With aspirations for creating a more unified student body, this year's Mr. and Ms. Asian Penn State hope to raise awareness about Asian-American culture.

Emmanuel Evangelista (junior-management science and information systems), Mr. Asian Penn State 2003, said his main goal is to clear up misconceptions about the Asian-American population.

"We want people to recognize that there is diversity within the Asian-American community," he said.

Often students and administration fail to recognize that students within the community are from varying places such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Korea, and have different cultural values, Evangelista said.

In the past, the university has decreased funding to programs that provide assistance to low-income minority students, he said. By doing this, Evangelista said, they have excluded Vietnamese and Cambodian students who come from poorer urban areas. By increasing funding to these programs, the diversity of Penn State's Asian-American population could be more accurately represented, he said.

"Any step to increase Asian-American awareness at the university would put a smile on my face," said Linda Stoner (junior-communications), Ms. Asian Penn State 2003. As a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, an Asian-American interest sorority, and president of the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), she is aware of struggles minority groups face, and she hopes to further integrate them into the campus community.

"I would like to see, in the future, diversity courses that are mandatory for all students," she said.

Currently, few courses other than language, philosophy and religion classes focus on Asian-American culture. Often, the faculty teaching these courses are not in tune with the culture they represent, she said. Stoner hopes to work with Evangelista to re-establish a scholarship fund that ran out five years ago, she said.

"It's going to take a lot of canning and asking for sponsorship," she said. "But we're confident we'll be able to bring it back." She also hopes the pair can unite to implement programming, visit classes and design workshops to further interest in the Asian-American community, she said.

As an acquaintance of the winners, Grace Chiou (senior marketing), Miss Asian Penn State 2002, has confidence the pair will succeed in making social change. While she is proud of her accomplishments, which include promoting campus safety and working with the Red Cross National Bone Marrow Program in conjunction with Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, one goal has yet to be achieved, she said.

"I would hope that the whole campus would continue to look for Cindy Song," she said, referring to the Penn State student who disappeared on Nov 1, 2001.

Song was last seen wearing a white shirt, pink tank top, brown knee-high boots and a red hooded jacket, and anyone with information about Song is asked to contact the Ferguson Township police at 237-1172 or (800) 479-0050.

"We haven't been able to unite and continue the search, and that's what really upsets me," she said.