The goal of this year’s Black Student Union executive board is clear: unite the black student community.
From rewriting the BSU constitution to changing the way the black community participates in homecoming, the BSU executive board has made unifying all black student organizations its highest priority.
“When black student organzations unite, we get things done,” said Brandon Smith, a political science junior and BSU president, at their first meeting Wednesday.
One of the most significant achievements of the BSU in the 2002-2003 school year was the creation of a new position exclusively devoted to minority recruitment.
Regmon Chaney is serving as the first associate director of minority recruitment this fall.
“My being in this position is proof the University is committed to diversity,” he said.
Chaney said the primary focus of his position is to recruit black students. As part of that effort, he is involved in programs such as “African American Tiger Calls” and outreaching to minority schools.
Smith said that the creation of Chaney’s position is “an example of what we are capable of as a community, when we come together.”
Latrez Myer, a mass communication sophomore and BSU communication chair, said uniting the black community is important, but not easy to accomplish. Myer said this is because the relationship between black organizations is not clear.
Kristy Davis, a mass communication sophomore, agrees with Myer.
“Working to unify the black community is a great endeavor,” she said. “Brandon and the executive council have a lot of work to do, but if anyone can do it, they can.”
The BSU has accomplished more than a new position for recruitment. This year Career Services will hold the first ever Cultural Connections, a career recruitment opportunity just for minorities, coincident with Career Day.
Beverly Major, assistant director of the Office of Career Services, said, “When I talk to members of companies wanting to recruit here, they always ask me, ‘How can I get the best and the brightest minority students to come and work with me?’ In response to that, we created Cultural Connections,” she said.
Students will be given opportunities for scholarships, internships and other career options through Cultural Connections.
Smith pointed to programs such as Cultural Connections as proof that the black community can have an affect on campus.
Ralph Johnson, a political science sophomore, said, “It’s always true that a group can do more than an individual. If the black student community bands together with the BSU, we can accomplish more than we realize.”