With its 30-year anniversary approaching in February, the Black Student Union is gearing up for an activity-and-celebration-filled semester to mark this major milestone.

Cameron Hubert, BSU president and a junior cinema and television arts major, said the organization will celebrate the anniversary throughout the semester and will expand its annual Ebony Ball in April to a bigger and better event to mark the occasion.

“[BSU wants to] make sure that our 30th anniversary is done well, is done professionally, [and] is done respectfully,” Hubert said. “A goal of ours [is] to make sure we are laying the foundation for many years to follow.”

Hubert said the organization has had a huge impact on campus over the past 30 years by building a community, culture and safe space for students.

“For over 30 years, to have touched so many lives [and] to have inspired so many people,” Hubert said. “I think it’s just been an amazing feat for the organization.”

Along with the anniversary celebration, Hubert said BSU will have a theme for every month this semester and invite other student organizations and outside speakers to their weekly meetings. A theme last fall was mental health, as reported Oct. 30 by The Chronicle. February’s theme will follow along with Black History Month, Hubert added.

Khai Clardy, senior journalism major, is in charge of BSU’s newsletter, Harambee. Clardy said the newsletter covers local and national news but starting this semester, it will include recaps of the group’s weekly meetings for people unable to attend.

BSU is an important organization for students to get involved in because it helps them learn to become better leaders as well as followers, Hubert said.

“You learn so much outside the classroom when you give your time to something that is so much greater than yourself,” Hubert said. “You get to learn about a culture [and] you get to learn how to build with a culture.”

Kamarie Gerring, freshman audio arts and acoustics major, said she joined BSU during her first semester after she learned about it in her first couple weeks at the college. After attending a few meetings, she decided to join the outreach committee, which has organized food drives.

“I want to get even more involved,” Gerring said. “I really want to commit to it a little bit more in the future.”

Hubert said he is honored to continue the legacy of BSU.

“Even if they fall outside of the race and the culture, we learned that we are all one people,” Hubert said. “In the space, we’re celebrating and learning about this one specific culture and appreciating it.”