BY Alexandra loukeris
Staff Reporter
On Wednesday Nov. 14, the Black Student Union at Sacred Heart University hosted their first event, Wild N’ Out in the Martire Theatre.
“The Black Student Union is a renowned and respected national organization and Sacred Heart is long overdue to have its own chapter,” said club advisor Dr. Colleen Butler-Sweet.
This event was based on the TV show “Wild N’ Out” on BET network.
It included different types of games in which attendees could take part in. These games included one called “Spit’n” in which two players each hold water in their mouth while they both try not to laugh.
They also had a guess who game where there were two teams and one team would make up a rap describing one person and the other team would have to guess. The last game was a rap battle between the two teams.
“We rapped and sang, joked and had a good time with great vibes and a lot of laughs,” said senior Schindler Auguste.
This was the clubs first event as they are a new club on campus. The chapter of BSU first debuted at Sacred Heart this past fall.
“The purpose of Sacred Heart University Black Student Union is to serve as a liaison primarily between students of African descent (and other minorities) and faculty/staff within in Sacred Heart Community,” said junior NaCyla Wiley, president of the Black Student Union. “Our mission is to first and foremost love others and educate through our four main foundational pillars of community, academia, social awareness and unity.”
Members of other clubs and organizations, such students from Delta Zeta sorority and fraternity Iota Phi Theta along with other diversity clubs on campus, also attended this event in support of the new club.
Senior Chloe Barcial, who is part of the Multicultural Club on campus, is among some of the students that attended this event. Although she is not part of the club, she enjoyed the event and what the club had to offer.
“I would like to see more collaboration events with other cultural clubs on campus such as MCC (multicultural club), La Hispanidad, etc.,” said Barcial. “I think it’s important to unite those clubs that have the same goal which is to promote diversity.”
This event gave students who may be thinking about joining an inside look at what the club has to offer and encouraged them to join.
“It does encourage me to join because of such cool events that they produce and execute,” said Auguste.
For a new club on campus, they have had a good turnout to their meetings so far.
“We had around 60 students show up to our first meeting and 110 in total sign up for the emailing list!” said Wiley.
Wiley is one of two students who founded the club. With Wiley as president and co-founder Justina O’Brien as the vice president, they brought the Black Student Union to campus.
“They approached me over a year ago about starting a chapter of the BSU here are Sacred Heart and were tireless in their efforts to ensure the club met all of the student life requirements for active club status,” said Butler-Sweet. “They were both fierce advocates for this group!”
Since they are new, Wiley has aspirations for this club and hopes to see it grow in the future here at Sacred Heart.
“More than anything I desire sustainability and being able to see not only expansion and growth for years to come but being the founding chapter for the work we do now have a ripple effect on the groups to follow,” said Wiley.
