Black Student Union
2004-2005 Meetings & Events

Summer Orientation- Summer 2004
During the summer orientation incoming freshmen visited the campus every week and spent the night. The Black Student Union held a session during the nighttime for the Black students. During this session Upperclassmen gave advice to these incoming freshmen about classes, teachers, reputations, dorms, roommates, etc. We also provided snack and dispersed information about important resources the freshmen could use including websites to all the Black student groups.

Juke Joint- September 2, 2004
The BSU co-hosted the first Juke Joint of the year with the African Student Association. The Juke Joint has become renowned as the premier showcase of talent and cultural craft and the first Juke Joint of the year lived up to its billing. Poets, MC’s, and Singers shared their art with a standing room only crowd. This Juke Joint served as a welcome to freshman as well as a welcome back to old friends.

The Inkwell Pool Party- Friday September 10, 2004
The BSU and Phi Beta Sigma began what was dubbed Black Terp Weekend with a pool party. The outdoor aquatics center was transformed into a private club complete with a DJ and Lounge area. Those in attendance took part in a variety of activities ranging from a game of pool basketball, diving contest, card games, or just dancing along to the music.

UMD VS Temple Football Game- Sunday September 12, 2004
The second event of Black Terp Weekend. The BSU encouraged black students to obtain tickets to the football game and then sit together to cheer on the Terps as they destroyed the Temple Owls 45-22.

Church Service
The Black Student Union in cooperation with Campus Ministries hosted a church service in the beginning of the semester. The service was the event the concluded Black Terp weekend. A fun filled weekend that was to included a skating and pool party. The event was also to ensure that the students got the semester off to a good start by being encouraged by words of inspiration. The service was held in Memorial Chapel, which is located right here on campus.

First General Body Meeting- September 13, 2004
This year the BSU Executive board decided to use the first general body meeting of the year in order to get right down to business. Executive Board members spoke to the packed Nyumburu Multipurpose room about committee opportunities, and the BSU’s plans for the upcoming year. This meeting served as a positive beginning for the year and many people signed up for committees and for the BSU listserve. Once again the Executive Board got the crowd excited with an icebreaker that awarded the winners with coveted All-Niter Wristbands.

All Niter Party – September 17, 2004
Every year the Black Student Union sponsors a social during the Stamp Student Union All-Niter. Along with all other All-Niter activities, the social is free for students. We distributed wristbands during the afternoon, and they were completely gone within an hour. The line began forming hours before distribution time. Waiting in line for All-Niter wristbands has become a rite of passage for freshman students. The All-Niter party is one of the most popular events during the fall semester. A representative from the Black Student Union Executive Board served on the All-Niter Planning Committee to coordinate this event.

Tri-Council Meeting- September 20, 2004
The Tri-Council consists of the African Student Association, Black Student Union and Caribbean Student Association. Formed in 2003 the purpose of this union was to form a better sense of community across the black Diaspora. The BSU hosted the first meeting this year and students were put into circles that contained people from all three organizations and then given scenarios to act out. These scenarios focused on stereotypes and lead to a discussion about why we tend to stereotype and segregate ourselves from one another.

BSU/LSU Joint Body Meeting- September 27, 2004
Over the past few years the Latino Student Union has proved to be a great ally and partner for the Black Student Union. Having a joint general body meeting has become an annual occurrence and this year the focus was on the portrayal of Blacks and Latinos in the media. We analyzed video clips from popular movies and discussed the stereotypes they portrayed and the effects of these stereotypes. Eventually the conversation turned to the use of the n-word by Latinos. That led to a very eye opening and impassioned dialogue.

Big and little mixer- September 27, 2004
The annual BSU Big/Little mixer took place September 27, 2004, and served as our kick-off to our Campus Mentoring Bigs Program (CMB). Approximately 200 people attended. This mixer was for our mentoring program so that freshmen and their upperclassmen mentors can meet each other. Everyone was separated into their different CMB groups according to their various majors and hometowns. The CMB groups competed against each other in multiple games to determine the winners. First they randomly picked a TV show where they had to perform the theme song and a scene. They got to choose from: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Martin, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, Saved By the Bell, and In Living Color.Then they had two minutes to create an artwork with finger paint and other crafts. The next round they had to do their best Cha Cha Slide. The finalists then competed in a round of musical chairs. In the end Desi’s (the VP of Student Affairs) group won.

Campaign 2004- October 5, 2004
The BSU Joined forces with The Latino Student Union, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority inc., La Unidad Latina de Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc., The College Democrats, and Rock the Vote to discuss the importance of the Minority Vote in the 2004 Elections and find out the candidates stance on issues facing our community. BSU president Hank Rawlerson provided a history of minority voting as well as the statistics from last presidential election. Guest speakers Victor Ramirez, a Maryland State Delegate, and Jovan Bowles, an Outreach Coordinator for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, stressed the importance of voter mobilization. After the program LUL and Rock the Vote Registered people to vote.

www.diamondbackonline.com/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/10/06/news4.html

Battle of the Sexes with Fear Factor Challenges

The Homecoming committee put a twist on one of the classic homecoming event, Fear Factor Challenge. This year instead it was turned into a battle of the sexes. Each team consisted of the audience being spilt boys against girls. Then each group competed within themselves to see who would represent the team. The winners from each team went head to head with the winners form the opposite sex to compete for the grand prize and the title of champion for their team. The event took place in Nyumburu Cultural Center during Homecoming week.

