Baylor Asian Student Association Presents Two-Day AsianFest Event

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Baylor University's Asian Student Association (ASA) will host AsianFest, celebrating Asian and Asian-American pop culture, on Friday, Nov. 5, to Saturday, Nov. 6, on the Baylor campus.

The sixth annual AsianFest Pandamonium Culture Show will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the Sub Bowl of the Bill Daniel Student Center. The event, which is free and open to the public, includes a mix of both modern and traditional dances and two singing acts.

The show will feature the Latin Dance Society, the Indian Subcontinent Student Association and the Japanese Student Association, as well as other students and student organizations.

"I think AsianFest is special in that we are able to showcase Asian culture to the general public through artistic mediums such as song and dance," said Suzan Chaird, ASA event chair and El Paso senior.

This year's show includes the first Miss AsianFest Beauty Pageant, which will award the first-, second- and third-place contestants with cash prizes for Baylor-related expenses. The contestants will be judged on merit, extracurricular activities, an interview before the show and a question-and-answer session during the show.

The AsianFest banquet will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. The event is semiformal and tickets are $10 for students and $15 for general admission.

Dinner will be served, and Eric Nakamura, co-editor of "Giant Robot Magazine," will speak. "Giant Robot" is a bi-monthly magazine of Asian and Asian American pop culture founded in 1994 by Nakamura and Martin Wong.

Nakumura received his bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to "Giant Robot," he has worked at Larry Flynt Publications, made an independent movie called "Sunsets," shot photos for punk rock bands and designed T-shirts.

At the banquet, the winners of the beauty pageant will be announced, as well as the winner of the AsianFest Excellency in Action Scholarship. The scholarship awards a cash prize for Baylor-related expenses based on need, merit, extracurricular activities and two essay submissions.

The Bill Daniel Student Center is located at 1311 Fifth St.

by Katy McDowall, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805