For their last general board meeting of the semester, The Asian Student Union (ASU) at Iowa State University hosted an EDM Night on Thursday, complete with its own DJ.
The event was hosted from 6:30 p.m. to about 8:00 p.m. in Elings Hall, room 0308. During this event, the ASU also revealed the new successors for their executive board and celebrated a special goodbye send-off for their graduating senior members.
The night consisted of laser LED lights and music bumping from the DJ. Snacks and beverages were also available. True to rave culture, members of ASU could also make their own kandi bracelets.
“Raving culture is big, especially in the Asian community, so we thought it would be fun to put together something that’s a little more mainstream and current, but also a fun way to get people together to enjoy music together,” Vice President of ASU Ethan Kono said.
Raving culture is very popular in Asian culture. It often challenges the cultural norms, expectations and stereotypes Asians face, and can offer a sense of belonging and community.
“It’s very popular in the bigger cities,” Treasurer of ASU Adrian Thongsavath said. “They’re like families. It’s about bringing the community together and just having fun, having a good time.”
Part of rave and festival subculture is kandi bracelet making and trading. These handmade beaded bracelets are almost like friendship bracelets and are often traded among each other or gifted. When exchanging the bracelets, a common tradition is the PLUR handshake. At the ASU’s EDM Night, there were supplies for members to make kandi bracelets and engage in this culture.
“The reason for Kandi-making is this popular thing called PLUR: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. They do a hand motion and then they trade bracelets or give one to another person,” Thongsavath said.
ASU’s mission is to bring awareness to asian identities and celebrate their cultures through building strong connections and community among each other. EDM culture mirrors this in that it encourages peace, love, unity, and respect and encourages community and tolerance.
“The EDM community very well mixes together with how we treat each other. Everyone gets along,” Thongsavath said. “I joined the club in spring of last year, and building this community has impacted my school time so much.”
“Our clubs are really inclusive to everybody,” Kono said. “You don’t have to be Asian to join. If you’re just interested and want to learn more about Asian culture in history and things like that, that’s like a really big goal and mission of our club.”
Since starting back up in the spring of 2024, ASU has already begun leaving a positive influence among its members and their time at ISU.
“It’s been really important to find a sense of community here,” Kono said. “I think it’s been a great way for me to express my culture in different ways and with people who may be experiencing the same things as me. I’d say it’s definitely shaped my experience a lot in just being able to meet so many people and just getting to experience that culture.”