Debate Watch- October 13, 2004
For the final Debate of the 2004 election, THE BSU along with ANQ Fraternity, NAACP Nyumburu Cultural Center, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Omega Psi Phi hosted a debate watch. Over 125 students ate pizza and watched the debates on the big screen and then stuck around to discuss what they heard from the candidates. This tremendously successful event ran over an hour longer than anticipated because so many students wanted to discuss the platforms and proposed policies of the candidates.

www.diamondbackonline.com/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/10/14/news3.html

Committee Meetings - October 4/November 22, 2004
The BSU is made up of many committees including Marketing and Promotions, Hip Hop Conference and Community Service. A few times a semester committee meetings are held in order to allow the committees to meet and also give new members an opportunity to join committees.

Dahkness - October 29th
The Black Student Union, hosted a costume party to celebrate Halloween. Not only was there dancing but also a contest to award the best and most creative costume.

Voting 101 with NAACP- November 1, 2004
The Black Student Union co-sponsored Voting 101 with teh NAACP-UMCP Chapter. This program was created to provide students with a crash course before the Election Day. We provided information that was particularly important for fisrt time voters. We reviewed Election Day procedures and the Voters' Bill of Rights. We answered any last minute questions students had about the process. In conjunction with Voting 101, the Black Student Union also sponsored "Roll to the Polls", a carpool program to take students without transportation to their respective voting locations.

Roll to the Polls- November 2, 2004
The BSU got volunteers to sign up to take people to their respective polling sites. Since so many people voted in their home counties they offered to carpool with those without transportation.

"Save our University" Rally - November 8, 2004
The Black Student Union participated in the Save our University Rally held on McKeldin Mall. The Student Govenrment Association sponsored this event. SGA President Aaron Kraus said this candle light vigil was in mourning for Gov. Ehrlich's and state legislators’ loss of interest in higher education. The Residence Halls Associated, Maryland Public Interest Research Group, and the Pan-Hellenic Association were in support of the event. BSU Hank Rawlerson delivered a powerful speech to the hundreds of students gathered on the mall.

www.diamondbackonline.com/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/11/08/news4.html
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35581-2004Nov8.html
www.diamondbackonline.com/News/Diamondback/archives/2004/11/09/news2.html

Teddy Bear Drive – November 13-December 8, 2004
The campus community for many years has been collecting teddy beard for children during the holiday season and this year the BSU decided to get more involved. The bears were collected in Nyumburu and were then given to (insert organization). The bears were then given to children as they were adopted or entered the foster care system, to give them something to hold on to.

2 Brothers and a Puerto Rican Comedy Show – November 16, 2004
The Black Student Union, SEE Review Board, and the Brothers of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated all sponsored a comedy show called “2 Brothers and Puerto Rican.” The comics included:
1. Chris Thomas, Original host of BET’s Rap City,
2. Tony Woods, Comedy Central and Def Comedy Jam
3. Joey Medina, Latin Kings of Comedy

The purpose of this event was to bring together two cultures to engage in a night of fun and comedy. This event was held in the Nyumburu Cultural Center, and about 100 people attended.

BSUnity Meeting w/ ANQ Sorority
The BSUnity Series was created to build relationships between the BSU and smaller Black student organizations on our campus. The BSUnity meeting provided the groups with the opportunity to address the BSU general body members on a particular subject. The BSUnity meeting hosted by Alpha Nu Omega Sorority Inc. focused on Hunger and Homelessness. They addressed issues relating to Homelessness and brought in guest speakers to provide personal stories and first hand experiences. This meeting was a part of ANQs Love in Action Campaign Week.

John Legend Concert- November 19, 2004
The Black Student Union co-sponsored the John Legend with Student Entertainment Events. The sold-out concert was held in the Colony Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union. Renowned poet Jason Reynolds was the opening act for the concert. Since our concert, John Legend has received a Grammy and gained widespread attention in the national media. His album "Get Lifted" has also gone platinum.

Scheduling 101- November 29, 2004
The Scheduling 101 Workshop was sponsored by the BSU’s Big and little program. This program was implemented to make sure all Black students are on the right track toward graduation, particularly underclassmen. This program was especially needed since a lot of students complain about their advisors. A survey taken by upperclassmen was used to give freshman students suggestions on good and bad CORE classes to take, good and bad professors, “easy A” classes, and student’s all time favorite classes. Bigs, Pre-professional organizations, and peer educators from different departments assisted Freshmen from different schools and majors with their schedules, and four year plans.

