AAA Hosts Valentine's Day Conference; 1,000 Students Will Attend

The Asian American Association (AAA) is expecting more than 1,000 participants at its Intercollegiate Conference scheduled for Valentine's Day weekend, organizers said. The event will include speeches, a fashion show and a dinner with former CBS anchor Connie Chung.

The confirmed speakers list also includes Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii); Dennis Hayashi, director of the office of civil rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Marie Lee, author and Yale University professor.

Although 15 leaders of the Asian-American community are currently scheduled to attend the conference, there will only be time for six of them to speak, said coordinator Thomas K. Ryou '00. Those six have not yet been determined.

"The AAA committee in charge of planning the conference tried to get speakers that represent the full Asian-American spectrum," in terms of both nationality and profession, Ryou said. "We didn't just want politicians, we wanted writers as well."

Ryou called conference director Saukok J. Chu '98 a "major force" in getting Chung to attend the conference. Her honorary dinner is scheduled for the evening of Friday, Feb. 14, the first day of the conference.

According to an e-mail message announcing the conference, there will be a mixture of cultural and professional workshops. The seminar topics will range from Korean Drumming, Sushi Making and Asian Drinking Games to career planning and approaches to leadership.

One of the event's anticipated highlights, Ryou said, is an "leadership boot camp," an intensive workshop designed to strengthen campus Asian-American organizations.

Student leaders will swap tips and discuss organizational techniques. Princeton, Yale, New York University, Columbia and Wellesley are among the schools scheduled to participate.

Limited free on-campus housing will be available to students from other colleges, and events will be housed in a variety of locations from Loker Commons to sites across the River, Ryou said.