The Black Student Union is only hours away from a shift in administration.
The BSU administration candidates met Monday night in the African American Cultural Center for a debate and a meet and greet with students.
The candidates running for president are Shayla Edwards, business administration sophomore, Alex Frilot, African American studies sophomore, and Derrick Petit, political science and history junior.
The candidates running for vice president are Ashanti Corey, psychology junior, running under Petit’s campaign, “The Next Level;” and Ada Goodly, international studies senior, under Frilot’s campaign, “Project Rebirth: Bridging the gap. Bringing the agenda back.”
The candidates for treasurer are Westley Bayas, political science senior, and Terrica Dyson, international trade and finance sophomore.
Candace Brisco, kinesiology freshman, runs unopposed for secretary.
The candidates were each given an opportunity for opening statements, questions from the BSU election committee, questions from the audience and closing statements.
The presidential candidates discussed plans ranging from community involvement to attracting students to events.
Edwards said one of her main objectives is to continue working with the Polk Elementary ongoing literacy project.
“They’re right outside of the gates of LSU,” Edwards said. “They’re our future.”
She said her campaign highlights the priorities of students, which is where she found her campaign slogan, “Your voice is our voice.”
“Rebuilding the AACC, it’s a priority of the students,” Edwards said. “So it’s the priority of the BSU.”
Frilot and Goodly said they want to focus on community issues and create an environment where all students can be comfortable voicing their opinions on campus.
Goodly said she wants to create a community development committee that would organize black student organizations into sponsoring high schools to help with issues including literacy and funding.
Frilot said she is a Hurricane Katrina victim, so she would like to put some focus on the New Orleans area.
“There’s a big population of New Orleans students here,” Frilot said. “If you weren’t a victim, you know someone who was a victim or you housed victims.”
Frilot said she wants to make the BSU efficient for students. She said she wants to bring more entertainment projects to the AACC to promote a friendly environment, and she intends to bring a job fair to the University that targets minority workers.
Petit and Corey said they want to create a better working relationship with the other black student organizations under the BSU and find grant money to help these organizations become more effective on campus.
Petit said the BSU has lost its “teeth,” and he hopes to help the organization shed its passive nature.
He said part of the reason the BSU has become less effective is because it hasn’t been working in conjunction with other black student organizations.
“We are a union,” Petit said. “We’re not going to compete; we are going to unify.”
The candidates for treasurer discussed how they would raise and keep funding within the BSU.
Bayas said he has experience from within the University that has taught him where funds are available and how to acquire them.
He also said he intends to seek out the federal and state government for grants to fund programming.
Dyson said she possesses the necessary communication skills for acquiring grants and funding.
She said she plans to contact businesses like Target, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club that are known for giving money to student organizations.
Any full-time student can vote today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the AACC with a form of identification.
The winner will be announced Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the AACC.
 
Contact Rebekah Allen at [email protected]