Kwanzaa Celebration - December 7, 2004

The Black Student Union in co-sponsorship with the Nyumburu Cultural held its annual Kwanzaa. This is an annual event put on by the BSU and Nyumburu to teach the campus communities about the tradition of Kwanzaa and allows the holiday to be celebrated by the campus community. The program consisted of poems, musical selections, and stories that all paid tribute to the celebration of Kwanzaa. This even t was held in the multipurpose room of the Nyumburu Cultural Center.
Spades Tournament- December 21, 2004
BSU’s big and little program and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated sponsored a spades tournament. Ten teams competed for a chance to win a trophy and $100. They each played in a single round elimination of spades games going to 250. The last two remaining teams played to 500. The winners were Hank Rawlerson and Desarie Board.

Bring Em Out - January 29
To kick off the Spring semester, the BSU hosted a party the first weekend of the semester. This party also gave students who transferred to UMCP to see the social activities on campus.

Big and Little Remixer- Jauary 31, 2005
BSU’s Bigs and littles got back together at the beginning of the Spring semester for the Remixer. There are six CMB groups that are separated mostly by majors. Each group picked their best Big and little pair to compete in a game show. In this newlywed-type game show the Bigs and littles were secluded and asked a series of questions about their Big or little. They were then brought back together to see if their answers matched. The winners were Jessica Branch and Kevin Thomas from Desi’s CMB group. The winners got a free BSU t-shirt and a choice between two Hoff movie tickets or two free bowling tickets.

Black History Month Kickoff
The Black History Month Kickoff is a way to jump-start the month of February. The program honors legacy of Black History Month. The program explores the journey of Black History Month from its roots as Negro History Week. This program was co-sponsored by the Nyumburu Cultural Center and paid tribute to legendary figures in Black History with song, dance, and spoken word performance. The program also served as way to inform students of the many other events and programs that would take place during the month.

Black Political Pioneers- February 7th, 2005
Instead of simply focusing on the past the BSU decided to talk about political pioneers on this campus currently creating black history. After an icebreaker got everyone loose Eric Brady and Kyle Carson talked about what the protest group they founded called Project Mosh. BSU President Hank Rawlerson then spoke about a group that many members of the BSU became part of at the Carol F. S. Hardy Leadership Conference, the Neo Underground Railroad Conductors. For more information on both of these organizations check out the links below.

www.selg.com
www.projectmosh.com
www.nurc.org

Homosexuality in the Black Community- February 14th
During Black history month the Black student Union held a meeting about homosexuality in the Black Community. This meeting was to bridge the gap between straight and gay blacks. A group called T-com (True Colors of Maryland), a branch of the Pride Alliance for lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, and transgendered (LGBT) people and their allies, for minorities discussed their experiences of being homosexual. They started out with their coming out story and then answered questions from the audience that included: The hardships they’ve faced for being both black and gay.

Black Jeopardy - February 16, 2005
Three members from the Black Student Union Executive Board formed a team to participate in the annual Black Jeopardy program sponsored by the Black Honors Caucus. Shannon Simpson, Desarie Board, and Hank Rawlerson comprised the BSU Team. There were three preliminary rounds to the event, followed by a championship round of the three winning teams. The BSU defeated Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Black Engineering Society in the final round. Our prizes included a DVD player, a Target gift card, and an alarm-clock-stereo.

BSU Community Service – February 18, 2005
The Black Student Union hosted a community service event for young children at the YMCA in Silver Spring Maryland. The purpose of this event was to reach out to the youth and to give them a presentation on the importance of Black history in honor of Black History Month. At this event, BSU members facilitated activities such as reading with the children about important Black historical figures and facts, hands on projects to learn about important Black inventors, and creating a colorful banner depicting what Black History Month means to the children. This was a very successful event and the children appreciated having the college students come to visit and share the activity with them.

The N-Word – February 21, 2005
The Black Student Union sponsored an event called “A Discussion of the N Word.” Since this term is often seen as derogatory, but is often used, we felt it was important for us to discuss the implications of the word. We watched clips of different movies, and comics who frequently use the word to see how different people view the use of the word. We also discussed how the participants in the discussion felt about the word. By the end of the discussion, everyone had heard different views, and was able to form their own opinion about how they felt about it. This was one of our larger discussions during Black History Month.

First Fridays in the Stamp
First Fridays at Maryland is a monthly event that is sponsored by the Weekends @ Maryland in the Stamp Student Union. There are a series of activities such as Karaoke, Live Game Shows, Photo Key Chains, Game night, Bingo, Arts and Crafts, etc. The Black Student Union (BSU) has co-sponsored this event with the Stamp to encourage more students to take advantage of these creative activities. The BSU did co-sponsorship with First Fridays in September and December of 2004. Between the exec board and volunteer students, we work each of the different events from about 7:30pm- midnight. As more time passes, more students come out to support the BSU, and other organizations that choose to co-sponsor. This is also a popular event for the CMB program, which is also a major part of our organization. First Fridays continues to be a successful event for students on campus.