Last Monday night, almost 150 Brandeis students gathered in Sherman Function Hall for food and entertainment in order to celebrate the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The evening's opening ceremonies included appearances by comedian Eliot Chang, who often performs on college campuses, speaker Jinah Kim and the Japanese Student Association band Super Going.

The aim of celebrating this month, according to the opening ceremonies program, is "to reflect upon our culture and educate others of the merits and accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans not only within our community but also around the world."

This year's APAHM theme is "Our Renaissance: Establishing Our Identity through Art." According to Yume Kim '09, the head coordinator of this year's APAHM program, "This theme will explore Asian-American views" and "will also explore different art forms and how they're portrayed in the media."

Though the rest of the world celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, it is a Brandeis tradition to honor and recognize the achievements of Asian Pacific Americans during the month of March because the second semester only lasts through the first few weeks of May.

According to Kim, Eliot Chang was the perfect choice for the program since his routines often reflect the way Asian-Americans are portrayed in the media.

Jinah Kim '08, a student speaker from Tufts University, performed pieces on her guitar and talked about her personal experiences being an Asian American.

Several Brandeis Student Asian groups, including Brandeis Asian American Students Association, Southeast Asia Club and the Office of Global Affairs, have teamed up to organize and sponsor events for the rest of the month until the closing ceremonies on Monday, March 31.

The second event of the month will be held tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Intercultural Center Swig Lounge. The new event is called Bizarre Foods Night, and will be hosted by SEAC, which describes the event on its Web site as "a night sampling exotic cuisines from Southeast Asia."

Brandeis' annual SKIN fashion show will be held on Friday March 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Levin Ballroom. The show will showcase Asian American designers Courtney Chu, Jun Jun Cambe, Rachel Park, Shin Choi and Sophia Reyes. The event will also include performances by VoiceMale and Zullo the Band. There is no admission fee, but a $6 donation is suggested. All proceeds will go toward The Hunger Project, which, according to its Web site, "is a global, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger."

Other upcoming events include the Japanese Student Association's "Iron Chef Weekend," which will be held during the weekend of March 14 in the Village kitchens. This event will involve different clubs competing to cook the best dish, as decided by the judges. Also, there will be various art and music programs, such as Shanghai Free Jazz, throughout the month.