The Black Student Union is a student-led organization on campus that works to represent minority students and connect them with administration. Alvin Lockett, a junior majoring in accounting, is the current president of BSU.

What is the purpose of the Black Student Union? 

The mission of BSU shall seek to establish and innovate perennial relationship opportunities and expectations for minority students at The University of Alabama. We serve as liaison between students and administration in effort to uphold the values stated in the Capstone Creed.

How long has the University had this organization? 

The Black Student Union was founded in April of 1968 as the African American Association by Dianne Kirskey, so almost 47 years.

How long have you been a member? What brought you to join? 

Like most students, I signed up for various organizations at Get on Board Day, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year that I officially joined as the vice president of Future Black Leaders of UA. I remember receiving an email from then-President Joshua Gray about being recommended to apply for a BSU vice president position. Out of the five positions available, vice president of Future Black Leaders of UA seemed most interesting due to my previous involvement on campus and desire to give back to freshmen and sophomore students looking to get involved.

What does your position entail? 

As the president it is my duty to keep the mission of BSU moving forward. This entails serving on the Student Leaders Council, Student and Campus Life Committee, Human Relations Committee and Media Planning Board; overseeing all BSU-related activities; managing a team of vice presidents and directors; and seeking opinions from general body members on how to change the climate of our campus as it relates to diversity.

What is your goal as president? 

Upon accepting the role as president, my platform is to work diligently on membership recruitment, the financial budget and most importantly to capture the attention of all minority students – both present in the black community and beyond. The goal is to have BSU as the premier organization for students to voice any concern … effectively and tactfully to faculty members and administration.

What has been your highest achievement so far? 

As it pertains to BSU, I think working with University Programs to host a pretty impressive turnout for Onyx was the highlight of Fall 2014. This semester, I’m looking forward to State of the Black Union where so many organizations like the National Council of Negro Women, Collegiate 100 Men and Women, The Grandeur Gentlemen’s Coterie and National Pan-Hellenic Council have joined forces to truly change and create a better climate for the black community. To simply answer the question, collaborating with other minority organizations to benefit and reach as many students as possible is an achievement I wish not to take credit for but to thank the many organizations that support when asked.

Do you want to continue volunteering in similar organizations in the future? 

Yes, I think it is truly important to give back to those who have given to you, whether people, communities, organizations or causes. My grandmother has always quoted Hebrews 7:7, “the lesser is blessed by the greater” – if there is ever an opportunity where I can serve and be a blessing to others, I intend to do that. It would be a selfish act not to.

What are some recent projects or events the organization has been working on? 

In two weeks, on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in 132 Lloyd Hall, we are hosting a Financial Literacy Forum with Collegiate 100 Men and Women, Afro-American Gospel Choir and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. At the end of February are several events hosted by members of Leaving A Legacy. State of the Black Union, a BSU event, will be held Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in 159 Russell Hall. We are having a relationship forum with both Collegiate 100 Men and Women in March. More information on details of any events forthcoming can be addressed to me at [email protected].

How do you plan to improve the BSU in the future? 

I wish to advocate for funding so our organization will have the resources to attend a leadership conference and improve the quality of our office supplies as well as implement some strategies to strengthen our membership by utilizing a point system to track involvement and continue to assist in any way possible to keep the mission moving forward.