Groups unite BU’s few black students

Second in a six-part series examining ethnic and cultural groups of students at Boston University.

Black students on campus can connect with each other through Boston University black cultural organizations such as Umoja, the Minority Engineers Society and the BU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

‘It’s basically one big support network with three different names,’ said Umoja President Gaye Chambers, a College of Communication senior. Umoja, which means ‘unity’ in Swahili, aims to represent the black student body and unify minorities on campus, according to information from the Student Activities Office.

The three groups often combine efforts to put on events, such as a welcome back picnic in the fall and a Kwanzaa celebration in early December.

While blacks make up only 3.5 percent of the BU student population, or 706 students, according to fall 2001 statistics, the groups allow black students to talk about issues that concern them.

‘Lack of diversity is definitely a problem anytime a student is the only black person in a class,’ said Minority Engineers Society President Victor Banjo.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said diversity involves more than just color.

‘There’s great diversity on campus in terms of rural and urban, domestic and international groups,’ Riley said.

Riley said an increasing number of students mark ‘no response’ on their college applications when asked to identify their race, which may indicate an increasing number of students who feel they do not fit into the categories provided.

Kristen Chung, president of BU’s NAACP chapter, said her group serves as a social and political forum for students to discuss issues ranging from color conflict to Democratic candidates to hip hop.

The organization has about 30 members, most of whom are black, but Chung said all students are welcome to join.

‘If we want to call ourselves a diverse school, we need to improve our numbers of under-represented minorities,’ Chung said.

Chung is also a member of the Admissions Student Diversity Board, which welcomes minority students who are interested in applying to BU and shows them the different cultural opportunities available on campus.

‘A good number of minority students do apply and do get in,’ she said. ‘But for some reason, they aren’t choosing to come here.’

Chung said group participation is crucial to finding one’s place at such a large university.

‘It’s a great way to meet people and talk about topics that matter to you,’ she said.

Director of Multicultural Affairs Reginald Pryor said the BU organizations provide some great opportunities for black students.

‘We have an organized set of well run, viable and talented student groups here at BU,’ he said. ‘That strength adds a lot to being a student here culturally and socially.’

The Minority Engineers Society is not just for engineering majors, with about 60 percent of its 45 members in colleges other than the College of Engineering, according to Banjo.

Banjo said his group has already held numerous events, including one in which a panel of black professors discussed how to improve minorities’ success in the professional world. Chung said the NAACP chapter promotes activities ranging from an AIDS awareness event to a voter registration drive.

Because of the minimal black student population, Banjo said ‘it is usually the same 120 of us who go to all of these activities.’

Other campus organizations that primarily involve black students include the Inner Strength Gospel Choir, which performs in schools and churches around the country; the African Students Organization, a group that raises awareness about African issues; the Black Seminarians Association, a religious group; Soulstice, an African and Latino dance group and the Caribbean Club, which puts on cultural events.