Asian-American Welcome Night welcomed new students on campus with open arms Wednesday.

The program included booths from many Asian-American student organizations and advice from speakers of the NIU community.

“I enjoy this event because I get to meet new faces and listen to the leaders of the Asian community,” said Shalom Marcarinas, president of the Asian-American Association.

The program also was a way for the Asian-American community on campus to thank NIU for the newly-renovated Asian-American Cultural Center.

“We are excited about our new cultural center,” said Michelle Bringas, Asian American Resource director. “It will allow us to share our culture with the entire NIU campus.”

The Cultural Center has been in the making for the past five years, with a lot of help from the students and the university, Bringas said.

“The welcome night is a wonderful tradition and the opening of the new Asian-American center is a dream that is finally becoming a reality,” said NIU Alumni Linda Luk.

The welcome night was also used as a way to get the Asian-American community more active on campus.

“When I first came to NIU, I was fascinated by the outreach of the ethnic groups that make up this great country, and I think that the NIU Asian community will soon be a part of that,” said NIU Trustee Robert Boey.

During the presentation, speakers pushed the need for more Asian-Americans to vote in the upcoming elections

“We need to make voting important so we can become more active and help solve our nation’s problems,” Boey said.