The intramural field will be the setting for students to jump start their semester with a concert, a career fair, product sampling from major companies, video game challenges, basketball shoot outs and other forms of entertainment Friday from 12 – 4 p.m.
The cable channel BET along with Grassroots Promotions will be sponsoring the BET Black College Tour for the second year in a row. FAMU is the first stop of the 13 HBCUs that will be participants in the tour.
The concert,which will be hosted by personalities from BET, will feature artist from Universal and Motown records.According to Brooke Smith, FAMU student co-chair for the tour, the event will be extremely beneficial to the student body.
“The BET Black College Tour gives students an opportunity to interact with each other, and there are also free giveaways for students. Anything for free is always good especially if it is going to help you,” Smith said.
In addition to the giveaways and concert, presenting sponsor Proctor and Gamble, along with associate sponsors Southwest Airlines, Pepsi, Verizon Wireless, Pontiac, the U.S. Air Force, Play Station and Universal/ Motown Records will be on hand doing career recruitment.
Senior University Union Program Specialist, Catherine Jefferson, said students have been successful in their networking attempts and those interested in employment opportunities should come prepared with their résumés.
Some students are taking an active role in the event not only for the volunteer experience but to take advantage of the networking opportunities by working directly with the corporate sponsors.
Bridgette Nance, a senior public relations student from Alexandria, Va., not only expects her experience to be fun, but also sees it as an event that will help her in achieveing her career goals.
“As a public relations student, volunteering for [the tour] gives me a better opportunity to network with the various companies,” Nance said.
According to Nance, volunteering for the tour could also be a good experience for new and returning students.
“If you’re a freshman you’ll have the chance to meet new people, and if you’re an upperclassman you get to see people you haven’t seen in a while,” said Nance.
Senior class president Brian Bowman is excited about the senior class’s participation in the BET Black College Tour.
“We are there to provide an air of unity for the school and to be a pillar of leadership for the underclassmen to follow as they matriculate through the university,” Bowman said.
“We want everyone to get as much out of the university as we have.”
Farrah Hudson can be reached at hudsonfarrah@yahoo.com.