BSU

Anonymous, Class of 2023

Editorial Team — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 04:27:21 +0000

Most white people hang out with each other. Even though the school is diverse, as a POC it’s hard for me to be friends with people outside of my race because they are not as warm and receptive toward me. Resources such as the BSU and African cultural club (ACC) are available for black students. When I first enrolled in Jan 2020, these organizations were really fun. They offered opportunities for me to get to know people that looked like me. It was moved online during covid and now that things are back in person, I haven’t gotten the chance to participate because of heavy coursework. There is also a diversity office students can go and talk. Since I don’t live on campus, I don’t know what other resources they have for people of color. They should fund more events for BSU and ACC. A club becomes boring if they do not have events for members to participate in. ACC, in particular, had few events because they were underfunded. I don’t feel represented in my school. There are few students that look like me and there are also few professors that look like me. Makes me feel out of place a lot of times, almost like I don’t belong here. College is not always about studying, it’s also about the connections you make. If it’s hard to make connections with people because of the color of your skin, it makes your college experience nothing to write home about. If prospective Black students can go to HBCUs, I will absolutely advise them to go there instead, so they can have a better college experience and make more connections.

Kiyomi Bowen (Kiyo), Class of 2022

Editorial Team — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 04:23:58 +0000

At the start of my freshmen year(2019) I found it was odd that there was no Black Student Union. I chose this college because I liked its diversity rating, small campus, and how the school is around 30 minutes away from home. I thought that BSU’s were already established things at most colleges. We had an active multicultural club, but I found it odd that there wasn’t an active BSU chapter. Throughout the years I have been attending Albertus, our diversity rating has been pretty good. Currently, in our undergrad program, 53% of students are black, and when I enrolled it was around the same. During my freshman year, I struggled with this is question “Does Albertus really want a BSU?” When I looked around it seemed that everyone was fine with how things were, limited resources for Black American students (not international) first-generation, and local or urban students. Going to a PWI it’s very important to know how to code-switch and if you aren’t aware, passively that can affect your studies/opportunities. In the summer of 2020, George Floyd’s murder had happened and the rise of that made me say “Who cares if Albertus wants a BSU”. I wanted there to be a safe space at Albertus for black students regardless of being black is in trend or not. Since then, the Black Student Union at Albertus has been active. We have a growing membership weekly and our programs are getting better over time. Not only are we shifting the culture of our school through this club. But, we are able to provide a more tailored opportunity for black students at Albertus. I think black students should hear my story and know to go with their instincts and stand up for what they believe in. Honestly being a full-time student, working and running an organization is a lot of work. There have been numerous times when I wanted to quit or I’ve broken down and cried. But, I really wouldn’t change anything. I see the bigger picture and I encourage other students to stay resilient with what ever their calling is. I swear it will pay off. Other than the Black Student Union there are no resources available specifically for black students. We are pushing to activate an NAACP chapter to help increase our resources. Albertus should help the BSU, be more inclusive, hire black professors, increase resources for first-generation students, etc because I do not feel represented here.

Karissa Frederick, Class of 2023

Editorial Team — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 22:19:15 +0000

