The Biological Engineering Student Organization (BESO) held their annual potato & rice sale on the corner of S Stadium Dr. and Highland Rd. by the Ag Center Parking Lot to support their program.
This sale has been going on every week-and-a-half before the University’s Thanksgiving break for the past 38 years and is the club’s biggest opportunity to raise funds for BESO operations. Because biological engineering is a smaller program, the sale’s success is of the utmost importance to many club members. 
Biological engineering major and fundraising executive member for BESO Leandre Bonmardion said the money they raise never goes to waste and is very useful for the students in the club.
“The money will mainly go towards our organization to make better events, dealing with better food, better meetings, and our annual crawfish boil in the spring,” Leandre said.
On average, BESO makes $3,000-$4,000 during this sale every year; they typically sell about three tons of potatoes and one ton of rice each year.
Besides the financial stability the sale provides, BESO members look forward to the sale every year to come together, have fun and use this time to bond with other members.
“It’s a cool moment, because it’s really like a bonding thing. We can come together for a common good to raise money for our student organization. That’s really cool I think,” says biological engineering senior and BESO member Chris Bologna.
Students and faculty are not the only people who buy from the sale. Many former students and members of the public come to support LSU and the organization in any way they can. Biological engineering senior and BESO president Gabrielle Kerkow said the 38-year tradition of the sale attracts people outside the University’s campus.
“More of the elderly folk come out, and they talk about how they’ve been coming every year,” Kerkow said. “Alumni will come out, and it is always fun to see old faces come back to support the organization.”