By Danielle Whitaker

Colorado State University Pueblo’s Black Student Union (BSU) chapter was given a dose of fresh blood on Tuesday, Sep. 13, when the newest union president, Shayla “Shay” Wilson, and vice president, Tristan Jordan, held elections for several open board member positions. 

In past years BSU has served not only as an organization for those of African American descent and their allies, but a community for those wanting to learn more about African American culture. According to President Shay Wilson, this newest chapter will hold the same goals as well as providing opportunity to “even just to meet a friend if that’s needed”. 

As an organization meant to celebrate African American culture at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Wilson plans for BSU to play a vital role in connecting similar on-campus groups like PRISM, CSU Pueblo’s organization for LGBTQIA+ students and LSU, CSU Pueblo’s Latinx Student Union, by hosting combined events with each club.

When prompted on what exactly BSU brings to a Hispanic-Serving Institution like CSU Pueblo, Wilson replied, “…we’re all brown at the end of the day, you know, we can be separated by our terms and stuff. But we’re all brown people. And that’s all we need to do is just come together”.

Students that missed the Tuesday, Sep. 13 election and are interested in becoming a BSU officer are still encouraged to apply as each “position is not going to only need one person, they’re probably going to need a partner or something”, states Wilson, “…what I’m hoping for is that more people will want to do it so that we can have like two or three people in a role rather than just one person.”

In order to apply, students can either attend the next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, introduce themselves and tell the group how they’ll benefit from BSU, as well as how the organization will benefit from them as an officer. Or email their answers to the president directly at [email protected].