By Rory Dulock | Staff Writer
Asian cuisine, boba catering and a cultural performance on Thursday evening wrapped up Mosaic Week, a celebration of Baylor’s different cultural student groups.
Asian Mosaic Night, hosted by the Department of Multicultural Affairs, celebrated diversity at Baylor by bringing students, faculty and staff together through music, food and tabling at 5:30 p.m. in the Barfield Drawing Room at the Bill Daniel Student Center. It was also an opportunity for students to learn about Baylor’s Coalition of Asian Students.
Jason Rounke, student financial wellness program manager, said the event allowed him and his department to table and share with students how they can participate in research as undergraduates through various programs.
Rounke said events such as Asian Mosaic Night that happen early on in the year are helpful for the department and for students because it helps get them engaged in the programs offered at Baylor.
“[Asian Mosaic Night is] really important because a lot of times, there’s programming that is designed to go across the whole school year, and if you miss it at the beginning of the year, it’s hard to jump into it as the year goes on,” Rounke said. “So these types of events are great. It really helps students experience just a broad variety of the different offerings that are happening on campus.”
According to Rounke, events like Asian Mosaic Night allow students to understand the heart behind different organizations early on and find what it best suited to them.
“We hope just to help students understand who we are, where we are and what we’re doing and the ways that we can support them throughout their education here at Baylor,” Rounke said.
While the event connected students with others sharing their culture and background, it also provided opportunities for students to grow academically, according to Rounke.
Rounke attended the event to table for two programs: Pathfinders and the McNair Scholars Program. Rourke said the Pathfinders Program connects students with professors doing research in their area of interest, while the McNair Scholars Program represents first-generation or underrepresented students in higher education research.
“This will help students go all the way through a Ph.D. program and do research here, not just here at Baylor, but with professors at other schools across the country. So it’s a very cool program that’s getting to be showcased here,” Rounke said.
Houston sophomore Olivia Chhlang is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, the Asian interest sorority on campus. She said she and the organization attended the event to table, meet new students, enjoy the food and mingle with the other organizations.
“I think [Asian Mosaic Night] shows the diversity and culture at Baylor, because you can find what you’re looking for at Baylor if you just know where to look,” Chhlang said.
Chhlang said the event is great for getting involved on campus, but she enjoys just getting to know other people that are similar to her.
“I think that Asian Mosaic [Night] is a great way to see all the Asian students come out and find their community,” Chhlang said. “My favorite part is definitely talking to a bunch of new people and seeing if they’re interested in rushing and just getting to know more people. Being able to host these events are just so fun because you get to hang out with everyone.”
