Black Student Union hosts first event of the Fall 2020 semester

Black Student Union (BSU) was reinstated for the Fall 2020 semester with a new executive board after being disbanded last semester due to several vacancies on the board after the onset of COVID-19.

Founded in 2011, BSU was an integral part of the Southeast community until being declared inactive in the spring of 2020.

Senior BSU Vice President Neosha Smith said the organization has partnered with several other student organizations on campus to create unity between different races and cultures.

Zidane Johnville reviews his answer choices before submitting his final answers via Quizizz at BSU’s “Guess Who?” event Monday, Nov. 9, in Dempster Hall. Each response submitted remained anonymous until the final results were calculated.Photo by Isaiah Sterling

According to the Southeast BSU webpage, the organization's mission statement is “to promote the recognition and involvement of African American students at Southeast Missouri State University with the intention of creating a strong voice on campus and to make an impact on the decisions regarding students of the University Community. Encourage achievement and personal development in leadership, time management, organizational networking and communication skills among the membership.”

“BSU strives to educate students on what is going on in our school, communities and the world,” Smith said.

As the only returning senior board member, Senior BSU President Zambreah Butler said she is excited to watch what the organization will accomplish in the future under their new leadership.

Butler said many of the new board members are freshmen and are dedicated to growing the organization and seeing it prosper.

Freshman Treasurer Serenity Wilson said she is working to make BSU a welcoming environment for everyone.

“I see BSU as a safer place for minorities in the future. With Southeast being a predominantly white institution, I believe that a safer place is needed. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join BSU,” Wilson said.

The organization hosted its first event of the semester Monday, Nov. 9, in Dempster Hall. This event was one of five in BSU’s Games People Play series being held every day through Friday, Nov. 13.

New and returning organization members teamed up to participate in several rounds of “Guess Who?” Members were challenged to recognize childhood photos of well-known celebrities and input their guesses via Quizizz, an online assessment tool frequently used by teachers and students.

Butler said the main goal behind the event series is to give students an opportunity to get to know BSU and other students on campus.

Inspiration for the name of the event series comes from one of Butler's favorite television shows.

“I watch a lot of BET. My favorite show is ‘Games People Play,’” Butler said. “I figured, why not name the series after my favorite show?”

More information about the BSU and its future events can be found on Facebook and Instagram at @SEMOBSU.