The Black Student Union at Florida State University has been taking steps to strengthen its connection with the students of Florida A&M University. This past Wednesday, its members hosted a Wild N Out event which included students from both FAMU and FSU.
The event was based off of Nick Cannon’s hit comedy skit show, “Wild N Out,” where both schools joined in for a moment of laughter and jokes.
Instead of the typical school vs. school duel, they made the two teams based on a color, garnet and gold, and each person was placed on a side at random no matter what school they attend.
Doing this increased the chance of bonding with the students from opposite school.
BSU has hosted a number of events this semester that have welcomed FAMU students with open arms.
The biggest event thus far, FSU-FAMU Bridging the Gap Pep Rally, served a major role in students getting the chance to be exposed to each other’s environment.
Stephen Brooks, a FAMU business administration major, has been active with communicating and creating bonds with the black students at FSU.
“I see what the Black Student Union is doing, and I like how they’re going about it,” Brooks said. “They genuinely want to become a family and I can support it.”
FSU’s BSU is taking the initiative to build a bridge between the black students despite the social divide between Predominately White Institutions and Historically Black Colleges or Universities.
There have been several comments about how the cultural differences stand in the way of the two schools progressing as a collective among the students of color.
However, the ongoing efforts by the leaders in the Black Student Union have been successful at changing the narrative.
Wendyvette Edwards, the BSU president, said she feels strongly about building this connection.
“It is important to me to make everyone feel included,” said Edwards. “I love the interactions between students at both schools and I hope it stays this way. We’re essentially all family.”
FAMU students have taken their approach in a very positive light.
A black student FAMU and FSU club has been created called FAMSU.
Isiah Butterfield, a member of FAMSU, has been impressed with the BSU’s structure and how they’ve managed to cross the tracks smoothly.
“Relative to the past years, the gap between the black students at both universities is definitely closing,” said Butterfield, “There is a lot of ground that still needs to be covered but we are heading in the right direction.”
The ongoing misunderstanding between black students across the tracks from each other could be on the way to a brighter future.
With continuing efforts from both communities, a strong bond could come from this.