African-American students should make voices heard

March 19, 2007 —

All winter long, African-American students bottled themselves up in their dorm rooms, waiting for Old Man Winter to finish his dirty work. There were no black students doing anything to make their campus feel more like home. The only times we got together were for the weekend parties, which were off-campus, of course. Parties at the club are cool, but no one's college life is lived at the club. Only small bursts of activity provided by the University Residence Association and Student Association kept the campus's heart beating in the darkness of winter, which usually began somewhere around five in the afternoon.

Campus life should be just as vibrant and fulfilling as any other part of college life. However, just as there is no campus without students, there is no campus life without student involvement. Black students on campus have not been allowing their voices to be heard by anyone that can make a difference in life on campus, especially in the winter months. That is the time when activities on campus are needed the most. We must take notes from the great singers and speakers in our heritage and express ourselves to the best of our abilities.

African-American students at SVSU have not always been so hushed. Forte, the Hip-Hop dance team, used to travel to other schools and perform in competitions during the winter months; now, they just dance at a couple of basketball games.

A group of black students suggested that the SVSU Program Board get Ludacris to come to the school for the end of the winter semester concert in 2005. Not only did Ludacris come, but he performed every song the audience named! It was one of the biggest concerts in SVSU history and we haven't had a concert like that since.

And whatever happened to the SVSU Apollo Show that used to take place in the Malcolm Field Theatre? It used to be held in February. The 2001 class of black freshman started that show because we wanted something to do. A group of us got together and talked to African-Americans at SVSU that were in positions to help us better our campus life.

Calvin McFarland, Director of the Office of Minority Student Services, and K.J. Foster, Coordinator of Campus Recreation, among others, have been and still are here to help students in a much greater capacity than picking classes and running intramurals. Where is the drive? Where is the desire to be more and do more as African-American students?

The African-American students that have come to SVSU within the last year or two are still part of the first real growth of black students here. You can still start a legacy that can last a lifetime. What black people do on this campus each year attracts more African-Americans to SVSU.

Now, the weather is breaking and the new season is upon us. Students at SVSU are waking up out of hibernation after winter. Shorts and flip-flops are replacing long coats and boots and students are getting the itch to be more active.

If you don't like any of the organizations, start your own! No one says you can't; it has already been proven possible by students before you, including me. Students at SVSU, especially African-American students, need to remember that college life is what we make of it. Nothing will be given to us; good grades are earned and a good college life is taken by the horns. Get involved and make our voice heard today!