By: Sierra Hall
AUM is home to a unique student-focused campus, where all activities are made to mind the development of students’ success in leadership and education. A major part of the collegiate experience that AUM offers is the ability for students to be involved in and create clubs based on their heritage, interests and pre-professional development. The Black Student Union, known on campus as BSU, is one of the most recent additions to AUM’s list of student clubs and organizations. The first Black Student Union was created in 1966 at San Francisco State University and other colleges adopted the club shortly after. AUM’S BSU returned to campus in Spring 2022, with more specific goals and objectives. BSU’s current president, Mariah Webster, spoke to me about growing the organization on campus and becoming more noticeable. Webster, an elementary education major from Birmingham, AL, talked to me about the expectations for the year and BSU’s mission statement. “The Black Student Union mission is to recognize the interests of black students and serve as another support system for students attaining a degree (at AUM)”. Webster said she joined for the exact reasons of the mission statement. “The Reason I joined BSU was to be around more African American Students. My first year here at AUM, I was very shy, my second year here I heard about BSU. I joined and have loved it ever since.” Webster admits that there are still challenges with establishing a consistent turn out of students to the events hosted by BSU. “I think posting more (to social media) and talking to students will get them to come out more.”
From the beginning of the fall semester, BSU has hosted a multitude of events for students to get participate in including Game Night in collaboration with the Campus Activities Board and TableTop Gaming Club, Family Feud, In My Bag (a seminar about money management as a college student) and a Canned Food Drive. Webster says she is most excited to see the organization grow beyond its 59 active members and become more noticeable on campus.