Christa Kelly, Staff Writer

With the start of the new semester, student organizations have been busy planning and organizing events for the Augsburg community. AASA, ALAS and AISA all have a variety of plans in store for this semester.

The Augsburg Asian Student Association (AASA) is excited to be getting close to Augsburg’s Pan-Asian week. During the week of Mar. 25–29, AASA will hold workshops, table in the Christiensen Center and organize special events to celebrate the different Asian identities on campus. The Asian Celebration Show that Friday closes out the week with skits, singing, dancing and a fashion showcase. Houa Thao, secretary for AASA, says that it will be a beautiful and memorable event. “It’s so exciting to see everything come together,” says Thao, predicting that this year’s festivities will be even better than those from last year. “[AASA tries to] surpass itself every year, building off of each other and getting better.” Thao acknowledges that being a board member is a large amount of work but says that it’s worth the time. “It’s fulfilling to see the results of something you’ve put so much heart into.”

Augsburg Latin American Students (ALAS) have an exciting semester ahead of them as well. Jesus Guevara is hoping to make his first semester as the group’s president a success. Among the events planned is a week of activities beginning April 8. ALAS will organize a spring clean-up, a screening of a Latinx-centric documentary, a party and a dance. “So far, things are going really well,” Guevara says. “I’m really excited to work with this board. I see a lot of potential in these individuals and already have a lot of trust in them.”

One of the events that Guevara is particularly excited to work with the board members on is the students’ annual trip to attend the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute national conference in Chicago. The attending students will be able to participate in workshops, listen to speakers and explore Chicago.

The Augsburg Indigenous Student Association (AISA) kicked off the semester with “The Art of Resistance,” a show featuring Supaman, a Native American dancer and hip-hop artist. AISA flew the artist in from Montana to perform for the Augsburg community and Native American prospective students. Arianna Antone-Ramirez, president of AISA, is now looking forward to their upcoming Valentine’s Day event. AISA will be playing Native music and leading the group in a round dance on the 13th in Oren Gateway Center. She strongly urges students to come, learn and have a fun evening with the group.

AISA’s biggest project will take place at the end of the school year with the 11th annual traditional powwow. The event will be free to attend and will include food, dancing, vendors and drummers. AISA plans on holding an event prior to the powwow to discuss powwow etiquette with students. AISA’s biggest goal for the semester, Antone-Ramirez says, is to create “a structure and framework for AISA, something that will last for years to come.”

This article was originally published in the Feb. 8, 2019 issue.