I would definitely say to an extent there is some segregation. Of course, we all take classes together, but in the residence hall, you won’t necessarily see the white kids and Black kids together. It isn’t a melting pot like they portray college to be. I wanted to join the AU pride club, but I didn’t because there aren’t a lot of Black people in the group. After class, I’m in my room because I don’t necessarily feel comfortable being on campus. There have been a lot of instances with black women specifically, not being treated the way we should be treated. Both by admin and by the student body. We are a PWI, so these instances are reflective of America, but it is very sad because we are labeled the most politically active school in the country. Most of the support I will say that I do receive is from the affinity groups: African student organization (ASO), Black student union, and Caribbean circle. In those spaces that are predominantly places for people of color is where I feel my issues are heard. We do have Black affinity housing. It is set aside just for black-identifying students to be a part of which is definitely a step in the right direction. We also have the center for diversity and inclusion (CDI). We have some representation in student leadership, but the student leadership is majority white. Our current student body president is a Black woman. Our student government has 10 Black senators. There is so much I wish the school would do more, but I don’t even know where to start. For me, I will say coming to this school was a cultural shock, being West Indian, I grew up and all of my friends were West Indian. I didn’t make friends maybe until my 2nd semester of freshman year. Therein lies the problem, many people on this campus tend to see Black people as a monolith. There are Caribbean/West Indian, African, etc. It was hard to find Black friends. I would hang around the African American kids, but there were certain things that were different. If anything, those groups get it more than the white kids. I wouldn’t say this is a problem so much now, but freshman year, I felt the black community was sort of cliquey. I guess it was hard to be accepted. “I look like you so why can’t we get along?” It definitely took a whole pandemic and coming back to school in my junior year to have that sense of acceptance or a black community. In a sense, I thought that I couldn’t get in. I do feel represented now. I see so many Black women on campus. (Side note: There are not many Black men on campus in general. A majority of the Black people here are women.) I was able to create not only a Black female friend group but a Black female community. The student body president is one of my close friends. A lot of them are on campus trying to make a change. I know the Black girls who come after me are definitely gonna have it easier than I did. Also, our school has a lot of engagement on social media. Not only do we post our current happenings, but we also try to have community-building events. For example, we had a mental health dialogue about Black mental health on campus. For Valentine’s day, we had a Black love event where we talked about what Black love looks like. Soon we have a love of diaspora ball. There is so much hardship outside so we don’t focus on that. We answer our DMs, we do a lot of collaboration events, we collaborated with AU pride recently, we collaborated with Caribbean students in the past. I am in the Black Student Union, but I still represented West India in the recent pageant. The Caribbean circle as well as ASO have a pageant. I was Miss Grenada because my family is from there. It is like Miss America, but the boys can participate too. We talk about food, our views, what we love about our country, etc. I love sharing my experiences and what I love about my country. There are so many kids on campus in different parts of the diaspora and we try to encourage everyone. If you’re not African, still come to the African events. If you are not Black, still come to the Black events. At the end of the day, we are all trying to build a community for each other. We don’t want to gatekeep anything. At the end of the day, we still share the same black skin color. We never want to divide each other inside the diaspora.

Truth Arnold, Class of 2024

Editorial Team — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 19:45:35 +0000

There isn’t enough diversity for there to be major cliques, but similar ethnicities try to stick together when they can. I don’t really know if there are resources available for black students honestly. Besides a safe space like Black Student Unity (BSU), there isn’t really that much for the black students. They have supported black student activism and heritage months for most (if not all) people of color. They also take situations of discrimination and hate seriously. Most teachers also support students of color and try to make it as comfortable for us as possible (at least the teachers that I’ve had so far). Honestly, I think they’re trying their best with what they know. They typically listen to their students and faculty of color and take all of it pretty seriously which is all I can hope for really. It’s a bare minimum, but it’s still nice. I know the new administration is trying to make a change with the discrimination team to help with issues against POC which is ultimately nice, but I do not entirely feel represented. With LGBTQ+ people, I think on the surface level they are supportive (and no one is outwardly against it), but I know of some instances where (on an administrative level) there can be some points where I think they don’t like to publicly embrace LGBTQ+ issues for their image. For disabled people, I think there is not enough done or it could be improved upon in the academic and landscape sense. There is not enough consistency in accommodations to the general student body academically for mental/neurological issues out of their control. And physically, the campus is not disabled-friendly for people that use wheelchairs or not other physical accommodations. I think the structure of the campus could definitely do better. If you’ve already been to PWI’s throughout your academic years then you already know the kind of space in which you’ll find yourself in. You probably won’t find people that you’ll be able to relate to culturally. You might find that some content or issues that are said by others might lack sensitivity and tact. And honestly, that just comes with the lack of awareness that some places have with Black people and black culture in general. It honestly gets more tolerable as time goes by and honestly, it’s not too bad when you get used to it. But it doesn’t mean that it’s all that great either if you’ve gone to predominately black schools your whole life. My honest advice is to just stick to your safe spaces, stick to people that you trust and know, and stick to your roots. That is honestly something good that you can lean on by the end of the day outside of the academic things in college and something that can get you out of the chronically non-black get-togethers that happen on campus half the time. Also, find faculty that are very sensitive and understanding to the issues that affect you! Being able to vent to them and ask them for help on certain issues that might be hard to solve will get you places!

Dymond Larrimore, Class of 2023

Editorial Team — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 19:33:53 +0000

Though south is a PWI there are a lot of different ethnicities and races at the school. For some students, it’s easier to group with their own race or ethnicity so we have a lot of different groups and organizations for things like that. It’s good but also bad because it seems as if it’s better to just group with people you know rather than the ones you don’t, but at the same time that’s how that “segregation” can come into play. Yes, most of them are organizations and I think they are pretty amazing. We have a Black Student Union organization and I love how they stand up for the minority at south. We had a situation with a couple of our professors dressing up in racial Halloween costumes for a party as they were trying to figure out what should happen. The BSU committee decided to do a march and a lot of people showed up and supported, even students that are of different races. I enjoyed that moment/march because it showed me how we can come together to fight for what is right as a school. The BSU makes me feel represented. The school itself seems to only support students of color through athletics. I wish south would give out fair scholarships to everyone and not just people in a specific field or major. It’s not fair some students have to wait a certain grade year just to fill out a scholarship just for them not to get it. I believe it has a lot to do with race because why are we filling out what race we are for a scholarship that can go to anybody? If you want to feel more appropriate about race you should definitely go to an HBCU where they embrace everything about being black.

