Organization
Cambodian Student Association of Minnesota
The Cambodian Student Association of Minnesota (CSAM) is a nonprofit student organization at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, founded in 1988.[1] It serves Cambodian students and the wider Cambodian community, and it shares Cambodian culture on campus and with the next generation.[2]
History
CSAM was founded in 1988.[1][3] Jenny Srey has said that when she was in college, the association had been inactive since the late 1980s, and that she and other Khmer students revived it.[4] A January 2005 university directory listed it as the Cambodian Students Association of Minnesota, with Kanika Nhul as president.[5] Its website at the time, http://www.tc.umn.edu/~csam, also appears in a list of Cambodian diaspora organizations published by The Advocates for Human Rights.[6]
On October 20, 2016, CSAM co-hosted an event for the "Minnesota 8," Cambodian Minnesotans facing deportation to Cambodia, with the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee at the university and several other groups. The event included a screening of Sentenced Home, and representatives of the association spoke briefly.[7]
Activities
Since 1988 its members have volunteered at community events, given to charity, mentored young people and raised awareness of Cambodian culture.[1] The association holds a Khmer New Year event at the University of Minnesota, and the Wattanak Dance Troupe performed there in 2025.[8]
Community
CSAM is an affiliate of the Minnesota International Student Association, and the university's Asian American Studies program lists it among the student organizations it works with.[2][9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CSAM Minnesota, home page
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minnesota International Student Association, Affiliates (2020)
- ↑ LinkedIn, Cambodian Student Association of Minnesota
- ↑ The Asian American Foundation, Asian+American Stories: Jenny Srey (August 2025)
- ↑ University of Minnesota, community organizations directory (January 2005)
- ↑ The Advocates for Human Rights, The Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Resources for the Cambodian Diaspora (PDF)
- ↑ Fight Back! News, Families call for release of 'Minnesota 8' (October 21, 2016)
- ↑ Wattanak Dance Troupe, GivingTuesday (2025)
- ↑ University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts, Asian American Studies: Organizations