The Black Student Union elected three new e-board members for the Spring 2025 semester.
Zaneta Lockwood, first-year creative writing major, was elected treasurer, and Chaya Ross, junior film and television production major and Elisha Dennard, senior arts management major, were elected co-vice presidents.
The elections took place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in conjunction with Black Student Union’s “Black Christmas Movie Night” at 618 S. Michigan in the Hive.
Participants were encouraged to wear comfy clothes or bring a blanket to sit and enjoy some classic holiday music and movies with the BSU community during finals week. Snacks and hot chocolate were provided for participants throughout the meeting. A vote was held before the movie with candidates having the opportunity to give campaign speeches to secure votes from BSU’s general body.
The positions have been open due to ongoing vacancy from fall semester. While three students expressed interest in treasurer and five for vice president, only three students gave speeches for both positions. Lockwood opened their speech expressing how BSU has opened more opportunities to being involved on campus, especially within the BSU community.
“I really come from a volunteer and fundraising background, but I really enjoy just being able to reach out to those in the community and especially in the Black Student Union,” said Lockwood.
Columbia’s percentage of Black students grew this fall. Student enrollment was 5,570 this fall semester and majority BIPOC (55%). Black or African American students made up 18.7% of all students, up from 17.6% in Fall 2023 when the student body was larger, with 6,529 students.
Both Ross and Dennard, who have served on BSU’s e-board, expressed desires to increase attendance at BSU for the spring semester, emphasizing the importance of community outreach and open dialogue. While both candidates encouraged the audience to cast votes in their favor, they also acknowledged the strengths of the other candidates.
“Honestly, if you all do not vote for me, that is totally fine,” said Dennard. “I just know that we have amazing people here and I know that you all are gonna do great.”
Following campaign speeches, students in the audience were offered a rare opportunity to openly campaign for either open position before members proceeded with a vote. Following the audience votes, e-board members put on a holiday film for members while deliberating over final e-board choices.
Throughout the meeting, some candidates and current e-board members also emphasized combatting present challenges faced by the organization within the last year.
Ross, who currently serves as the community chairperson at BSU, said that they decided to run for vice president not only to “continue collaborating with inside and outside organizations” but also to foster a community that everyone is comfortable in.
“I’ve had so many conversations with people that told me that they are not proud to be a part of BSU any longer, and that’s what saddens me,” said Ross. “That’s what also encouraged me to step up to this position.”
Aliya Brown, BSU media team e-board member, discussed the impact that budget cuts have had on attendance for BSU events. Brown says that e-board members had to cut back on large events such as their annual “Blackout Costume Party.”
“We’re very much like, limited on what we can do, so we don’t have the quality that we want,” said the junior film and television major.
Additionally, Brown and other BSU leadership members report receiving a decrease in the budget for student programming. Student Organization Council president Paige Johnson noted student organizations received $1,000 from the SOC compared to $1,400 last year.
Brown also noted that transparency issues and miscommunication with the SOC have led to poor quality setups and lack of essential items such as food and decorations, affecting the quality of meetings and leading to reduced student engagement.
“We didn’t have food for Blackout, our president had to go and buy food, at least four boxes of pizza and drinks; we didn’t have anything,” said Brown. “It’s been affecting us a lot this year, actually, more than I’ve ever noticed.”
Ross also noted that with an organization as large as BSU, e-board members had to cut back on items such as snacks and beverages due to budget cuts often relying on fundraising to fill gaps in the budget.
“It’s kind of discouraging, because we use it as an incentive for people to come to meetings,” said Ross.
All three candidates expressed gratitude and support from BSU community members and gave brief acceptance statements before BSU concluded their final meeting for the semester.
Copy edited by Angel Marie Guevara