Anonymous, Class of 2022

Editorial Team — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 18:56:10 +0000

Joining Black Student Union was the best decision I made coming to this school. I was able to be around people I could relate to. I learned a lot about how universities function. It was also a reason for me to stay involved in campus life, including my academics. In my involvement in a black student org, I was given the ability to represent myself and my peers to faculty and staff. The sports teams and the international students are kind of their own group, but other than that I don’t see many “cliques.” We have a multicultural resource center, but they are directed toward LGBT help. If you want help specifically, you have to go find the resources. NMU does not support students of color. I wish they gave us a space on campus that is open for use by students of color. At all times. There is not a place on campus where we know we will see each other. The sales pitch is that they are supportive of students of color and other marginalized identities. That is the sales pitch. There are a lot of words of encouragement but few actions supporting that. NMU is located in an oasis of nature. Coming up here will be a culture shock. I think that NMU has great potential for giving Black people an experience of a lifetime. However, at the moment it seems to be an institution for whites. My advice to you is to find people you can relate with and don’t let others make you feel incapable.

Anonymous, Class of 2022

Editorial Team — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 18:48:35 +0000

I love my university and I am so glad I chose it. It has given me so many opportunities for my future. However, if you are going to a primarily white institution, immediately look for Black organizations on campus. As a first-year, I wished I sought out more Black organizations as I had a hard time seeing people who looked like me and shared my experiences. Also, there were many times when I found myself as the only Black student in my classes. But once I looked for Black organizations like Black Student Union, my experiences at school improved significantly. Also, look out for Black/African diaspora centers because the staff there are there to help you and make sure you are a thriving student. They have been extremely helpful and supportive of Black students. They have events and programs dedicated to Black students to encourage them to stay in school. There are student centers dedicated to Black students and provide them funding for events and programs geared for Black students. I would say Davis isn’t cliquey between races, but it depends on things like your major, where you live (if you’re in the dorms especially), and where you hang out. I wish there was more accountability of students and staff in regards to prejudice and discrimination. I hear of stories where professors and students actively ignore/leave out Black students and it is disheartening as the school tries to represent itself as a diverse, equal opportunity school. The school ought to address these issues, but I believe there is financial incentive to allow the behavior as professors doing important studies get a pass. I feel represented at UC Davis as I have multiple backgrounds. My advice, research your university extensively regarding how Black students are treated; if you see anything you personally would not be fine with, then you should rethink your selection. Also, look at the Black student organizations on campus and their social media to see if they are active.

Wayne Peterkin, Class of 2024

Editorial Team — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 18:46:33 +0000

One night I went to socialize with my white neighbors because I spent a lot of my first semester inside. We hung out in one of their rooms, and it was just one other person. The person I was with propositioned me for drugs, and I decided to take a step out and try what he had. I had a bad trip, and while I was sitting there trying to process things, he and our other neighbors seemed to vibe with that kind of experience, as if it was normal. That day reinforced to me that my background, culture, and habits are not the same as theirs, and I need to be more cautious of when I enter their environments. It can be segregated, but it’s not on purpose. We acknowledge each other as POC in general spaces, and we hang out if the opportunity presents itself. But more often than not, we end up hanging out in groups we feel most comfortable with, like our identity organizations. The biggest resource is the BLACK STUDENT UNION! I am the current treasurer of BSU here at UVM. We host weekly meetings in our center for students of color. We put on events throughout the year to develop community for black students, including 2 of the biggest events of the year: Soul Food Social in November, and Fashion in February. We also have the mosaic center which has counselors we can talk to; they put on BIPOC events for us throughout campus, and they have the Women of Color Coalition club. That’s about it, we have to support ourselves. I wish UVM would season the food better or get POC to cook the food. Instead of having white chefs attempt to make staple cultural dishes. Do I feel represented at UVM? Not at all, I have to fight for representation. Mentally prepare yourself for the culture shock, bring whatever you can that makes you feel at home. Find friends that you can stress with over the hard experiences you will face and the difficult coursework.