Student Union Lower Atrium | Photo by Erin Pence | The Wright State Guardian
On Monday, Aug. 26, the Black Student Union hosted an event where student organizations active in the Black community could table to garner interest from students looking for their homes on campus.
Black Student Union
Brea Goines, a sophomore at Wright State University, has recently joined the BSU. She shared that she noticed all of the things BSU does on campus, and wanted to be part of that.
“What personally made me join was because of how outpouring of a community that it is, and they want everybody to feel included and have a place to go. We do a lot of different events,” Goines said.
She went on to discuss some of the different events that they have that she has attended, such as informative and social gatherings.
“It makes me feel overwhelmed, emotionally, to have that community here on campus.”
India Hector, President of the BSU, decided to bring back the tradition of hosting the Black Pit Stop, which had not been held at WSU in the past few years.
“I wanted to bring it back because I feel like our organizations were, I wouldn’t necessarily say divided, but I feel like they needed to just be brought back together. And it’s kind of like a mini Fall Fest, so, it’s just catered to the Black organizations. So people will come down and get to see all the orgs, instead of having to go to each other,” Hector explained.
“I feel like this is a good event to have, just to have us in one place.”
Student leaders
Amber Cornist-Bordeneau is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho and a former president of the Association of Black Business Students. She is also involved in the BSU and has a lot of praise for it and its events.
“Our main focus is always service and making our community a lot better, a lot brighter in general, and it’s so important for us to stick together as a community,” Cornist-Bordeneau said.
“This event showcases us as Black orgs, and so our students would know that we’re here.”
Ken Ware is the treasurer of the Association of Black Business Students and a member of In His Presence Ministries.
When talking about IHP Ministries, Ware said “For me, it means being able to get deeper in my faith and go further and just praying, talking to the Lord more. So that organization helps me get deeper in that progress.”
“Since I am in business, I like to be at a certain level in corporate life. So being with ABBS and being a treasurer, it fits into my role of what corporate life is, for me to control the money and also distribute it through the organization properly,” Ware said.
Daleasha Moore, President of Black Women Striving Forward, was tabling at the event with several other women in her organization.
“We’re trying to make it all-inclusive to every woman on campus. We want everybody to feel included, have a safe space, and just to be heard,” Moore said.
Organizations present
Black Women Striving Forward is an organization focused on moving the community forward and forging bonds and networking opportunities.
Black Men on the Move is focused on finding young Black men who are looking to find a place to socialize and work on themselves both personally and professionally.
The National Society of Black Engineers focuses on networking. They also practice professional skills so they feel prepared when going into interviews and the workforce. The NSBE also works on engineering-related projects to benefit local schools.
The Association of Black Business Students is open to all students of all majors. They focus on professional development, charitable work, and socializing with their peers.
In His Presence Ministries is a Christian student organization that welcomes all students. They hold weekly meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
National Pan-Hellenic Council, or the Divine Nine, is a collection of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities.
WSU has, at some point in time, featured six of the nine included in the Divine Nine. At the Black Pit Stop, four of these chapters were present, being Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and Delta Gamma Rho Sorority.
The Black Pit Stop was an engaging event where Black organizations were able to showcase themselves to all students who were interested in getting involved. The BSU will be holding more events throughout the semester.
