On Friday January 20th for the first time ever the Black Student Union (BSU) held a grand opening event for their new office on the second floor of the Student Center, adjacent to the locker rooms. 

The organization aims to use the office to provide students with resources, and administrators like Michale Soto and Bernie Ankney were in attendance.

“Today BSU makes history,” Keisha Robinson, administrative coordinator of BSU, said. “This office will serve as a central starting point for resources and programs for students of color at Point Park University.”

According to their President Kayla Brown, this office is going to allow them to help students with academics and connect them with counselors or provide students with internship resources. 

“The biggest benefit for this office is for students, staff and faculty to know where the Black Student Union is, where all students, especially students of color have a safe place,” Brown said. “The Black Student Union has never had an office here at Point Park.”

According to Brown, the BSU received the office with the help of Don Green, Keith Palo, Michael Soto, Michael Gieske and others. Past leadership pushed for the office to be created.

“So basically it means that students of color or any students really can come, and you know, know where to find us,” Brown said. “We have resources for them, they can just sit and study or sit and do homework and basically, just like a place to find us.”

Brown noted that in the past the organization failed to meet many concerns and doubts that students, staff and faculty had. “We took some time to sit back, not only to recognize those challenges, but also to produce a mission plan and rebuild,” Brown said. 

Brown wants students to know that she and other people who will work in the office aren’t “robots.”

“We really encourage all students to come and hang out if they need to,” Brown said. “So I hope overtime as the years go there is more history, and the next leadership after me will continue to put stuff up and change it the way they want.”

For 2023 and 2024, the BSU set their top three goals, including more outreach, and community engagement within Point Park and the Pittsburgh Community.

“We are working and moving as a unit because to me it is not just a team or a system of roles,” Brown said. “Especially, you need to have the driving passion not to only create, change or help, but also to be the reason why someone got out of bed today.