Activities sponsored by SAS encourage exploration of the South Asian culture, advocate solidarity, and serve the community. Annually, SAS strives to support and work with various community and international charitable organizations as well as to maintain funds in its own endowment- The South Asian Society Scholarship Fund. The endowment provides a scholarship annually to a member of the South Asian community. It is the mission of SAS to actively create programs and lectures representing the cultural diversity of South Asian countries. However, we also are determined to increase political activism and awareness of the South Asian community on campus. Toward this end, SAS has worked in conjunction with other student groups to develop the university’s South Asian curriculum. Further, SAS has begun to actively work with other organizations such as the Indian American Center for Political Awareness (formerly the India Abroad Center for Political Awareness) and the Indian-American Political Awareness Committee.

It is also the mission of our organization to develop stronger ties amongst the South Asian community. SAS has had a long-standing history of working with all nations in our events and creating unifying programs. In the winter of 1997, SAS organized a unity dinner to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan. In addition, we have organized Bhangra on the Block in conjunction with the Bangladeshi Students Association, as they celebrated Boishakhi Mela (spring festival). In the fall of 1998, SAS commemorated the 50th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s independence with a dinner and cultural show, attended by members of the Sri Lankan Embassy. In 2005, SAS cosponsored an event with the Pakistani Students Association to help raise funds for Tsunami victims from Pakistan and India. In the fall of 2006, the SAS sponsored Raas Chaos worked with the Stop HIV and Aids in India (SHAII) charity. This is an organization whose main initiative is to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. SAS also hosts its annual Spin the Globe & Date Auction, a campus-wide multicultural event that gives student cultural organizations a chance to work together and promote the rich diversity of our campus. In the spring of 2010 we had Dr. Abdul Kalam speak at one of our events. In the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, SAS had a General Body Hangout (GBH) with the intent to have a "hangout" event once a month, as an opportunity for South Asian students to meet other students. Starting in 2009, SAS has had "Hookah Happening", an event in Kogan Plaza with shisha available for students. For the upcoming school year, we also have a Professional Event planned with Alpha Kappa Psi and a Date Auction planned with OLAS.

SAS’s philanthropy extends well beyond the South Asian community. In the recent past, SAS has had a major presence The National AIDS Walk, National Gandhi Day, DC Greater Care Servathon, and has contributed to numerous local charitable organizations. SAS is firmly committed to providing a well-balanced forum for social, political, and cultural enrichment to people of all ages and creeds. Below are some of the organizations that SAS has worked with in the past. We hope to continue working with these and other local charitable organizations throughout the year in an endeavor to expand our community efforts.