Here at Notre Dame, a mere 4 percent of undergraduates are Asian or Pacific Islanders. With that in mind, a conference held to address Asian and Asian American issues might appear to speak to a miniscule fraction of the student body. However, the sponsors of the 2nd Annual InFocus Conference hope to connect with all students who feel that diversity is a concern and priority — a much higher percentage than that 4 percent.

Last year's InFocus Conference was awarded Outstanding Club Program by the Club Coordination Council for 2001-2002, and this year's completely student-run program promises to live up to the high standard set by the inaugural year. With a schedule that includes cultural demonstrations, various workshops, high profile speakers and a comedy show, the activities planned should appeal to a wide range of participants.

This year's theme is "InFocus 2003: Unlocking the Past, Shaping the Future." The events begin today with a fireside chat in Coleman-Morse with Chandra Johnson entitled `Owning our Cultural Heritage.'" All students are welcome to come speak with Johnson, who is assistant to the president and assistant director of Cross-Cultural Ministry. Following the chat will be karaoke and movies.

The conference begins in earnest on Saturday with registration and breakfast. The opening ceremony speaker is Dr. Evelyn Hu-DeHart, who will also be speaking in one of the morning workshops. Denise de la Rosa, a junior and the executive chair of the conference, has heard Hu-DeHart speak and hopes many will be able to attend her speech.

"She's a very powerful speaker, very spirited — there's something about when she speaks that makes me want to go out and educate and to spread the awareness, not just for Asians or Asian-American ideals but just for [anyone] learning about something other than what you've learned for 18 years," de la Rosa said.

Another notable speaker will be Washington State Senator Paull Shin, who will lead an afternoon workshop called "Asian-American Political Activism" and will be the keynote speaker for the closing ceremony and banquet. Shin, who has also served as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, is one of a very small number of Asian-American politicians in the American government, at either the local or national level.

"I think it's one [workshop] that's got everybody really excited again, he's a very spirited person and he likes to see Asian-Americans getting involved, being more outgoing, being more outspoken than what we have been stereotyped to be in the past," de la Rosa said. She hopes that his workshop will encourage not only Asians and minorities but also all people to participate in government.

The conference also highlights other political and cultural issues, such as foreign affairs and interracial dating. Included among such weighty topics are Fun Workshops; these include Asian desserts, dances and Japanese origami.

It is the collaboration of multiple groups that is responsible for the planning of details and variety of activities. The Coalition for Asian Awareness is presenting the conference with other sponsors that include the Asian American Association, Filipino American Student Organization, Korean Student Association, Indian Association, Center for Asian Studies, Student Government-Diversity Committee, the Center for Social Concerns, Campus Ministry and East Asian Languages and Literatures. The Multicultural Student Programs and Services are also sponsoring the Annual Multicultural Comedy Show that will conclude the conference.

The planning process began during spring semester of last year, and started up again in September of fall semester. While Notre Dame is behind the development and execution of the event, many other schools were invited, including Michigan State, University of Michigan, Northwestern, Loyola, Valparaiso, Purdue, Indiana University and Saint Mary's.

Adrienne de la Rosa, a senior and the executive chair for public relations, wants the main focus of the conference to be heightening awareness about diversity. "Obviously, that's not just applicable to Asian Americans. It's really important, especially on a campus like Notre Dame, to be able to embrace everybody's differences. It's so important not only to share your culture with other people but to be really proud of it," Adrienne de la Rosa said.

The executive committee behind the conference emphasizes that anyone who is passionate about diversity is welcome to attend. "That works on all levels, whether it be sexual orientation, race, ethnicity; there are so many factors of diversity. Conferences like this stir discussion and dialogue and that's the most important part about trying to make a change," Adrienne de la Rosa added.

Denise de la Rosa echoed her sister's sentiments, and said that the conference should get out an awareness that Notre Dame is striving for diversity. "Diversity is meant for everybody, and especially on a predominantly white campus it's important to know reasons why friends act a certain way, or stereotypes that are seen in the media — those are things that we need to be aware of," Denise de la Rosa said.

"If anything, I would just invite everyone to come with an open mind, to come with a lot of insights, and to come with a curiosity and a respect for learning about something that at least on this campus is not exactly the easiest to get out of a classroom."

Registration forms for InFocus 2003 are available online at the InFocus Web site, www.nd.edu/~aaa/AAC, or participants can register at the door. Cost is $5.00, and the conference runs from Thursday to Saturday. Check the Web site for a schedule of activities.

Contact Scene Writer at Christie.B.Bolsen.1@nd.edu

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• InFocus Conference