Thursday, March 28, 2024

APASO power rally kicks off conference

November 3, 2000

A rally and march from the rock on Farm Lane will highlight a weekend full of activities for Asian and Pacific American students today at 4 p.m.

This is the ninth year the Asian Pacific American Student Organization will host its fall conference. Romeo Salvani, APASO co-president, said the conference provides APA students a chance to celebrate their culture at MSU.

“The conference gives us a chance to unite the community and spread pride and education while preserving our Asian heritage,” he said.

The rally will focus on issues that affect MSU’s APA community. Participants will march from the rock to the Union, making stops at the Administration Building and Cowles House along the way.

Salvani, a telecommunication junior, said the rally can help change some of the misconceptions that many people might have about Asian and Pacific Americans.

“The power rally is about breaking stereotypes,” he said.

Conference registration will follow today’s march along with a pizza party and a movie at the Multicultural Center in the basement of the Union.

Starting Saturday morning, workshop sessions focusing on topics such as “Sex and the APA culture,” “Affirmative action and the APA community” and “Female APA leaders” will be held on the third floor of the Union.

Soh Suzuki, a studio art senior and minority aide in Phillips Hall, helped develop the workshop topics. He said coordinators for the conference wanted each discussion to be relevant to issues that affect MSU students directly.

A banquet in the Kellogg Center’s Big Ten Room at 6:30 p.m. Saturday will complete the activities.

Conference participants will listen to keynote speakers Touger Xiong, a comedian who Salvani said has been referred to as the “Hmong Eddie Murphy,” and Daren Rikio Mooko, the director of the Asian American Resource Center at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. Salvani said the age of the speakers was one of the key factors in their selection - they’re young.

Tom Nishi, MSU’s coordinator for Asian and Pacific American Student Affairs, said students of all cultures can learn something from this weekend’s conference.

“The conference lets everyone know that APA students are here on campus, that they exist and they are active,” Nishi said.

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