At Campbellsville University, many students have trouble adapting and fitting in at the collegiate level. CU’s Black Student Association tries to alleviate some of those problems.
“We just want everybody to have fun and feel like they have a sense of belonging,” said BSA Adviser Eli Moore.
Moore, who doubles as a Success Coach at CU, said student retention is one of the main focuses of BSA.
“When I first came here, a lot of black students would struggle with staying and leaving early because they felt like it wasn’t as fun as the school down the road,” Moore said. “They thought the grass was greener on the other side.”
While the name of the group is the Black Student Association, Moore stressed all races are welcome.
“We hate the fact that a lot of people think it’s just a black student thing because we really want all students to come,” said Moore. “The biggest misconception is you have to be black to be a part of BSA. That is not true.”
BSA is a student organization, which means it relies on fundraising to make any event it hosts possible.
“Fundraising is tricky because these things cost money,” Moore said, “and sometimes to do an event it can go all the way up to the thousands.”
BSA puts on many events for students throughout the school year.
“When we first get on campus, we do a BSA get-together,” said Moore. “We do Soul Food Sunday, movie nights and tailgates. Our cultural potluck where different cultures come in and cook is coming up. My favorite event is the BSA cookout at the end of the year. We cook burgers and hot dogs and buy a thousand water balloons, and we just go to the practice field and have fun.”
Moore said his experience with BSA has helped him grow.
“I had to do a lot of public speaking for BSA, and it gave me a chance to overcome my fear of speaking and shaped me into more of a leader,” Moore said. “I try to dress proper and speak good to everybody. I still struggle with both, just like everyone, but I would like to say I’ve gotten a lot better with being more professional.”
Jacoby Miguel, a senior linebacker for the CU football team, also said BSA has helped him grow as a leader.
“I’ve grown by being able to be what they were for me,” said Miguel.
Miguel believes BSA’s mission of serving others helps him fulfill his Christian duties.
“As Christians, we want to serve and be helpful in our community,” Miguel said. “After I joined the BSA program, they gave me something to look forward to. Bringing people together, good smiles, good vibes, that’s the biggest thing.”
David Young, a member of CU’s track and field team, said he became involved in BSA after losing a parent and recovering from a surgery.
“I already had a year off training, so I felt like I had nothing to do with my free time,” said Young. “I was mad I couldn’t compete. That’s when I really wanted to be involved in BSA, to turn my bad into something good.”
Young took over the role as vice president of BSA and currently serves as its president.
“I feel like we’ve had more students this year,” Young said. “We’ve engaged international students all over the world who have come out to our events. We have community members come to our events and want to help us. I feel like we’re really building BSA to where it’s going to keep growing. That’s what we want, to keep growing and just be a safe space for students on campus.”
Young says BSA is currently looking for a male vice president. BSA has both a male and female vice president, but the male vice president position is currently open.
“If anybody knows anyone willing or anyone wanting to get involved with a true passion for students, let us know,” said Young.
BSA tries not to venture into the political realm.
“We don’t really care about political beliefs, any of your beliefs to be honest,” said Young. “We just want to be there for you as a person.”
Young says seeing the impact they have on students is the reason they do anything.
“When you see the students’ reactions to the events, you see all the smiles and people coming out, it’s just that joy,” Young said. “It makes everything worth it. Then it doesn’t feel like you’re working.”
Young says making money or doing events isn’t the primary focus for BSA.
“We’re not trying to make a certain amount of money or do certain things,” said Young. “We just want to see students succeed and excel.”
Students can get involved with the group by going to BSA’s Instagram page, Instagram.
