The Black Student Union held its first social event in years Friday to bring together students, the local African-American community, faculty and staff.
Steve Bell, professor in the parks, recreation and tourism department, said the event was fairly monumental.
“I’m happy about this event because the black student community hasn’t had social events for a while,” he said.
The Black Student Union hasn’t held a social event in years, and students from surrounding schools such as Utah State and Salt Lake Community College turned out to build community connections.
Sam Magadla, a med student, said the social was significant to students in many ways.
“It allows for different cultures to come together and for everyone to relax and have fun,” he said.
The social kicked off the Black Student Union’s scheduled activities for this year.
One of the first events will be a conference Nov. 8 for high-school students regarding college issues.
“One of our goals is to increase the number of black students at the U; another is student retention,” said Simone Fritz, adviser to the Black Student Union.
“We want to start a conversation with high-school students to make them aware of their options,” she said.
The meeting will include several speakers from both U faculty and students involved in the Black Student Union, and will also include panels to answer potential U students’ questions.
Community members and professionals will also be present to offer support and give advice on how to be successful at the college level.
They will also discuss the various options available in the workforce and what it takes to work in careers such as law, medicine, humanities and other disciplines.
Finances are a pressing issue to potential students, and panels will talk about applying for financial aid, diversity scholarships offered through the U and the college application process.
The seminar will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Union Ballroom.