Observers of all kinds filled the Starbucks at Conestoga Hall at Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard to witness spoken word and music. The event that took place on March 30 was sponsored and operated by Point Park University’s Black Student Union (BSU).     Poets, rap artists, and vocalists attuned the audience with their creative vibes all evening long. Amongst the talented, Julian Alexander-Hicks — who volunteered his services — adhered to the organization’s request and served as the guest host.     The aroma of coffee beans permeated throughout the area while attendees witnessed a memoir from the Conservatory of Performing Arts freshman Jasmine Ellis, who took an excerpt from one of Pittsburgh-native August Wilson’s famous plays. Ciera Onley, who serves as BSU’s secretary, brought forth spoken word. The audience saw vocalists of several genres, including urban-inspirational, neo-soul and R&B. Naf Keen, a student at the neighboring Art Institute of Pittsburgh, came in and expressed his rap lyrics to a packed house.     One student found it so important to be in the presence of such talent that he rushed out of class to do so.     “I literally left some of my belongings in a class just to make it down here,” sport, arts, and entertainment management major, Ryan Reed said. “There’s lots of positive energy and lots of phenomenal talent. It’s great for, not only the community, but … for everyone in the area to be able to experience something like this.”      The funds for the event were all generated and provided by BSU. Its President Marguerite Sutton mentioned it was mainly an economical event to put together.     “The only things, that were purchased for the event were two boxes of coffee,” she said. “Starbucks was very cooperative in hosting the event for us. Overall, I believe it was a very successful event, which wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of the BSU and all of the event’s participants.”      Typically, the organization’s Black History Month activities include movie and karaoke nights as well as educational functions to educate the participants to the African-American heritage, but the event was postponed until March this year.       “Our open mic event was intended to be a part of our Black History Month events, but it was decided upon by the organization to postpone it for internal reasons,” Sutton said.     Reed also wishes this experience came earlier for him. “[As] a senior, it’s unfortunate that we didn’t have things like this two years ago,” Reed said. “If we had more things like this to bring the campus together, I would have felt [a bit more] at ease on campus. I would have felt more comfortable being around more ethnicities. Things like this cause that awkward tension to be broken.”     Sutton and BSU experienced a busy week leading up to the Open Mic Night. Four days prior, they put on an event called Women’s Day which promoted wellness, beauty, and fitness in honor of Women’s History Month. Ticket holders were provided breakfast and lunch as well as seminars on the aforementioned topics.     “This event was very much worth the effort,” she said.