Asian Students Association Hosts Annual 'Asian Fest' and Culture Show Nov. 8-9

by Devany Severin, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

The Asian Students Association will host its seventh annual Asian Fest and third annual "Pandamonium" culture show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, and 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 on the Baylor campus.

"ASA hosts this event each year to reach out to the student body at Baylor and to promote Asian culture on campus," said Stacy Chen, president of ASA. "People have asked me if it's ok to attend or buy a shirt even though they're not Asian, and we would love for them to. We definitely hope to see as many people as possible out at Pandamonium."

The annual banquet, which will take place on the 5th floor of the Cashion Academic Center in the Hankamer School of Business, will feature guest speaker Tak Toyoshima discussing the topic of "Asian Americans in the Mainstream." Toyoshima is the creator of Secret Asian Man, a comic strip that presents an honest commentary on the state of race relations in America. The comic began as a two-page monthly in a Boston-based arts magazine and soon ran as a weekly for six years. In July, United Features Syndicate scouted and developed the comic to become the first Asian-American comic strip since the days of Bruce Lee and Charlie Chan.

The Pandamonium culture show will include diverse dance performances, bands, a fashion show and booths featuring different Asian cultures and will be held in the SUB Bowl beside the Bill Daniel Student Center.

Many student organizations will participate in Pandamonium to bring campus together to celebrate Asian culture and diversity, said Chen. Participating organizations will include Filipino Student Association, Indian Subcontinent Student Association, Latin Dance Society, Taekwondo Club, Vietnamese Student Association and others.

Tickets for the banquet are $6 for ASA members, $10 for non-members and students and $15 at the door or for Baylor faculty and staff. Pandamonium is free and open to the public. Asian Fest t-shirts are also on sale for $7 for ASA members and $10 for non-members. To order a t-shirt please contact Stacy_Chen@baylor.edu.

For more information, contact Taryn Ozuna in the Baylor Multicultural Activities office at (254) 710-4466.