Chinese Students and Scholars Association

The Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (official name: Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association: United for China's Peaceful Rising) is a student club, recognised and funded by the Student Governing Board.

Presence and mission

Prior to 2007, the CUCSSA included an "advisory board", which was, until recently, made up entirely of employees of a foreign nation's consulate. For that reason, the student club has been accused of being "an arm of the Chinese government" . After the shenanigans below, the club took on an OMA employee onto their board. The Chinese consulate officials dropped off shortly thereafter.

As of December, 2007, the CUCSSA appears to have revamped their web presence, possibly in realisation that the Cultural Revolution is over. They no longer identify themselves as "United for China's Peaceful Rising" (indeed, they appear to be in the middle of writing a new Constitution). Also gone are the dozens of pages of attacks on Falun Gong, replaced instead by exhortations to "[g]et started to outdoor activiety (sic) and enjoy all the fun" . Whether this is a genuine realisation that Mao is dead or just a Hundred Flowers-style trap to draw out imperialists and reactionaries into the open before they are served with peoples' justice to build a new motherland on the principles of socialist labour, peasants' rights, and resistance to foreigners and petty bourgeoise capitalism is yet to be seen.

Oddly enough, the CUCSSA's website appears to be blocked in mainland China. Who knows. Their antics have probably embarrassed the real Communist Party.

Shenanigans

The CUCSSA has been in the centre of several controversial shenanigans.

Falun Gong

Recent events and efforts of the club have centered around clashes with members of Falun Gong and with other members of the Columbia community. In fact, of the 10 items posted under "Lives in NYC" on the CUCSSA website, 9 of these 10 are attacks on Falun Gong. . Since it is a recognized group under the Student Governing Board, the organization appears to be a CU-funded arm of the Chinese Consulate focused on anti-Falun Gong manifestoes. And, during breaks from reprinting implausible copy from the Chinese Consulate, white water rafting.

Legal threats against WikiCU

On August 5, 2011, a bizarrely worded "legal threat" was sent to the administrator listserv of WikiCU. The threat is reproduced below:

From: [Redacted]
Date: Aug 5, 2011
Subject: Unreal information of CUCSSA (DELETE)

Hi,

This is [Redacted], the Vice-President of Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CUCSSA). I found this page http://www.wikicu.com/Chinese_Students_and_Scholars_Association in WikiCU. I and my friends are very angry, because all the description of CUCSSA is unreal and ridiculous.

You can find all information about CUCSSA by click our website http://www.cucssa.org

We sincerely hope you can delete all the unreal descriptions. And we reserve the right to legal proceedings.

Thanks so much.

Best,
[Redacted]

The threat had a few things wrong with it:

• The description of the CUCSSA circa 2006, with all respect to the "very angry" friends of the esteemed Vice-President (or is it "Vice People's Deputy"?) is not "unreal and ridiculous". It is fully documented, fully sourced, and in some cases, includes screenshots of the CUCSSA's antics. The only thing "ridiculous" is the behavior of the CUCSSA leadership.
• The threat to take "legal proceedings" is laughable and absurd.
  • For there to be "legal proceedings", there has to be "legal standing". In other words, CUCSSA must, as a plaintiff, prove injury that is "actual or imminent, distinct and palpable, not abstract". CUCSSA cannot prove injury.
  • CUCSSA must prove that there is causation between the conduct subject to complaint and the injury. Assuming there is actually injury, CUCSSA cannot establish causality between the injury (probably reputation, etc.) and this WikiCU entry. It can easily be counterargued that CUCSSA's non-existent injury is a result of their own asshat actions, such as sending out implausible emails asking members to bring "sea of flags dyed by blood, to beat the cult's high spirit, to defend the reputation and dignity of the motherland!" As anyone knows, "truth is a defense against libel".
  • CUCSSA must prove redressability. Since the causation link fails, CUCSSA must also convince the court that shutting down WikiCU will somehow prevent their own leadership from acting like asshats.
  • CUCSSA cannot be a plaintiff because it is not a legal entity with corporate personhood. It is a unincorporated group under Columbia University, and cannot initiate legal action or be the target of initiated legal action, because in the eyes of the law, it does not exist.
  • WikiCU cannot be a defendant because it is not a legal entity with corporate personhood. Likewise, in the eyes of the law, it does not exist.
  • It is conceivable that individuals affiliated with CUCSSA could sue individuals affiliated with WikiCU. But that never work, because, to return to legal standing, plaintiffs are prohibited from third party standing, with exceptions made under next friend doctrine for the cases of "infant or mentally handicapped" plaintiffs, for which CUCSSA might possibly qualify.
• Finally, "we reserve the right to legal proceedings" is grammatically nonsensical. It should be "we reserve the right to take legal proceedings". Likewise, "I and my friends are very angry" is also wrong. It should be "my friends and I are very angry". Or "my friends and I are VERY ANGRY!!!!", you know, to show the angriness.

Overall, the CUCSSA performed rather poorly with this attempt to exercise Chinese-style censorship of Internet content. Even in China, the Ministry of Propaganda has come up with far more creative and subtle ways to "guide public opinion", e.g. the 50 Cent Party, essentially paid bloggers and commentators to continuously trot out the government line, at 50 Chinese cents per cost, to bury by sheer volume any deviations thereof.

Deletion attempts

August 20, 2011

On August 20, 2011, newly-created WikiCU user Ruoyufan (the same person as the "very angry" Vice President who sent the "legal threat") attempted to delete the entire contents of this page, and replaced the entry with this:

哥伦比亚大学中国学生学者联谊会(CUCSSA)成立于1996年，是美东地区最大的华人学生、学者组织，也是全美国最具影响力和知名度的华人组织之一。联谊会成员包括哥伦比亚大学在校的华人学生、学者，大纽约地区工作、生活的哥伦比亚大学校友和自愿加入联谊会的华人、华侨，共计18000 余人。联谊会的宗旨是服务校内的广大中国学生、学者，密切联系、团结校友、华人、华侨，服务纽约地区的华人社区，弘扬中华文化，促进中美文化交流与相互理解。

According to Google Translate, it appears to be boilerplate description of the club:

Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CUCSSA) was established in 1996, the eastern United States is the largest Chinese students, scholars, organizations, but also the entire United States, the most influential and well-known Chinese organizations. Association members include Columbia University in the School of Chinese students, scholars, greater New York area working and living voluntarily joined Columbia University Alumni Association and the Chinese, overseas Chinese, a total of more than 18,000 people. Association's purpose is to serve the campus of the Chinese students, scholars, closely linked, united alumni, Chinese, overseas Chinese, the New York area's Chinese community services, promote the Chinese culture, and promote China-US cultural exchanges and mutual understanding.

August 22, 2011

On August 22, 2011, WikiCU user Ruoyufan again attempted the delete the entire contents of the page, and replaced the entry with this:

Established in 1996, Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CUCSSA) was initiated by a group of young Columbia students eager to connect overseas Chinese, and promote active exchanges between China and the Unite States. Now an officially recognized student group on Columbia campus, the CUCSSA has transformed into one of the biggest and most prominent overseas Chinese organizations in the United States. The CUCSSA currently has more than 6000 members, including present Chinese students and scholars of Columbia, Columbia alumni working and living in New York, as well as other overseas Chinese who joined CUCSSA voluntarily. A significant number of CUCSSA’s most seasoned members are now top players in the academic, economic and political arenas in China as well as the United States.

As of August 23, 2011, this page is now protected due to "excessive vandalism".