Chen Photography Chair: Amy Lo Cultural Chair: Katherine Li
International Ambassador: Meilin Wu Publicity Chair: Samuel Li Culinary Chair: Sophie Zou
Social Links: CUSA Facebook | CUSA Heel Life
I was fortunate enough to be able to email some questions to the Chinese Undergraduate Student Association or CUSA to interview them about their club and the types of activities they do. These are the responses they gave with minimal editing.
Q1: What is the purpose of this club?
This club is dedicated in bringing together those interested in Chinese culture or language at UNC, whether it be students or people in the community. CUSA serves as an educational instrument by organizing social and learning events that promote awareness and appreciation for Chinese culture. We also aim to foster long-term relationships of those within CUSA through the sibling program, as well as collaborations with other organizations.
Q2: What are the usual activities of this club and what special activities do you do during the year?
CUSA hosts monthly events that strive to create authentic experiences of the Chinese culture. Past events have included dumpling making, mahjong game night, badminton, lantern making, fan painting, ramen bar, and more. Our two most notable and long-standing events are the annual Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chinese New Year celebration. Both include dinner alongside an evening of performances to celebrate the traditional holidays.
Q3: What do you think is the selling point of your club?
CUSA is unique in that involvement in the club does not require membership and is open to the public. The intention is so that all people of the community are welcomed to attend the events, regardless of occupational status. Additionally, all of our events, besides the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year, are completely free. We hope that this would allow greater focus on building relationships between club members and their community.
Q4: What do you hope for the future of this club?
In the past few years, CUSA has been experiencing tremendous growth and widespread publicity. Because so, our shows have been sold out annually. We would like to upgrade the venue where the shows are held so that more people may be able to attend. In addition, we hope that our traction within the community would enable us to garner sponsors so that we may continue providing free cultural experiences. Through promoting awareness and appreciation for Chinese culture, we look forward to making an even bigger impact in the community.