The UR Filipino American Students’ Association (FASA) transformed Hirst Lounge Sunday afternoon for a Filipino field day as it hosted its first annual FASAFEST.
The group, whose motto is “Protect and Promote Filipino Culture at the University of Rochester,” featured a variety of activities celebrating Filipino heritage while simultaneously educating students.
Since FASA is a small organization, its members wanted to prove they are not limited in what they have to offer.
The event included paper parol (star) making, a game matching Filipino words to their English meanings; another game called Sipa (which is analogous to hacky sack); a trivia board with Filipino fun facts; a photo booth where students dressed in traditional Filipino garments’ and a food station with rewards for students completing two of the five activities offered.
“FASA has always been a small-scale cultural group, and when people think of FASA, they think of the group that does the dance where you jump over sticks called Tinikling,” FASA Co-President Mathew Quirong, said. “But Filipino culture is way more than that, and we wanted to show the University all the interesting things other than Tinikling that our country has to offer.”
According to Quirong, FASAFEST was a great success, considering how few people were involved in the planning process. He hopes that the event encouraged more students to attend their meetings, and that the club can continue to raise awareness of Filipino culture and problems their country faces.
“Hopefully we can get the campus involved in making a difference in the Philippines,” he said.
