By Kaileah Baldwin
Even though there are only about 10 of us, the members of the Black Student Union are chiefly concerned with the improved awareness of the minority groups here at the University of Portland, with particular focus on the success and expansion of its black community.
The African American population on the UP campus is of the lowest numbers out of any given group.
BSU's primary goal for the years ahead is to increase black enrollment and involvement at the university to build up a strong and longstanding support system for future black members of the UP community.
Lead by Co-Presidents Marshawna Williams, a sophomore, and Alyssa Schmidt-Carr, a senior, the BSU has already held the Soul Food Extravaganza - an event in celebration of southern black culture through authentic fried chicken, greens, and catfish - and has participated in a canvassing project through the Urban League.
BSU hopes to hold more events and get more involved in UP's black and multicultural community, but has difficulty doing so because of its poor financial support. Many BSU members will be helping out at basketball games this season to raise money to try to support themselves, but the club is so small that it will be difficult to earn enough to make a significant impact in its budget.
The club asks that any students willing to volunteer at games this winter to support BSU contact one of the co-presidents, both of whose information can be found on the UP Web site.
Because of the disgraceful population of African Americans in the UP community, and the similarly depressing lack of multicultural awareness at the school, the Black Student Union is constantly at risk of disbanding. Out of the 19 UP students who recognize themselves as of African descent, only about 10 are a part of the BSU, and even fewer are regularly active members.
Another reason for the struggling survival of the Union is the reluctance of other students to join; many people wrongly assume that the Black Student Union is only for blacks, but we are very welcoming to people of any race or cultural background who sees the importance and need for a strong black community.
The Black Student Union sees diversity as its number one priority. The University of Portland has a very heavily white-dominant population (about 70 percent), whereas the African American population is second to last with only 1.2 percent representation (UP's Native American population makes up a measly 0.9 percentage of its total student body). The worst part is that no one seems to think that the University's alarmingly low minority population - specifically that of blacks and Native American - is a problem.
The University's single African American regent, Kay Toran, was invited by the BSU to speak on October 27 about her experience as a UP alumnus and as one of its 35 regents. Throughout the discussion, questions were asked about what's being done to increase the black population on campus, and what's being done to retain its minority students.
Toran had no answer except that the regents were more concerned with other things. Toran herself recognized that diversity and multicultural awareness is feeble at the University of Portland and agrees with the Black Student Union's mission to increase both.
However, BSU need help and support to recognize and rectify such issues, beginning with the simple act of opening people's eyes.
Kaileah Baldwin is a freshman secondary education major
